Anterior cruciate ligament ruptures are a serious knee ligament injury causing athletes to miss extended periods of time from their chosen sport. The purpose of this paper was to highlight the best evidence-based research surrounding anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction rehabilitation processes. The aim was to provide practitioners working with athletes recovering from ACL reconstruction, practical information and evidence to follow when constructing an appropriate rehabilitation program. The review was conducted through electronic searches of the following databases: Cochrane, PEDro, PubMed, ProQuest, Science direct, OvidSP and UWA library. 42 papers were located in the search and 10 were included in the review. Articles had to pass a strict inclusion criteria to be satisfactory for inclusion. The results showed that early range of motion (ROM) activities produced no detrimental effects and should be performed as soon as possible in the rehabilitation program. Incorporation of both closed kinetic chain (CKC) and open kinetic chain (OKC) exercises should be performed, with OKC exercises being gradually introduced from the 4th week mark. Results also supported the addition of neuromuscular training and that a moderately accelerated program is beneficial to the rehabilitation process. It is advised that an athlete`s rehabilitation program be broken down into specific phases with functional goals to be achieved before progressing to the next phase. Recommendations for clinical practice are discussed with an example anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation program provided.
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