Restoring the range of motion after ACL reconstruction is very important to a successful ACL surgery recovery. The best way to get your range of motion back after surgery is to do a few things very diligently ice(RICE), rehab exercises and don't rest with a pillow under your knee.These three steps to improved range of motion after ACL reconstruction are broken down below.
Step 1 To Improve Range of Motion After Knee Surgery - RICE
Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate....we have all heard it 1000 times and it is true that after surgery we must diligently ice our knee to remove the swelling. This swelling can accelerate how quickly we will lose muscle in our thigh and cause all other kinds of problems. But what I am writing about in this article is improving the range of motion and this is without a doubt one of the easiest ways to improve range of motion. Often after surgery the range of motion is limited by the swelling within the knee, the best way to get rid of that swelling is following the RICE principle.
Step 2 To Improve Range of Motion After Knee Surgery - Never Prop Your Knee on an Angle
Our knees hurt a lot after ACL surgery and it can be very tempting to put something under our knees and leave them on an angle. When we do this we increase the difficulty in the future of getting our knee fully extended. The solution?
Always make sure when you are resting watching TV, reading or sleeping that your knee has a light amount flexion resistance. For example if you are comfortable with your knee bent at 15 degrees you can support it at 10 degrees bent so that the pain isn't much but you are always working towards getting to 0 degrees.
Step 3 To Improve Range of Motion After Knee Surgery - Exercises
There are a few critical exercises that you must do to get your flexion and extension back. Two weeks post ACL surgery and 130 degrees of motion is possible following these exercises. The top exercises to do include.
1. Heel Slides2. Heel Prop
3. Prone Knee Flexion
4. Bike Pendulums
5. Quad Sets
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