This article is useful for anyone in the second stage of recovery following anterior cruciate ligament surgery and reconstruction. It will focus on what’s needed in particular Anterior Cruciate Ligament Exercises.
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Weeks 4 – 6 Anterior Cruciate Ligament Exercises
- Consultant appt at 4 weeks.
- Walk up to 1 hour for exercise.
- Continue with soft tissue mobilisation. Apply direct scar tissue mobilisation; can use instruments/tools.
- Increase single-leg strength, challenge proprioceptive training.
Emphasise self-stretching to both lower extremities.
Increase the intensity of resistance exercises (i.e. standing resisted squats, lunges, etc).
- Loaded DL squat anterior cruciate ligament exercises
In standing place your feet hip-width apart and hold on to the appropriately weighted dumbbells in your hands. Now try lower your bottom towards the floor without moving your knees forwards as shown in the video. Try to gradually increase the depth that you could cover. Make sure to have the natural curvature of your spine throughout the movement
- SL Squat anterior cruciate ligament exercises
In standing place your feet hip-width apart. Place one foot in front and try to balance yourself first. Then try to lower your bottom towards the floor without moving your knee forwards as shown in the video. Try to gradually increase the depth that you could cover. Make sure to have the natural curvature of your spine throughout the movement
- Loaded SL squat anterior cruciate ligament exercises
In standing place your feet hip-width apart and hold on to the appropriately weighted dumbells in your hands. Place one foot in front and try to balance yourself first. Then try to lower your bottom towards the floor without moving your knee forwards as shown in the video. Try to gradually increase the depth that you could cover. Make sure to have the natural curvature of your spine throughout the movement
- SL leg press anterior cruciate ligament exercises
Sit on the machine with your back against the support. Place one foot slightly wider than hip-width apart. Your leg should form roughly an angle of 90 degrees from the knee. Push the plate platform away with your feet by extending the knees and hips, and pushing back into the seat. Bring your knees back towards your chest and allow the footplate to return to the starting position.
- DL squat on bosu anterior cruciate ligament exercises
Stand on top of a Bosu ball with a comfortable stance. Firstly try to balance yourself on the ball. Now try lower your bottom towards the floor without moving your knees forwards as shown in the video. Try to gradually increase the depth that you could cover. Make sure to have the natural curvature of your spine throughout the movement.
- SL squat on bosu anterior cruciate ligament exercises
Stand on top of a Bosu ball with a comfortable stance. Place one foot in front and try to balance yourself first. Then try to lower your bottom towards the floor without moving your knee forwards as shown in the video. Try to gradually increase the depth that you could cover. Make sure to have the natural curvature of your spine throughout the movement
- Double leg balance on Air pad anterior cruciate ligament exercises
The aim of this exercise is to introduce an uneven surface to balance training. Stand on an Air pad in a comfortable stance and try to aim to keep your balance for 60 seconds.
- Proprioception/balance on board (2 feet)
The aim of this exercise is to introduce an uneven surface to balance training. Stand on a balance board in a comfortable stance and try to aim to keep your balance for 60 seconds.
- Single leg balance on Air pad anterior cruciate ligament exercises
The aim of this exercise is to introduce an uneven surface to balance training. Stand on an Air pad with one foot and try to aim to keep your balance for 60 seconds.
- Proprioception / balance on board (1 foot)
The aim of this exercise is to introduce an uneven surface to balance training. Stand on a balance board with one foot and try to aim to keep your balance for 60 seconds.
- Single leg balance while throwing a ball on the wall
Stand close to a wall with a ball in your hand. Now stand on one foot and try to throw the ball onto the wall and try catching the rebound. You can increase the distance covered as you progress through the exercise.
- Bosu Standing On 1 Foot / Stabilization
The aim of this exercise is to introduce an uneven surface to balance training. Stand on a Bosu with one foot and try to aim to keep your balance for 10 seconds.
- Standing on the trampoline, Unipodal/single-leg stance with eyes closed
The aim of this exercise is to introduce an uneven surface to balance training. Stand on a trampoline with one foot and try to aim to keep your balance for 10 seconds.
- Standing proprio cone touches (3 points)
Place 2 cones either side of you and 12 cones in front and behind you. Now stand in the middle of the cone circle. Then balance yourself on the injured foot, and then try to reach each cone with your toes. Make sure not to flex yourself from the hip. Once one side is completed try the opposite side with the opposite leg.
- Full Range Of Motion equal to the uninvolved leg
- Perform 4-inch step-down
- Bike with minimal resistance for 20-30 minutes (in the saddle), walking for 30 minutes, Elliptical, water-walking.
Weeks 6 – 10 anterior cruciate ligament exercises
Soft tissue mobilisation and joint mobilisation as needed.
Anterior cruciate ligament exercises Lunge (forward)
- Lunge static –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, take a step and a half forward and bend at the knee on both legs lowering your centre of mass towards the floor, push through the midfoot of the front leg to return to the starting position.
- Lunge walking –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, take a step and a half forward and bend at the knee on both legs lowering your centre of mass towards the floor, push through the mid foot of the front leg to stand up then as if walking use your back leg now to repeat the process.
- Lunge to balance –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, take a step and a half forward and bend at the knee on both legs lowering your centre of mass towards the floor, push through the midfoot of the front leg to stand up then bring the back leg through into a flexed 90′ position while balancing on one leg.
- Bilateral Loaded Lunge –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold to appropriately weighted dumbells on both hands. Take a step and a half forward and bend at the knee on both legs lowering your centre of mass towards the floor, push through the midfoot of the front leg to return to the starting position.
- Rear Foot Elevated Lunge –
Place one foot on a bench then take a step and a half forward and lower yourself to the floor and repeat.
- Standing proprio lunges with rotation on a pillow –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart take a step and a half-forward onto an uneven surface such as a pillow, cushion, or an air pad. Then bend at the knee on both legs lowering your centre of mass towards the floor, push through the midfoot of the front leg to return to the starting position.
- Rear foot elevated lunges on Bosu –
Place one foot on a Bosu ball, then take a step and a half forward and lower yourself to the floor and repeat.
Lateral Lunges anterior cruciate ligament exercises
- Lateral lunge –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart take a step to the side bend that knee lowering yourself to that side, make sure of knee and toe alignment and your weight is in your midfoot then return to the starting position.
- Lateral Lunge To Balance –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart take a step to the side bend that knee lowering yourself to that side, make sure of knee and toe alignment and your weight is in your midfoot then stand up on that leg bringing the other into a 90′ flexed position and maintain your balance on one leg.
- Lateral lunge with same side rotation
Stand with your feet hip-width apart take a step to the side bend that knee lowering yourself to that side, make sure of knee and toe alignment and your weight is in your midfoot. Then rotate towards the same side by using your arms for guidance.
Lunge (rotation) anterior cruciate ligament exercises
- Lunge rotation –
Stand with your feet hip-width apart take a step and a half forward and bend at the knee on both legs lowering your centre of mass towards the floor, when both knees are just off the floor rotate your torso across the leg that is in front.
- Multi Planer Lunge –
In standing, First, perform a forward lunge. Then return back to the starting position. Now perform a lateral lunge. Back to the middle and then perform a lunge by turning full 180 degrees by using a twisting motion.
- Multi planer loaded lunge –
In standing, hold on to appropriately weighted dumbbells on each hand. First, perform a forward lunge. Then return back to the starting position. Now perform a lateral lunge. Back to the middle and then perform a lunge by turning full 180 degrees by using a twisting motion.
Lateral step-up/down
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- Sidestep up –
Sidestep up on a step placed beside you with the involved leg and follow with the good leg. Then step down to the side of the step with the same leg. Making sure to control the movement throughout the exercise. (Making sure to keep the knee over the foot and the kneecap behind the toes)
- Sidestep up and down –
Step up on a step placed beside you with the involved leg and follow with the good leg. Step down to the side of the step with the involved leg first then follow with the good leg. (Try to keep the knee over the foot and the kneecap behind the toes.)
- Side Step And Squat Over Box –
Stand beside a step/box. Now perform a side step up on to the box. When you’re on top of the box, perform a full squat, then slowly lower your leg towards the opposite side of the step.
- Activities should be pain-free:
- Able to descend stairs, double leg squat hold for >1 minute.
- Bike >30 minutes with moderate resistance
- Elliptical with interval training
- Flutter-style for swimming (no flippers, no breast-stroke kick).
NOTE: All progressions are approximations and should be used as a guideline only. Progression will be based on individual patient presentation, which is assessed throughout the treatment process.
How much of these exercises should I be doing for my ACL rehabilitation
To find out more about how many of each of these exercises I should be doing based on my condition then you can use this as a rough guide to finding out more about how to know this.
How to plan exercises, sets, reps and rest intervals.
At this stage, you need to be thinking about visiting someone who can assess your condition and diagnose it properly to ensure you categorise your condition correctly, and then you can apply the correct type of exercises for this.
This article was written by our team of specialist therapists at Perfect Balance Clinic. If you would like more specific advice about how our team can help you with this condition or symptoms you may be having, please complete the contact form below and one of the team will get back to you shortly.
Perfect Balance Clinic accepts no responsibility for self-prescribed exercises. The information contained in this article or any others on this website should not be used in isolation to self-manage conditions but are provided for reference only to accompany a specialist managing your condition specifically and a review of the current advice surrounding each condition.
