Picture this: Four months ago, you underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in your knee, and you’ve been diligently attending sports physical therapy ever since. Initially, you were on crutches, with a swollen knee that barely moved. But after several weeks of physical therapy, you regained full range of motion and relearned how to walk normally. You’ve even started running again and are eagerly anticipating the day you can return to practice or the activities that make you feel like an athlete!
But then, your physical therapist informs you that you’re being discharged from therapy…
This scenario is common because insurance companies often don’t classify return-to-sport activities as “medically necessary.” As a result, most traditional physical therapy clinics don’t offer return-to-play programs.
I refer to this crucial stage of recovery as “the gap.” The gap represents the period between completing physical therapy and beginning performance or personal training.
Many athletes aren’t actually ready to return to their sport when they’re discharged from physical therapy because they haven’t yet bridged this gap between rehabilitation and peak performance.
At this stage, athletes may be pain-free, have full knee range of motion, and even have regained much of their strength. However, they still need to train their knee to use that strength explosively and withstand the demands of cutting, jumping, and sprinting.
Unfortunately, many athletes skip this vital phase of ACL recovery, returning to their sport before their knee is fully prepared. This significantly increases the risk of re-injuring the repaired ACL or even damaging the other knee.
Programs designed to help athletes bridge this gap typically start with tests to assess how close they are to returning to their sport. These tests often include hops, agility drills, and movements specific to the athlete’s sport.
In our Bridge The Gap ACL program, we begin with the single-leg hop test. Research suggests that the surgically repaired leg should be at least 90% as strong as the unaffected leg before engaging in sport-specific activities. Ideally, both sides should be equal before an athlete resumes full practice.
Below is an example of a single-leg hop test.
Sports physical therapists use the results of these tests to create a tailored training program that combines elements of physical therapy, strength and conditioning, and sports performance.
Research indicates that the earliest an athlete can safely return to play after ACL surgery is around nine months (even longer for younger athletes). For this reason, most bridge-the-gap programs last between 2-4 months.
Interested in learning whether our Bridge the Gap ACL Program is right for you? If you or your child is recovering from an ACL repair, contact us to find out more!
