When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I didn't know what I was going to do. After the devastation subsided, I decided to take a very standard, western approach to my healing. Although initial efforts were successful, my cancer recurred a few months later. I endured many additional months of treatment before I started focusing on myself. I decided it was time to incorporate complimentary alternative treatments into my healing regimen, including massage therapy. I can't even begin to tell you how much it changed my life. My healing became a process, instead of something I simply had to endure. I hope that the articles on my website can inspire you to stay open-minded about your own healthcare.
If you play any kind of contact sport, the risk of tearing a ligament in your knee is always present. Although most ligament tears don't require surgery, they do require that you engage in rehabilitation before your knee is capable of handling the workload placed on it during a game or match.
Here are three areas to focus on as your ligament begins to heal if you want to reduce your downtime.
1. Strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee.
As you rest your knee to allow time for a torn ligament to heal, the muscles surrounding your knee may begin to atrophy.
Since these muscles play a significant role in stabilizing the knee joint, it's essential that strengthening them be a primary focus when it comes to rehabilitating your ligament tear. Be sure that you are incorporating exercises that work your quadricep, hamstring, and calf muscles into your knee rehabilitation program.
2. Focus on strengthening the muscles in your hip.
Many physical therapy professionals are starting to attribute knee injuries to an improper conditioning of the gluteus medius.
This muscle is located at the side and back of your hip and is responsible for allowing your leg to extend outward to the side. When there is tightness in the hip flexor (the muscle at the front of your hip), the gluteus medius can become weak. A weak gluteus medius results in an improper positioning of your thigh, which places a significant strain on the knee.
Focus on loosening your hip flexor with a foam roller and strengthening your gluteus medius to help speed your ligament rehabilitation.
3. Make endurance a priority.
Many athletes want to focus solely on strengthening the knee when it comes to rehabilitating a ligament tear. While strengthening the knee is a vital part of any effective rehabilitation program, you also need to focus on increasing your knee's endurance as well.
Endurance exercises allow the muscles in your leg and hip to avoid the fatigue that can lead to abnormal strain on the knee joint. Incorporate low-impact cardiovascular exercises, like riding a stationary bike or swimming, into your rehabilitation program to help gain the endurance your muscles need to support your healing knee.
Taking a three-prong approach to healing a knee ligament tear can be an effective way to reduce the amount of time you spend away from your sport. Strengthen the leg and hip muscles that stabilize your knee and focus on building endurance to help ensure your ligament rehabilitation goes smoothly.
For more information, consider contacting a therapist like those at Staten Island Physical Therapy PC.
Share16 December 2016
