How to Stop an ACL Tear Happening Again: The Importance of Testing in ACL Rehab

ACL tears are the worst injuries in sport

ACL injury is up there with one of the worst injuries that occur in the world of sport. It can sideline people for 6-12 months and even longer if there are complications and setbacks.

Not only is the injury physically very painful, it can bear a huge psychological burden as people are unable to perform their chosen sport or activity for a prolonged period of time, particularly if said activity was their main passion and key to their social life.

Well at least we know once you’ve had the surgery and do some physio you’ll be fine… right? Unfortunately, wrong…

Surgery alone is not enough to guarantee returning to sports

The truth of the matter is (depending on what research you read), that around 50% of athletes never return to their previous level of activity and around 30% of those that do return go on to suffer re-injury within 2 years of return to play.

Is this because the surgery always goes wrong? Or that the new graft simply isn’t as strong as the native ACL? There is actually very little evidence to back up these ideas, and we believe most people fail to return or go on to re-injure as a result of inadequate rehabilitation and testing.

ACL testing is key

Without robust testing rehabilitation can become a bit like a game of pin the tail on the donkey, athletes don’t know whether they're coming or going, and clinicians cannot accurately guide rehabilitation towards the specific needs of the athlete in relation to their goals.

It begs the question, how do we know athletes are ready to get back in the gym, perform plyometrics, run, twist and turn or eventually return to sport? The main tests we want to perform to ensure normal knee function has been restored are strength tests and jump tests, these can be performed supervised by an experienced clinician who will be able to guide the athlete as to how well they are progressing in rehabilitation and what needs to be done to achieve the next milestone in the rehab process.

The moral of the story is, if you or someone you know has suffered from an ACL injury or undergone ACL surgery, it is essential they work with a specialist clinician who is able to provide high quality testing and rehab to give them the best chance of reaching their goals.

Book a consultation with ACL specialists

If you are looking for help with your ACL - schedule a consultation with one of our expert physiotherapists and we will get you back to your chosen sport!