PT 715 Rehab After ACLR 2026

Most common knee injury

military vs non-military ACL epidemiology

ACLR Suboptimal outcomes

Persistent Deficits after ACLR

Not only do athletes fail to return to sport, they demonstrate significant performance deficits even when they have returned successfully.

Torque = rotational force

ACL injury in a women’s basktball player

Rehabilitation

Overall Rehabilitation Planning Principle

Comprehensive Rehabilitation of the Athlete: A specific and purposeful approach

ACl injury in a women’s basketball player

*** Pain management

*** Range of motion

Muscle performance … *** voluntary activation … *** endurance

*** Motor control ... proprioception and joint stability

Optimizing the Early stage rehabilitation process post-ACL reconstruction

Why is early rehabilitation so important

Why are we so concerned about early rehabilitation … much of it is common sense given all of our extensive knowledge on the effects of surgery and detraining …

Bracing

knee ligament sprain guidelines

pain and swelling: negative effects

pain and swelling: interventions

Pain and swelling stroke test

Soreness rules

Knee extension: negative effects

knee extension: interventions

Muscle activation and strength

muscle activation and strength study

Muscle activation and strength NMES

Do 10s/30s (10 on 30 off)

Knee ligament prain guidelines: neuromuscular training

squating and hinging

These are my very basic recommendations for muscle strengthening.  Lots of different options out there for exercises.

Shown here are all closed chain exercises, but don’t forget about open chain exercises to isolate muscles.  Pay particular attention to the quadriceps in bone-patellar tendon-bone and quadriceps grafts.  Pay particular attention to the hamstring in hamstring grafts.

Want to see single and double leg squats AND hinging (Romanian deadlift single and double leg)

Persistent calf activation deficits

Muscle strength and endurance: BFRT

le strength and endurance: BFRT suggested parameters

Muscle strength and endurance: open kinetic chain exercises

Muscle strength and endurance: open kinetic chain exercises

Muscle activation and strength: cross-education training

Aerobic fitness: suggested training

Most acl injuries occur with eccentric action – so, try to train it by doing depth things then progressing to boxes/plyometrics

run progression

Hold them back from running because you don’t want it to be poor form

ACL Injury in a Women’s Basketball Player

Return to Sport Criteria for ACL Reconstruction

summary: ACL injury

summary: rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction

summary: what is key for later success

summary: evidence based rehabilitation