Many factors determine how to treat a torn (partial tear ) or ruptured (complete tear) of the ACL. The severity of the tear and the degree of movement or impact that the client may be likely undertake in the future is a major concern. Is the client likely to undertake impact sports in the future or are they at the tail end of their career? This is a very real concern for those facing ACL surgical repair.
In any form of recovery from injury, the ‘activation’ stage is the realm of actually doing exercises and key movements to ensure that muscles work ‘sequentially’ and as a group, to perform safe and efficient movement. This is also where a lot of patients fall down because they ‘don‘t do their homework’ These all important exercises that a patient has to do to contribute to their own recovery are a vital part of the program to recovery and pain free movement.
Personality is a major driver of this conundrum. When looking at recovery from an injury, one of the main aspects to take into account is 'personality'. Are you an active recovery person, or are you happy to take the path of least resistance when it comes to re-engaging in physical activity. Both aspects can be your own worst nightmare if you are are not careful to appraise where you are seated in the 'injury recovery' spectrum.
