ACL TEARS COMPLETE REHAB PROGRAM
Whether you’ve chosen to have your ACL repair done with surgery or you are considering rehabbing it without, we are here for you. Fixio is the Northern Beaches leading ACL Rehab Clinic.
What should i do before surgery?
Intense “prehab” (ACL knee strengthening programs BEFORE surgery) protocols give better knee strength and an increased chance of successful return to sport.
To make sure that your anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) has the muscular support that it requires to for return to sport thorough pre and post surgery rehabilitation is necessary.
During your prehab phase we will also take baseline measures using the VALD Force Plates to guide our decision making when it is time to return to sport, to make sure that your return is both as fast as possible but also as safe as possible.
What's included in acl prehab and rehab at fixio?
- Reduced swelling
- Reduced pain
- Increased mobility of the knee
- Increased strength and explosive power
- Increased stability and balance training
- Hopping, jumping and landing training, practice and measurements (using the VALD Force Decks)
- A holistic approach to your injury – looking at compensation patterns of your ankle, hip and lower back to prevent other injuries
THE NORTHERN BEACHES MOST TRUSTED ACL rehab CLINIC
ACL SURGERY OR NO SURGERY?
If you’ve torn your ACL, you have a choice to make. (Wait, what’s an ACL?)
Whether surgery is undertaken or not, scientific data show that physiotherapist-guided rehabilitation is the most important part of the recovery process.
A recent study of active young adults with ACL injuries found that there were no significant differences between patients who had immediate reconstructive surgery followed by ACL rehab, or those patients who had rehabilitation first, then surgery up to 12 months later (Frobell 2013). This indicates that ACL rehab should be considered as a primary treatment option for these patients.
The optimal management of an ACL rupture can be debated; a decision on whether to have surgery or to follow non-surgical management is usually made based on:
- The age of the patient
- How long it has been since the initial injury
- Instability: at rest and during movement – if you have undergone strengthening and your knee is still “giving way” then you may be more amenable to surgery.
- A meniscus tear at the same time
- Other associated knee injuries (commonly medial cruciate ligament (MCL) sprain)
- The patient’s desire to return to sports involving jumping and pivoting – think rugby league or union, AFL, soccer, skiing, volleyball and netball (plus many others!)
- The patient’s occupation (e.g. fireman versus desk based)
Outcomes around both have been phenomenal for our patients!
WHEN CAN I GO BACK TO SPORT AFTER ACL INJURY?
Combining the strength and conditioning expertise of our team, our advanced technology, our sporting background and our complex study or ACL management we have designed a program to get you back. Not just back to your best. Better. Stronger. Faster.
Recovery after ACL reconstruction is different for everyone and depends on your personal goals. Before returning to your sport, it’s important to make sure you can safely and confidently perform a variety of physical tests that prove that you’re ready.
Feeling confident in your knee is key (Thomee 2011, Arden 2011), along with successfully completing sport-specific drills and skills. Your sports physiotherapist at Fixio will guide you through a barrage of tests to track your progress and highlight any areas that need improvement before a safe return to sport occurs.
These tests include specific hopping exercises and strength assessments using specialized equipment, all as part of your ACL rehab program.
Am I at risk of doing my acl again?
While there is a small chance of re-injuring your repaired ACL when you get back into sports, this risk applies to both your injured and non-injured legs. The good news is that you can lower this risk by sticking to your ACL rehab plan until your physical abilities improve (Manske 2012). This process typically takes between 12 to 18 months.
What does acl testing look like?
Research demonstrates that inadequate rehabilitation combined with inadequate objective testing of knee function and premature return to sport may impact an athlete’s sport performance and increase their risk of a second ACL injury.
At Fixio, we’ve designed our unique ACL Reconstruction Return to Sport Testing barrage which gives your Fixio physiotherapist the same objective measurements used by elite sports clubs.
If you would like to see more, we have a page dedicated to ACL testing.
what to expect from fixio acl rehab
BETTER THAN BEFORE!
Combining the strength and conditioning expertise of our team, our advanced technology, our sporting background and our complex study or ACL management we have designed a program to get you back. Not just back to your best. Better. Stronger. Faster.
COMPLETE CARE
We have curated complete ACL programs that get rid of the need to pay each session. The Fixio Complete ACL program offers our services both on the treatment table and in the gym for a significant discount.
measurements and milestones
You can’t manage what you can’t measure. The key aspects to return to sport are force generation in running, hopping, landing and twisting. Your program clearly outlines the milestones and definitive guidelines that you must follow and achieve to move on to the next phase of rehabilitation. We do a complete barrage of ACL testing (including using the Force Decks) at the end of each phase to ensure you are ready to progress. This staged, evidence based testing protocol ensures that you are safe and strong at every phase of the rehab journey.
READY TO GET BACK TO YOUR BEST?
Book an appointment online in under 60 seconds.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Diagnosing an ACL tear is easy for an experienced knee physiotherapist. There are a few clinical tests that give a very good indication. The gold standard that surgeons use is an MRI of the knee which will clearly outline the ACL injury if there is one. Fixio can assist you in organising an MRI for your knee if required.
The ACL is one of the key stabilising ligaments within the knee. There are 2 “cruciate” ligaments within your knee. They cross each other to form an X, with the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in front and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in back. The cruciate ligaments control the front and back motion of your knee.
The anterior cruciate ligament runs diagonally in the middle of the knee. It prevents the shin bone (tibia) from sliding out in front of the thigh bone (femur) and provides rotational stability to the knee.
Not only do we know them, we regularly sit in on their surgeries to ensure we are up to date with the latest ACL reconstruction techniques. We can offer you a few options, depending on your wants and needs.
The AFL, NRL and Super Rugby codes all have outlined that 12 months is the earliest that they will return a player to high level sport after an ACL tear and repair.
Previously we were returning players to sport at 9 months after the injury. However the re-injury rate on those players was much higher than players who did a more thorough program over 12 months.