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ACL rehabilitation

I ruptured my Anterior Cruciate ligament 5 years ago. I can't seem to regain strength endurance in that leg. I ran my first half marathon for some time this weekend and found all sorts of issues with my  biomechanics leading to anterior ankle pain Thor the first 4 miles and hip pain for the last 4 miles all on the alledly good leg. I think I am overcompensating. Any suggestions to build up the leg above and beyond one legged a squats, lunges, leg curls and squats on a balance board?

Thanks

Comments

  • That should say "for the fist 4miles" and "allegedly good leg!"

  • Farid2Farid2 Posts: 2

    Hey Chunky,

    I had an acl surgery on both legs, first in 2013 and recently 2015 (damn football). I used a lot of cycling to balance muscle power and engage the injured leg as well. I also used stairs to build in power in the injured leg, make it work out more.

    At present, I can run distances without overcompensating and feeling any pain. 

    Cheers,

    Farid

  • Why don’t you try physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment?  Such kind of alternative treatment methods are good for regaining muscle strength. I too had an ACL surgery, even after the surgery my leg hurts badly and it had affected my performance too. Then as per the advice of my doctor I had an athletic therapy with the help of an expert chiropractor in Oakville. It really worked.

  • Cheers guys

    i certainly have been doing a bit of bike work but probably slacking a bit. I will build that up a bit. Hadn't thought about a chiropractor - I will explore that some more

  • Farid2Farid2 Posts: 2

    as pointed out earlier, you may wanna add some stairs (up only) into your program, it really build muscle power. Later you can add weight for further strength.

  • Andrew4Andrew4 Posts: 190

    Chunky - I have recently gone from ACL rehab to 5hr half ironman in 8 months... recovery is definitely do-able, key things:

    1. bike, bike, bike, bike, bike and some more bike - if you have access to a Wattbike this is ideal as you get a power reading and a left right balance, so you can see how your rehab is balancing out - as my surgeon says he gets a lot of wattbike balance scores from his patients undergoing rehab, get yours. You need to ride, even if its just 20-30 minutes 3+ times a week, building the power and time gradually and keeping the cadence on the low side (think 75-85 rather than 90+)

    2. Step ups and really focus on form going both up and down.

  • I'm currently undergoing physiotherapy for an ACL injury at the moment. Mine has been complicated by the fact that I also fractured my tibia and tore a chunk of bone from it. This meant that I ended up with 2 months of none weight bearing so I am currently working on just returning the flexibility to the knee. The big factor is bike, bike, bike as this adds both the strength and flexibility with the minimal amount of stress. On top of that both stairs and none ballistic lunges also are very effective.

    If you have been to a proper sports physio then I would highly recommend it as they will be able to put you on a proper recovery program designed for yourself and your sports goals.

  • Sounds like the bike is the thing! Thanks guys

  • My advice is get professional advice! It will be well worth it and avoid a recurrence.

    It sounds like you might need an Osteopath:

    http://www.blackberryclinic.co.uk/articles/203-what-is-the-difference-between-chiropractors-osteopaths-and-physiotherapists

     

  • ThanksThanks that. Handy link too!

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