Question

I had knee injury in which my acl ligament and meniscus were teared. Acl surgery was carried out in year 2011at pgi chandigarh. Later, gradually I again felt instability in the knee. In dec, 2018 I got it checked in aiims delhi. They advised me to go for reconstruction of acl ligament. I got all my tests done and got surgery date from aiims feb, 2019 itself. It was told by the doctors at aiims that reconstruction shall be carried out in 02 stages & in two surgeries. Second surgery shall be done after 03 months of the surgery stage one. Meanwhile some one told me about Safdarjung sports injury center in Delhi. Now I am confused as to finally I should choose aiims or sports injury center, Safdarjung in new Delhi. Which shall be better as I anticipate better rehabilitation in sports injury center, Safdarjung because of less rush. Please guide.

Dr.Julie Mercy J David · Accepted Answer

Here are three of the best (and safest) exercises to treat an acl injury when first starting out:
• heel slides involve the extension of the knee without bearing any weight. Start by sitting on the floor with your legs outstretched. Slowly bend the injured knee while sliding your heel across the floor toward you. Slowly slide the foot back into the starting position and repeat 10 times.
• isometric contractions of the quads are also done seated. For this, you would need to sit on the floor with your injured leg extended and your other leg bent. Now slowly contract the quadriceps of the injured knee without moving the leg and hold for 10 seconds. Relax. Repeat 10 times.
• prone knee flexion involves lying on your stomach with your legs straight. Now bend your injured knee and bring your heel toward your buttocks. Hold five seconds. Relax. Repeat 10 times.
When first starting, forget the adage "no pain, no gain. While you will likely experience discomfort when exercising the quads and hams, back away from any movement that causes outright pain. Pushing too hard can make matters worse and result in lengthier recovery time.
Acl rehab exercises for after the swelling subsides
as the swelling of your knee begins to subside, you should gradually be able to stand squarely on both feet without favoring the uninjured leg. When you are fully able to do this, you can start adding the following exercises:
• passive knee extensions require two chairs of equal height. Place the chairs facing each other at a distance slightly shorter than the length of your leg. Sit in one chair and place your heel on the seat of the other. Relax your leg and allow your knee to straighten. Rest in this position one to two minutes several times a day to gradually stretch out the hamstrings.
• heel raises are done while standing. Start by placing one hand on the back of a chair for balance. Now slowly lift the heel of your injured leg up, standing on your tiptoes. Stay there for five to 10 seconds. Slowly lower your heels. Repeat 10 times.
• half squats are done standing while holding a sturdy table with both hands. Placing your feet a shoulder’s width apart, slowly bend your knees and lower your hips into a half squat. Hold for 10 seconds and then slowly return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times.
• knee extensions require either a theraband or a length of an exercise band. To begin, loop one end of theraband around the leg of the table and the other around the ankle of your injured leg. (alternately, tie both ends of the exercise band around the table leg and insert the ankle of your injured leg into the looped end.) facing the table, slowly bend your knee about 45 degrees against the resistance of the tubing. Hold for a few seconds and slowly return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times.

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