An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can be very convoluted as the name sounds. There is not any injury out there that is pleasant and ACL tear is an injury that can make you feel incredibly susceptible. The ACL instrument upholds the knee at its right place. And to resolve your issues, you need to figure out the best exercises for ACL recovery.
An ACL injury is painful and caused by over-stretching of the ligament whether completely or partially. In addition, with ACL injury it is not possible to move the knee and one can lose the leg strength.
Strict tears or ruptures sometimes require surgery and prolonged rehabilitation to fully restore the movement of the knee. To get rid of the pain after surgery the patient must follow the best exercises for ACL recovery. An ACL injury can make you sit still for at least 2-3 weeks and when you feel comfortable and feel less pain. In this case, you can start doing light exercises to strengthen your weak knee muscles.
Also Read: Best Knee Braces For ACL Pain
ACL Injury Recovery
In other words, after an ACL surgery/injury, one can start walking to get used to putting weight on the knees and legs. With the passage of time, you move on to cycling and then finally running. An ACL recovery can take up to 6-9 months of recovery. Furthermore, an ACL injury recovery is a slow process that strengthens the ligaments of the knee at day by day exercises.
The exercises for an ACL recovery must be done under the supervision of your physiotherapist and injury recovery specialist. The professional doctor can provide you with an appropriate guideline. It keeps on motivating you as the initial exercises can be painful and hard to do. In this article, we will introduce you to the guideline for the most optimum exercises to recover from an ACL injury.
Best Exercises For ACL Recovery
These are some of the best exercises for ACL recovery
Diminish Pain & swelling- Week 1
In the first week, your therapist will reduce the pain and be swelling with the help of cold and compression therapies. After that, you will start the “range of motion” exercises. The main aim of this week is to minimize the pain and inflammation of the knee and retains the knee extension.
Full knee extension- Week 2
In the second week, with the help of the non-bearing weight exercises, your therapist will help you out to ambit the full knee extension. Attaining Terminal Knee Extension (TKE) is intensely crucial in the early phase of your ACL recovery because even the smallest degree of extension fall will change your movement patterns.
Walking & light aerobics: Week 3-6
In this phase, most of the therapists will gradually make you start walking, gentle strengthening, and light aerobics to improve your range of motion. This 3-6 weeks phase will provide you with the freedom of movement due to the following exercises:
- Single-leg squats and climbing stairs
- Aerobic exercise to increase the heart rate
- Core stabilization
- Fortitude equipment through the stationary bike, elliptical trainer, or stair climber
Strength training or Jogging: Week 7-12
In this phase of week 7-12, you will increase escalate your exercise level. This phase provides maximum strength to the ACL injury furthermore at around week 12 some patients start jogging means they are moving in a positive direction of the recovery. The range of motion can be further improved by adding cold & compression therapies by your therapist. These best exercises for ACL recovery will particularly reduce the pain and inflammation of the knee.
Enjoy a wide range of sports: Month 4-7
In this phase, you can enjoy a number of outdoor sports like jumping rope, outdoor cycling, and many other sports that do not require the side-to-side motion like soccer and football. Until you reach this phase, you have recovered your 70% injury. Your knee muscles had gained the maximum stability and strength to move around without any support.
On your way to full recovery: Month 8+
Lastly, in this phase, you can get 100% recovery from an ACL injury, yes the tough time over and you gain the freedom to move your knee and can enjoy all types of games and sports. Do not ever over twist the knee. Use the cold and compression therapies to assure a healthier and quick recovery. At last, after following the best exercises for ACL recovery you will be back to your previous routine of workouts and exercises.
Conclusion:
The recovery from an ACL injury requires strong stamina and strong willing power to come back to the previous life. Follow the above-mentioned best exercises for ACL recovery moreover be smart and maintain your everyday workouts. Don’t ever lose hope, Best of luck for your recovery!
