ACL Rehab Asheville Return to Sport

If you tear your ACL you may find yourself wondering…

• Do I need surgery?

• How long is my recovery if I have surgery?

• What can be done to prevent reoccurrence of the inury?

Surgery verses opting for No Surgery

• Context is very important and we must remember one size does not fit all.

• The non surgical athlete that chooses to use conservative approaches with a physical therapist.

  • In the early phases of rehab the goal is to decrease swelling, pain, and stiffness while restoring range of motion, muscular activation, stability, and normal gait patterns.

  • Stage 2 which we will call the middle stage is a more aggressive progression of the early phase. Once the athlete is showing muscle control, stability, and improvements in range of motion we will progress resisted open chain strengthening. Think simple one joint movements typically done with machines, exercise balls, blood flow restriction and exercise bands.

  • In stage 3 we progress to more functional compound strengthening movements. Ideally the athlete was performing these to some level in the preseason and has some motor memory of the movements. Here the goal is resisted movements that start to look more athletic. Back Squats, step ups, deadlifts, and single leg RDL’s to name a few we like.

  • If you are still reading this you have made it to the fun part. Stage 4. Return to sport activivities. This is what we have been training and building towards. In this phase we begin to mimic sport activities in rehab like running, jumping, cutting, agility drills, and powerful movements with change of direction. This stage is a big test asking the athlete, is your body ready to return to your sport?

  • Finally! Is full return to sport and participation. The athlete begins practicing and playing as before. Ideally with some initial restrictions. Load or time management is a good thing to follow as the athletes coach. Nothing simualtes the exact intensity of competing in a sport against other humans. Particularly if the athlete is in a contact sport. Trust the load and time management with a gradual return back to full participation

• Non surgical athletes are often your weekend warriors and adult recreational athletes with a good to great fitness level and work ethic allowing them to build up muscle to support the knee with the ACL injury.

How long is my recovery for surgery?

• It is safe to say a 9 month minimum is to be expected for rehab post surgery.

ACL Rehab Outline

What can be done to prevent an ACL injury or reoccurrence of injury?

• There is no magic formula to guarantee preventing any injury, just like in sports there is no guarantee of winning. What we can do in both circumstances is increase our chances for success (preventing injury and winning) by following some of these simple guidelines.

  • Champions train. In season and out of season strength training is crucial. Muscle not only helps us perform. It also supports ligaments, bones, and connective tissue.

  • Sleep, recovering, and managing a busy scheudle to not over train are also vital. More is not always better. We must take time to slow down, relax, breath, and sleep to get the most out of our body.

  • Sport specialization is a big topic nationally for youth athletes. One side argues to focus and go all in on one sport while another side argues playing multiple sports helps improve athleticism and prevents injury. At Vitalee PT we would tend to say variety and variablitly at a young age is ideal with more specialization being acceptable with age. In any case athletes need sports performance to train all movement patterns and keep their body and mind entertained with various movement patterns that get them out of their comfort zone.

    
    

ACL Prevention Resource

ACL Rehab Asheville