All about the ACL

The ACL is one of the most important ligaments in the body. Being one of the 3 ligaments that make up the knee joint, ACL’s are most commonly injured during non-contact movements. As technology has increased so has our ability to properly repair and rehabilitate ACL injuries, not too long ago an ACL tear would be a career ending injury for athletes and a life changing one for the average individual. With a greater understanding of the ACL ligament comes a better rehabilitation process. Strengthening muscles such as the Hamstrings, Gluteus medius, and soleus(in the calf) have proven to unload the ACL and keep the individual away from putting high forces towards the Knee joint. Exercises like the Glute Bridge, Hamstring walkout and Calf raise are really simple but effective at working those muscle groups to unload the ACL.

Another Key component to keeping Injury free is making sure a proper warm up is completed before the start of physically strenuous exercise. Activities such as Pickleball, hiking, running/jogging, and walking Incline and Declines should have a warmup of at least 5-10mins. A good analogy to apply to the warm-ups is starting a car in cold weather; letting the car heat up before driving to your destination leads to overall better performance from the engine. Same thought process can be applied here. Movements such as leg swings, arm circles, walking butt kicks, walking knee hugs, and bodyweight squats are effective ways to raise the heart rate and get the warm blood circulating to the muscles.

If you are currently dealing with an ACL injury seeing your doctor and Physical therapist is highly recommended. Studies have shown that the more one can adhere to their rehabilitation process the more successful it typically is, and the earlier one can return to physical activity.