Welcome to the third part of our 15th blog interview series on ACL injuries in youth sports! Again, we had the privilege of speaking with Craig Twentyman, a renowned expert in athletic performance. Craig's innovative strength and conditioning programs have significantly minimized ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries among women rugby players.
In this part, we delve into crucial advice for young athletes recovering from ACL surgery. Craig, drawing on his extensive experience, shares invaluable insights to help these athletes navigate the challenging rehab process and return to the sports they love.
Craig Twentyman
To help thousands of young athletes who have undergone ACL surgery, what advice can you offer them on getting back to sport?
The rehab process involved post-ACL surgery can be a scary timeline for all. For many it seems like they’ll never get back to playing the sport they love, especially because very few rehab cases are straightforward, there are usually many twists & turns with setbacks the norm.
Here are a couple of observations from the work I’ve done with athletes who have suffered ACL injuries which may help those who are at some stage of their own journey-
- Taking MORE time to return is associated with a better outcome- don’t rush the process.
- Time & effort invested into strength training PRIOR to your operation carries a very high return on investment POST-surgery. Getting your leg as strong as you can working within the limitations you may have around the injury (swelling, pain) really helps early in the rehab process after the operation.
- Be very respectful of the timeline set out by your medical practitioners & work to be the perfect patient. Follow all their advice & respect your pain. Your knee will tell you if you are pushing it too hard or doing something wrong! Don’t rush to progress- especially early in the process, because if you leave something on the table at this stage it will likely come back to bite you & delay things further down the line.
- Focus on “controlling the controllable”-
Attitude
Effort
Work ethic
Sleep
Nutrition
Consistency of training
Coachability
Punctuality
- Teach yourself a couple of new skills to challenge yourself differently during the process ie: learn to juggle, learn an instrument, study a different language, find a way to stay involved in your team environment ie: can you work to help the coaching staff with any tasks they may have?
- Ask questions about the process. Is there more you can do to recover properly from sessions? Will exercise A be as effective as exercise B? Will doing this today affect my running session tomorrow? Athlete understanding throughout the process is vital for continued buy-in & confidence in the plan.
- Engage a respected physio with strong experience in ACL rehab & access to technology to ensure you have the best objective & subjective assessment throughout the process.
- Readiness questionnaires before returning to training & then returning to play are important additional tools that may paint a different picture to the physical data. You must feel ready physically as well as psychologically.
