🚨 Most Athletes Focus on the Start and End of ACL Rehab—But Miss the Middle 🎯
Rehabbing an ACL tear? You’ve probably heard a lot about early recovery 🧊 and final testing 🏁.
But here’s what no one talks about enough: Mid-stage rehab—the overlooked middle step that determines whether you return strong 💪 or risk re-tearing your ACL 🧨.
At Pain & Performance Coach in Hillsboro, OR 📍, we treat this stage like the game-changer it is. And so should you.
Disclaimer: this for educational purposes only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice as each case could have individual nuances
🧱 What Is Mid-Stage ACL Rehab? (And Why It Matters More Than You Think)
Mid-stage rehab bridges the gap between walking 🚶♂️ and running 🏃♀️.
This is when we:
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- 🔋 Rebuild muscle strength
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- 🌀 Rewire movement patterns
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- 🫀 Restore cardio & fitness conditioning
Think of it as the engine room 🚂 of recovery—it powers everything that comes next.
⚠️ Did You Know? Most ACL Patients Aren’t Actually Ready to Return 🧾
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- 🧍♂️ Only 26% pass return-to-sport (RTS) criteria at 6 months
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- 🚑 Up to 30% suffer a second ACL tear—often due to skipped mid-stage training
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- 😖 Most have quad weakness, movement dysfunction, and poor leg symmetry
🧠 Quads, Brains, and Rehab Tech: The Science We Use 🧬
After ACL surgery, your brain and body disconnect. This causes AMI (arthrogenic muscle inhibition) 😵💫—a block that prevents your quad from firing 🔥 properly.
We combat that using:
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- 💉 Blood Flow Restriction (BFR): to safely build muscle at lower weights
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- ⚡ Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES): to re-activate muscle control
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- 📊 Isolated strength testing: to know if you’re really ready for next steps
And yes, we train the non-injured leg too! 🦿💪 Skipping that? Big mistake.
📏 We Don’t Guess. We TEST. 🎯
At Pain & Performance Coach, we use evidence-based benchmarks 🧪 to guide every step:
✅ Quad strength ≥80% of the other side (this is specifically for mid stage)
✅ Squat at least body weight load before high-impact drills
✅ Clean landing mechanics and hip control in single leg movements
✅ Movement retraining with expert feedback + video 🎥
🛠️ What Makes Our Mid-Stage Rehab Program Special?
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- 🔄 Periodized strength progression (we train smart, not random)
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- 🏋️♂️ Focused hip/core work for better balance & control
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- 💧 Pool-based training options to build confidence with less joint load
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- 📈 Functional movement drills that retrain real-world sport skills
It doesn’t matter what sport you compete in: whether you’re a 🏀 basketball player, 🏐 volleyball athlete, ⚽ soccer forward, or 🏃♂️ track star, we tailor your program to you (and your sport).
📣 Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Progressing?
If you’re:
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- 👩🎓 A student-athlete in Beaverton or Forest Grove
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- 🧑💼 A weekend warrior in Hillsboro or North Plains
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- 🏆 Or just tired of being stuck mid-recovery…
Let Pain & Performance Coach help you get back to what you love—with confidence, strength, and control.
📞 Call now to schedule your ACL recovery consultation
🌐 Or put your contact information in the form below