Returning to sport and exercise
Many people recovering from ACL injury aim to return to sport. While most people can return to sport at some level, this may not be possible for some. About half of all people who injure their ACL return to competitive sport (regardless of whether they have had rehab alone or ACL surgery). Of the people who return to competitive sport, about two-thirds can perform at their previous level.
Whether you return to sport depends on how your rehab goes, your goals, your choices about what you want to do, and your confidence in your knee.
Confidence is gained by building your strength, balance, coordination, and agility as you progress through your rehab programme and progressively build your training and playing time. Many people do well with rehab alone and get back to sport more quickly than if they had waited for surgery. Some people do not regain enough stability to do what they would like to do and choose to have ACL surgery. Others choose different sports where further knee injuries are less likely.
It is important to regularly discuss your goals with your physio and the factors you are considering in relation to return to sport. They will help you to find the information you need to make the best choice for you.
Your physio will test your strength and agility throughout your rehab programme to track your progress. Part of this is using tests that assess whether you are physically and psychologically ready to return to running and sport. People who pass the return-to-sport tests are six times more likely to get back to playing sports that involve side-stepping and pivoting, such as like netball, rugby, and football.
When you and your physio agree that you are ready to start returning to sport, it will be a gradual increase in training and slow progression to games (it’s not a good idea to go straight back into games).