What should be avoided during ACL rehab?

What can you not do with ACL rehab?

Don't work your quadriceps early on because this can stretch the ACL graft. Stationery bike riding or lightweight leg presses are recommended during the first three months after surgery. These exercises strengthen the quadriceps while using the hamstrings to protect the ACL graft. Don't swim or run for five months.

What not to do with ACL injury?

After your injury, you should not play sports or do other strenuous activities until you and your doctor decide what treatment is best for you. If you have surgery to reconstruct your ACL: Follow instructions on self-care at home. You will need physical therapy to regain the full use of your knee.

What helps ACL heal faster?

What are the precautions for ACL reconstruction?

ACL Reconstruction Protocol:

Patients with concomitant meniscal reconstruction, weight bearing at angles greater than 45⁰ of knee flexion should be avoided for 4 weeks with no restriction in weight bearing in full extension. For weeks 4-8, weight bearing should be limited to 90 degrees of knee flexion.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Rehab: Education, Exercises, and Mistakes to Avoid

How much bed rest is required after ACL surgery?

Rest: 0 to 2 weeks after ACL surgery

For the first couple of weeks after surgery, you will need to rest and care for the incision site. Prop your leg — at the calf or ankle — on a couple of pillows four to six times a day. This helps reduce swelling.

Is walking good for ACL surgery recovery?

It's important to start walking within a day or two after ACL surgery, but only a little. Walking for a minute or two can help reduce swelling, but you shouldn't walk any more than that. After two weeks, you can start walking around unassisted without crutches for short periods of time.

What foods help heal ACL tears?

Read below for our top recommendations. Protein – soy, dairy, beans, eggs, cottage cheese, poultry, fish, meat, and nuts are all excellent sources of protein. Make sure you incorporate some into each meal to allow your bones and muscles to rebuild and help your immune system stay strong enough to fight off infection.

What foods help heal ACL?

For example, lots of fresh protein (i.e., oily fish, lean white meats, etc.), fruits, and vegetables, rather than sugary, fatty and pro-inflammatory foods.

What is the fastest ACL recovery time ever?

An ACL tear recovery time is generally eight to nine months, though some people may recover in six months.

What aggravates ACL injury?

Rest & Immobilization: Once an ACL injury is diagnosed it is important that the affected area be rested immediately. Any further movement or stress will only aggravate the condition and prolong recovery.

What makes an ACL worse?

Walking on a torn ACL can cause additional damage to your knee, such as tears to the cartilage of the knee and worsening the ACL tear.

What makes an ACL tear worse?

If you continue to use your knee after an ACL injury, you only make the problem worse. You fuel ongoing inflammation, the ligament continues to weaken, and a partial tear is likely to turn into a complete rupture. The ACL ligament takes a long time to heal even when you seek early treatment.

When can I start bending my knee after ACL surgery?

It is very safe to bend the knee and the physiotherapist will have you onto the CPM machine day one after surgery. The bending won't come back without some gentle pushing on your part. Start with the drop and dangle exercise in my rehabilitation program.

Is ACL rehab supposed to be painful?

Pain during rehabilitation exercises is okay and does not mean that you are causing harm to your body or your recent surgery. It is recommended that the pain level during exercise on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being the worst pain ever imaginable, and 0 being no pain at all), should be no more than 2 to 3.

How long until you can sleep without your brace after ACL surgery?

If you are able to fully straighten your knee, you may begin unlocking the hinges on your brace when you are sitting. You may start sleeping without the brace ~2 weeks after surgery. You will have an appointment with your physician approximately 10-12 days after surgery.

What strengthens the ACL?

Quad sets, straight-leg raises, and heel slides are common exercises used after an ACL injury. As symptoms decrease and you are able to bear weight, side-lying leg lifts, glute sets, bridges, mini-squats, heel raises, and prone hamstring curls might be added.

Does stretching help ACL recovery?

ACL Rehab: Gain early full extension:

One of the main aims of early rehabilitation is to gain full extension of the knee as quickly as possible post-operatively. Not gaining full extension now can have drastic implications later on in the rehab process. This is where stretching is really important.

How do I get my ACL back stronger?

Training. Once you're cleared from PT and ready to get after it again, getting after it is what you must do. If you're truly healthy and good to go, you shouldn't have to hold back in training. Run fast, lift hard, and jump high in training, and you'll get faster, stronger, and more explosive.

What foods help ligaments heal faster?

Is it good to massage a torn ACL?

Massage is an excellent way to prevent you from forming scar tissue after you have ACL surgery.

What vitamins help ligament repair?

Vitamin C: Tendons and ligaments also need vitamin C, a nutrient found in many vegetables and fruits, because both tissues contain large amounts of collagen. Vitamin C plays an essential role in new collagen production, and a Vitamin C deficiency can weaken your tendons and ligaments by preventing collagen synthesis.

How much can I walk 3 weeks after ACL surgery?

After 2 to 3 weeks, you should be able to walk without crutches. As well as specific exercises, activities that do not put much weight on your knee may also be recommended, such as swimming for fitness and cycling.

Can you walk 10 days after ACL surgery?

Yes, but only initially and only for comfort. Full weight bearing is gradually increased as tolerated by the patient. It typically takes seven to 10 days after the procedure, until the patient is comfortable without the assistance of a crutch.

What is the best exercise after ACL surgery?

HEEL SLIDES

Sit down with a towel over your foot. Slide your foot back by pulling the towel with your arms, bend your knee as far as you can. Hold it bent for 3-5 seconds. Continue to bend and straighten your knee for 2 sets of 10 repetitions.