There are over 100,000 ACL tears each year in the United States alone. Plus, the incidence of a possible re-tear is anywhere from 2%-10%.

In my opinion, these numbers are far too high!

There is an optimal way to rehabilitate an athlete after surgery and once physical therapy is finished.

One of the first steps in restoring function is to clean up any glaring asymmetries in mobility and/or stability

Small asymmetries are fairly normal, but when we see larger gaps on function (over 10%) we need to address these asymmetries.

The next step is to focus on strength training.

Athletes need to focus on getting stronger in various movement patterns including squatting, deadlifting, and training in a split stance. (Probably the most important is single leg training.)

In addition to strength training for the lower body, athletes should start training the entire body as well. Exercises like pushups, pull ups, dumbbell pressing, row variations etc are a great start.

Then, we slowly build an athlete back towards game speed.

We focus on jumping and landing mechanics, acceleration and deceleration, and change of direction. We slowly build the athlete so they can work towards game speed.

Working with an experienced strength coach after finishing physical therapy can make all of the difference in the outcome of the post-injury athlete. While the general guidelines are above, each athlete needs a specific program to optimize the recovery process.

At SOS, we start with a thorough evaluation which includes:

• Mobility assessments
• Stability /motor control assessments
• Movement patterns assessment via the Functional Movement Screen ( FMS)

Through this evaluation process, we customize a training program for each athlete. This way, they can not only return to their sport, optimally and efficiently, but also learn how to train and manage their body to stay as healthy as possible for the rest of their athletic career

NEED A PHYSICAL THERAPIST?

We highly recommend our neighbors at Complete Game Physical Therapy.

We work hand in hand with the physical therapists over at Complete Game to help bridge the gap between physical therapy and strength and conditioning. End stage PT for athletes and active population is always a challenge.  Many patients still have some minor deficits (for example neuromuscular control deficit, or lacking end range mobility, strength or control) but are totally appropriate to return to training. The physical therapists focus on the specific deficits and use objective data to guide each individual's treatment.  Doing this, while working with strength and conditioning professionals at Skill of Strength helps athletes and active people get the training they need to return to sport or hobbies.