While gaining back knee range of motion is the biggest preoperative indicator for a successful ACLr surgery, maintaining proximal strength of your core and glutes is a way to jump start post-surgery rehabilitation. Learning how to activate these muscles in addition to building up as much strength as possible prior to surgery means that once your knee is strong enough to squat, hinge, lift, lunge, etc, you won’t have to worry about other weak links in the functional chain - your core and glutes - getting in the way of your rehabilitation.
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1️⃣Lie on your side, with your affected leg on top
2️⃣Slightly squeeze your core. Maintain this activation throughout the entire exercise
3️⃣Push your bottom knee into the ground to keep your pelvis stable
4️⃣ROTATE your knee out and back. You are not just lifting the leg up, but actually rotating it backwards
5️⃣Your shoulders, torso, and pelvis should not be moving at all. Only your knee should be moving. Maintain a straight line from your shoulders to your hips. By looking at the starting and ending position of your knees, you can ensure that you are not compensating from your back.
6️⃣You should feel a deep muscle burning in the back of your glutes
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