ACL Rehab in Richmond, VA
Return to Your Sport After ACL Surgery
ACL rehab designed for athletes who refuse to settle for just 'cleared to play.' We help you rebuild strength, regain confidence, and return to cutting, jumping, and competing knowing your knee can handle everything you throw at it.
What Happens When ACL Rehab Falls Short
You're Cleared But Don't Feel Ready
Your surgeon gives you the green light, but deep down you know you're not as explosive or confident as you were before. You hesitate on cuts and jumps because you don't fully trust your knee yet.
Reinjury Risk Becomes Real
Generic protocols leave gaps in strength and movement quality. Without proper testing and progressive loading, you're at higher risk of tearing it again—or injuring the other knee.
Your Athletic Identity Takes a Hit
Months of cautious rehab leave you feeling like a shadow of your former self. You watch teammates compete while you're stuck doing basic exercises with no clear path back to elite performance.
ACL Rehab Built for Athletes Who Compete
We don't just follow your surgeon's protocol—we build on it. Our Doctors of Physical Therapy combine surgical guidelines with advanced testing, progressive strength training, and sport-specific prep to help you return stronger and more resilient than before your injury.
Protocol-Based, Performance-Driven
We respect your surgeon's timeline and restrictions while layering in strength work, plyometrics, and return-to-sport testing that goes far beyond basic ACL rehab.
Objective Testing at Every Phase
Force plate assessments, strength benchmarks, and hop tests guide your progression. We don't guess when you're ready—we measure it.
One-on-One Every Session
A full hour with your PT—no sharing time, no rotating therapists. We track your progress closely and adjust your plan as you hit each milestone.
Sport-Specific Return Training
Whether you're getting back to soccer, basketball, lacrosse, or football, we simulate cutting, jumping, and pivoting demands progressively so you're truly ready to compete.
She is the best and helps me heal from all my injuries. Go to her with any injury and she will fix you.
How We Help You Get Back in the Game
Evaluate and Create a Plan
We spend quality time finding the root cause of your pain and create a comprehensive treatment plan to get you moving.
Execute the Plan
Treatment starts on Day 1 with manual therapy, dry needling, blood flow restriction training, and targeted gym work.
Perform + Recover
Get back to your sport, work, and life goals. We'll help you optimize performance and recover when you push it hard.
What Active Adults Are Saying About Physical Therapy at Grit
Serving Active Adults Across Richmond and the West End
We're proud to serve athletes and active adults in Richmond, Tuckahoe, and throughout the West End.
Common Questions About ACL Rehab at Grit
Here are answers to the questions we hear most often from athletes recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery.
Most surgeons want you starting physical therapy within 1-2 weeks after surgery. Early range of motion work and quad activation are critical to your long-term success. We'll coordinate with your surgeon to make sure we're following the right protocol from day one.
Absolutely. We respect your surgeon's guidelines and restrictions at every phase. What sets us apart is that we layer performance work—strength training, plyometrics, and sport-specific prep—on top of the protocol to ensure you return better than before.
Most athletes work with us for 4-9 months depending on the surgery type, graft choice, and sport demands. Return to sport clearance typically happens around 9-12 months post-op. We'll give you a clearer timeline after your evaluation based on your specific goals.
That's when the real performance work begins. Being cleared to play doesn't mean you're ready to compete at 100%. Many athletes continue working with us after clearance to bridge the gap between 'allowed to return' and 'ready to dominate.' We help you build the strength, power, and confidence to compete without fear.
We use objective testing like force plate asymmetry screens, hop test batteries, and strength benchmarks to identify weak links before you return. We also address landing mechanics, cutting patterns, and neuromuscular control to make sure your body can handle sport demands. Our goal is to make your repaired knee as strong—or stronger—than it was before the injury.
Still have questions?
We're here to help. Reach out and we'll walk you through what to expect.