Why Timelines Are a Guide, Not a Rule
It's tempting to count down to a return date, but time alone doesn't determine readiness. Strength symmetry, movement quality, and confidence in the knee matter more than the number of weeks since surgery — which is why we track your progress against real benchmarks, not just the calendar.
Your Rehab Roadmap
Early recovery (0–2 weeks): control swelling, restore full knee extension, and wake the quad back up while protecting the graft.
Motion & strength (2–6 weeks): rebuild range of motion, normalize your walk, and begin foundational strengthening.
Strength building (6–12 weeks): progress quad, hamstring, calf, and trunk strength, with growing focus on single-leg control.
Running & impact (3–5 months): reintroduce running and impact when you meet strength and movement criteria — not just a date.
Sport-specific & return to play (5–12+ months): jumping, cutting, and deceleration under fatigue, with full clearance based on testing and confidence.
What Determines Readiness
We look at objective measures at every phase, including:
Strength symmetry between your surgical and non-surgical leg
Quality of landing and movement control — not just raw strength
Performance on hop and agility testing
Your confidence in the knee, not just a form saying you're cleared
Bottom line: ACL recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. The safest, strongest return comes from meeting real benchmarks at every phase — and we'll be with you through all of them.