Early Walking Training to Protect Knee Cartilage After ACL Surgery

After you have surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in your knee, your surgeon will recommend rehabilitation exercises to help you recover. This study is testing whether adding a specialized walking training program—done while reducing weight on your leg—can better protect your knee cartilage from damage compared to standard rehabilitation alone. Researchers will use advanced imaging to see if this extra training improves how your knee heals.

Many people who have ACL surgery develop arthritis or cartilage damage in the years afterward, even after good rehabilitation. This trial exists to see whether a targeted walking and gait training program in the early weeks after surgery might prevent or slow down this cartilage damage, giving you a better long-term outcome.