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Howard J. Luks, MD

Howard J. Luks, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon Sports Medicine Specialist

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ACL

Physical Therapy Before ACL Surgery Improves Your Results

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Howard J. Luks, MD Updated Jun 15, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

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When you tear your anterior cruciate ligament or ACL your knee swells with blood.  When the knee swells, that triggers a cascade of events which causes you to loose quadriceps strength.  In addition you will notice that your thigh looks a lot smaller than the other one.  That is due to atrophy of the quadriceps which occurs after an ACL injury.

In addition to the loss of quadriceps strength and atrophy which accompanies an ACL tear you will also notice loss of motion and in most cases a fair amount of pain.

Many athletes choose to have ACL surgery to improve their chance of returning to the pitch or ball field.  The sad reality is that many athletes can not return to sports after ACL surgery.  The reasons for this vary.  As such, there is a lot of research taking place to improve your chance for a successful return to sports after an ACL reconstruction.

Prehabilitation Before ACL Surgery

prehab acl surgeryOrthopedic surgeons for years have been placing patients into physical therapy to improve their motion, minimize their pain and start to improve their quadriceps strength before ACL surgery.  Until recently we didn’t have proof that this made much of a difference in your final result after  your ACL reconstruction.  In addition, we did not know if specific neuromuscular training before surgery would also be of benefit.

The MOON group recently published a paper addressing whether or not rehabilitation before ACL surgery or prehab would improve your overall result.  Not surprisingly, the study showed that patients who underwent physical therapy before surgery achieved certain milestones more rapidly after surgery.  This paper also hints that the benefit is likely related to the addition of neuromuscular training to the prehab protocol.

For the athlete, the research showed that there was better function and a higher return to sports rate when the athlete had therapy before ACL surgery.

The return to sports rate after ACL surgery is currently lower than we would like.  With the knowledge that physical therapy or prehab before ACL surgery improves functional outcomes and facilitates a higher return to sports rate I would hope that the insurance companies will stand up and take notice.

We have addressed the topic of prehab before ACL surgery previously on this blog…. to learn more click here and here.

Do you have questions regarding an Orthopedic injury or longevity? 

Do you want to talk to an expert who can listen to you for 45-60 minutes and explain the options in detail? 

Dr. Howard Luks offers remote guidance sessions to review your X-ray or MRI images and explain your options. 

Dr. Luks has also received hundreds of requests for educational sessions on the topics discussed in his book, Longevity Simplified.

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If you have recently suffered an ACL injury and are considering prehab or physical therapy before surgery, it looks like the science strongly suggests that this is a good idea.

Categories: ACL Tags: ACL, ACL Surgery, Physical Therapy, prehab

Disclaimer:  this information is for your education and should not be considered medical advice regarding diagnosis or treatment recommendations. Some links on this page may be affiliate links. Read the full disclaimer.
Dr. Howard J. Luks

Howard J. Luks, MD is a leading orthopedic surgeon & sports medicine specialist. An expert in shoulder, knee, and other sports injuries, and author of Longevity... Simplified.

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Further Reading:

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ACL Graft Choice: Which One Fails More Often?
ACL surgery
Can ACL Tears Be Repaired?
physical therapy acl surgery
The Bridge ACL Surgery: Is An ACL Repair Possible?
return to sports after ACL surgery
ACL Recovery – 4 tips for the first 4 weeks: Setting the Stage for a Great Rehab

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Dr. Howard J. Luks

Howard J. Luks, MD is a leading orthopedic surgeon & sports medicine specialist. An expert in shoulder, knee, and other sports injuries, and author of Longevity... Simplified.

About · Contact · Private Consultation

Remote Guidance Sessions
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