3142 Anterior Cruciate Ligament Physiotherapy: Sport specific phase

Hello. It is now about 16 weeks since your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL operation. It is important that your recovery now starts to involves a gradual return to sporting activities. This video will show you the exercises which will help you to start enjoying the sports you did before your injury. Depending on your progress, and sporting interests, your physiotherapist will give you guidance about which specific exercises 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: Continue to increase your running distance. Speak to your physiotherapist about which sport-specific exercise drills you can start to practice and when you can return to training sessions. Gentle golf is generally safe at this stage of your recovery. Please do not return to contact sports until your consultant has given you the go ahead. This is generally at the 9 month mark but may be longer. 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 in front of a small step with your legs hip width apart. Bend your knees into a squat position, and quickly push up through your feet so that you jump up onto the step. Try to land softly with a slight bend in your knees. Repeat by jumping backwards off the step and onto the floor. Kneel on a matt or a cushion with your knees at a 90 degree angle. Ask a friend to hold your heels steady, or hook your heels under something sturdy, such as a chair. Slowly lean forwards a few inches, keeping your back straight, until you can feel a tightening in the backs of your thighs. Hold this for a few seconds, before slowly returning to an upright position. Stand on your operated leg. Quickly push up onto the tips of your toes and into a small vertical jump. Try to land softly on the ball of your foot, and slowly lower your heel back down to the floor. Keep your knee soft on landing. Ideally the power for the jump comes from your ankle and calf muscles. Lie on your non-operated side, resting on your elbow, with your lower knee bent at a 90 degree angle and your top knee straight. Use your knees to push your buttocks up towards the ceiling. Hold this postion. Slowly lift your top knee away from your bottom knee, and then lower towards the ground. It is important that you do not let your lower back roll backwards when you do this. Keeping one hand on your upper hip can help to stabilise you. 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 of the compass. Lift your non-operated leg off the ground so that you are standing on your operated leg. Whilst maintaining your balance, hop to the first point in the compass and then back to the middle. Repeat this by hopping to all points of the compass. Try to land softly and restart if you lose your balance. If you have any problems with any of these exercises, please speak to your physiotherapist.