These sports could be replaced by sports that do not involve cutting and pivoting, such as swimming or running. Another form of conservative treatment is rehabilitation. Rehabilitation for an ACL injury focuses on improving an athlete's proprioception and reactive muscular stabilization. For sports such as basketball, soccer and football, rehabilitation alone will not be enough to prevent instability. If instability persists, the athlete must undergo surgical reconstruction of the ligament to return to these sports.
Surgical reconstruction involves replacing the torn ACL with a graft.
The graft chosen is usually the central third of the patellar tendon or a portion of the hamstring tendons. Following surgery these athletes will undergo four to seven months of physical therapy. The post-operative physical therapy can be divided into five phases. During the first phase, the rehabilitative goals include improving range of motion, decreasing swelling, normalizing the walking pattern and increasing strength. In phase two, the goal is to focus on restoring proper body alignment and control with basic movements, such as squats, lunges and single leg balance.