Late Stage ACL Rehabilitation: Agility Exercises

During late stage ACL rehabilitation it is imperative that athletes are challenged with exercises that will mimic the demands that will be placed on them when they return to sport. Here are some advanced drills that we like to incorporate into our athletes rehab. If you have had surgery or suffered an injury and are at the end stages of rehab but unsure of how to bridge the gap to return to sport, give us a call to set up an evaluation!

Agility drills combine plyometrics with an emphasis on running and cutting. These drills are a great way to add sport specific components such as responding to an opposing athlete or absorbing contact. Performing drills that replicate a game situation and challenge the neuromuscular system can help improve confidence and performance in the return to sport.

Agility:
1. Shadow drill: This drill works on reactive cutting which is very important for an athlete to practice and feel confident with when returning to sport. The athlete must react to the therapist movements and change directions quickly as if keeping up with an opponent on the field.

2. Sport specific drills: We must incorporate drills that specifically mimic what the athlete will need to do on the field. Here, we use lateral movements combined with a 1v1 drill to facilitate return to soccer.

3. Contact W Drill: A common agility drill with added contact to force the athlete to respond to various perturbations while coordinating multidirectional cutting/pivoting. Contact starts the drill while the athlete must respond to contact throughout while maintaining appropriate mechanics at the involved joint.

4. 5-10-5 Shuffle: The 5-10-5 shuffle is a common football drill often utilized in agility training. While familiar, the athlete is challenged by a visual cue to start this drill involving multidirectional cutting/pivoting and sprinting.

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