Strengthening exercises for ACL injury (anterior cruciate ligament) rehabilitation. 

To all the people watching this video with an ACL/knee injury, I feel for you, I really do,especially since I partially tore my ACL 2 weeks ago playing basketball. May you have a healthy recovery and get back to normality as soon :).

Thank you for posting this videeo, it has helped me rehab on my own, big time ! ^ 5

@SpankyBurrito If it is a full tear and the joint is unstable then yes it is possible. You need to get it looked at though if you haven't already to make sure there is no further damage and to establish the best course of action regarding surgery or rehab

thank you for your response sir

Just had ACL surgery on June 17,2011. Right now I can walking and I can't straight fully I can bend at 75 degrees . They removed my hamstring. My pain was so awful!

This is great I am recovering from an ACL, MCL, and meniscus tear. I have been doing these for a while now. I have not been able to return back to the Basketball court (I was an NBA D-League prospect). I am going in for ACL reconstruction july.

@sportsinjuryclinic thank u for ur suggestions, i'll contact u further if the problem persists..

@kammikal Its difficult to say what's normal following an ACL reconstruction although very few people feel the knee is 100% ok after surgery. If you are not sure I would advise you to return to your consultant.

Thats a very personal decision to make. I think it depends on the symptoms you get at the knee - how painful and or unstable it is and what sports / exercise you do.

its very great to see the responses and knowledge you have.. thankyou very much for that.. i want to ask you that a year ago i had Partial Acl tear as shown in MRI , but i could not take rest for the first 4 months, but then i took it seriously got examined by other Ortho Docs, some of them advised me surgery, one of them advised me to take rest and had been doing just 2 normal exercises as he told me since October,

You can't rush these things. You can start very gentle strengthening - isometric - so contractions with no movement provided they are pain free. But the most important thing at this stage is reducing the effusion and regaining full mobility

@khatronkekhiladi2 Many people with a full rupture of the ACL do not have surgery and just do strengthening exercises etc to get back to full fitness. In most cases this works fine, so I would follow the advice from your Doctor and keep up with the exercises, provided they don't cause you any pain or other problems.

Video short but info very useful

@joannagay Hi. The symptoms you describe sound like "movie-goer's knee" - which is a common complaint in conditions of patellofemoral pain. you can read more on this at sportsinjuryclinic's website.

Yesbeingverwight affects the knees as they are expected to carry more weight and are under more pressure

@devildareit Mobility exercises first to regain full range of motion, along with the isometric strengthening exercises shown at the start of this video

The only things you can do are to make sure the muscles surrounding the knee joint are strong (especially that the hamstrings and quads are equal in strength). The injury occurs through sudden movements which can't be avoided during sports.

@06yalexander Could be a cartilage injury but you should get it assessed

@killuacut388 Have you had an MRI scan to confirm an ACL tear? If so you should b under a consultant who will best advise you on what to do next, depending on your particular situation. The question really is whether to have reconstruction surgery or not

I tore my ACL in January of this year and refused to get surgery because it did not hurt at all and I continued to play basketball and was completely fine. However, I would like to get the muscles around the knee completely as strong as possible so that doing any more damage is unlikely. Are there any other exercises that will help me with this? Your video was very helpful! Thank you!

I have a torn ACL and meniscus tendon I'm going to physical therapy I was told I wouldn't need surgery. my injury occurred approx 6 weeks ago so I guess I'm going to look at a long road of recovery

If you are unsure you should return to your Doctor or a physical therapist for further advice. You can follow the exercises given in this video but bear in mind that this is a sample rehab programme and not developed specifically for yourself. All exercises should be pain free and not aggravate the injury during or after.

If you have a torn or snapped ACL ligament, you will be able to rehabilitate to a level where you can jog, swim and perform general duties. Your knee will not however take any quick turns, and changes of direction.

@khatronkekhiladi2 No an MRI can't be wrong. It just shows what is there. It may very occasionally be read incorrectly, but what I am saying to you is that it really doesn't matter if you have a partial tear or a fully torn ACL. The rehabilitation is really no different. You just have to keep working on the strength, flexibilty and balance. It is not unusual to get minor pains throughout this process, as long as they clear quickly like you said it did.

Thanks for the video. All exercises showed here for right leg injury or few showing left leg injury?? Its little confusing

Once you find the exercise too easy without any weights then yes you can add dumbbells to increase the weight on the legs

Did it four years ago now; I'm 17. I've re-torn it several times hence the late 'recovery' - it still hasn't recovered! Surgery is too expensive and it won't be provided for free. My main concern is that the knee pops out of place a lot and I get that twingy feeling where the cruciate is about to give way a lot.

The ones in the video above are a great place to start! But if you are unsure, see a fitness professional for guidance

thank you very much .....ya i will follow your advice, can you tell me that how many times should i repeat these exercises in a day.. and if muscle pains (quad/hamstring) during this process, which is very likely, because i have not been working for months, should i continue doing/repeating or should i give it a rest for 1 or two days..then again start? ......Have a good day

you should probably start doing some deadlifts and exercises for knee flexors (semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femuris) because you need to have proper flexors/extensors strength relation. You may go to check it to your doctor and he will put you on isometric device to check that! And don't think you should stop doing squats and lounges together, you just need to do some more exercises for flexors and hip adductors and abductors! Hope this will work for you!

Many people dont have recon surgery and get back to plaing sport. You just need to make sure that you really follow the rehab programme and get the strength of your quads and hams exqual to the other leg and to each other. How much 'danger' you are in in terms of injuring yourself again depends on how unstable the knee is

how often should these exercises be performed?

my acl tear repaired itself when i was in college and then suddenly after nearly 16 years later it ruptured again when i was climbing a high barrier. now it's 7 years since that incident and its still not normal. i can feel the slight pain and instability in my knee. i do not want to get a surgery done.

Usually yes. Was there a reason you didn't walk for so long? Weight bearing and walking are usually encouraged as soon as possible to help reduce muscle wasting. Just work on building the strength in these muscles using exercises like squats and lunges

Sorry to hear that. You must already have a basic understanding of exercises following ACL injury

i got my check up monthly, he said my knee is improving. so just to clear my doubts i got MRI done again, on the contrary to the previous MRI, it showed me full tear, then I decided to get examined by another Good Doctor in Amritsar(India). I was expecting that he will ask me to go through surgery,

I tore my meniscus & acl at the beginning of September I play soccer and due to my injury I still haven't been able to run even though I've been cleared what exercises can I do to strengthen my knee & legs again?

Thank you very much for replying, But i am very confused, see 4 months before i was having crunching sound when i used to place my hand on knee just to check, but now its no where, which is a sigh of relief sign for me, and it was hard to sit on toes, because i used to feel pain on back of the thigh(hamstring), but now its very less, i think i just need some time and exercises to do. But today i just tried to sit on toe and put pressure on the knee and get up,i felt a bit pain while stretching

I torn my ACL totally, my docotr said that I won't need surgery. Can I perform the exercises shown in the video ?

I had ACL reconstruction in January. I am doing a hypertrophy cycle to increase muscle bulk around my quadriceps and hamstrings. I am however having tightness and muscular pain in my left hip flexor (the operated side) when performing squatting type movements. Why is this happening and what can I do about it?

I had my ACL Reconstruction surgery done in late 2010, I recovered properly and was cleared for sports. After the surgery I gained tons of weight which I've been working off, recently I started having major stiffness and pain inside my knee while squatting and doing lunges even though this never happened before, what should I do? Should I stop doing squats/lunges altogether? or should I work on strengthening the muscle? Thanks!

hi ..i had acl injury about 2 months ago with 3- 4 fractures into the joint..doctors suggested me with the plaster for 1 and half months and now its removed and he told me to do exercises..I am doing it nicely and I am able to make my leg straight and bend it but with amount of pain..its been 3 -4 days plaster is removed..can you suggest me ? is the surgery needed or the pain will go by time passes..my doctor told no for the surgery..i had grade 3 tear..and some pain at the back of the joint?

i can Jog now, i can do squat now...i can sit on toes now...so just clear my doubts pls

did u get it reconstructed ?

can i do the lunges while holding dumbbells? or will it damage my knee???

I just got my acl tear but there is no pain at all but my knees is clicking and feels like it is unattached what is the posible treatment for this thank you

I question the form shown for squats, as the person's leg is going past the toe, which puts strain on the knee. I tore my ACL a long time ago, and it took me years before I can do a squat again, but most of that was do to improper form, like shown in the video. Once I learned what the proper form was, I was able start doing squats without strain on the knee. For those wanting to do squats, I would not follow the form shown in this video.

hey i have a question... i have been a competitive dancer for a few years and lately it has feeled like i pulled muscle in my knee. i pull muscles all the time i usally do every two or three months always somewhere on my leg or upper thigh. for about a month if i leave my leg bent for around an hour or so my knee feels very tight and hurts to straighten it out. It doesnt happen when i sleep unless i am asleep in the car where my legs must be bent. it never hurts when i dance, but sometimes while

then i gave it a rest for 10-15 seconds, it was fine, i felt a nerve resting down, and it was ok.. so can you suggest me some more exercises and a diet.. am sorry i am inquiring a lot, but just to add one more thing can you tell me in my situation what will be the symptoms of injured knee. and contrary to partial tear in past, i am much improved with this Full tear, hahaha.. my question is can MRI be wrong. I will be very great full to you by just clearing my all doubts..Have a good day

i have generalized ligament laxity(5-10%),when i was in 10th standard,i dislocated my shoulder while playing basketball,and i got operated last year(bankart lesion),and again last year while playing basketball,i tore my ACL,got operated on 24th of may 2013,right now is the 7th day after the surgery,and i can barely walk without a walker,what kind of exercises are advisable for me at the stage for both knee and shoulder?and does this mean that i cant play any sport seriously?

MRI of my right knee tells:-(i) There is minimal joint effusion. (ii) The medial meniscus is thin & flattened. (iii) The anterior half of ACL lies horizontal, the posterior part is very thin & irregular and vertical. (iv) PCL is buckled but intact. What shall i do-go for surgery or do physical exercise if physical exercise then what are those exercise,plz reply.thanks

hey i have had my surgury about 6 months ago i had keyhole surgery not the one were they take abit of the hamstring, my knee clicks always now and then ive gotten use to the clicking but it does feel weird like it wil click out then back into place it feels, is this normal it mostly only happen wen im walking not running

Does increase in body weight (Other words, getting obese) affect the knee? Do losing weight really relieve more pressure from the knees, is this statement accurate?

I had an acl tear a few years ago and just had another tear on the other knee last night.. can't even stand up.. is this normal? seems like everyone else can stand or walk despite a tear..

but he advised me to do do more strengthning exercises to strengthen knee, as its very week, because i am not doing any strengthning exercises. he assured me that i will be ok with this.... So i am very confused that what should i do, as with this exercises i am feeling better, but do not know, Advise me

Hi. I am currently suffering from an ACL now my MRI shows that I have a completet tear of the ACL I am working on a ship and I dont want to undergo any surgery yet. I am under reahbilitation and was wondering eventhough I undergone Rehab shall I never go back to playing Basketball again? Also am I not prone to dangers on ship considering I did not undergo surgery. Pls. Help. Thanks

i had an ACL injury on 26/7/11 , my MRI report says that it is a complete ACL tear but doctor says that there are chances of false positive results. . i kept my leg straight for around 21 days and from 17/8 , my doctor advised me to walk normally and bend the knee.. but he didnt recommend any exercise.. so plz suggest me wat should i do ????

I tore my ACL 10+ years ago, no surgery. I am 69 and have had no problem walking, stairs etc. only when hit front on by by big dog. Can I use a stationary recumbent bike without agitating the knee?

can a person person to normal life after acl surgery? i didnt walk for 45days after surgery in result i lost my thigh muscle and still my squats muscle is weak. what shall i do?

I had Acl surgery and meniscus tear it happened july the 8 and barely had surgery on September 20 it's been a month now after and when I walk I feel something move in my knee then it pops and it feels normal. What I want to know is that if this has happened to anyone else??

is this for pre or post operation?

i am stretching or sitting in class it depends it will sometimes tighten one day after 5 mins and then the next day it won't tighten at all. does anyone know what i did? it isnt a big deal, but i don't want it to get worse! if anyone knows what i did please respond!!! i have told my mom but she doesn't think it will be a big deal because i pull things often please hepl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's not what I meant.....

Hi. You shouldn't continue to do specific exercises which cause you pain. I would get your knee checked out by a Doctor or Sports injury specialist. It may actually be a case of strengthening and stretching other muscle groups, such as the glutes, which may be affecting knee joint alignment

No bent over straight one legged deadlifts? you guys just hate core dont you? and that "quad" exercise is more hipflexor than anything. Most people's hip flexors are already over developed from sitting too much

Shes hot

I learned nothing watching this video.