Knee · Post-ACL reconstruction · early rehab
Walking unaided four weeks after ACL surgery
The first twelve weeks after ACL reconstruction: from 45 degrees of bend and two crutches to walking unaided at week four and full range by the end of the block.
Arjun M., Footballer
KneeWalking unaided
4 weeks
Off crutches and back to daily activity ahead of the standard timeline.
Knee flexion range
45°135°
The journey
Week by week
“Every session had a clear goal, and I could feel the knee getting stronger week by week. Knowing exactly what we were working towards kept me turning up.”
Arjun M.
Week 1
Assessment after surgery
Arjun came in a week after his ACL reconstruction, on crutches, with a swollen knee that would bend to 45 degrees and a quadriceps that had switched off. The early goals were the ones that matter most after this surgery: get the swelling down, get the knee fully straight, and wake the quad up.
Weeks 1 to 2
Swelling, extension, activation
Ice and elevation between sessions, gentle range work within what the knee allowed, and quadriceps activation drills several times a day. Every session had one clear target he could feel.
Weeks 3 to 4
Off the crutches
As the quad came back, the work shifted to weight bearing: closed-chain strength, gait retraining and balance. He walked unaided at week four, ahead of the standard timeline.
Weeks 5 to 12
Range and strength
Flexion progressed to 135 degrees while strength work built the leg back toward its other side: squats, step work, single-leg control and the first low-level plyometrics.
Next
The road back to football
Early rehab is the foundation. Running, change of direction and return-to-play testing are the phases that follow, each with criteria to meet before moving on.
Start with an assessment
Arjun’s plan was built from what the first session found. Yours will be too. Book in and leave with the milestones written down.