The late-stage programme after reconstruction or conservative management, with testing
ACL return to sport
The long middle and end of ACL rehab: strength, single-leg control, landing, cutting and sprinting, built stage by stage with hop and strength tests your surgeon or physio can read, and a return-to-sport decision made with them, not by us alone.
ACL rehab is long, and the hardest part is often months four to nine, when the knee feels fine and the strength, control and confidence are not yet there. Re-injury is most likely when people go back on feel. Our programme is built round tests rather than dates.
We start once your surgeon or physio is happy for you to move into heavier strength work, and we work from their protocol. The Build stage is strength: split squats, step-downs, Nordics, leg press, single-leg work until the injured side is close to the other. Then landing and hopping, change of direction at walking speed and up, sprinting, and sport-specific drills on the artificial pitch at the leisure centre. Every few weeks we repeat the same tests and send the numbers to your physio.
The decision to return to full training or matches is made with your surgeon or physio, using the test results, and we will say plainly if we think it is too early. We do not promise timescales or outcomes: every knee is different. What we can promise is that you will not be guessing.
What it includes
- Work from your surgeon's or physio's protocol
- Strength, landing, cutting and sprinting in stages
- Hop and strength tests repeated and shared
- Sport-specific drills on an outdoor pitch
- Return decisions made with your physio
- Twelve-session block or pay as you go
What it costs
£540 for the twelve-session return-to-sport phase with testing at the start and end, or £45 a session. Usually from about four months after surgery, when your physio or surgeon agrees. The stage checker gives a rough idea where you would start; the first session confirms it.
Questions about aCL return
How soon after surgery can I start?
When your surgeon or physio says you are ready for this stage, often around four months after a reconstruction. Before that, your physio leads.
Will I be back for the start of the season?
We cannot promise a date. We will tell you honestly where the tests say you are, and share them with your physio so the decision is made on evidence.
After the physio, the long middle. We do that bit.
Book a first session: an hour, £55, with your physio's or GP's notes, simple tests, your stage and a written plan. If nobody has assessed the injury yet, we will tell you who can, and the referrals page lists practices we work with.