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ACL injuries are one of the most common knee problems I see, and there’s a reason they happen so frequently. The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, plays a crucial role in stabilizing the knee. It prevents the shin bone from sliding too far forward and helps control rotation. Anytime you cut, pivot, or land from a jump, your ACL is under stress.
What causes an ACL tear often comes down to how the body moves – or, more importantly, how it doesn’t. Most people think it’s just bad luck or a freak accident, but that’s only part of the story. ACL injuries usually happen when there’s a breakdown somewhere else in the system. Maybe the hips don’t rotate well, the pelvis isn’t stable, or the rib cage and core aren’t doing their job. When those pieces aren’t functioning properly, the knee is forced to absorb forces it was never meant to handle. That’s when the ACL gives way.
They’re also common because athletes are asked to perform at higher levels of speed, agility, and intensity without necessarily having the foundation to support those movements. Add in the fact that traditional rehab and training often treat the knee in isolation, and the problem repeats itself.
That’s why so many athletes suffer a re-tear after surgery. Unless we address the asymmetries and system-wide mechanics that led to the injury in the first place, the cycle continues. By restoring proper movement throughout the body, we can not only help athletes recover but also dramatically lower the risk of it happening again.
If you’ve struggled to fix your ACL injury, you’re not alone. Most people don’t realize that the standard approach to ACL rehab is incomplete. Traditional care often treats the knee in isolation – strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, and maybe adding balance drills – without addressing how the rest of your body is moving. The problem is that the knee rarely fails on its own. An ACL tear is usually the result of breakdowns in the hips, pelvis, rib cage, or even the feet and ankles. If those pieces aren’t restored, the stress just shifts back onto the knee.
That’s why so many athletes re-tear their ACLs after surgery or continue to feel unstable years later. The system hasn’t been corrected, so the same forces that caused the injury in the first place remain.
The consequence of not fixing it? You’re left with lingering pain, a lack of confidence in your knee, and a much higher risk of re-injury. Every cut, jump, or quick change of direction becomes a gamble. Without the right approach, the cycle continues – surgery, rehab, another tear.
The truth is, fixing an ACL injury requires treating the entire system, not just the knee itself.
If you’ve ever suffered an ACL tear, you know how overwhelming it can be to decide whether you should get surgery, what that process looks like, and how to navigate recovery. Most people follow a standard timeline-based protocol: after three months start running, after six months start jumping. But here’s the problem – these protocols don’t respect that everyone progresses differently.
Some people regain strength and function faster, others slower. If your rehab plan isn’t individualized, and if your therapist or trainer isn’t using actual strength-based data to guide your progress, you’re likely to move forward too soon. That’s why people continue to experience stiffness, pain, or instability six, nine, even twelve months later. And when they’re finally “cleared” to return to sport, they often lack confidence and still feel like their knee just isn’t the same.
Fixing ACL injuries requires a different approach. At LPI, we don’t rely on timelines – we rely on data. We regularly measure quad and hamstring strength side-to-side, assess movement quality, and even use tools like force plates to track jumping and landing mechanics. These objective markers tell us when your body is actually ready for the next step.
We also recognize that treating a right knee is different from treating a left knee. Human bodies aren’t symmetrical – our organ placement and weight distribution affect how our hips and knees move. By accounting for these natural asymmetries and using precise strength testing, we can build real confidence, restore function, and dramatically reduce the risk of re-tear.
This is how ACL injuries should be fixed – and why re-tear rates remain so high when they’re not.
Download a Free ACL Rehabilitation Guide
For ACL injuries in particular, we’ve prepared an ACL rehabilitation guide. If you’ve just torn your ACL and you’re unsure about what the steps or phases are going to look like, this guide is for you. It covers key things to consider whether you’re getting surgery or not, and it explains what surgical rehab and the entire rehabilitation process will involve.
The guide is designed to help set foundational expectations and provide you with things to think about as you move through your recovery journey. You can download this free report directly from our website, or simply submit your information and we’ll send it right to you.
Arrange a Free Telephone Consultation
Another option is to book a free 30-minute phone consultation with someone on our team. We’d love to learn more about you, ask questions about exactly what’s going on, and see if we’re a good fit. This gives you a chance to connect with us before scheduling an evaluation and ensures we’re confident we can help you.
Simply Complete The Short Form and We’ll Email You Your FREE REPORT
Before booking, many people want to know about our availability and what a physical therapy appointment costs. To get that information, simply fill out the short form below, and we’ll be in touch.
If you’re not quite ready to book an appointment yet and have some questions you would like answered first, click the link below to complete the form.
Featured in Forbes and USA TODAY, LPI Physical Therapy’s “Best Physical Therapy Clinic” award-winning approach treats the entire body as an integrated system, not just the knee.