Exercises that work, knee rehab

Exercises That Work

Knee Rehab:

As some you may know I had my second ACL reconstruction done last February.  However, it was not the same knee as my first.  Both of my grafts healed strong and I was back to playing sports as soon as possible and skiing well again after about 8 months after the first one.

This second time around has been even faster, which they say is common for the second go around with knee surgery.  I do not mean to go against anything your Physician or Physical Therapist tells you, their words matter the most.  However, I can share with you the little routine I developed for the 2-5 month range of exercises that can be done in your bed or living room.  As you get stronger you can add ankle weights or do more reps.

Here is the routine, it may take some time to work up to it:

50 Body-Weight Squats

100 Sit-ups, half normal, half alternating right hand over left knee and visa versa

100 Double Leg Bridges or 50 single leg bridges for each leg

50 Leg Extensions (add 5 lb ankle weight when ready)

100 Leg Lifts in each of the 4 directions (add 5 lb ankle weight when ready) Demonstration of leg lift from Aurora Healthcare: http://www.aurorahealthcare.org/FYWB_pdfs/x09098.pdf

15 Dead Leg Lifts, with a medicine ball when ready

50 Push-Ups

3 min Wall Sits

This is a great, quick routine that can dramatically increase your leg and core strength when done everyday.  If you have a knee injury or surgery doing as much of this as possible will greatly speed your recovery, especially when combined with normal physical therapy.  I found that acupuncture and massage also greatly speed the process.

Good Luck and God Bless!

-Colin Griffith