An Athletes Guide: Recovering from an ACL Injury

It’s the middle of a big game, suddenly you feel a “popping” sensation in your knee, and it becomes painful to bear weight. It’s likely that you just injured your ACL. What comes next?

ACL injuries, such as a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), are common in sports, like soccer, basketball, football, and volleyball, which involve sudden stops, changes in direction, and jumping.

Your ACL keeps your knee stable, so when an injury occurs, you may feel unstable or find it painful to bear weight on that leg. Other symptoms of an ACL injury include a generalized deep pain in your knee, as well as swelling that often occurs within the first few hours after injury.

 There are three severity levels for ACL injuries:

  • Grade one: The injury stretched your ACL enough to damage it, but it’s still in one piece and holding your knee bones together.
  • Grade two: The injury stretched your ACL so much that it was partially torn and loosened.
  • Grade three: A complete tear, your ACL is in two pieces.

When you see your primary care provider after your injury, they will check your knee stability, strength, range of movement, swelling, and tenderness. They may send you in for x-rays or an MRI. Your treatment plan will be determined by the severity of your injury.

Recovering from ACL Surgery

If you need ACL surgery, you will meet with an orthopedic surgeon to discuss whether you will need reconstruction surgery and what that surgery will look like.

 After surgery, you will have a brace and crutches, and may be non-weight-bearing for 1-2 weeks. Your recovery time will be approximately 9-12 months, and you will get a custom rehabilitation plan from your physical therapist composed of:

    • Muscle strengthening exercises such as:
      • calf raises
      • straight leg raises
      • squats
      • step-ups
      • leg press
    • Knee range-of-motion exercises such as:
      • moving the knee up and down
      • moving knee side to side
      • flexing and extending the knee while sitting
      • riding a stationary bike
      • gently stretching muscle groups around the knee
  • Running exercises
  • Pivoting exercises
  • Balancing exercises
  • Slowly returning to your sport

If you have pain, it will be addressed with the R.I.C.E. method and pain medications.

Recovery time after an ACL surgery will vary, so it is important not to rush your rehabilitation plan.

Preventing Injuries

Strengthening your muscles and practicing proper jumping, landing, and cutting techniques are the best way to prevent knee injuries. Some programs that you can participate in include Sportsmetrics™ and Optimal Performance.