Fitness
ACL Return-to-Sport Criteria
ACL return-to-sport criteria blend ROM, strength, hop symmetry, landing quality, and patient confidence—not surgery date alone—for safer competition return.
ACL return-to-sport criteria combine objective and subjective benchmarks—full ROM, minimal effusion, quad and hamstring strength symmetry, hop tests above roughly eighty-five to ninety percent limb symmetry index, quality landings without valgus collapse, and confident patient-reported outcomes. Time from surgery alone is a poor criterion; second ACL injuries remain elevated when testing is skipped.
Graduated return includes practice, non-contact, then contact with monitoring.
Common questions
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Can you return to sport at nine months after ACL surgery?
Some athletes meet all criteria by nine months; others need twelve to eighteen. Criteria-based clearance beats calendar-based return.
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What landing faults fail return-to-sport screens?
Knee valgus collapse, trunk lean, asymmetrical contact, and pain on landing fail screens even when hop distance symmetry looks acceptable.
Related terms
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