Return to Sports After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the most common orthopedic injuries among athletes. Although a small proportion of patients with isolated tears can return to sports after completing a nonsurgical rehabilitation program, ACL reconstruction is frequently recommended for young athletes, especially those with concomitant knee injuries or symptomatic knee instability. Alongside emerging evidence for the effect of prehabilitation, the current standard of care for postoperative ACL physical therapy includes pain control, range of motion, quadriceps strengthening, weight bearing, postoperative bracing, and dynamic limb stabilization and control. The early rehabilitation period includes non-weight-bearing exercises and passive range of motion, which is followed by a longer period of gradual strengthening focused on regaining preinjury strength, proprioception, and control with progressively more demanding dynamic movements. The total rehabilitation period is expected to take around 9 months, during which the patient should be evaluated at frequent intervals by a licensed physical therapist in addition to a daily home exercise program. Prior to discharge from the rehabilitation program, patients should be evaluated by both the surgeon and physical therapist. Patients are encouraged to return to sports once they meet a set of perceptual, subjective, objective, neuromuscular, functional, sport-specific drills, and load management testing criteria.