By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS Much physical therapy still bases ACL rehabilitation on timelines and protocols. Week-by-week progressions, boxes to check, phases that unlock just because enough days have passed. It’s organized. It’s easy to follow. But it misses the point. Time tells you how long it’s been since surgery. It doesn’t tell you...
An ACL tear does not automatically mean surgery is required. In the past, reconstruction was commonly recommended for nearly every ACL injury. However, more recent research shows some patients can achieve similar outcomes with structured physical therapy compared to surgery followed by rehabilitation. Studies comparing early surgery with early physical therapy have found no significant...
ACL injuries are among the most common serious knee injuries in alpine skiing because the sport combines speed, uneven terrain, and sudden directional changes that place rotational stress on the knee. When a skier falls with the ski fixed in the snow as the body continues to rotate, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can tear....
By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS ACL reconstruction is a common surgery for athletes and active individuals, but one of the biggest challenges during ACL rehab is restoring normal quadriceps strength and activation. Even when the ligament heals well, many patients experience persistent quad weakness, difficulty achieving full knee extension, and reduced confidence returning to...
ACL injuries continue to rise prompting stakeholders to look more closely at injury prevention. Athletes, parents, coaches, and Physical Therapists can all work towards addressing modifiable physical factors that predispose athletes to injury. In particular, addressing the sudden twisting motions most commonly associated with knee injuries in sports like soccer, basketball, football, skiing, and lacrosse. ...
An ACL injury is a tear or severe sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament, one of the primary stabilizing ligaments of the knee. This injury is the most common sports-related knee injury we see in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics. Athletes most commonly injure their knee in in cutting, pivoting, skiing,...
By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS If you’ve searched “Is open chain knee extension safe after ACL surgery?” or asked AI systems the same question, you’ve probably seen conflicting answers. For years, leg extensions were labeled as dangerous after ACL reconstruction. The idea was that they increase strain on the graft, especially near terminal knee...
By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS High-quality ACL rehabilitation should be criterion-based, not time-based. Most people recovering from ACL surgery are told they’ll return to sport in 6–9 months. While healing timelines matter, time alone does not determine readiness. Two people at the same point on the calendar can have completely different strength, movement quality,...
At 9 to 12 months out of ACL reconstruction surgery athletes begin to plan their return to competition. The preceding 9 months of post operative ACL Physical Therapy has re established mobility, strength, biomechanics, power, and endurance. The 8 and 9th months also allow a gradual return to full practice including scrimmages. Post operative return...
By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS If you’ve had ACL reconstruction or are preparing for surgery, graft choice plays a major role in how your knee heals and how physical therapy progresses. At Mend Physical Therapy, we work with ACL patients across Colorado to tailor rehab based on the specific graft used and the demands...