3137 Anterior Cruciate Ligament Physiotherapy: Prehabilitation
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Hello.
You have injured your anterior cruciate ligament or ACL.
Your medical team, which includes physiotherapists and doctors,
will help you decide how
best to treat your knee injury.
This will either be with surgery or
with a course of physiotherapy.
Either way, there are a number
of exercises which you should do
immediately following the injury
to help regain movement,
strength and balance in your knee.
This video will show
you which exercises
are suitable at this early stage.
Ideally you should also see a physiotherapist who will give you
guidance about which specific exercises are appropriate for you,
and will help you with any
exercises which you find difficult.
As with many muscle and joint injuries, we recommend that you
ice your knee for the first 3 days.
Use an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas, wrapped in a damp tea towel.
Place this on your knee
for 15 to 20 minutes,
three to five times a day.
If you use ice too often or for too
long you will develop ice burns
which could cause
blistering, pain and itchiness.
You should check your
skin every few minutes.
We recommend that you
should do each of the following
exercises for 15 repetitions, at
least three to six times a day.
To stop your knee
from becoming stiff,
sit or lie with your knee bent
and your foot flat on the floor.
Slide the foot of the injured side forwards, until your leg is straight,
and then slide it backwards.
You will feel some straining, but it should not cause too much pain.
To keep your buttock
muscles strong, lie on your back
with your arms
across your shoulders,
and both knees bent at 90 degrees, with your feet flat on the floor.
Squeeze your
buttock muscles together,
and slowly raise your bottom,
and then your lower back,
off the floor towards the ceiling.
Slowly lower yourself
back to the ground.
Make sure you keep your buttocks squeezed together throughout.
As you progress, your physio may suggest you try this on a small step,
a wobble board, or on one leg.
To keep your hamstring
muscles strong,
lie face down on a bed
with both legs straight.
Gently bend your injured knee,
brining your heel
towards your bottom.
By doing this slowly and carefully,
it should be pain free.
As you progress, your physio
may add resistance bands
or ankle weights.
To keep your thigh muscles strong,
stand with your feet
shoulder width apart,
with your finger tips on a
table or chair in front of you.
Gently bend your knees,
keeping your back straight,
hold for 1 second, and
then stand up straight.
This movement should be pain free.
If you do get pain, you are
bending your knees too much.
As you get stronger you will
be able to bend your knees further.
At a later stage your
physio may add weights.
ACL injuries can alter your balance; this is also known as proprioception.
To improve your balance, stand in front of a solid table or chair,
ideally with someone
stood beside you.
Put one foot in front of the
other, heel touching toes,
with your legs straight,
but not locked.
Make sure you keep
your back straight
and your buttocks squeezed in.
Look ahead, and when
you feel balanced,
lift your hands up from the table.
Try to hold this for 45 seconds,
and repeat six times a day.
Once this becomes easier,
try doing it with your eyes closed.
Later, your physio may ask you
to try this standing on one leg,
standing on a wobble board,
or throwing and catching
a ball at the same time.
Throughout this stage of recovery,
your physiotherapist will be monitoring your condition
to see if you would
benefit from surgery.
It is very important
that you follow their advice
and practice these
exercises as often as possible
to give you the best
chance of recovery.
Remember to only advance
to the next level of difficulty
when your physio tells you.