Blog post produced and written by Monika Smiechowska, Injury Rehabilitation and Strength & Conditioning coach.
Following any injury to the ligaments of the knee, single leg exercises are crucial in your return to sport timing. Glute medius strengthening is extremely important following any lower body reconstruction, but even more so with the knee.
The use of single leg work allows the athlete to be more in control during different directional forces, especially during landing. Learning to correctly load the joint again is vital in post-operative rehabilitation to help reduce the chances of re-injuring the site. Your glutes play a massive role in this part of recovery as they are the primary, or assisting muscles, in the majority of lower body exercises. Maintaining correct technique under load results in better progression!
Here's a list of exercises often used to strengthen the gluteal region with a picture to help understand how to perform it.
Glute Bridge
Banded Glute Bridge (Added Resistance)
Single Leg Elevated Glute Bridge
Banded Clams
Overhead Forward Lunges (Add Resistance Band to Help Encourage Correct Posture throughout)
All exercises can be progressed by adding load, in this case weighted barbell or dumbbells. What is vital though, as always, is if you are recovering from knee surgery, or any reconstruction, then you should seek advice from your healthcare professional before undertaking any of these exercises. Keep a look out for future blogs from me covering a wide range of topics.
