Rehabilitation after ACL of the knee joint

Rupture of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament of the knee) is one of the most unpleasant injuries that can happen to a person. It can happen quite easily (wrong sports technique, impact, excessive stress), but the recovery of ACL will be long and difficult, it will require about a year and constant dosed physical activity.

If you neglect the recommendations of a doctor, you can suffer from lameness for the rest of your life. Therefore, following the rehabilitation program after ACL plastic surgery must be followed strictly.

General principles and the first week

The operation is performed under general anesthesia and is considered relatively complex. In front of her, the patient must abstain from food for twelve hours, and then, when he is brought to the ward, let the body calmly recover from anesthesia.

In the first few days, you can not do any exercises after the practice of PCS. At this time, the main task is to allow the joint to return to a relative norm. For this:

• use drainage, which ensures the outflow of blood filling the joint;
• the sore leg is fixed as much as possible, raised so that it is higher than the head, blood does not rush to it and edema does not form;
• use medications - anti-inflammatory, painkillers, preventing possible thrombosis.

The patient is recommended light food and bed rest. You can only get up to go to the toilet, in case of urgent need, without really leaning on the sore leg - only with an intention (the foot should easily touch the floor).

On the fourth or fifth day of rehabilitation after ACL plastic surgery, depending on the speed of recovery, you can start performing the simplest and safest exercises:

• Walking. It is enough to walk around the ward several times a day for several minutes, only indicating the emphasis on the sore leg.
• Support. Get up several times a day and try to redirect part of the load on the sore leg - while pain in the joint should not occur.
• Sock movement. Lying on your back, strain your socks, directing them towards you, then in the other direction.
• Hip movement. Tighten the hamstring muscles for a few seconds several times a day.
• Breath. Lying down, take a deep breath and raise your arms. Exhale slowly.

Rehabilitation of ACL involves following simple rules:

• All doctor's recommendations are a law that must be followed strictly. Even if he requires not to take strong painkillers, there is a reason for this - some symptoms can only be noticed by fully feeling the diseased joint.
• Any pain in the injured joint is a signal that the exercise should be stopped, otherwise it is likely to injure the ligament again.
• After each set of exercises, you need to completely relax the injured leg and give it rest.
• Each exercise should be performed slowly and smoothly.
• An optimistic attitude is one of the main conditions for a quick recovery. If you can’t feel it yourself, you should seek help from friends, family, or even a psychologist who specializes in working with people experiencing the effects of trauma.

Caution, smoothness, consistency - and each period of time rehabilitation after ACL plastic surgery requires certain exercises. They vary from simple and gentle to more complex and intense.

Second week

The second week differs little from the first - the patient spends more time in bed than anywhere else, from time to time he is examined by a surgeon, anti-inflammatory, painkillers, drugs that reduce the likelihood of thrombosis are used. The leg is straightened and raised most of the time, an ice pack is applied to the knee from time to time. At the same time, rehabilitation after ACL plastic surgery of the knee joint is supplemented - the range of possible exercises becomes larger:

• Flexion and extension of the knee. Lying on your back, supporting yourself by the lower part of the thigh and sliding along the bed with your heel, pull your leg towards you. Hold it bent for a few seconds (pain, if it occurs, should be light and aching), then slowly straighten it, also sliding the heel. Repeat twice a day, several times.
• Raising the leg. Lying on your back, raise the affected leg above the bed, hold it in the air and slowly lower it. If it doesn’t work out, modify the exercise - stand up, raise your leg above the floor by a dozen centimeters, slowly lower it and relax. Repeat twice a day, several times.
• Movement of the knee. Sit on the bed, stretch the sore leg. Feel for the kneecap with your fingers. Slowly move the flesh over it, first towards yourself, then away from you, as in the process of massage. Act carefully and gently.
• Relaxation. Sit on a chair, stretch the sore leg in front of you, put your foot on another chair. Place an ice pack on your knee. Apply gentle pressure to try to straighten your leg. Hold the pressure for ten seconds, release. Repeat.

Rehabilitation after ACL of the knee joint can be painful. You will have to go through this.

third to fifth weeks

During this period, recovery after PKC becomes more active. The patient gets up, walking with the help of crutches is completely allowed to him. Instead of anti-inflammatory and general painkillers, gels and ointments are prescribed. The program includes physiotherapy (mainly exposure to electric shock) and classes in the pool with an experienced trainer. Exercises are supplemented with new ones:

• Straight leg raise. Lying on your back, throw your hands behind your head, bend your healthy leg at the knee, straighten the patient. Raise it in three steps - each time no more than fifteen centimeters, with breaks after each effort. Hold at the peak point, also slowly lower in three steps.
• Leg flexion. Lie on your stomach, put a towel rolled into a roller under your sore leg. Carefully lift it up, hold it for a few seconds on weight, gently lower it.

During this period, recovery after ACL plasty requires special care - any wrong movement can lead to re-injury.

sixth to seventh week

Rehabilitation after ACL plastic surgery of the knee becomes even more intense. In the pool, the patient can perform swings and scissors, massage is added to physiotherapy. You can walk with one crutch or even a cane. By the end of the seventh week, you can switch to walking without support. Medications are used only when necessary, in the form of gels or ointments.

New exercises added:

• Bending with a towel. Sit on the floor, stretch the healthy leg, bend the patient at the knee. Throw a loop of a towel or tourniquet over the lower leg, pull it towards you until slight discomfort occurs. Pull back carefully.
• Rise with resistance on the side. Lie on your side, put a rubber loop on your knees, lean on your elbow. Raise the sore leg without bending it, hold it for some time on weight, slowly and carefully lower it back.
• Lifting with resistance on the stomach. Lie on your back, put a rubber loop on your feet, lower your head on crossed elbows. Bend the injured leg as far as possible, hold. Lower carefully.
• Lifting with resistance on the side is the second option. Lie on your side, lean on your elbow, stretch the affected leg, bend the healthy leg and place it so that the foot is in front of the operated thigh. Put on a rubber loop on the feet. Raise the injured leg as far as possible, hold it. Lower slowly.
• Lifting with standing resistance. Stand up, put a rubber loop on your feet, lean your back against the wall. Raise the injured leg without bending it. Hold. Lower slowly.
• Half squat at the chair. Get up, grab the back of a chair. Sit down without completely bending your knees. Stay in position, straighten up.
• Stretching. Sit on the floor, straighten the sore leg, rest the healthy foot on her thigh. Stretch forward, trying to reach the foot of the sore leg with your hands.

After the end of the seventh week, ACL rehabilitation is considered to have passed the critical phase. In the future, it will be much more difficult to damage the leg and you can move on to more intense activity:

• ride an exercise bike;
• continue to visit the pool;
• take long walks without support;
• enroll in an exercise therapy group that will engage in specialized aerobics.

Recovery after knee ACL reconstruction will be considered complete only by the thirtieth week. But even up to this point, a person can lead a busy life, just not neglecting the exercises and not straining too much.