Imagine what it would be like to be told you would never be able to partake in the sport you loved again. If athletes with torn anterior cruciate ligaments do not follow a strict rehabilitation plan, that could be the case for them. In most scenarios, a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament is highly repairable; however, if the steps in the rehabilitation process are not followed closely and carefully, it could easily lead to further injury and a longer recovery process.
An athlete never pictures themselves taking one step wrong and ending it for months by tearing their ACL; however, even the slightest off-step can rupture the ACL. An tear in the ACL can be caused by a hard hit on the side of the knee, overextension, quickly stopping and …show more content…
Weeks one and two of physical therapy have a vital role in the recovery process. In the initial hours preceding the surgery, pain and swelling control are top priorities; however, it is within the first twenty-four hours that a patient should begin working on leg extensions and quadriceps strengthening (Physical Therapy Protocol). At this stage, the athlete should begin seeing their therapist. The first visit with the therapist will be an evaluation to see where the athlete is currently in their recovery and will also include the set up of an at home workout plan. The patients should be making visits to therapy at least twice a week initially. Following the evaluation visit, the therapist will begin to work rigorously to help the patient regain range of motion and weight bearing abilities. Patients should be completely off of crutches no later than two weeks after their surgery, however, in some cases if a patient is not demonstrating proper body mechanics the therapist will extend that time. At this point, the knee should be able to bend to forty-five degrees and it should be made known the importance of being able to do a straight leg extension as early on in recovery as possible. Going in to the second week, the therapists should be having their athlete or patient begin moderate gait training, mobility, and very minimal aerobics. It is very common for the therapist to preform some type of soft tissue treatment at the end of each appointment to help remove unwanted scar tissue and regenerate the growth of muscles and tendons (OA Centers for
An athlete never pictures themselves taking one step wrong and ending it for months by tearing their ACL; however, even the slightest off-step can rupture the ACL. An tear in the ACL can be caused by a hard hit on the side of the knee, overextension, quickly stopping and …show more content…
Weeks one and two of physical therapy have a vital role in the recovery process. In the initial hours preceding the surgery, pain and swelling control are top priorities; however, it is within the first twenty-four hours that a patient should begin working on leg extensions and quadriceps strengthening (Physical Therapy Protocol). At this stage, the athlete should begin seeing their therapist. The first visit with the therapist will be an evaluation to see where the athlete is currently in their recovery and will also include the set up of an at home workout plan. The patients should be making visits to therapy at least twice a week initially. Following the evaluation visit, the therapist will begin to work rigorously to help the patient regain range of motion and weight bearing abilities. Patients should be completely off of crutches no later than two weeks after their surgery, however, in some cases if a patient is not demonstrating proper body mechanics the therapist will extend that time. At this point, the knee should be able to bend to forty-five degrees and it should be made known the importance of being able to do a straight leg extension as early on in recovery as possible. Going in to the second week, the therapists should be having their athlete or patient begin moderate gait training, mobility, and very minimal aerobics. It is very common for the therapist to preform some type of soft tissue treatment at the end of each appointment to help remove unwanted scar tissue and regenerate the growth of muscles and tendons (OA Centers for