What to expect during your acl rehab journey
What to Expect During ACL Rehabilitation
Recovering from an ACL injury is no small feat, with most athletes returning to sport somewhere between 9-12 months! With the right guidance and support, the journey can be both manageable and rewarding as an athlete. If you’re embarking on ACL rehab with me, here’s an overview of what you can expect during the process. My goal is to make your recovery as smooth and effective as possible, ensuring that you return to your activities stronger and more confident than ever.
1. Pre-surgical prep & Post op recovery
Our journey may begin as early as the pre operative phase. During this time, there are a few things that are non negotiable. The first thing, we need to reduce and limit swelling. After your injury, there is no question your knee is going to be swollen. The quicker we can reduce the swelling, the better. The RICE principle (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is a commonly used method for good reason. A quick note there, when we talk about elevation, I would like you to get your leg as high as possible when you are ‘elevating,’ not just ‘above your heart ‘ by a few inches like you may have seen before. Back on track here… the second most important goal for us is to restore FULL knee range of motion, especially extension. Regaining full knee extension before ACL surgery can significantly ease post-operative recovery by ensuring a smoother transition into rehabilitation, reducing the risk of stiffness, and enhancing overall functional outcomes. The last goal of our pre-op phase is to restore your quad and hamstring function. An ACL injury can wreck havoc on your quadriceps strength. There’s a big word for this called Arthogenic Inhibition. Making your knee calm (swelling and improving range of motion) will also help us with bringing some life back into these muscles. The pre op phase is also a time for me to provide you with the education you need to fully understand what lies ahead in the days after surgery. The work we do in this phase can make or break the later phases of rehab, so we don’t take it lightly!
2. The rebuilding phase
The rebuilding phase of your ACL rehab at Souva PT and Performance runs from 6 weeks after rehab until month 6 or later. Hopefully by this phase, we have achieved all of our goals from the post operation phase: 1) Restored full knee extension and flexion ranges of motion 2) The knee has calmed down and swelling is non existent or reduced significantly. 3) Your quadriceps and hamstrings should be showing strength gains and are starting to visibly grow. This phase is long for a reason. At some point throughout this phase you will return to running and low level plyometrics. BUT, there is always a but! You NEED to pass my comprehensive ACL testing at each phase for us to move along. I don’t use arbitrary metrics like “time" to determine when you are ready to run. I do this for your benefit. It does you a disservice if we initiate running when you aren’t ready physically, even if 3 months have passed since your surgery. I promise I will keep communication clear with you throughout the process so there are no surprises along the way. I will be brutally honest with you when you’re crushing it and when we need to make some adjustments to your plan. This phase is a fun one because this is when you see the most growth, but physically and mentally as you rebuild the newer, stronger version of you.
3. return to sport phase
This phase occurs somewhere after the 6 month mark, depending on the progress and confidence you have built up from phase 2. During this phase, we initiate activities that better mimic your sport to physically and mentally prepare you for your return to action. To enter this phase: Your strength levels should be approaching 90% symmetry MINIMUM and your knee should have full range of motion and no swelling. You should be feeling more comfortable with landing and cutting tasks. By the end of this phase, I want the strength of your surgical side to be 95% or closer to full strength of the uninjured side. I have an extensive battery of tests for this phase that slightly differs from the past phase. These will help us paint a picture of where you are now, how far you’ve come, and what final pieces of the puzzle we need to work on. Most importantly, by the end of this phase, you will be heading back onto the field and in to game action! The best part of this phase for me is when you look back on the past year and see how much you’ve grown as an athlete. You haven’t let this major injury derail you from the dreams and aspirations you have worked your whole life for. Now it’s time to go display your resilience and perseverance by crushing it on the field.
WHY choose souva pt and performance
When I talk about creating a patient first model of care, I provide actions that back that up. I understand that your ACL journey is going to be challenging, so I make sure I get down in the trenches with you. You have anytime access to me through the Souva PT and Performance app to ensure all of your questions and concerns are addressed. You will never have to guess what to do, as your program is completely spelled out for you to continue to progress between sessions. Most importantly, I am committed to offering you top-notch care. Every session will be one-on-one with me, a Doctor of Physical Therapy. No technicians or independent time in the clinic. I want you to know you are much more than a number to me and I want to go on this journey with you.
Souva Physical Therapy and Performance is a Sports Orthopedic Physical Therapy clinic in Shelby Township, MI. (Located inside Umbra Strength).
We also provide remote options for patients who can’t visit us in person but still want to achieve top performance and get back in the game!
Ready to start? Fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page to book an evaluation/discuss your injury with me.
