ATHLETIC-RECOVERY.COM

If you are reading this post, chances are you probably tore your ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and have recently been operated. From personal experience, I know how frustrating this is. It happened to me back in 2017. The diagnosis back then hit me harder than the injury itself and I honestly felt slightly depressed. It was a long and strenuous journey back to the fitness level I have now, and I want to share some of my experiences and exercises that helped me, with you. In hindsight, I could have recovered much more effectively and better, if I had the knowledge I have now. In the following I want to go over these useful (home) exercises and hints that helped me during my recovery.

DISCLAIMER
Before I jump further into the content, I just want to mention you should consult your doctor and physiotherapist before doing any of the exercises I will be suggesting. Every injury is unique and requires a unique therapy, there is no one-size-fits-all model. Now that I have...

Phase 0 - Pre Operation: Decisions & Preperation

After injuring and rupturing your ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), you will have to decide if you want to operate or not. As an athlete willing to get back to sports, your decision will mostly fall in favor of an operation. Only in some cases would you decide against an operation, but this involves giving up demanding or competitive sports (or in some cases if you are a child with open growth plates). In any case, this is a topic you will have to talk about to your medical professional.

If you have the chance, I would advise visiting a couple of surgeons for a consultation. Firstly, discuss the different options to operate with (here you can find a scientific article from 2012 about the possibilities). Secondly, you will get a feeling for the person operating you. Go with the doctor you trust more. Trust in your gut feeling. If you trust the person operating you, you will feel better about the whole situation and procedure.

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Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Function & Anatomy

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is an essential structure within your knee. The ACL plays a crucial role in stabilizing your knee by limiting rotation and avoiding overextension of the Tibia (shin bone). However, in many high-impact sports (Basketball, Football, Soccer, etc.), a lot of pressure is put on the ACL, making it one of the most often injured ligaments in sports. The problem here is that the ACL does not heal by itself and, therefore, usually requires surgery to restore the injured knee's stability.

Knee Anatomy 

The picture depicts the knee's main anatomical structures (here looking at the right knee from the front). Moving from top to bottom, we start with the Femur. The Femur is your thigh bone and the strongest bone of the human body. On top of the Femur are the Quadriceps muscles. As their name suggests, the Quadriceps consists of 4 major muscles (Rectus femoris, Vastus...