Hip Rehab Exercises to Prevent a Torn ACL

Hip Rehab Exercises to Prevent a Torn ACL
Hip Rehab Exercises to Prevent a Torn ACL Your hip is the single most important weight-bearing joint in your body as it is responsible for a large amount of movements like standing, walking, running, jumping, sitting, stepping… the list goes on. Understanding the anatomy of your hips and how the joint works is something that most don’t fully understand. Your hip joint is a complex joint due to its rotational direction, as opposed to your knee, which only moves in one direction. Your hip is just as important as your injured knee due to muscle atrophy( loss of muscle) from your surgery. When it comes to rehabbing your hip, it’s essential to focus on your hips different movements in time and space.There 3 main movements: Hip flexion and extension, hip adduction and abduction, hip medial and lateral rotation. Hip flexors/ Hip Extensors – Essentially Hip flexion involves lifting your leg forward and up. Hip Extension involves the opposite by lifting back and up. Here is a great example of hip flexion and hip extension Hip Adductors – Muscles that control kicking your leg across and over to the other side of your leg Hip Abductors – Muscles that control kicking your leg out from your side Here is a great demonstration of hip adduction and hip abduction Hip Medial Rotation – This motion consists of rotating your hip joint by pulling your ankle outward with your knee bent or straight. Hip Lateral Rotation – This motion consists of rotating your hip joint by pulling your your ankle inward with your knee bent or straight. Here is how to do Hip Medial & Lateral Rotation Hip Rehab Exercises: Hip Adduction Exercises Hip adduction exercises is when you have resistance against your hip adductors which are essentially your inner groin muscles where you must squeeze your hip adductors together in a closing motion of your quad. During acl rehab, exercises you will do to work these muscles consist of standing on one leg and raising your leg slightly bent and crossing your pivot leg. It should look as if you are kick a soccer ball with the inside of your foot. Do 3 x 15 on each leg. Use an ankle weight to increase resistance or an ankle strap attached to a cable weight. Hip Abduction Exercises Proprioception is similar to balance but means the awareness of where your knee is in space. These kind of exercises help in controlling the movement of the limb and preventing re-injury. To begin, try to balance on your injured leg for 30 seconds. After you feel confident in your balance, try to balance with your eyes close. To increase your balance, use a wobble board or beam to increase difficulty by using an unstable platform. Heal Drops ( Hip flexion/glute exercise) Stand on a with your injured knee hovering, bend your leg that is balancing on the step to lower yourself down to let your injured leg touch the ground with your heel. This exercise will help align your posture. Do 3×15 reps or until muscles are fatigued. Increase weight by placing an ankle weight on the hovering leg. Clamshell Exercise ( Hip abduction/ hip lateral rotation exercise) Lay on your side with your knees bent and pulled towards your stomach. Open your knees while bent ensuring that you don’t turn your shoulders when doing the rep. Do 3×20 reps daily. This exercise helps to increase your hips range of motion. Reverse Clamshell Exercise ( Hip Medial Rotation) Lay on side with your knees’ bent and touching. Unlike the clam exercises, you’re going to keep your knees’ touching while bring your foot up and slightly forward (keep your hand on your hip joint so that you feel your hips ball-joint rotate). Do 3×20 reps daily. Use ankle weights or a resistance band to increase resistance. Bridge Exercise ( Hip flexion/ glute exercise) Lay on your back with your knees bent and your heels as close to your glutes as you can go with your arms rested at your side. Lift your hip up, squeezing your glutes with your shoulders and heels digging into the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Do 3 x 15 reps. Increase weight by placing a weight on your lap. Glute Kickbacks Exercise ( Hip extension/ glute exercise) Bend down on the floor in the dog position with your knees and hands on the floor Kick your leg back while contracting your glutes. Do 3 x 15. Increase difficulty by using ankle weights http://youtu.be/pNoUIPg_iFE Side Shuffle Exercise ( Hip Abduction Exercise, glute exercise) Stand with your knees shoulder length apart and slightly squat down. Side shuffle by taking 20 steps to the side and 20 steps back. Do 3 x 20. Increase difficulty by using a resistance band. Conclusion: Focus on your hip flexors and extensors Focus on your hip adductors and abductors Focus on your hips medial and lateral rotation Your glutes play an important role in posture Target your proprioceptors(balance muscles) by doing slow isolated motions Use ankle weights and bands to increase resistance and level of difficulty Sources: Sports Injury Clinic – Strengthening for ACL Injuries Original article and pictures take http://sportskneetherapy.com/hip-rehab-exercises-to-prevent-a-torn-acl/ site