What is my ACL is a question you may ask yourself, well, The Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ‘ACL’ is a ligament which runs from your femur to just below the front your knee. Most ACL tears occur following some form of trauma during sport as the ACL is prone to injury when subjected to rotational or landing forces. It is possible through physical examinations to diagnose a tear in the ACL, but many patients will have MRI’s taken as well.

Depending on an individual’s symptoms and participation level in sport the time at which a surgery is performed following the initial injury varies. With the advances in medical care the approach of recovery has become more individual to each patient’s needs and desires. Typically, a recovery process following an ACL rupture takes between 6-9 months.

Is surgery the only option? While surgery is not absolutely necessary many studies indicate that younger patients who want to maintain pre-injury activity level should undergo the reconstruction. Many older patients opt out of the surgery due to the lengthy rehabilitation process, whilst this is the case, non-operative cases show high satisfaction in their recovery. The surgery is an invasive procedure which offers both full reconstructions using tendon grafts or repair in a select cohort of patients.

What can I do to prepare for surgery? When surgery is chosen the necessity for prehabilitation has been earmarked in recent years due to its benefits to the recovery process. Undertaking prehabilitation has been shown to reduce the time to return to sport following surgery as well as increasing the confidence of participants. Within this period, physiotherapy has shown great benefits to the participants as strengthening the knee and surrounding muscles has great benefits for the recovery. Following the surgery, physiotherapy afterwards is paramount to the maintenance of mobility, range, strength and the reduction of both inflammation and pain.

What will it be like after the surgery? During the first two weeks post-op it is necessary to use crutches but should be expected to be without these and only with a knee-brace in week 3. Over the next few months, a plan including, proprioception, mobility and strength will be tailored to your current status, as mentioned before a recovery can take up to 9 months but with the assistance of your surgeon, physiotherapist and any other involved professional rehabilitation will be achieved.