How To Get Back To Sports Mentally After An Acl Tear

An anterior cruciate ligament tear affects the ligaments in your knee and is fairly common among athletes. While some minor tears only require rest ad rehabilitation, others -- including severe and repeat tears -- require surgery to patch the ligament. No matter what the healing process, you'll need several weeks to months of rest before returning to your sport, so both your physical and your mental game could suffer. Stay positive and informed as you slowly return to your sport.

Step 1

Wait the full recovery period prescribed by your doctor, surgeon or physical therapist. While minor tears need six weeks to a month of recovery, full tears and those repaired via surgery need up to a year of recovery before you're ready to return to sports completely. Without the approval of your health care team, starting sports too soon could result in further and even permanent damage.

Step 2

Stay mentally sharp by visualizing game play even when you're unable to use your body fully. The "Handbook of Imagination and Mental Simulation" points out that visualization and imagery helps to retain muscle memory even when you're not physical active. This could help ease the transition into playing sports physically once again so there's less of a learning curve to get back in the habit.

Step 3

Know your limitations and expect a few drawbacks. If you go into playing your sport believing that you're 100 percent, it could be devastating to learn that you're weaker, slower and less reactive than you were before your injury. Take the return slowly and give your body time to adapt, preparing mentally for an uphill battle leading to an eventual return of your speed and skill.

Step 4

Participate in both physical and mental rehabilitation throughout the process. While your body must relearn how to bend, stretch and play, your mind must accept its new state. Talk to a coach and physical therapist about your fears concerning your limitations to help you feel more confident and supportive of your ACL's healing process.

Step 5

Meditate and relax as part of the stretching process. Stretching becomes especially important after you've suffered an ACL injury, since it warms the ligaments and readies them for further exercise. Take five to 10 minutes before participating in a sport to stretch, think about your healing process and build yourself up for the game. Relaxation pairs with positive affirmations and visualizations to help you finally feel ready to play again.