Girlfriend, Torn ACL

[Brendonia12]

She tore it during rugby season. What can she do through this 6 month process to keep her body somewhat fit? She is not very athletic, (5' 4" 120 pounds, never works out, runs on weekends sometimes). I've had her doing planks, and push ups, and pullups, but I can't really think of anything that effective. Her physical therapist is JUST working on the knee, not the rest of her. The knee is super sensitive, so any kind of explosive whole body movements are kind of out.

ALSO, after she's recovered, what can she do to go from being a weak and slow, to being reasonably athletic? She'll have 3 to 5 months to pound her body into shape before the season starts back up. That will include turning her right leg from a lump of fat into a mechanism for propelling 200 pound jocks into the ground.

I've got some ideas, but I'd love to hear what YOU all think.

[vdizenzo]

First, she needs to keep a good watch on her diet being that she is less active as a result of the injury. Second, she should have a good pt who could answer how to regain her strength and speed. She should have a pt after going through that injury. Also, the pt should be one that is used to working with athletes. I find a good pt is invaluable in rehabbing an injury.

[Mike G]

I'm with Vincent. When I tore my ACL, my PT was mediocre and my rehab showed that. It seemed like he decided what I was going to do when I got there and about a month in, told me I could rehab on my own, since I knew about lifting.

Brendan, have your girlfriend talk to the PT about work she can be doing outside of seeing them. That will help with recovery, as long as she does what they tell her to. She can also start working on upper body movements. Riding a stationary bike could also be beneficial, but she talk to her PT who knows how well she's progressing and what limits to set before really getting after it. Go too fast and it will hinder progress.