12 month post acl surgey vmo/knee niggle

[DeclanJ]

Hi,

 

Im 12+ months post acl surgery and back playing soccer.

When I get into a deep squat where my calf and hamstrings touch, my knee is niggly/aggravated around the VMO.

It feels like the bone in my thigh doesn't quite have enough space and "hits" the VMO muscle.

I have seen my physio who says that this is just life post acl surgery and not much you can do.

Could someone please explain what is going on with this niggle and if there's anyway I can improve it?

Thanks very much!!

[CraigR]

Hi DeclanJ, my own personal experience was that it took me a couple of years post reconstruction surgery to be able to comfortably sit in a deep squat, or kneel fully on my heels, without feeling any sensation in my knee.

Three things I focused on during rehab, and continue to use now for maintenance are (1) the kneeling calf roll-stretch to soften the calf muscles, (2) quad stretches that don't aggravate the knee (i.e. aim for full hip extension first before any knee flexion), and (3) walking backwards up a hill to help strengthen VMO and promote lots of blood flow.

There was obviously plenty of other rehab therapy and strength training, but these 3 things lead to significantly less pressure experienced in my knee and made everything else I did far more beneficial.

If you keep working consistently without aggravating your knee further you might just surprise yourself.

[DeclanJ]

Thank you!