Your ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of four ligaments in your knee that help stabilize your knee joint. It helps prevent your shin bone from sliding out in front of your thigh bone, while helping to provide you with the ability to rotate your knee. The ACL is one of the most-commonly injured structures in the knee, often as a result of direct trauma to the side of the knee or as a result of planting the foot while performing a twisting motion in sports, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Wall Slides
This exercise helps strengthen the quadriceps muscles located on the front of your thigh, while also helping to strengthen the core muscles located around your midsection. Lie down on your back with your injured knee bent and your foot propped on a wall with your knee bent at about a 90-degree angle. Allow the force of gravity to pull your foot down the wall while bending your knee. Continue sliding your foot down the wall until you can’t go any farther without serious pain. Hold this position for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat. As your condition improves, you may want to prop your other foot on top of your injured leg to help apply downward pressure.
Heel Slides
This exercise is often one of the first exercises prescribed after an ACL surgery. It is designed to get your legs moving without placing the stresses of your body weight on your injured knee joint. Lie down on the bed on your back with your legs extended and your toes pointing toward the ceiling. Keep your heel in contact with the bed and begin bending your knee to slide your heel toward your buttocks. Go as far as you can and hold this position for about five seconds. Keep your heel touching the bed and straighten your knee to return to the starting position. Repeat. As your knee joint becomes stronger and more flexible you may want to use your arms to help pull your heel toward your buttocks, according to Dr. Peter Millett.
Passive Flexion
If you're suffering from excess swelling in your knee joint, your therapist or doctor may prescribe this exercise to help you begin flexing your knee without the stresses of muscular contraction. Sit down on the edge of a bed or a table with your thighs supported by the table and both lower legs hanging over the edge. Allow the force of gravity to pull your lower leg down while gently bending your knee. Repeat. If prescribed by your doctor you can cross your other foot over the top of your injured foot to help bend your knee while providing support for this exercise.
Half Squat with Ball
This exercise can help you get used to placing body weight on your recently-repaired knee again. It can also help you begin using your quadriceps muscles in tandem with your hamstring muscles after the trauma of your injury. Stand with your back to a wall and your heels about two feet from the wall. Place a basketball or soccer behind your back. Keep your back straight and lean back until the ball is captured between the wall and your back. Bend both knees at the same time and lower your upper body toward the ground until your knees are t at about a 45 degree angle. Be sure that you stop at this point to prevent further injury to your knee joint. Hold this position for a couple of seconds and straighten both knees to return to the starting position. Repeat.
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