I saw my doctor for a knee injury that turned out to be a torn ACL. The doctor wants me to start in physical therapy right away. I think I should wait until the swelling goes down at least. What’s the standard treatment for this?

Physical therapy often begins within a week of the first visit with the doctor. Sometimes there’s a longer wait time between injury and the start of rehab. Most research shows early rehab is best. The therapist can help reduce swelling in those early days.

After injury patients stop putting weight on the leg and stop moving the knee. The result is a very quick loss of muscle strength. The muscle will start to atrophy in the first two weeks. This sets up a complete change in the way the knee moves. Nerve messages to
the muscle change. The muscle loses its normal activity pattern and becomes
dyskinetic.

Dyskinesia refers to altered muscle activity patterns and incoordination. These types of changes can result in another knee injury. It’s a good idea to see the therapist as soon as possible.