Knee Strengthening (tore ACL years ago)

J

jewfro18

0
If I tore my ACL almost 7 years ago, what are some good exercises to do to strengthen my knee?

I want to get back into playing sports like soccer and football that involve a lot of cutting, but I'm always afraid that I am going to tear something again.

I did an initial rehab program years ago and my orthopedist said my knees are "gliding". I just do not have time to do physical therapy since I don't get off work until almost 7pm.

I imagine that I need to strengthen my quads and hamstrings, but I'm not sure which exercises are the best to do.

Thanks for any help! I really appreciate it.
 
If you're able to do the movement, do reverse hamstring curls. In a kneeling position and someone holding your feet (or with them secured underneath something) try to slowly extend at the knee and lower your body to the ground. These are THE best things to do for ACL injuries as the eccentric hamstring strength will greatly take the load of stress off of the ACL. (They're also great for preventing tears, for anyone else.)

If you can't do that exercise, then using the hamstring curl at the gym can help as well. Just be sure to focus the exercise on the "down" phase, as that lowering part of the muscle contraction is what is used when stopping short while running, which is the pain cause of ACL injury.

Other than that, just continue with general leg stabilizing exercises to train your balance and durability. Basically, any exercise on one leg.
 
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