An automatic ice machine (also referred to as a “Cyro Cuff”), while potentially expensive, can be of great advantage for icing. These machines allow hassle-free icing in the post-op period, and can continue to be used throughout rehabilitation. If your insurance will cover one of these machines, or you are able to afford one, you may want to consider one. [6] X Research source

Sit down with your legs extended in front of you and place a towel underneath the ankle of the injured leg to help to keep it straight. Lock the knee and hold it for six seconds before relaxing. This counts as 1 repetition. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with one-minute rests in between. You shouldn’t feel any pain while performing this exercise. [9] X Expert Source Eric Christensen, DPTPhysical Therapist Expert Interview. 29 June 2021. Lie down, keeping the injured leg straight and the “healthy” leg bent. Lift the injured leg vertically until it is in line with the height of the other kneecap. Avoid lifting the knee so high that it causes pain. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with one-minute rest in between. [10] X Trustworthy Source University of California San Francisco Health Center Research hospital associated with UCSF, a leading medical university, providing innovative patient care and public health resources Go to source Sit on a sturdy chair, and “hook” the foot of your good leg under the ankle of your affected leg. Lift your affected leg, using your healthy leg, to being as straight as is comfortable. [11] X Research source

Lie down with your legs extended straight in front of you. You’ll find the exercise easier if you lie on a smooth surface and wear socks, as this decreases friction between the heel and the floor. Slowly draw the heel of your injured leg towards your body by bending the knee. The heel should be in contact with the floor at all times, while the healthy leg remains straight.

Stand approximately one foot away from a wall and lean back against the wall while keeping the legs straight. Keep the back of your head, shoulder blades, and butt in contact with the wall at all times during the exercise. Suck in your abdomen while breathing in a relaxed manner. This engages the core muscles, which is important in preventing ACL re-injury. Slowly slide your back down the wall by bending the knees — it may help to pretend that you are sitting in an imaginary chair. Keep going until you start to feel resistance in your knees, but don’t allow it to become painful. Rise back up to the starting position, maintaining proper posture. This counts as one repetition. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions while resting for a minute between sets.

Stand tall with your feet one hip-width apart. Suck in the abdomen and keep the shoulder blades back and down. This posture provides a steady base for the exercise while keeping the core active. Fold a thick pillow in half and squeeze it between your knees to hold it firmly in place. This activates the VMO muscle. Hinge your hips and bend your knees, pushing your butt out as if you were about to sit down. Keep going until your knees are halfway from being parallel to the ground. Don’t try to go any further — a half-squat is sufficient to train the VMO. Return to starting position. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with a minute of rest between sets.

Pool walking allows your knees to readjust to the patterns of normal walking, without putting too much pressure on the knee joints. All you need to do is walk from one end of the pool to the other until you feel tired. Gradually work your way up to 30 minutes of walking per session. Try to incorporate one or two pool sessions into your weekly rehabilitation routine. Do not star pool exercises until your incisions have fully healed, as you do not want to risk an infection.

These sound waves help to rejuvenate the soft tissues and produce heat within them, which promotes better flexibility and speeds up the healing process. Ask your doctor or physical therapist about receiving ultrasound therapy.

Stand up straight and lift your good leg off the floor, maintaining balance with the affected leg. Keep the eyes looking straight ahead, your shoulder blades back and down, and your abs sucked in. Maintain this position for 10 seconds. Repeat for 3 times with the affected leg and repeat once with the good leg. Stop the exercise whenever you wobble. The body must be maintained in an upright stance. This exercise may sound easy, but it can be extremely challenging for patients recovering from ACL surgery.

Stand tall with the feet hip-width apart and place loop bands at the level of the knee joints. Loop bands put inward pressure on the knees, forcing the knees to oppose the pressure by pushing outward. This reaction activates the VMO muscles instantly. Hinge your hips and bend your knees, pushing your butt backwards as of sitting into a chair. The goal is to reach a level where your thighs are parallel to the ground, however if you feel any pain or start to wobble, don’t go any further. Return to starting position. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with one-minute rests.

Stand tall and take one step forward with your injured leg, until there is approximately a foot of space between your feet. Lift the heel of the rear foot, so that only the ball of the rear foot is touching the ground. Shift your body weight onto the front foot as you descend. Keep going until the thigh of the front leg is parallel to the ground, but don’t allow the front kneecap to extend beyond the toes, as this increases stress to the knee joint. Return to the starting position, then repeat for 3 sets of 10 repetitions with 1-minute rests in between, before switching feet. #Do plank exercises to trim the core and take pressure off the knees. Plank exercises are used to strengthen and trim the core. Although this may seem unnecessary when rehabilitating a knee injury, core exercises are very important, as a strong core alleviates the burden on the knee joints. Core exercises also help you to keep your upper body trim, which spares the knees from excessive daily wear and tear. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/d/df/Rehab-Your-Knee-After-ACL-Surgery-Step-15. jpg/v4-460px-Rehab-Your-Knee-After-ACL-Surgery-Step-15. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/d/df/Rehab-Your-Knee-After-ACL-Surgery-Step-15. jpg/aid4659617-v4-728px-Rehab-Your-Knee-After-ACL-Surgery-Step-15. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

License: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3. 0/">Creative Commons</a>
\n</p>

<br />\n</p></div>"} Assume a push-up position, keeping your hands directly beneath the shoulders and the feet together. Your head, shoulder blades, and butt must form one-straight horizontal line. Brace the abdomen as if you are about to be punched in the gut. Try to keep it tucked in, as this helps to maintain the proper hip positioning throughout the exercise. Hold this position for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat this exercise 3 times with 30 second rest periods in between. Over time, you can work your way up to holding the plank position for 30 seconds each time.

Stand up straight with your feet one hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold a ten-pound dumbbell in each hand. Ten pound dumbbells are usually challenging enough for beginners while maintaining proper form, but you can use a higher weight if strength allows. Bend at the waist by pushing your hips back and your butt out, as if you were closing a door with your butt. Stop when you feel a stretch in the hamstrings (the muscles at the back of the thighs). Remember to keep your abs braced throughout the exercise. Try to maintain the natural arch of your back, don’t allow it to become hunched over. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to engages all of the muscle fibers in your back. Pull the dumbbells up to the level of your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades closer together at the top of the movement. Lower the dumbbells and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions while resting for 1 minute between sets.

Next, stand in an athletic stance with your knees slightly bent and your butt pushed back and out. Keep your upper body upright with your chest out. Wrap a loop band around the ankles, then step sideways towards the right while keeping the toes pointing forward. Take five steps towards the right, maintaining an athletic stance at all times. Take five steps in the opposite direction, towards the left. Repeat the entire exercise two more times, taking a full minute’s rest between each repetition.

Stand tall with an erect posture and your abs braced. The feet should be one hip-width apart. Push your hips back and bend the knees, as if you were sitting into a chair. Keep lowering yourself down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then hold this position for 3 seconds. Holding the position creates tension and recruits more muscle fibers, helping to strengthens them. After three seconds, return to starting position. Do 3 sets of 10 reps with one minute of rest between each set.

For the first few sessions, your jogging will need to be supervised by a physiologist who will watch you carefully to ensure that you maintain the correct form while running. From this observation, the physiologist will determine whether your knees are ready for running outdoors, on harder terrain. This will allow you to resume your regular strength training and cardiovascular exercise routine. However, you will need to undergo a return-to-sport strength preparation course before you can participate in sports. This protects the knees from future injuries by preparing them with movements that mimic the sport’s movement. [18] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source