3141 Anterior Cruciate Ligament Physiotherapy: Late rehabilitation phase

Hello. It is now over 3 months following your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, surgery. You have been working hard at improving the strength and mobility of your knee and it is important that you continue to exercise to give you the best chance of a full recovery. Ideally you should see a physiotherapist who will give you guidance about which specific exercises in this video are appropriate for you, and will help you with any exercises which you find difficult. There is some general advice that you should be following at this stage in your recovery: Work with your physiotherapist to try straight-line jogging. Your knee is likely to be strong enough for this, but you should not be making any quick turns as this will put too much strain on your knee. Avoid contact sports and exercise drills that involve changing direction rapidly, known as multi directional cutting drills. If you enjoy swimming, you can now introduce a front crawl kick, but do not do breast stroke legs until at least 4 to 6 months after your operation. If you have an active job, speak to your surgeon or physiotherapist to discuss returning to work It is important to warm up before doing your exercises. Go for a walk, or if you are in the gym, use the cross trainer or exercise bike for 5 minutes before starting. We recommend that you should do each of the following exercises for 15 repetitions, at least three times a day. Stand with your operated leg in front of you, and your non-operated leg resting on a chair behind you. Slowly bend your operated leg into a squatting position Push back up until your leg is straight. You must keep your back straight throughout the exercise. Once you feel confident, you can try doing this exercise whilst holding dumbbells or bottles of water. Stand on your operated with your knee slightly bent. Keep your back straight and slowly lean forwards from your hips until you feel a pulling sensation in the back of your thigh. At this point, slowly return to a standing position. Stand with both legs hip width apart. Quickly push up onto the tips of your toesand into a small vertical jump. Try to land softly on the balls of your feet with your knees slightly bent and soft on landing. Ideally the power for the jump comes from your ankles and calf muscles. Use cones or markers, such as socks or cans, to mark out the four points of the compass on the floor. Stand in the middle. Lift your non-operated leg off the ground so that you are standing on your operated leg. Whilst maintaining your balance, tap the toes of your non-operated leg on each point of the compass. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tense your buttocks and abdominal muscles, and slowly lift your bottom a few inches off the ground. In this position, slowly lift your non-operated leg so that you are supporting all of your weight on the operated leg. Hold this position for a few seconds before slowly lowering your bottom back to the ground. As you progress, try to hold this position for longer. If you have any problems with any of these exercises, please speak to your physiotherapist.