18 months on from a hamstring graft to repair my left leg ruptured ACL and I have niggling pain to the right and down from kneecap. Leg sometimes gets “left behind” if I’m relaxed and shift position awkwardly.

I’ve been doing squats in the gym twice a week, cycling to the station daily, playing racket sports, but it still feels sort of disconnected and niggly.

What are your foolproof tips for a stable pain free knee? I want to be putting in some increasing road miles soon but am fearful of my delicate grandad sparrow style legs crying foul.

Cheers

Knee stabilisation is not just about strength or endurance of the muscles. Just as important is proprioception i.e. the joints ability to determine its position in space and the reaction speed of the mechanoreceptors and stabilising muscles around the joint.

Do a search for proprioceptive exercises for the knee.

(I’m assuming its not unstable if you’re playing racquet sports, but start off easy and progress. You should have been given some as part of your post surgical rehab but I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t)

What mulv said.

Try standing one legged on a pillow using your gammy leg – have your knee bent by around 10-15 degrees. With your other foot write out the alphabet. Make it more dificult as you get better at it.

Interesting thanks will Give it a go…

In fact mulv I have completely neglected the balance stuff since gaining strength so probably this is the trouble. Ta

Quick disclaimer, I had a bad tear not a full snap so not the same.

Anyway, I didn’t really get on with the stability/balance exercises, and pretty much on a whim signed up for tai chi classes. Really enjoyed it and it made a massive difference. (there’s many sorts of tai chi, by pure luck I signed up with an instructor who’s all about the martial arts, but the other class I did was all grannies waving their hands about, and lots of mystical cobblers, couldn’t recommend that!)

Missus and mate had one.

Do ALL the physio you were prescribed.
Return to your physio for a look about whats going on 🙂
Probably an imbalance but your physio should be able to confirm and prescribe the right stuff.

David I’ve got (IMO) a very good proprioception programme for post ACL that I did through the Jonathan Webb Clinic in Bristol. If you want I could email it to you later this evening?

I was told to stand on one leg on top of a rolled up towel.