After doing a quick search for the specific ACL treatment protocol for the Mayo Clinic (one of the surgery locations patients come from for therapy), I found that physical therapy is required for ACL injuries and patients can choose to use a brace and/or crutches for stability. Many of the ACL reconstruction patients who come in do wear a brace, which can be unlocked for certain therapeutic exercises.
Fortunately, those with the knee braces also use crutches to walk around and don't end up looking like this clumsy pup. Based on a frequently asked questions page from Columbia University Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine Service, patients must wear the brace for 4 weeks following their surgery.
Many hospitals and surgeons have similar timelines for when patients can stop using their brace, participate in sports again, and even begin driving after their operation. Normally, the first post-op follow-up appointment occurs within the first two weeks, with following appointments being decided by the doctor (often every month). However, my on-site mentor informed me that many of the surgeons CAP works with do not provide set protocols when they refer their patients for physical therapy. Those who do (about 1/4 of the post-operative cases) might meet with the therapist regarding what is expected. Dr. Jeschien also told me he prefers when surgeons don't include the protocols as much of the rehab process is dependent on individual progress and ability rather than set weekly or monthly deadlines to be reached.
I found this especially interesting. There isn't a definitive 6 month or year time in which a patient's therapy will be done, but the recovery is based on the therapist (and surgeon) opinion of how well the recovery is progressing and what they are able to complete.
As I've started to understand more about the surgeon-therapist-patient interaction, I'm anxious to begin research on other factors that impact the specialization of rehab!
