#RECOVERY TIME FOR ACL TEAR PLUS#
Two times a week for 2-4 weeks PLUS “homework” two-three times per week.2-3 times per week for the first 1-2 weeks.
#RECOVERY TIME FOR ACL TEAR FULL#
Your PT’s first goal is to re-establish the full range of motion while simultaneously strengthening your knee. Your next level of exercises should all be guided by your physical therapist (PT). We provide an instructional video preop that shows you the home exercises to do the first few days post op. You’ll want to wait until the swelling subsides before engaging in any kind of exercise. The first few days after your surgery, just putting weight on your leg with the aid and support of crutches and a knee brace plus the home exercises are enough. We want you to continue using crutches until you can walk without a limp. THIS MAY CHANGE IF YOU NEEDED STITCHES IN YOUR MENISCUS CARTILAGE. You need to start putting weight on the knee and subjecting it to normal stresses and stretching so that it heals properly.Įven though we give you crutches, you should still put as much weight as possible on your recovering knee. The reason you need a brace is because we want you to challenge your knee post-op, but in a protected manner. You could also wear a sport brace when you’re doing your physical therapy or as you get back to practicing your sport. However, if you also tore your MCL, you’ll need to wear a brace for 4-6 weeks. In most cases, you can stop wearing the brace after about 3-4 weeks. The surgical bandage is sterile and we want to keep it that way.
It’s also important to keep the dressing on your knee intact. Keep your brace on except when in PT or when sleeping.Once your quadricep muscle can protect your knee, you will transition out of the brace. Even though you won’t be playing your sport for a while, the brace helps keep your knee safe as you walk and perform your physical therapy.
You wear a brace for about a monthĪ knee brace supports your knee as your tendon grafts fuse and other tissues heal. Arrange ahead of time to have a family member or friend take you home from the hospital. And even if you rest with us overnight, your leg will be sore. Directly after your surgery, you’ll be groggy. Whether you stay a night in the hospital or choose to go home, you need a ride after ACL reconstruction. However, if you’d like the extra time alone to recover, let us know, and we’ll arrange an overnight stay. In most cases of ACL reconstruction, a hospital stay is unnecessary. Experience matters! You’ll (probably) go straight home Lintner does over 125 ACL reconstructions annually. Statistics show that most ACL surgeries are done by surgeons who do fewer than twenty per year. If you’re scheduled for ACL reconstruction, here’s what to expect as you recover and return to your daily routine.ĭavid Lintner, MD - head team physician for the Houston Astros (27 + years) and team orthopedist for the Houston Texans (19+ years) - is an expert at ACL reconstruction at Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. If you’ve experienced a severe ACL tear, stretch, or rupture, you may need expert ACL reconstruction surgery. When the tear’s bad enough, rest and rehab therapy aren’t enough to repair an ACL. That’s why there are up to 200,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears each year in the United States alone. But let’s face it: knees get a workout and stress no matter who you are, just from the daily activities of life. Athletes and weekend warriors put a lot of stress on their knees.