What is non-surgical ACL rehab and what does it involve?
Non-surgical anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehab is becoming the popular rehab pathway for the modern-day athlete or weekend warrior.
This method of rehab refers to strict rehabilitation or exercise protocols that work to improve the physical condition of an affected body area.
Non-surgical ACL rehab involves strengthening the supporting muscles of the knee to stabilise the knee joint, due to a lack of ligament support following an ACL rupture.
ACL surgery vs non-surgical ACL rehab – which is better and why?
Current research states that there are similar outcomes for ACL surgery and non-surgical ACL rehab.
The sooner you start rehabilitation after suffering an ACL injury, the better outcomes you will have long term.
Should I try non-surgical ACL rehab first before considering surgery?
Non-surgical rehab should strongly be considered first before opting for surgery.
According to this study, there needs to be a cultural shift from early surgery to non-surgical management for ACL injuries.
Many people believe that non-surgical ACL rehab is less effective than going through the surgery route, but research has proven that this is simply not true.
Will having surgery make the rehab process post-surgery faster?
Surgery will not make the rehab process faster. It takes a minimum of 6 months for the repaired ACL to regain its ‘own’ blood supply.
Any high-impact exercise within the first 6 months can put the new ACL graft under high stress which can result in a re-rupture due to weakness.
How long will it non-surgical ACL rehab take to fully heal versus surgery?
Non-surgical rehab is much faster than surgery. Through this method, recovery time for an ACL injury can take 3-6 months to build up the strength and stability required to return to sports or activities.
While having surgery will typically require 9-12 months of rehabilitation before returning to play.
Is non-surgical ACL rehab different from the rehab process after surgery?
The non-surgical rehab process is often faster and does not require intense physiotherapy straight away as opposed to having surgery.
There are often no limitations with range of movement. As soon as the initial inflammation settles following injury, the sooner gradual strengthening can commence.
Contact a skilled physiotherapist from our North West Physiotherapy Brisbane clinics to get the best guidance on this, as the rehab plan is different for each individual. Within each clinic you’ll find qualified, knowledgeable, and passionate physios who share you love of sport – many of whom are athletes themselves or who have worked with athletes at all levels of competition.
How successful is non-surgical ACL rehab?
Non-surgical ACL rehab has shown to be successful over the past 5 to 10 years. Like anything, there will be the occasional instance where surgery may still be required.
Are there any risks I need to consider for non-surgical ACL rehab?
If the knee remains very unstable and continues to be painful after rehabilitation for 3-6 months, then surgery may be needed.
The risk of developing early osteoarthritis is no different whether you have surgery or not.
What are the benefits of non-surgical ACL rehab
You are giving yourself every chance to return to sport and everyday activities faster. Additionally, you skip the suffering of post-operative pain and limitations you would experience with having surgery.
Non-surgical ACL Rehab – Conclusion
Many people don’t know that non-surgical rehab is often a more beneficial method of ACL recovery for patients over the traditional surgery route.
Not only do you save money on surgery costs, but you skip the pain phase of post-operation when you have the surgery, while having the chance to recover significantly faster than you would recovering via surgery.
