Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

This article is the third instalment of our series on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation and exercises for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation. It will be useful for anyone in the last stage of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Weeks 10 – 16 Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

• Patient visits at 3 months.
• Complete sports Test 1 and return to the pre-running program at 3 months
• Fit for functional knee brace if requested by PT.
• Continue with full strength training.

• Deadlift Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation –

Address the bar, feet shoulder-width apart maintain a neutral spine start to straighten your legs peeling the bar from the floor, drive the hips through until standing.

• SL deadlift Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Place your feet shoulder-width apart and the balance yourself on one leg. Now maintain a neutral spine start to straighten your legs peeling the bar from the floor, drive the hips through until standing

• Romanian deadlift (RDL) Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation –
  

Start with the bar in your hands, feet hip-width apart hinge at the hip maintaining a neutral spine lower the bar towards the floor stopping just below the knee, then drive the hips forward and return to the starting position.

• Single leg RDL Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Stand on one leg and balance yourself. Now start with the bar in your hands, and hinge at the hip maintaining a neutral spine lower the bar towards the floor stopping just below the knee, then drive the hips forward and return to the starting position.

• Loaded Squat Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

In standing place your feet hip-width apart and hold on to the appropriately weighted barbell on top of your back as shown in the video. Now try lower your bottom towards the floor without moving your knees forward 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

• Dl plyometric take off

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Now try performing a jumping movement without actually leaving the ground. Stop at the end of taking off.

• DL Forwards/ backward jumping (small jumps)

Stand with a comfortable stance. Now perform small backward and forwards jumping

• DL Forwards/ backward jumping (broad jumps)

Stand with a comfortable stance. Now perform small backward and forwards jumping. Try to jump further than your previous jump.

• DL box jumps (2-inch box)

Stand in front of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself up towards the box. Making sure to land correctly with both your feet. Step back down and repeat.

• DL box jump downs (2-inch box)

Stand on top of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now hover one foot over the edge of the box. Then Jump off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position. Making sure to land with both feet touching the ground at the same time.

• DL box jumps (4-inch box)

Stand in front of a 4-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself up towards the box. Making sure to land correctly with both your feet. Step back down and repeat.

• DL box jump downs (4-inch box)

Stand on top of a 4-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now hover one foot over the edge of the box. Then Jump off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position. Making sure to land with both feet touching the ground at the same time.

• DL hopping (hurdle clearance)

Place mini hurdles in a row with half a metre distance between them. Start in front of the first hurdle with a hip-width stance. Now perform a double legged hopping motion over the hurdles. Making sure to land both feet simultaneously.

• Standing rope skip –
  

Perform a standard rope skip, using both the feet to take off

Continue to increase strength, endurance, and add sport-specific training drills.

Weeks 16+ Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

• PT visit at 6 months.
• Sports test 2 at 6 months. Initiate return to run program.
• Implementation of jump training, agility training. Education of at-risk sports.
• After 6 months add lateral plyometric type drills, agility ladder
• Clearance by PT and pass Sports metrics training before returning to full athletics.

• Standing jogging on the spot- run in place –

In standing position a slow jog on the same spot.

• Standing forward-backward running (jog) –

In standing, perform a slow forward and backward running motion

• Jogging on the spot on the trampoline –

Stand on top of a trampoline/trampette and perform a slow jogging motion.

• Jump squats –

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Now perform a mini squat, From this position, propel yourself up towards the ceiling. When landing make sure to have both the feet contacting the ground simultaneously and to land within a mini squat position.

• SL hopping –

Stand on one leg and perform a hopping motion. Making sure to land into a mini single leg squat position.

• Lunge and Rope Slam –

Hold onto the ropes with either hand in front of you. Now perform a forward lunge. From this position propel yourself up. (now when you are mid-air, make sure to swap your feet so that when you land you will be performing a lunge with your opposite foot.

• Lateral knee jumps – side to side – front to back – square –

In standing perform forward jumps then sideways jump, then backward jump and another sideways jump in a square pattern. Make sure to land with both the feet touching the ground simultaneously. And when landing makes sure to land within a mini squat position.

• SL box jumps (2-inch box)

Stand in front of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself on to one foot. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself up towards the box. Making sure to land correctly within a mini squat position. Step back down and repeat.

• SL box jump downs (2-inch box)

Stand on top of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself onto one foot. Now hover one foot over the edge of the box. Then Jump off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position.

• SL box jumps (4-inch box) Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Stand in front of a 4-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself on to one foot. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself up towards the box. Making sure to land correctly within a mini squat position. Step back down and repeat.

• SL box jump downs (4-inch box) Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Stand on top of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself onto one foot. Now hover one foot over the edge of the box. Then Jump off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position.

• SL hopping (hurdle clearance) Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

Place mini hurdles in a row with half a metre distance between them. Start in front of the first hurdle with a hip-width stance, the balance yourself onto one foot. Now perform a double legged hopping motion over the hurdles. Making sure to land within a mini squat position.

• DL lateral box jump-ups (2-inch box)

Stand next to a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself sideways towards the box. Making sure to land correctly with both your feet touching the ground at the same time and lading within a mini squat position. Step back down and repeat.

• DL lateral box jump downs (2-inch box)

Stand on top of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now hover one foot over the side edge of the box. Then jump sideways off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position. Making sure to land with both feet touching the ground at the same time.

• DL lateral box jump-ups (4-inch box)

Stand next to a 4-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself sideways towards the box. Making sure to land correctly with both your feet touching the ground at the same time and lading within a mini squat position. Step back down and repeat.

• DL lateral box jump downs (4-inch box)

Stand on top of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Now hover one foot over the side edge of the box. Then jump sideways off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position. Making sure to land with both feet touching the ground at the same time.

• SL lateral box jump-ups (2-inch box)

Stand next to a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself on to one foot. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself sideways towards the box. Making sure to land correctly with both your feet touching the ground at the same time and lading within a mini squat position. Step back down and repeat.

• SL lateral box jump downs (2-inch box)

Stand on top of a 2-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself onto one foot. Now hover one foot over the side edge of the box. Then jump sideways off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position on one foot.

• SL lateral box jump-ups (4-inch box)

Stand next to a 4-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself on to one foot. Now lower your self as if you were performing a mini squat. Then spring yourself sideways towards the box. Making sure to land correctly with both your feet touching the ground at the same time and lading within a mini squat position on one foot. Step back down and repeat.

• SL lateral box jump downs (4-inch box)

Stand on top of a 4-inch box with a hip-width stance. Then balance yourself onto one foot. Now hover one foot over the side edge of the box. Then jump sideways off the box towards the floor. Landing in almost a mini squat position on one foot.

• Sideways lunge on bosu –

Stand next to a Bosu ball and place one foot on top of it. Now perform a lateral lunge by rapidly sidestepping on to the Bosu and then over the ball.

Agility ladder exercises Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

A variation of these exercises can be performed with an agility ladder. Please read the article for further information about agility training

Running/change of direction training

• Standing, Rapid sidestepping (shuffle) –

In standing perform a rapid sideways shuffle movement and then perform it in the opposite direction.

T Run

Place 4 cones in the shape of the letter T. Stand at the bottom end of the letter T shape. Now jog forwards towards the middle cone. Then sidestep to your left. Sidestep back to the middle and then run back to the starting position. Repeat this on the opposite side.

Zig-zag running

Place a set of cones in a zig-zag fashion with a 2-metre width between the cones. Now try to run towards the first cone and then perform a change of direction manoeuvre at 45 degrees. Keep running in this fashion until all cones are cleared.

Clockwork running

Place a set of cones in the shape of a clock with one cone for each number on the clock. Make sure to have 5 metres between the centre of the clock to each cone. Now stand in the middle and start running forward to 12 o’clock, then run back to the middle. Next run towards 1 o’clock, the run back and so on. When you are running towards 3 and 9 o’clock, make sure to perform side steps.

Taping for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

• Full knee support taping –

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 Anterior Cruciate Ligament 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.

For more information about Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation

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.