A sprained knee can keep you out of the game for up to a couple of months. A knee sprain is damage to one or more ligaments that connect your upper and lower leg, keeping the joint in line, so rushing back into sports can be dangerous and result in further injury. That's not to say you've been relegated to the couch for six weeks -- instead spend this time exercising your healing knee for a better recovery.
Flexion/Extension
The primary mobility exercise involves simply bending and straightening your knee. Since it has been immobile for the most part, this lubricates the joint and tentatively tests the condition of the ligament. Stand next to a wall or chair, and brace yourself with the hand opposite your injured knee. Shift your weight to the uninjured side, and simply bend, then relax your injured knee. If that feels comfortable after a few tries, place the foot on the injured side on a chair and lean forward until your injured knee is bent with a small part of your body weight on it. Hold it, then return to the starting position and repeat.
Stretches
Stretching out your hamstrings and quadriceps prevents the large muscles supported by the injured ligament from seizing up and keeps the ligaments from tightening as they heal. If the ligaments remain smooth and elastic, you'll be able to put weight on the knee sooner. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and lean forward to touch your toes. This stretches the hamstrings -- flex your feet for extra stretch. Lie on your stomach with your legs straight out behind you and bend your injured knee. Reach back and grab your foot, pressing it toward your butt until you feel a stretch to stretch your quads. This also puts a small amount of pressure on the healing ligament, and you'll be able to gauge your progress by how far you can stretch.
Strengthening
As soon as the injured knee has recovered full mobility, it is important to begin rebuilding your strength. Lie on your back with your knee bent, and place a resistance band across your foot. Slide the foot forward against the band, using as much resistance as you can tolerate. The squat is another good rehabilitation exercise because it forces a mild compression of the ligament at the bottom of the move and involves no lateral or rotational movement -- stick to body-weight squats to avoid overworking the ligament. Once you are comfortable with squats, you can move on to lateral jumps, being sure to jump side to side, not vertically.
Use Caution
Follow your doctor's advice first, and perform any and all exercises she recommends. If you feel pain at any point in your exercises, stop -- pain is a sign of damage, so you may have pushed yourself too far. Allow your knee to heal for a few days and try again. Don't attempt strengthening exercises until your knee has healed to the point where you can perform all of the stretches and mobility exercises without pain.
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