In my mind, you are through the most challenging aspect of recovery. Your body is well on its way to recovery and you are starting to get into the ACL Strengthening stages of rehab. This stage is still hard but you’re getting stronger, returning to regular daily activities, and doing you mentally though you are continuing to look at the present and set goals that will set you up for a successful return.

ACL Strengthening and Flexibility

If you are just jumping into this guide and are waiting for surgery or just had surgery head to Part 1 before reading here.

If you are continuing your healing journey Part 2 of this simple mental skills guide for ACL-injured athletes will continue to build on goal-setting, imagery, relaxation, and confidence building. Leading you to a BETTER RECOVERY.

Firstly, we covered healing. Secondly, we cover strengthening and flexibility. Your body is getting stronger. Your mental skills are sharpening. However, you still have a ways to go before returning to play.

Focus on full movements, weight-bearing, and doing things without pain in this stage. Utilize mental skills of goal-setting, imagery, relaxation, and confidence building to push through the physical challenges.

Goal-setting:

Goals are crucial for this stage of healing, they will set you up for a BETTER RECOVERY. If your goals are basic and no more than what your doctor, physical therapist, or athletic trainer has set up for you…you will have a basic recovery. To have an elevated recovery you have to ask yourself…

WHAT CAN I DO TODAY TO BE BETTER TOMORROW?

Ask yourself this question every morning for your daily goal. Setting your today goal allows you to be present well helping you prepare for the future. 

In part 1 you focus on “If I do x then I can achieve y.” With the idea being on smaller tasks. Now you are focusing on the bigger picture. You are looking towards: running, squatting, jumping. You aren’t at that stage yet but you are getting closer.

This is a progression forward:

• Today I can focus on hip strength so that tomorrow I can walk.
• Today I can walk so that tomorrow I can start sit-to-stand exercises.
• Today I can do sit-to-stand exercises so that tomorrow I can squat.
• Today I can squat so that tomorrow I can run.

Short Term Goals

Now is also a good time to start reaching short-term goals. Short-term goals are goals that you can mark off your list in less than a month. 

Based on your current progress what do you want to be able to do in a month? Now is a great time to talk with your healthcare provider and see what you should be reaching for. Can you achieve weight lifting goals, movement-based (walking, lunges, lateral movements) goals, and sport-specific (movements, stances, etc.) goals? You should also look are your life and make goals around that. What do you personally want to achieve over this next month (friends, family, hobbies, etc.)?

Imagery:

Visualize strong and flexible muscles that will help you move through regular motions with success. Now you have the basics working for you (Part 1 and A Top 5 Guide To Imagery For A Better Recovery) you can work on visualizing successful movements.

General Rules for Imagery

• Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down.
• Close your eyes and take several deep breaths.
• Visualize a specific image or scenario that is relevant to your injury.
• Engage all of your senses in the visualization. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and physical sensations of the image or scenario.
• Repeat the visualization for several minutes, taking time to focus on each aspect of the image or scenario.

Simple Everyday Movements

While in a relaxed environment close your eyes are taking around your house, your neighborhood, your school. As you walk around what do you see, hear, smell, and feel?

Advanced Rehab

Think about the exercises that you are doing during your rehab sessions. What movements are you making there? Takes those movements to the next level.

Relaxation:

Breathing was the focus in stage 1. By now you should have successful breathing techniques down as second nature. So, now you can continue to help the body heal by learning more relaxation techniques. You have tension throughout your body. One of my favorite ways to minimize that is through progressive muscle relaxation. Use a progressive muscle relaxation routine to manage anxiety and to help the body focus on healing the knee.

As you are starting:

• Find a comfortable position with no distraction
• Seated in a comfortable chair with feet on the floor and arms relaxed.
• Lying flat on the ground with head on a pillow.
• Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest as you focus on breathing. Feel the hand on your stomach move and the hand on your chest stays still.
• Avoid areas of pain and discomfort. With your ACL injury ask your athletic trainer or physical therapist about doing this around the knee (quad, hamstring, calf).

Progressive muscle relaxation is tensing muscles in different muscle groups throughout the body for a short period of time. So, this will help muscles to be able to relax around the tension. 

I like to start with a body scan to notice the areas that are tight and then move into relaxation with more focus on the tighter areas.

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION

Confidence Building:

Focus on your creating one sentence that you want to define you and your response to this process. You are in the heart of your rehab and you have the ability right now to change to outcome. 

Use this one sentence as motivation and to provide clarity as you are moving forward. These are days when setbacks are really going to hit hard. On those days of setbacks consider your sentence to push you through the setbacks. On days that you are most successful, you can use your sentence as proof of how you got where you are.

One sentence that I usually think about when I think about ACL-injured athletes is below:

“I want to return to my sport better than when I left it.”

Expectations generally around ACL injuries are that the athlete is not going to return to their pre-injury form. However, this does not have to be true. You can use this time to improve physical skills around your game, and mental skills that will translate to sport, and you have time away from the sport to gain more love for the sport.

What is your sentence?

FINAL THOUGHT ACL STRENGTHENING AND FLEXIBILITY

ACL-injured athletes can improve their mental skills by following this guide as we move along the ACL rehab journey. Part 1 provided tips on how to stay positive, focus on the future and develop a strong mental base for this journey. Part 2 has focused on building off the base that you created in Stage 1.

You’re continuing to make gains and pushing through the struggles of having an ACL Injury. The following parts (Building Endurance, Preparing for Return to Sport) will get you ready as you get closer to your return to sport. You will start to see the finish line and you just need to keep pushing With these guidelines, athletes can learn to cope better with their injury and have a BETTER RECOVERY.