Recovering from an ACL Tear: Your Physiotherapy Roadmap
One of our patients–let’s call him John–recently tore his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). While it was, fortunately, mild enough that he didn’t need to undergo an ACL reconstruction surgery, our team of physiotherapists did play an essential role in his ACL tear recovery.
Your ACL is a ligament located in the front of your knee. It helps stabilize the knee joint, but it can be prone to injury, especially if you’re an athlete. In fact, ACL tears are one of the most common sports injuries. The sudden pivoting or cutting movements in many popular spots can put a great deal of stress on the ACL, causing it to tear, either partially or completely.
ACL tears often require surgical intervention, especially if the ligament ruptures completely or you’re an athlete who needs your knee to function fully. In mild cases, physiotherapy alone is enough to rehabilitate your injury. But if you require surgery, our team is here to help you after your procedure.
Want to learn more about ACL tear recovery? Keep reading!
What To Expect During Your ACL Tear Recovery
ACL tears can be extremely painful and dramatically impact your knee’s range of motion and function. For that reason, we typically begin treatment with manual therapy techniques that help manage pain, facilitate the healing process, and gradually improve mobility. For example, we might guide your knee through its current range of motion or manipulate the surrounding soft tissue.
Managing pain also helps prepare your body for the next step in your ACL tear recovery: swelling control and therapeutic exercise. We’ll begin with activities and exercises to reduce any swelling and improve your range of motion. These techniques, stretches, and simple movements can also help reduce pain.
As your swelling and range of motion improve, we’ll move on to strengthening exercises. Strengthening the muscles that support and stabilize your knee is essential, as this takes pressure off the joint and helps improve its stability. As a bonus, strong legs can also help prevent a future ACL tear!
By this point, you’re probably starting to feel like your old self–but your rehabilitation still isn’t finished. We’ll begin working with you on dedicated balance training and proprioception exercises so you can stay on your feet.
Finally, we’ll work with you on functional training, which focuses on your ability to perform everyday movements and activities. This step is crucial for athletes, who need to prepare their bodies for the demands of their chosen sport.
Ready to Start Your Journey to ACL Tear Recovery?
Our rehabilitation process is similar whether or not you’ve undergone surgery. In both cases, we help reduce pain, improve mobility, restore strength and balance, and work to get you back to the activities you love.
To learn more about what we can do to help you rehabilitate after an ACL tear or ACL reconstruction surgery, schedule an appointment with the team at Strive Fitness and Therapy.