Bend Your Knee in Your ACL ReconstructioN Rehab
ACL reconstructions and any ligament injury for that matter can be a difficult journey. When you lay it out on paper, there seems to be a never ending list of physical deficits to address in order to get back to doing what you love. One cannot under appreciate the significance of finding the right provider and physical therapist to simplify this process and provide the proper guidance in your rehab.
While there are a number of checkpoints and physical characteristics that we try to develop along the way, there’s one phrase that never seems to disappear, even by the end.
“Bend Your Knee”
I prep all of my patients, whether they’ve had an ACL reconstruction, a ligament sprain, or even just knee pain….. “You will get sick of me saying it by the end of your rehab.” Why is bend your knee such a prominent phrase in ACL rehabilitation and knee rehab?
It all comes down to facilitating what we call a positive shin angle. A positive shin angle is the angle of the shin and tibia relative to the ground or ankle joint. A more positive shin angle correlates with increased forces directed to the knee and the associated musculature around the joint.
A positive shin angle also correlates more directly with how we move. We find this concept across many athletic movement patterns from changing direction and cutting on a lacrosse field to carving down a mountain on skis (ever heard ski at the front of your boot….. yeah). Rebuilding one’s capacity and strength in this position facilitates a successful and long-lasting recovery with these injuries.
The difficulty in strengthening this pattern is that our body actively fights against us in this process. Our mind and body following an ACL or knee injury develops what we call a learned disuse pattern in which we employ the exact opposite movement pattern. The knee prefers a more neutral or negative shin angle to complete the task. In simpler terms, we develop compensation patterns.
By being intentional with our exercise selection in complement to proper external and internal cueing, we can successfully fight this learned disuse pattern and redevelop a tolerance and resilience to a positive shin angle. Which is why I love the very basic but effective phrase bend your knee!
If you’ve had an ACL reconstruction surgery or ligament injury and haven't been able to get back on the mountain or the weight room, please give us a call where we specialize creating customized and individualized rehabilitation programs fit to you and your goals.
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