This is the first thing you need to do when coming back form an ACL injury (better than rehab)

0:00 if you're coming back from an ACL or other serious knee injury the place you need to start before worrying about anything else is maximizing blood flow to the Joint now there are several different ways to do this and the one that is best suited to you is going to depend on where you're at in the recovery process and so we'll dive into each of those techniques in a second but no matter where you're starting from the principle of trying to maximize pull as much blood flow and circulation into the joint into the injured area as possible stays the same the reason for that is quite simple the body needs blood flow in order to seal and repair itself it needs fluid and circulation to bring in fresh nutrients build new tissue clear out the old dead tissue and be able to remove the swelling that's built up as a damage response to getting injured in the first place the more we can work with the body to facilitate this natural

0:45 healing process instead of fighting it the better our recovery is going to go this is why the classic advice of rest ice compression elevation or rice is more commonly known as well as Reliance on anti-inflammatories is no longer believed to be the best solution to dealing with ACL and other serious knee injuries the problem is that every piece of that protocol is actually going to reduce blood flow in circulation to the Joint meaning it's going to slow down our body's natural healing process now this protocol can be useful for dealing with pain as it's going to reduce sensitivity and sensation but in terms of healing it's going to have the opposite effect of what we're looking for so we know we want to maximize blood flow in circulation as much as possible to promote healing but how do we actually do that the simple answer is to move it as much as possible if keeping

1:31 it still and cold are going to have the opposite effect of what we're looking for then keeping it warm and moving are going to have a much more positive effect and start moving us down that road to recovery this is where the famous expression this is where the famous expression movement is medicine comes from or if you don't use it you lose it now these expressions are a bit cliche but they are still true the more we can get the injured area moving and active as much as possible the better off we're going to be the faster we're going to heal now the big caveat here the asterisk behind the prescription is that we have have to meet the body where it's at you don't want to go cranking on the knee three days after surgery because Zach told you you have to move more you have to work at your current level or ability that's why we mentioned having the different options at the beginning of this video the trick is to find the level that's challenging but not aggravating hard but not hurting

2:16 this is an art as much as a science without me being a lowly strength coach and personal trainer not a PT or physio I don't work with people immediately off of surgery I work with athletes that have a few months of rehab under their belt that are up and walking around comfortably and ready to take things to the next level so keep that in mind as we go through these various tools and recommendations for you to use if you're much earlier in the process lean on your physio lean on your doctor tools like e-stem and that sort of thing will have similar effects but be less invasive less challenging than the ones that we're going to go through now and remember why we're doing this the goal of each of these exercises each of these variations to get as much blood flow as much circulation to the Joint as possible to help it feel better to help promote that natural healing response an easier way to think about it rather than talking about circulation and what wonderful all day which may or may not actually mean anything to you you can

3:03 think about it bodybuilding terms so trying to get a pump the more we can get the muscles around the joint active the more we can feel things working these are the sensations that we're looking for when we're going through any of these exercise variations let's dive into it so if you follow my content for any length of time you know I'm obsessed with backwards sledding as the first point of entry to deal with these major knee injuries this is how I start every single session of my athletes in the gym and in my remote coaching program there is absolutely no better tool for bringing blood flow and circulation into the knees and into the quads and getting an amazing pump even at fairly early stages of the recovery process the reason that I rely on this tool so heavily is two-part first is the intensity there are a few if any tools out there that are going to get as much blood flow as much of a burn lactic acid build up to the knees into the quads as

3:49 the sled it's going to absolutely kick your butt but in the best way possible providing a positive stress that forces the body to adapt get stronger heal and recover but it's not just the intensity the there are a lot of tools out there that can get a good burn get good work to the quads the second and perhaps most important aspect of why we use this sled so much is because of how gentle it is on the joint itself this means you can push and work the muscles hard while being confident you're not overloading and stressing the joint and the connective tissue itself this makes it the perfect tool for athletes coming off of ACL and other knee injuries where we know we want a positive stress but we need to be careful in how we apply that stress the trick or the science behind this works is because sled training applies stress or load to the body in a form of training known as concentric only training in nerdy science terms the

4:36 concentric portion of a movement is the part where you're actively pushing think about standing up in a squat The Eccentric portion is where you're lowering or resisting the way down think the descending in the squat what's interesting is that The Eccentric portion of the movement causes more damage to the muscle and puts more load into the joint itself when pushing or pulling a sled however there is no resistance during that eccentric portion of a movement think about out the backwards sled when you go to take that step backwards there's no resistance it's only when you put your foot in the ground and push forward that you feel the resistance of the sled this means we can effectively remove the portion of the movement that would put the most load or stress on the joint and the connective tissue while still maintaining the benefits of improved blood flow and circulation when when now if you don't have access to a sled it

5:22 really is worth going to the trouble to find a gem around you that has one or even makeshifting your own but if that's still not possible we do have a few options for you the best is getting on a treadmill leaving it turned off facing backwards and starting to get that backwards motion using the internal resistance of the treadmill to provide a little bit of resistance a little bit of difficult the advantage of this over even some sled tracks is that you don't have to stop and turn it around so you can get into a really nice Rhythm and Chase that pump that blood flow which is what this is all about the other option is to Simply go outside and go for a walk but backwards the loading is much gentler here but using a hill can help replicate that feeling of Brazil distance you get from the sled or the treadmill but even just going through that movement for 10 minutes backwards can really help to get some fluid and lubrication to the Joint itself in terms

6:09 of times and protocols I tend to prefer duration over intensity especially at first so doing just one set of five even up to 10 minutes starting slowly and allowing yourself to gently build into it I find to be fantastic then that last minute or two if it's feeling good this is where you can push the intensity a little bit if you're a little bit farther along and looking for more of a challenge but if the repetition of this daily yes daily that has been the most effective and important entry point that I have found for athletes coming off of ACL and other knee injuries remember everything that we're doing here to try and work with the body and speed up that natural healing process so being gentle Don't Force things work with your body at its current capabilities but be consistent and you'll see big improvements in your recovery over time if you found this video helpful like comment share it with a friend if you're

6:56 looking for more direct guidance on how to get through your own personal Library check out our ACL return to sport program and be sure to follow And subscribe for more content and how to build the strongest healthiest needs of your life until next time bye