ACL Reconstruction — BPTB Autograft

Brigham and Women's Hospital · Dept. of Rehabilitation Services

Weight-Bearing

WBAT immediately with crutches and brace

Key Restrictions

Brace locked in ext for sleep x 1 wk; brace locked for ambulation until full ext with good quad control; avoid hyperextension >10 deg; flex to 90 by wk 4

Timeline & Phases

5 phases: Phase I (0-4 wks, protect graft and fixation, WBAT with brace locked in extension until full extension and quad control), Phase II (4-10 wks, after full extension and SLR without lag), Phase III (10-16 wks, after >=120 deg flexion and no patellofemoral pain), Phase IV (4-6 months, full pain-free ROM), Phase V (about 6 months, return to sport); supervised PT 3-6 months

Notes

BPTB-specific; protect graft revascularization (8 wks) and fixation (4-6 wks); CPM not commonly used; wean crutches/brace by 4 wks; pool running at 8 wks; for meniscus repair defer to meniscus protocol. [Archived copy — original Brigham and Women's Hospital URL retired in the Mass General Brigham site migration; Wayback snapshot 2025-09-07.]

Surgeon / Author

Dept. of Rehabilitation Services