The Key Stages Of ACL Physical Therapy: Is Recuperation Assured?

The ligament that connects the femur bone to the tibia is what we the anterior cruciate ligament also referred to as ACL. This ligament is positioned diagonally in the middle of these two bone fragments. The ACL is regarded as one of the many important ligaments in your body as it's the one that supports the knee and is also responsible for the rotating movement of the knee. As noted by several studies, over a hundred thousand people are advised to undergo the surgery to reconstruct the ACL after the ligaments get torn due to physical contact in sports or other activities. As important as the reconstruction surgery will be the ACL physical therapy.

Just like with other types of physical injury, the body needs some time to recover from the surgery. After an ACL reconstruction surgery, the patient has to visit a physical therapist a minimum of three times every week. Generally, the physical therapist is recommended by the doctor of the patient. The first phase of the rehabilitation process normally lasts eight weeks, after which the sessions can be reduced to just two times a week.

There are a couple of phases as part of the ACL physical therapy program of a patient. In the beginning, the exercises are targeted at strengthening the impacted knee. These exercises are also designed to lessen the swelling of the leg. It is crucial at this stage that the patients keep doing the actual exercises even without the guidance of the therapist. Preferably, these strengthening exercises should be done for around Half an hour every day.

Eight weeks following the beginning of the rehabilitation process, the physical therapist will probably shift to a different training program. This time, the patient will have to do some more difficult exercise routines to condition the affected knee. As an example, there will be periods in which the patient is going to be asked to lift weights and also do some cardio exercises, like bicycle or even treadmill. There will also be exercises that concentrate on bringing back the knee’s stability as well as balance. These are the workouts that can actually be done on fitness gyms instead of the therapy center.

The ultimate phase of the rehabilitation for the torn ACL involves much more intensive programs as it is during this time the knee is expected to be fully healed. The recovery of the injury is almost complete at this time, provided of course the patient has followed all the instructions of the physical therapist.

When the ACL physical therapy sessions are over, it is natural for that patient to still feel some pain or discomfort in the area of the injured knee. This is expected to last for a couple of months, so it is still vital that the hurt knee be guarded well.