Progress
Although the general progression of exercises and activities is very similar across patients and rehabilitation programs, the rate at which people progress through rehabilitation varies considerably. As shown in the graph at the left, on the average, people tend to progress steadily over the first seven weeks after ACL surgery, going from about 10% rehabilitated the week after surgery to approximately 50% rehabilitated six weeks after surgery. Continued improvement is evident through the first two years after surgery, when most people have long since returned to full participation in physical activity.
This graph at the right illustrates how different people take different paths through rehabilitation, ending at approximately the same place but progressing at different rates. Some people experience a rapid recovery whereas other people recover more gradually. Plateaus and setbacks in rehabilitation are common. If you sustained meniscal damage or injured another knee ligament in addition to the ACL, your rehabilitation may take a little longer than if you injured only your ACL. Knowing this in advance will prevent you from becoming too frustrated along the way and help you realize that you are still heading in the right direction even if it doesn’t seem like it at the moment.
