When is acl weakest

In situations where allograft has been used, or in a revision situation, I advise much slower progression. Choosing the right time to return to sport involves many factors, including graft type, return of strength, and return of muscle control.

Ultimately it can involve weighing up the risks of returning earlier, which many elite athletes may feel is worthwhile. Successful incorporation of the graft and ACL recovery is a biological process, much like the healing of a cut on the skin, over which the patient and the surgeon have limited ability to hasten. How long does it take to recover after ACL reconstruction? Animal and human studies have demonstrated several phases of the healing process: Early graft healing phase with death of graft cells, and no vessels invading the graft tissue.

The graft cells die, but there is no loss of strength initially. The graft is still much stronger that the native ACL. Phase of proliferation , the time of most intensive remodelling and revascularisation. Vessels invade the graft, and the bodies cells clear the debris of dead cells, weakening the graft. During this critical time, the graft is prone to not only rupture, but to stretching and elongation. Additional exercises to protect the ACL and help prevent future injuries may also be applied.

Wearing a knee brace during this period is still recommended. Six months after the surgery, athletic activity may be considered again but usually doctors recommend the use of a supportive brace during the two years following surgery. Cookies management. Did I tear my ACL? KT vs. Now present in more than 30 countries Yves Tucoulou in Lanzhou - China Pr.

Genourob Certifications How we started What is Laximetry? However, knee braces are not required and the graft strength and fixation should be firm immediately post-operatively. Rehab regimes may vary considerably depending on whether other concomitant procedures are carried out at the same time as the ACL reconstruction.

However, the basic standard ACL rehab regime involves:. When tendon tissue is first harvested for a graft, as soon as the tissue is harvested it loses its blood supply.

The cells within the tissue, responsible for constantly repairing the fibres of the tissue, thus die and the graft becomes little more than a biological scaffold, in which the fibres will begin to degrade and gradually rupture with time, thereby weakening the tissue. When the graft tissue is inserted into the knee, it begins to grow a new blood supply. New cells migrate into the tissue and begin to repair and remodel the graft. Therefore, an ACL graft is nice and strong when it is first surgically implanted.

However, initially the knee is weak and the reflexes impaired.