Knee Rehabilitation Programs

Knee rehabilitation varies depending on the injury and you as an individual. However, they generally follow the progression outlined below.

Our knee rehabilitation programs usually break down into 4 phases with a 5th injury ‘mitigation/prevention’ phase. Because every injury is different and every athlete is different our programs are criteria-based rather than timeline.

This means you have to reach specific criteria or milestones rather than a period of time before moving on to the next phase.

Phase 1

This is the acute phase and begins as soon as possible after injury. The main aim here is to reduce pain and swelling and allow your body to heal. Applying the PRICE principles of protection, rest, ice compression, and elevation is most important.

Even though you might be injured there are always exercises you can do in phase 1 which will speed up your recovery later and keep you in a training routine.

Seek professional advice and get an accurate diagnosis of your injury. This is not always possible for knee joint injuries if you have a lot of swelling. Your doctor or physio may want to wait until the swelling has gone down so they can perform accurate knee assessment tests.

By the end of phase one, you should have minimal swelling and be able to walk virtually pain-free.

Phase 2

By now you should be aiming to improve the range of movement of the joint. You will also begin to increase the ability of your knee to take load but in a controlled environment.

Here we would introduce some exercises involving functional movement patterns using mainly body weight.

Phase 3

The aim of phase 3 is to prepare your knee to withstand heavier loads throughout the full range of movement. Here we also like to introduce dynamic loading rehabilitation exercises such as hopping and jumping.

You should be aiming to run at up to 50% maximum speed. However, it is still important to protect your injury as the healing process is not yet complete.

Phase 4

Phase 4 prepares you to return to your normal sport or activity safely to perform at your best with confidence. This confidence will be born out of completing more demanding exercises with heavier loads, unpredictable movements, changes of direction, and agility all performed under pressure and fatigue.

Phase 5

Often we include a 5th maintenance phase to help mitigate the risk of re-injury. Although you should by now be back to full fitness (perhaps even stronger than before), you should still monitor your knee and integrate knee rehabilitation exercises into your normal training. You cannot ever prevent injury, but you can mitigate the risk.