How To Test & Heal A Torn ACL Without Surgery
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, Dr. David Middoff, a specialist physical therapist, addresses the common issue of ACL tears. He reveals that MRI readings can be incorrect up to 40% of the time, leading to unnecessary surgeries. Dr. Middoff outlines three key signs to identify an ACL injury: clicking and popping, increased swelling with activity, and pain during a specific squat test. He also explains the different grades of ACL tears and advocates for natural healing methods, including wearing a supportive knee brace and strengthening exercises, as opposed to rushing into surgery. The video aims to empower viewers to take a more informed approach to ACL injuries, potentially avoiding invasive procedures.
Takeaways
- 🤕 MRI readings of ACL tears can be incorrect up to over 40% of the time, leading to potential unnecessary surgeries.
- 🧐 Three key signs of an ACL injury are clicking and popping in the knee, increased swelling with activity, and pain during a specific squat test.
- 🏥 The importance of seeking a professional diagnosis through an MRI and understanding the grades of ACL injury (Grade 1: mild sprain, Grade 2: partial tear, Grade 3: complete tear).
- 🛑 If you suspect an ACL injury, it's crucial to avoid aggressive testing or movements that could worsen the condition.
- 🦵 The role of a knee brace with metal brackets or hard plastic hinges in stabilizing the knee and facilitating natural healing without surgery.
- 💪 The necessity of strengthening the gluteal muscles to improve knee joint control and prevent future ACL injuries.
- ⏳ The healing process for an ACL injury can take time, often requiring the consistent use of a knee brace for six to twelve months.
- 📈 Wearing a knee brace consistently, as soon as possible after an injury, can significantly improve the healing process and confidence in the knee.
- 🚫 The potential downsides of ACL surgery, including infection, excessive scar tissue, loss of range of motion, and a lengthy recovery period.
- 💰 Considering the cost-effectiveness of using a knee brace compared to undergoing surgery, even when insurance is available.
- 🏋️♂️ The importance of aggressive strengthening exercises, especially focusing on the glutes, as part of the recovery process after the initial healing phase.
Q & A
What is the significance of an MRI in diagnosing a torn ACL?
-An MRI is crucial for diagnosing a torn ACL as it provides detailed images of the knee's soft tissues, including the ACL. However, it's important to note that MRI readings can be incorrect up to over 40 percent of the time, leading to potential misdiagnoses.
What are the three signs that Dr. David Middoff suggests looking for to determine if you have an ACL injury?
-The three signs are: 1) Clicking and popping in the knee, especially when off-weight, 2) Increased swelling with activity, indicating irritation and potential meniscus involvement, and 3) Pain or discomfort during a specific squat test that involves turning the feet inwards and squatting.
How does the ACL function within the knee joint?
-The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is a major ligament that connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. It helps to maintain the stability of the knee joint by ensuring that the bones are properly connected and prevents them from moving out of place.
What are the different grades of ACL tears, and what do they indicate?
-There are three grades of ACL tears: Grade one is a mild sprain with minor micro-tears, grade two is a partial tear with a good chance of healing, and grade three indicates a complete tear where the ends of the ACL are not connected.
When is ACL surgery recommended according to Dr. David Middoff?
-ACL surgery is recommended in two main situations: 1) For professional athletes whose livelihood depends on their knee's stability, and 2) If all natural healing methods have been exhausted and the condition is not improving or is worsening.
What is the role of a knee brace in the natural healing process of an ACL injury?
-A knee brace, especially one with metal brackets or hard plastic and hinges, provides stability to the knee joint, preventing further stretching or damage to the ACL. It helps control knee motion and is critical for the healing process without surgery.
Why is it important to strengthen the gluteal muscles in relation to ACL injuries?
-Strengthening the gluteal muscles is important because weak glutes can contribute to ACL injuries. Proper glute strength leads to better control at the knee joint, which can protect the ACL from future injury.
What is the potential downside of ACL surgery according to the video?
-The downsides of ACL surgery include possible infection, excessive scar tissue, loss of full range of motion, and a lengthy recovery period that can take over a year before returning to normal activities.
What is the recommended duration for wearing a knee brace after an ACL injury?
-It is generally recommended to wear a knee brace for six to 12 months, depending on the activity level and how well the knee is healing. However, Dr. Middoff's personal experience suggests that going beyond the initial two-month recommendation could be beneficial.
What is the '28 Day Knee Health and Wellness Boost Program' mentioned in the video?
-The '28 Day Knee Health and Wellness Boost Program' is an online program designed to teach participants how to exercise their legs to improve knee health and wellness. It provides detailed guidance on strengthening exercises and proper movement techniques.
How can one determine if their knee brace is appropriately sized and positioned?
-The knee brace should be snug and supportive without being too tight. A good indication that it's appropriately positioned is when the kneecap sits in the hole provided in the brace.
What is the significance of the inward squat test mentioned in the video?
-The inward squat test is a simple self-assessment that can indicate an ACL injury. If pain or discomfort is felt during the test, especially after already experiencing clicking and popping or swelling, it could be a sign of an ACL tear.
Outlines
🦵 Understanding ACL Tears: Common Signs and Symptoms
Dr. David Middoff, a specialist physical therapist, explains how MRI readings of ACL tears can be wrong up to 40% of the time, leading to unnecessary surgeries. He introduces three signs to identify ACL injuries: clicking and popping sounds in the knee, swelling with activity, and a specific test for ACL injury. He emphasizes the importance of avoiding surgery if possible and managing ACL injuries naturally.
🚶♂️ First Sign of ACL Injury: Clicking and Popping
Dr. Middoff describes the first sign of an ACL injury, which includes frequent clicking and popping sounds in the knee, especially when off-weighted or during simple motions like bending and straightening the knee. He explains the anatomy of the ACL and how a loose connection between the thigh and shin bones can cause these sounds, emphasizing that it might not always be painful but indicates potential ACL damage.
🦵 Second Sign of ACL Injury: Swelling with Activity
The second sign of an ACL injury involves increased swelling with activity. Dr. Middoff explains that if the knee swells more with increased activity and has clicking and popping sounds, it indicates a high chance of an ACL injury. He describes how swelling is the knee's response to instability and the potential development of a Baker's cyst due to excess fluid.
⚠️ Third Sign: Inward Squat Test
Dr. Middoff introduces a cautious test to identify ACL injuries by performing an inward squat. He advises holding onto a stable surface, turning feet inward, and squatting while leaning on the good leg. If increased pain or tightness occurs, it indicates an ACL problem. He warns against being aggressive during this test to avoid worsening the injury.
🔍 Types of ACL Injuries: Grades and Severity
Dr. Middoff explains the different grades of ACL injuries: Grade 1 (mild sprain), Grade 2 (partial tear), and Grade 3 (complete tear). He highlights that these grades are typically diagnosed through MRI and emphasizes that MRI is not the gold standard but the best non-invasive option. He discusses the gold standard of surgical observation and the circumstances under which ACL reconstruction might be necessary.
🤔 When to Consider ACL Surgery
Dr. Middoff outlines two situations where ACL surgery might be necessary: for professional athletes whose careers depend on knee stability and for individuals who have tried all natural healing methods without improvement. He stresses the importance of giving natural healing methods time before opting for surgery and describes the lengthy recovery process after ACL reconstruction.
💪 Healing ACL Injuries Naturally: Importance of Knee Braces
Dr. Middoff emphasizes the importance of using a knee brace with hinges to stabilize the knee and allow natural healing of ACL injuries. He recommends the Shock Doctor knee brace and explains how it helps reduce swelling and clicking. He advises wearing the brace consistently, even for months, to promote healing and avoid surgery.
🏃♂️ Long-term Use of Knee Braces for ACL Recovery
Dr. Middoff shares his personal experience with using a knee brace for a ligament injury, highlighting the importance of wearing it consistently for months. He describes how the brace helped him recover without surgery and advises others to follow a similar approach for ACL injuries, stressing the benefits of prolonged brace use.
🏋️♂️ Strengthening Exercises for ACL Recovery
Dr. Middoff discusses the importance of strengthening the glute muscles to protect the ACL from future injuries. He explains that dominant quad muscles without strong glutes can lead to ACL injuries and recommends exercises to improve glute strength. He mentions the 28-day Knee Health and Wellness Boost program for detailed guidance on leg exercises.
🔗 Conclusion: Healing ACL Injuries Naturally
Dr. Middoff summarizes the key points on healing ACL injuries naturally, including the use of knee braces and strengthening exercises. He encourages avoiding surgery if possible and emphasizes the effectiveness of natural healing methods. He also provides information on additional resources for managing knee health and invites viewers to check out related videos on meniscus injuries.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡ACL tear
💡MRI
💡Swelling
💡Meniscus tear
💡Physical therapy
💡Knee brace
💡Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
💡Grades of ACL tear
💡Surgery
💡Natural healing
Highlights
MRI readings of ACL tears have been shown to be incorrect up to over 40 percent of the time.
Surgeons may recommend ACL surgery incorrectly more than 40 percent of the time based on MRI results.
Three key signs to look for in determining an ACL injury: clicking and popping, increased swelling with activity, and pain during a specific squat test.
Clicking and popping in the knee, especially when off-weight, can indicate an ACL tear.
Increased knee swelling with activity is a sign of potential ACL injury.
A specific squat test can help identify ACL issues, but should be approached with caution to avoid worsening the injury.
ACL injuries are categorized into three grades, with grade three indicating a complete tear.
Surgical observation is the gold standard for diagnosing ACL tears, but MRI is the best non-invasive method.
There are situations where ACL surgery may be necessary, such as for professional athletes or if natural healing methods fail.
Natural healing methods for ACL injuries can be effective and may prevent the need for surgery.
Wearing a knee brace with hinges and metal brackets can significantly aid in the natural healing of an ACL injury.
The importance of wearing a knee brace consistently during the healing process, even beyond the recommended time if necessary.
Strengthening the glute muscles can help protect the ACL and prevent future injuries.
A 28-day online program is available to guide individuals through exercises to improve knee health and prevent ACL injuries.
The potential for ACL tears to heal naturally with the right approach, avoiding the need for surgery and its associated risks.
The video provides a comprehensive guide on how to test for an ACL injury and the steps to take for natural healing without surgery.
Transcripts
have you suffered from a torn acl or do
you think that you might have a torn acl
most people know they have a torn acl
only after they've seen a doctor and had
an mri
but did you know that mri readings of
acl
tears have been shown in medical
research
to be wrong up to over 40 percent of the
time
this means that surgeons are
recommending acl
surgery over 40 percent of the time
incorrectly more on this later but in
this video today i'm going to explain to
you
three things that you need to look for
in your knee
so that you can determine if you've got
an acl injury and
also explain the different types of acl
tears different type of the grades
they call them grades and then what to
begin to do so that you can begin to fix
this acl injury on your own
naturally so that you can avoid having
surgery i'm dr david middoff and i'm a
specialist physical therapist and owner
of el paso manual physical therapy
this channel is focused on making videos
to help you stay healthy active and
mobile
while avoiding unnecessary surgery
injections and medications
be sure to hit subscribe and turn on
your notifications
so that you don't miss any helpful tips
that we put out each week now let me
tell you three things
that you can do to find if your acl
is hurt and then begin to find out how
bad it is for you
number one clicking and popping is a
very common sign
of a torn or sprained acl
now the way this works is it's frequent
it's not just like you get one big pop
or clunk although that might happen
um but if you everybody's knees pop and
click at times
and it's does it doesn't necessarily
mean that you have an acl
tear an acl injury what you're looking
for is
especially if you're off-weighted like
you don't have your full weight through
your leg
like right now i'm going to lean more on
my left leg but i'm bending and
straightening my right knee
if you can do that kind of a motion or
if you're sitting down and you
move your leg around and you feel like
there's a clunk in there that wasn't
there
you know before you injured it or before
it started to get worse
that's a sign that you have a torn or an
injured acl
and just to show you how this works let
me get my
knee joint here the acl ligament is
called the anterior cruciate ligament
it's a big
ligament that connects the thigh bone
this is the thigh bone
to the shin bone and the angle of it is
kind of like this it goes inward this is
the inside of the knee and the outside
of the knee
and it's very important at making sure
that the bones are connected best so if
you've got an
injury to that and you go to bend your
knee it just the connection is kind of
loose
and the joint clunks within itself with
simple easy motions
it tends to actually click and pop less
if you're doing more active stuff it
tends to pop and click
more when you're just sitting around
moving your leg or you know some people
will kick their foot or they'll shift
positions to cross their legs or shift
their weight over
and then they get an uncomfortable click
or pop that's
what you're looking for that's more the
the typical signs of
the clicking and popping sounds that the
knee can generate and it's not always
painful it can be completely pain-free
in some situations
sometimes it is painful as well it just
depends on how severe
the acl tear is and if there's anything
else involved like a meniscus tear that
that can
often happen along with an acl tear the
second sign that you're looking for
is increased swelling with activity
so if you've got your acl injury for a
while you suspect it it's been there for
several weeks or months
some people have even dealt with it for
years before they decide to do something
about it
if you're up on your feet more so you're
doing chores around the house or you go
to exercise or you just have a day where
you're
on your feet more out doing errands or
something
if you notice that your knee swells more
with more activity that you do
and you've also got that clicking and
popping that i'm talking about
that's a high sign a combination of
those two signs
there's a high chance that you've got an
acl injury
and the connection between the two bones
here the thigh bone and the the shin
bone
the femur in the tibia are loose and
it's starting to irritate the tissues
inside often the meniscus gets irritated
and that's why you can get a meniscus
tear in addition to an acl tear
if that looseness doesn't get resolved
then
you start to get swelling you can have
increased fluid in the joint
sometimes the doctors will want to go
and take out the fluid
that fluid's there for a reason it's
your knee joint responding to the loss
of stability
and so the fluid increase the fluid
increases inside
so that you can develop a cushion on the
knee sometimes you can even turn into a
baker cyst which
where there's like a puffiness on the
back of the knee
they call it a baker's cyst but really
it's just the the knee joint capsule the
ligaments on the back of the knee that
have stretched out
because of the excess fluid that's
building up inside
so that the knees in in the knees effort
to protect itself
now the third sign this one's a test and
i gotta warn you before i show this to
you
it very well might hurt your knee it
might make you worse
so be very cautious in proceeding and
doing this
in fact just watch it first and if you
know that this is going to hurt you
don't even try it
you know if you are not that bad you
feel like you can bend and straighten
out your knee decently well
then you can attempt this as soon as you
start to feel any increased pain
increased tightness is also another sign
then i want you to back off and just
assume that this test
is showing you that you've got a torn
acl or an acl
problem so please do not be aggressive
do not force yourself to this test
it's not designed for you to just crank
on your knee and and
take it through all it's got you're
gonna really tear it and mess it up um
so
that being said i'm gonna show you how
to be very safe during this test what
you need to do
is find a place that you can stand
and hold on to something stable like a
wall or a kitchen counter or something
a desk a sturdy chair not not a computer
chair that swivels or we
has wheels on anything can move around
find a piece of furniture or a wall that
that's very stable
you're going to hold on to that i'll
show you here in a second what my feet
are doing
you're going to hold on to that with
your hands and then you're going to turn
your feet inwards
as far as they'll go and then you're
going to squat with your knees inwards
and what i want you to do before you
even try this is lean over to your good
leg your leg that
isn't hurt the one that that seems okay
and try to put more body weight on that
side maybe like 75 percent and then 25
on on the knee that does bother you and
as you bend with your knees inward if
you start
do it slow if you start to feel
increased tightness
increase pain do not go all the way down
you might just
even unlock your knees a little bit and
already feel it back up and that's
that's a good sign that you've got an
acl injury
you don't need to go any further so let
me show you what this looks like on my
legs
all right so for the purposes of this
video i don't have something to hold on
to but luckily i don't have any knee
injuries
so i'm going to turn my feet all the way
in just like so
and you're going to squat down and if
you already start to get pain or
tightness in the knee that bothers you
you're done test is over if you also
have the clicking and popping and the
swelling like i talked about
do not proceed you can have pretty good
confidence you have an acl injury
but if you are not that bad and you want
to take a little bit further of course
hold on to something steady and
you can go down as much as it's
comfortable and then come back up out of
it
now i wouldn't do this test more than
two or three times
just because you can aggravate an acl
that's already injured
and make it worse if you know that
there's stiffness and tightness if
you've got the clicking and popping if
you've got the swelling that comes on
the more you're on your feet
then you can be pretty certain that you
have an acl injury
which brings us to the next point let's
talk about the different types of acl
injuries
there's three grades grade one means
that it's a mild
sprain sprain meaning the the ligament
itself got a little over stretched and
it's not torn necessarily maybe there's
tiny micro tears
but it has a good chance at healing and
and
shortening back up to its usual length
so that the joint is tight the way it's
supposed to be
and you're not loose and the bones
aren't wobbling on each other
grade two is where it got overstretched
and there's some tearing happening it's
a partial tear
that has an excellent chance of healing
you've got to make sure that you take
care of the stability so that you're
you're not all
wobbly in your knee and which might mean
strengthening i'll talk about some other
stuff that you can do as well
but you have an excellent chance at
healing if you've got that kind of tear
and by the way these grades are usually
given to you after you've
had an mri and the doctor's taking a
look at you they'll they'll tell you the
grade or on the mri report itself if you
end up having an mri
it will likely say on there about your
acl if you've got a grade one
two or three or there's other options
too like um an avulsion
is is where the bone is ripped off the
acl actually didn't tear the bone broke
where the acl attaches that's a bad
situation obviously you want to probably
talk to your doctor if that's going on
and you'll know that your knee will not
be normal at all not anywhere near
normal
but back to what i was saying grade
three means there's a complete
tear the ends of the of the acl
are not connected anymore now all this
is usually diagnosed through an mri
which is not the gold standard at
looking
into a knee but it's the best thing that
we can do without actually opening your
knee up because that is a gold standard
surgical observation of the acl
to determine if it's torn or not is the
gold standard but of course
that's invasive that means you have to
get cut open and you have to look
at your knee usually with an arthroscope
meaning that you know they make little
holes they're not like
busting your knee open like a book but
either way you don't want to have
an exploratory surgery just to determine
if your acl is torn
if a surgeon's going to go in to look at
your acl chances are they're going
they're planning on doing a repair and
if there's any sort of laxity any sort
of
partial tear it's right for them it's
you know
they're going to make the best judgment
call they're the surgeons of course to
actually
tear your acl if it's not already torn
and surgically repair it to further
tighten it down
but i would ask the question of was that
the smart thing to do to begin with to
put yourself in the situation
where you're under the knife and having
an acl reconstruction that you
possibly could have avoided had you done
the right things
that i'm going to talk to you about as
we go on in this video now remember what
i said the beginning
there's research out there that shows
that acl tears can be
misread on an mri over 40
of the time now there's some issue
studies that show as low as a three
percent error but there's some that show
over 40 percent error we don't have a
hundred percent
knowledge of where exactly the range is
but that's high enough to
possibly get away with not having the
surgery done
and what you need to know is if you
think about yourself functionally like
what are you doing right now
is your knee so swollen that you can't
bend it or straighten it
or you can't put weight on it you just
you've been like that for a while
if you're bad if you have not gotten any
better
over the past few weeks then
you might consider having a surgery
there's really just two situations
where you should have surgery in my
humble expert opinion
and you've got to take this with a grain
of salt you've got to
think about your current situation that
you're in what you plan to do in the
future there's there's a lot to factor
in and you just have to think about it
and sit down and
not just take every surgeon's word as
gospel and think well that's what i got
to do
the surgeon you can probably get better
in
many situations if you've got an injured
acl even if it's completely torn
one reason when you should have an acl
tear is if you're a
professional athlete meaning you're
getting paid
to do a sport or some sport related
activity
and your job depends on your knee
being stable then i would highly
consider having an acl surgery
if i was a professional football player
basketball player
whatever sport athlete and i was making
some decent money doing that
i would highly consider having an acl
reconstruction for the peace of mind
that i'm not going to retear it real
soon with my knowledge i'd know how to
rehab it and make sure that it's not
going to happen again but
acl tears happen accidentally sometimes
the second situation
where i would recommend an acl surgery
is
if you have truly done everything that
you can to
heal it naturally to prevent it from
getting any worse and you're just
not getting anywhere you feel like it's
plateaued or it's even getting worse
then that's a situation where you
probably should consider having
an acl reconstruction now if it's just
been a few weeks since you
first hurt your acl like if you had an
incident where somebody fell into your
leg or you stumbled and fell and
especially if you heard a pop that's
usually a sign that you have a complete
tear
not always though it could be the joint
popping or other structures popping but
if you
have the classic acl tear the massive
one where it pops it swells
you're on crutches for a while the the
mri shows that you have a tear
um then there's things you can do to
heal it naturally but
if it's just not getting better you've
tried it for you tried rehabbing it for
months
i would say give it some time give it
some months because you can have an acl
reconstruction
years after you don't have to have it
right away it's not like there's an
important window of time
and if you don't have your surgery
within that time frame
you miss out on your window to ever heal
properly it is good to get that swelling
down because that'll allow your knee to
move better
allow the ligament to heal if there's a
chance of it healing
and any other tissues inside your knee
like cartilage and meniscus
tendons muscles all the other stuff that
are around the area to heal
and give you a chance at rehabbing your
knee
rehabilitating your knee naturally so
that you never
have to have a surgery and deal with
some of the side effects like an
infection
some people have excessive scar tissue
that doesn't let their knee joint move
right
and then there's some people that regret
having the surgery because they never
get their full range of motion back
and they just don't feel the same in
their knee as it was before
and what a lot of people don't know
because surgeons aren't always the most
accurate at telling them is after you
have
an acl reconstruction a lot of surgeons
say oh yeah you'll be back to
walking and up and running doing you'll
be fine within a few months and the
reality is
it takes a year sometimes longer it's
rare that somebody is
back to sport in less than a year
occasionally you hear about some freak
professional athlete that did it in nine
months but they're
really the exception most people take
over 12 months to get back to feeling
mostly normal you've got to get all the
motion after your knee bend
after the you've got to get all your
motion back after the surgery you've got
to get your strength back
it's a process you're going to be on
crutches for a while
you'll be wearing a big giant
uncomfortable brace for a while as well
and you're going to lose tons of muscle
on that leg there's just all these side
effects
if you need it you need it but if you
can get away without it you might
actually recover quicker than if you
have the surgery and deal with the
recovery
after the surgery so let me tell you
what you should be doing
if you're going to heal this thing
naturally i've got
a knee brace here and
something like this is critically
important for you to be in
if you've had an acl injury if you did
those three tests that we looked at
if you've got the clock the clicking and
popping you've got the swelling if
you've been on your feet too long you
did that inward
squat and your knee hurts or it feels a
little worse after doing that
then this is going to help you out
tremendously now
this is the shock doctor knee brace it's
got these brackets
these hinges on the inside and these
hinges right here and metal brackets on
the side
you need something significant you won't
get by very well if you just have a
basic neoprene sleeve brace that doesn't
have any sort of hinges on the side
the hinges are critically important
because think about it your
knee just lost the
best source of stability from a ligament
inside of it
it's all loose now that's why you're
swelling and clicking and popping
that's why you can't squat normally
because it just isn't stable so
get that knee brace on so that those
metal brackets
force it to move in a way that isn't
going to further stretch out your acl
and make the problem worse these knee
braces
are not that expensive at all they range
anywhere from
50 to 100 bucks and basically you know
i recommend this one to my clients
because it lasts
about what you need to heal it most of
the time and these last thing were from
six to 12 months depending on how active
you are how much you use them
um you know what what environments
you're in how sweaty you get all those
different things
um and even if you have to buy a second
one it's not that bad because you wore
out the first one
but you can spend more money and get a
more expensive brace if you need to
generally what you're paying for
with these braces is better quality
materials but the baseline that you need
is some sort of metal brackets or they
sell hard plastic too that works
with a hinge so that your knee motion is
very controlled as you're going through
now you've got to wear this you can wear
it under your clothes or over your
clothes depending on you know how tight
your clothes are
hopefully it's winter time wherever
you're at or it's not too hot because
these things get sweaty
and you've just got to deal with that
and they slide down your leg
but that's normal there i've never seen
a brace even the high end braces that
just stay put and never slide down your
leg
so you've just got to deal with the
issues with wearing the brace
the benefits of it are far gonna
outweigh
the downside to using the brace clients
that have used these of course when i
see them day to day as they're coming in
for their treatments they tell they talk
to me about how the brace thinks at the
end of the day
they've got to slide the metal brackets
out and throw the washing machine or
they hand wash it like almost every day
it gets so stinky you know they just got
to deal
with issues surrounding the brace but
they're also telling me
my knee seemed a little bit better it's
clicking and popping less i didn't swell
over the past
week i feel more confident in my knee i
feel like i i went up and down the
stairs
and i didn't have to hold onto the rails
so much and gradually over time
their acl is getting healthier happier
and they're on their way
to rehabbing their acl problem without
ever having a surgery
even grade threes we've seen people that
have had completely torn acls as shown
by a an mri obviously
um they've come to us and i'll do my
tests that healthcare professionals
do to the patients to to check their
acls and i've seen some people with some
what i thought were completely torn acls
do this wear the brace and there's
exercises that we have them run through
which
is secondary really this is the the main
thing um
they have gotten better they've gotten
out of crutches they've gotten back to
walking normally being on their feet
back to even exercise i'm talking like
running and weightlifting
and it's even necessary once they're
healthy enough to do that
so that they can make their acl stronger
so it doesn't tear
or get stretched out again so i can't
stress enough how important it is
if you get an acl injury or an acl tear
and you're looking to fix it without
surgery
get in one of these braces as soon as
possible
i've linked in the description below a
link to this brace on amazon
like i said they're running anywhere
from 50 to 100
and one thing to note about the shock
doctor brand um this is probably an
older mod
model than what's out now this is the
872. there's newer versions of this out
there and they
all they generally do a good job of
updating their their braces
but what i found on the sizing chart is
you should if you look at on on amazon
at the
sizing chart or on their website go up a
size
from what the sizing chart would tell
you to get
that's i've consistently found that if
the sizing chart tells you to get a
large get an extra large or if it's an
extra large get an x large
i've never seen anyone if anyone fit
into a smaller medium
it's probably more for children the
small in the medium but most people need
at least a large if not an extra large
or a double or triple extra large
that's pretty common and then um you
know these straps they go around there's
instructions on how to put this
on and just make sure that your kneecap
is sitting in this hole that's that's
how you can judge
that this the knee brace is on your leg
appropriately
and um you know i had an injury a while
back i used one of these braces myself
it took me like 10 months to use the
brace
and me personally i had a ligament
injury wasn't my acl it was
it was a different ligament in my knee
on my right knee from running
um they told me to stay in the brace for
two months and this is a big deal you
got you gotta listen to this thoroughly
because
if you're looking at truly fixing your
acl problem naturally without surgery
you might need to go beyond what the
recommendations make now i was told
two months is necessary and if it
doesn't work if you don't get the
stability you need if you don't heal
enough
from your ligament injury then you
should consider getting surgery at that
point
well after two months of wearing the
knee brace consistently and i'm talking
and this is how you should wear it by
the way as soon as i woke up in the
morning
i take it off to sleep but as soon as i
woke up in the morning this knee brace
was on me i wouldn't take
more than two steps to reach for my knee
brace and i'd get it on before i went to
the bathroom or took care of other
things in the morning
you know i didn't shower with it
obviously but um i had this on
pretty much anytime i was on my feet
inside the house outside the house
gradually as it got better i began to
exercise with it as well
but i wore this knee brace pretty
consistently i'd say about
97 of the time whenever i had my
ligament injury
and that's what i recommend that you do
as well i would just slip it off to
relax or to sleep at night or
obviously to take a shower now going
beyond the recommendation
after two months of wearing this knee
brace
i felt 30 better
i still felt my knee injury i was still
getting some swelling myself i had a
a posterior posterior lateral corner
tears what i had so you can look that up
it's it's a
treatment is very similar to as if you
had an acl injury
but um after two months i said well why
not go a third or fourth month i
i'm willing to go as long as i need to
if this is still making me better
why not i don't want surgery so i went a
third month and a fourth month and i
would just check myself
after every month and i found that it
was a little better and it was a little
better
and i was still walking around i have
kids i was taking care of my kids i was
working i'm a physical therapist i'm on
my feet quite a bit
i was being active not as active as i
was when i was exercising of course but
but i'm out doing stuff outside the
house and inside the house
and it took me 10 months total before
i got to the point where i said i don't
need this anymore i can do just fine
without
and the last few months i was weaning
myself off i wasn't in it as much i was
i was having a day in a day out of it
then i went two days without it and so
forth i just kept winging myself
off the brace gradually as i felt
comfortable in my knee
if my knee did not feel comfortable i
felt like i was getting any sort of
swelling
any sort of issues in my knee then i was
back in the brace
now you might be looking for exercises
on fixing an
acl injury and there's tons there's
endless amounts of exercises
if you're looking for more tests on
checking an acl injury especially the
ones that like doctors do or
knee specialists do there's there's tons
of tests out there but if you've got
these signs that i told you about that
the
clicking and popping the swelling in the
knee the uh the inward squat is painful
you probably have an acl tear and
getting one of these is super
affordable relatively easy to do it
doesn't hold you in your life
it can make a huge difference it might
save you from surgery so
you know paying 100 bucks for one of
these much much better than paying
thousands and thousands or even if you
have insurance and they cover your
surgery you start to pay deductible
likely
but not to mention all the rehab that
you have to go through after
a uh an acl reconstruction it's it's
pretty gruesome if you ever talk to
anybody that has had one or
or if you look up videos on somebody
that's going through it it is pretty
gruesome
this is a much easier much affordable
just
such a much better option than if you
have to have an acl reconstruction
surgery
so that is how you can heal from an acl
injury naturally you got to get
in a brace like this now like i said i
have this linked in the description
below
i don't care if you get this one get
just get something with hinges and some
stiff
struts some stiff supports on the side
could be metal it could be plastic
you decide what's best for you what's
best for your pocketbook
what fits best on your body as well and
get in a brace i've got one more thing
for you that i want to share about
fixing your knee naturally now let's
just say
you use the knee brace and you're
feeling better and better or maybe
you're not that bad
right now and any brace is good from
time to time but you're actually
improving quite a bit
then what needs to happen next that you
can heal naturally without surgery
is you've got to get into some
aggressive strengthening
and what i've got to ask you is do you
have
very big quads do you have dominant quad
muscles i'm talking about the muscles on
the front of the thigh
if you have a history of exercising you
feel like you always feel your quads
burning or they're tired they get sore
often especially
if you do jumping sports or
weightlifting like squats deadlifts
those kinds of things
and what i have to ask you is do you
ever feel your glutes get sore
if you don't feel your butt muscles get
sore
then that is likely what set you up to
have your acl
injury and you've got to begin
strengthening your glutes to get better
control at the knee joint
so that you can protect your acl from
future injury
i know that was kind of a lot of hoops
to jump through but trust me we help
people with this problem
all the time and what it almost always
comes back to
is proper glute strength and good
movement using the glutes
when it comes to leg activities like
running jumping squats
any kind of leg exercise or activity if
you're looking for more guidance on this
we go into great detail about it in our
28 day
knee health and wellness boost program
you can find the link about it in the
description below but just to give you
the the gist of it
it's a 28-day 100 online program that
you can do at your pace
where it's me teaching you details about
how to exercise
your legs to improve your knee health
and boost its wellness
so check that out when you get a chance
guys thanks so much for watching if you
thought this video was helpful give it a
like
and one more thing if you also have a
meniscus injury and you want to learn
about how to heal a meniscus tear and
how to check for it
check out our video about how to test
and heal a meniscus problem without
surgery
have a wonderful day bye
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