Phase 1 · Weeks 1–2
First goal: quiet the joint down, not push it.
Right after surgery or injury, the only job is controlling swelling and pain so the joint can actually heal — pushing range of motion too early just re-irritates it. Week 1 is ice, gentle passive movement to about 20 degrees of flexion, and learning to walk without compensating on the other leg. No exercises yet that make you sweat.
Every session ends with the same three numbers written on your chart: swelling (measured, not eyeballed), degrees of motion, and pain at rest — so week 4 gets compared to an actual week 1 number, not a memory of how bad it felt.
Phase 2 · Weeks 3–5
By week five: full bend, most of the way back.
Once swelling’s under control, the work becomes getting the joint moving through its full arc again — stationary bike with the seat progressively lowered, wall slides, heel slides. By week five, most patients are at 110-120 degrees of flexion, roughly what they walked in with before the injury. This is also when the limp usually disappears, which patients notice before we point it out.
We measure with an actual goniometer at every visit, not a guess — the number goes on your after-visit summary so you can watch your own trend line.
Phase 3 · Weeks 6–9
Week six: stairs without the railing.
Motion is back — now the muscle around the joint has to catch up, since it weakens fast after surgery even if the joint itself is fine. This phase is squats, step-downs, and single-leg balance work, loaded a little heavier each week. Week six is usually the first unassisted stair climb. Week nine is usually the first light jog on a treadmill, straight line only, no cutting yet.
Strength gets tested against the uninjured leg, not a generic chart number — we don’t call a leg “ready” until it’s within about 10% of the other one.
Phase 4 · Weeks 10–12+
Week twelve: cleared to cut, plant, and sprint.
The last phase is sport-specific: cutting, pivoting, jump-landing mechanics filmed and reviewed frame by frame, and a real return-to-sport test (hop-distance symmetry, not just “how does it feel”) before we sign off. Some patients clear this at week ten; some need sixteen. We tell you which one you are around week eight, once the data’s actually in — not on day one.
Every return-to-sport clearance includes the hop-test numbers in writing, so your coach or team trainer has something more specific than “the PT said it’s fine.”