What should be avoided during ACL rehab? Learn about ACL rehabilitation following a knee injury ACL surgery.
Published: 07 December 2024
What should be avoided during ACL rehab? Learn about ACL rehabilitation following a knee injury ACL surgery.
Recovering from an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury can be a challenging journey, and the road to a full recovery depends largely on what you do—and don’t do—during your rehabilitation.
If you are a patient post an ACL injury or reconstruction, recovery is the main goal at our clinic. At The Physio Clinic Glasgow, we also help coach people through plans for ACL tear recovery. What are the common mistakes people make, and how can they be fixed for you to have a better and faster recovery during rehab? In today's blog, we explore different pitfalls hamstringing your rehabilitation.
With a focus on evidence-based practice, our experienced, fully qualified physiotherapists will perform a thorough initial assessment, allowing us to give you a simple explanation for your injury or pain. Your physiotherapist will guide you through your personalised rehabilitation programme to ensure it meets your needs and fits into your schedule, focusing on improving your range of motion and knee strength.
Why Proper ACL Rehabilitation Is Crucial
An ACL tear is one of the most common knee injuries, especially among athletes and those who play sports, and it can significantly impact your mobility if not properly treated. If not treated correctly, it can shorten your athletic career, which can harm your physical and mental health.
Rehab is important, but not only in terms of ongoing recovery; it also concerns strength and stability and renewing the confidence and trust that you have strong and stable knee. Failure to develop a challenging rehab plan could result in re-injury or persisting pain and instability. That is why at The Physio Clinic Glasgow, we are intent on offering a tailored treatment programme to fulfil your needs.
Mistakes to Avoid during ACL Rehabilitation
1. Skipping Physiotherapy Sessions
Missing your sessions is one of the biggest errors you can make while recovering from an ACL tear. These regular meetings are necessary as they keep track of your progress while adjusting and progressing your exercises. Only with testing can rehab be progressed while avoiding re-injury.
At The Physio Clinic Glasgow, we create customised rehabilitation plans and closely monitor your development, making every session critical to your success.
- Why It Matters: Consistency in rehab prevents setbacks and ensures that your knee gains strength and stability at an appropriate pace.
2. An Early Return to Sport or High-Impact Activities
Naturally, if this injury happens, you will be keen to get back to playing your favourite sport or doing the exercises that you love. But returning too quickly can be risky. Returning to sports before your ACL injury or ACL graft is fully healed can result in a re-injury of the ACl or injury to other knee ligaments or meniscal injuries.
When you injure your ACL, follow our advice and carry out some of the simple exercises that we at The Physio Clinic Glasgow recommend. Even if you think your body is ready, it's important to have a professional assess whether you are ready to squat, run and jump around.
3. Ignoring Pain or Discomfort
This thing you call pain is your body saying, hey, something here ain't right! Ignoring or trying to "push through" the pain during your rehab can lead to serious complications. It's crucial to distinguish between discomfort from working your muscles and pain that indicates injury.
- Take Note: If you experience sharp pain or significant discomfort, ease up on the painful movements and consult your physiotherapist immediately. At The Physio Clinic Glasgow, we always recommend listening to your body’s signals.
4. Skipping Balance and Proprioception Exercises
If you only concentrate on strengthening exercises for those quadriceps and hamstrings, then your knee will be slower in recovery. These muscle groups are essential in stabilising your knee and aiding to prevent future injuries, however regaining your balance and control of the knee is also crucial.
- Pro Tip: Balance your rehab routine: Strength and balance work such as single leg stand based exercises is crucial. Our team at The Physio Clinic Glasgow can adjust these exercises to suit your problem and help with a balanced treatment.
5. Overdoing the Exercises
At the other end of the scale, over-training is just as bad if not worse than doing too little. Too much may cause you excessive pain and swelling, which will only slow your recovery from ACL injuries.
- Solution: Stick to your physiotherapist's exercise regime, and if something does not feel right communicate this to your physiotherapist. You will be directed by our rehab experts here at The Physio Clinic Glasgow.
6. Rushing Off of Crutches
Normalising your walking pattern and avoiding limping is crucial early in the rehab process. Use crutches to avoiding putting pressure on the injured leg. Even one crutch can be helpful on reducing the force your body weight puts through your knee post-operatively.
- Don't Limp Around: Walking with a limp or a bent knee can lead to greater swelling and knee pain. Don't rush of the crutch if it normalises your walking pattern.
Key Recommendations for a Successful ACL Rehab after ACL Surgery or Injury
These are some general guidelines to hopefully improve your recovery on the rehab path: -
- Consistency is Key: Do not miss any of your therapy sessions.
- Rest When Needed: Rest your knee to help with recovery. Don’t be afraid to take a break if you feel sore or fatigued, especially during the rehabilitation process after ACL reconstruction surgery.
- Hydrate and Eat Well: Nutrition plays a significant role in muscle repair and overall healing.
- Set Realistic Goals: Understand that recovery takes time and celebrate small victories.
FAQs About ACL Rehab
1. What is a typical rehab timeline?
Rehabbing the torn ACL can last from 9 to a little over 12 months, depending on how your swift rehab is.
2. Can I speed up my ACL recovery process?
You cannot rush injury recovery, but sticking to a structured rehab plan from The Physio Clinic Glasgow and keeping up with our ACL blog series can help you get there faster.
3. What happens if I don’t follow my rehab plan properly?
If you do not follow your rehab plan to completion, then the risk of re-injury is significantly increased: Re-injury, reduced range of movement, further orthopaedic surgery and the inability to return to play sport/ exercise.
Contact The Physio Clinic Glasgow today!
Rehabbing an ACL tear isn't a fast track for recovery; it takes patience and time to do it right. The mistakes we have mentioned are quite common – but by following our advice and avoiding making the mistakes yourself, you can achieve a swift recovery and avoid further injury. Here at The Physio Clinic Glasgow, we work with you through your rehab every step of the way, providing bespoke treatment programmes to suit each individual.
If you have an ACL injury and need professional help, contact The Physio Clinic Glasgow. Our experienced physiotherapists are ready to help you achieve a successful recovery.
Are you ready to start your journey to recovery? Contact The Physio Clinic Glasgow today!