Quad set
●○○○○3 × 10, held 5s
Sitting with the leg straight, gently tighten the thigh muscle to press the back of the knee down, without moving the leg.
ACL rehabilitation, whether following reconstruction or managed non-surgically, follows one of the most extensively studied and structured exercise progressions in sports medicine, moving from basic strength restoration to advanced neuromuscular control.
Programs typically emphasize quadriceps and hamstring strength, single-leg control, and landing mechanics, since deficits in these areas are strongly associated with both slower recovery and elevated re-injury risk.
Typical exercise menu
Heel slide
●○○○○2 × 10
Lying on the back, slide the heel toward the buttock to bend the knee, then slide it back out, working within a comfortable range.
Straight leg raise
●●○○○3 × 12
Lying on the back with one knee bent, lift the straight leg to hip height with control, then lower slowly.
Mini squat
●●○○○3 × 12
Lower the hips a short distance while keeping the knees tracking over the feet, then return to standing.
Single-leg balance
●●●○○3 × 20–30s each side
Balance on the involved leg with a slight knee bend, keeping the pelvis level and the knee aligned over the foot.
Step-down
●●●○○3 × 10 each side
Standing on a low step, slowly lower the other foot toward the ground with control, keeping the knee aligned over the foot.
Forward and lateral hop
●●●●○3 × 8 each direction
Hop a short distance and land softly on the same leg, absorbing the landing with a controlled knee bend.
Cutting and deceleration drill
●●●●●3 × 6 each direction
Run at a moderate pace and decelerate to change direction with a controlled, athletic knee-bent position.
As rehabilitation advances, exercises progressively add speed, unpredictability, and sport-specific demands, since these qualities better reflect the situations in which re-injury is most likely to occur.
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