The Role Of Physical Therapy In Recovering From ACL Injuries. ACLs, or anterior cruciate ligaments, are important ligaments that keep the knee stable. That’s why sportsmen who routinely put strain on this ligament — such as football, soccer, and tennis players — are prone to hurting it.
It will probably take a while for you to heal from an ACL sprain or tear. ACL tear surgery Dubai might be required for complex cases, and recovery can take six to nine months, while milder injuries need rest and therapy.
Physical therapy can hasten your recovery regardless of whether you require surgery to repair your ACL. ACL surgery clinic specialists emphasize that physical therapy improves stability, mobility, and balance by strengthening the knee’s muscles and ligaments.
You might be able to resume your sport sooner with physical treatment. Vitruvian Italian Physiotherapy Center offers ACL reconstruction surgery Dubai rehabilitation programs to help you return to your sport with confidence.
Vitruvian Italian Physiotherapy Center is the leading provider of specialist physical therapy services in Dubai. Our services include sports medicine, including return-to-sport treatment, and rehabilitation before and after surgery. ACL Surgery Clinic in Dubai often refers patients here for targeted recovery plans.
How Does Physical Therapy Help In The Recovery From ACL Injuries?
Physical therapy will strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee and aid in regaining its full range of motion. Non-surgical knee treatment Dubai is also an option to manage pain while boosting strength and mobility.
Physical therapy aims to treat ACL damage:
- To ensure that you know how to land properly after leaping, work on your posture and muscle memory.
- Using manual therapy methods, heat and cold therapy, and ultrasonography to reduce pain
According to research on ACL rehabilitation, patients who get three to nine months of intense physical therapy often have good results. ACL knee surgery recovery can also be supported with gradual strengthening and balance training.
ACL Injury Recovery Exercises
During your rehabilitation, our physical therapists at Vitruvian Italian Physiotherapy Center focus on the muscles and body parts that support the knee and your general stability. You will work on:
- Quadriceps and hamstring muscles
- core muscles
- Range of motion and hip strength
During your recuperation, you will also engage in knee-specific workouts. You may start with knee exercises that you may perform while sitting or lying down if your knee is still weak. Here are a few instances:
- Isometric quad contractions: This workout helps to build stronger knee muscles.
- Heel slides: This exercise increases the range of motion without placing strain on the knee.
- Prone knee flexion: This is another non-weight-bearing exercise that can aid with mobility and function.
Your physical therapist will use balance training, range-of-motion exercises, and strength training to restore knee mobility, strength, and stability when you’re ready for more activity. You could:
- Core workouts like the side plank and plank
- Range-of-motion exercises such as half squats and knee extensions
- Hip exercises to strengthen the hips include abductors and flexors.
Additionally, you will learn about workouts that can aid in the prevention and healing of ACL injuries.
What Can Patients Expect From Physical Therapy For ACL Injury Recovery?
Your healing rate and the extent of your damage will determine how long it takes you to recover. You should anticipate recovering from surgery for an ACL injury in around six months, if not longer. However, your knee will become stronger and more functional every few weeks. This is what to anticipate:
- Pre-surgery: You’ll use rest, ice, and moderate physical activity that isn’t weight-bearing.
- Weeks 1-3 post-surgery: You may require additional therapy procedures to alleviate pain and inflammation following ACL surgery due to swelling. You may be asked to perform several range-of-motion exercises by your therapist, including knee flexion and sitting full extension.
- Weeks 2–6 post-surgery: Strength training with small weights and full-range-of-motion exercises may be part of physical rehabilitation. You’ll be able to engage in endurance exercises like walking on a treadmill or utilizing an elliptical.
- Week 6 to 3–4 months: You will intensify your core, hip, leg, and knee strength training. You will acquire methods to enhance your posture and correct form. You might do mobility drills, pivoting methods, and gait training.
- Months 4-6+: This is the last recovery phase. You’ll keep becoming stronger and improving your stability and mobility. You’ll discover the appropriate protection gear and footwear to use to avoid being hurt. Additionally, you will discover exercises that might help you avoid injuries.
Your doctor will give you the all-clear to resume your sport once you have resolved any soft-tissue or range-of-motion issues and you satisfy all other requirements.
If the tear is mild to moderate, the recuperation period is typically shorter. In that scenario, you might be able to return to your sport in three to four months without the need for surgery.
The same variety of therapies and techniques used in physical therapy for ACL injuries will still be beneficial to you in either case. These consist of functional training, therapeutic exercises, and manual treatment methods.
Manual Therapy Techniques
In manual therapy, the hands are used instead of medical equipment. In order to enhance blood flow, reduce discomfort and swelling, and promote mobility, your physical therapist will use their hands. They may involve strain-counterstrain therapy and soft-tissue mobilization for an ACL injury.
Therapeutic Exercises
The goal of therapeutic exercises is to help the knee regain its strength, flexibility, and mobility. Your therapist will assist you with range-of-motion exercises, like knee extensions, strength training, like lunges and half squats, and balance training, like standing on one leg, during physical therapy for an ACL injury.
Functional Training
You can restore the function of your knee with functional training. Later in your recuperation, often four to six months after your accident, this kind of exercise may take place. Jumping exercises, starting and halting, and direction changes may all be a part of functional training.
The Importance Of Personalized Physical Therapy When Recovering From A Knee Injury
Vitruvian Italian Physiotherapy Center is always devoted to assisting you in recovering with a PT plan tailored to your specific needs. You may focus on your knee’s power and performance as well as dynamic strength during your recovery. Additionally, certain sessions could concentrate more on mobility, posture, balance, and pain management. The details, however, vary depending on your sport, your body, and yourself.
Some people recover more quickly than others. Younger athletes typically heal faster than adults. You may benefit from certain therapy approaches or endure increased pain and inflammation, depending on the extent of the damage.
Your physique and level of recovery commitment may determine how quickly you may advance during therapy.
Depending on your sport, you’ll need particular functional training activities. A gymnast, for instance, may need more leaping drills. More agility training might be beneficial for a soccer player.
Because of these variations, it is critical to have a customized rehabilitation approach. It should show your damage, as well as your physique.
A sports medicine-trained physical therapist can design a customized program that allows you to advance at your own speed. They will be aware of the best manual therapy methods, therapeutic exercises, and functional training to employ to maximize your rehabilitation from ACL damage.
How Does Physical Therapy Enhance ACL Injury Recovery Compared To Resting Without Intervention?
With ACL physical therapy, you may anticipate a quicker recovery, less discomfort and swelling, and training that will help your body operate as it did before, or almost so. Both short-term and long-term increases in dynamic stability can be achieved by focused neuromuscular and strength training. This implies that you will have a lower chance of sustaining another ACL injury or needing surgery in the future.
Physical therapy can have a significant influence both before and after surgery, according to studies on pre-operative rehabilitation. Here are a few advantages:
- Increased knee and muscular strength: at 12 weeks, patients who had physical therapy before surgery had higher single-leg jump scores.
- Both your mental readiness for surgery and your mental readiness to resume your prior levels of activity may have improved.
- Those who do not receive physical therapy often return to sports after 34 weeks as opposed to 43 weeks.
- Those who received physical therapy during their recuperation after an ACL injury are also less likely to get osteoarthritis in the future.
ACL repair Dubai therapies combine strength training and neuromuscular conditioning to reduce re-injury risk.
Can Physical Therapy Help Prevent Future ACL Injuries?
Even with physical therapy, the chance of another ACL damage persists. However, you’re less likely to get an injury again since you’re strengthening your knees and the muscles that affect their power and stability.
Approximately four out of five athletes who resume high-intensity sports do not sustain another tear. You may raise your chances of returning to your favorite hobbies without suffering another injury by receiving the proper amount of rest, recuperation, and physical therapy.
When Can You Run After Acl Surgery?
You can usually start running 3 to 6 months after ACL surgery, depending on your healing progress and your doctor’s approval.
The First Step To ACL Injury Recovery With Vitruvian Italian Physiotherapy Center
After an ACL Injury. After an ACL tear or any other injury, our skilled staff at Vitruvian Italian Physiotherapy Center can assist you in getting better. Best ACL surgery in Dubai outcomes improve when therapy is done here, with care delivered with compassion and competence.
Make an appointment or get more information by getting in touch with us. Get started on the road to recovery right now.
