The Key Phases Of Acl Physical Therapy: Is Recuperation Certain?

The ligament that joins the femur bone to the leg is what we the anterior cruciate ligament also known as ACL. This ligament lies diagonally in the middle of these two bone fragments. The ACL is regarded as one of the many important ligaments in your body as it is the one that supports the knee and is also accountable for the rotating movement of the knee. Based on several studies, on the hundred thousand people are recommended to undergo a surgery to reconstruct the ACL after their ligaments get torn due to physical contact in sports or other activities. As important as the actual reconstruction surgery will be the ACL physical therapy.

Just like in other types of physical injury, your body needs some time to get over the surgery. Following an ACL reconstruction surgery, the patient has to visit a physical therapist at least three times every week. More often than not, the physical counselor is recommended by the doctor of the patient. The initial phase of the rehabilitation process normally lasts eight weeks, after which the sessions can be decreased to just two times a week.

There are a couple of stages contained in the ACL physical therapy program of a patient. In the beginning, the exercises are aimed at strengthening the affected knee. These workouts are also designed to lessen the swelling of the leg. It is crucial at this stage the patients keep doing the actual exercises even without the guidance of the therapist. Preferably, these strengthening workouts should be done for around Half an hour every day.

Eight weeks after the beginning of the rehabilitation process, the physical therapist will probably shift to a different training program. This time, the patient will have to do some more difficult exercise routines to condition the affected knee. As an example, there will be sessions in which the patient is going to be asked to lift weights and also do some cardio workouts, like bicycle or even treadmill. There will also be exercises that aim at bringing back the knees stability and balance. These are the exercises that can actually be done on fitness gyms instead of the therapy center.

The final phase of the rehab for the torn ACL involves much more intensive programs as it is during this time the knee is expected to be fully healed. The recovery of the injuries is almost complete at this time, provided of course that the patient has followed all the instructions of the physical therapist.

When the ACL physical therapy sessions are done, it is natural for that patient to still feel some pain or discomfort in the region of the injured leg. This is expected to last for a couple of months, so it is really vital that the injured knee be guarded well.