Your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is an important ligament that provides rotational stability to your knee. Strengthening the muscles around your knee can help prevent an ACL injury and help you recover from an injury to your ACL. Riding a stationary bike and strengthening your quadriceps and hamstring muscles can improve your knee strength and protect your ACL.
Considerations
An injury to your ACL often requires surgery. Follow your doctor or physical therapist's instructions to rehabilitate your ACL and regain full mobility and range of motion in your knee. In addition to knee strengthening and range of motion exercises, physical therapy for an injured ACL may also include ice therapy, knee elevation, electrotherapy and soft tissue massage. Basketball, football, skiing and soccer are sports that may increase your risk of an ACL injury but strengthening your knee joint may aid in prevention.
Quadriceps Exercise
The static quadriceps contraction exercise is done by tightening your quadriceps muscles. Begin this exercise by sitting on a table with one leg extended in front of you while your other leg provides support by resting on the floor. Place a rolled up towel under the knee of your extended leg. Tighten your quadriceps muscles by pushing your knee down into the towel. Hold for five seconds and repeat 10 times. You should contract your muscles as hard as possible without increasing knee pain.
Hamstring Exercise
You can strengthen your hamstring muscles -- the muscles on the back of your upper leg -- by doing another static contraction exercise. Begin this exercise by sitting with your knee bent to 45 degrees. Your heel should be resting on the floor. Contract your hamstring muscles by pushing your heel into the floor. As with the static quadriceps contraction exercise, hold this exercise for five seconds and repeat 10 times.
Cycling
Riding a stationary bike is also a common part of ACL physical therapy. A stationary bike can help you regain your range of motion and help strengthen your quadriceps and hamstring muscles. As with other exercises, you should gradually increase the duration and resistance of your stationary bike workout as directed by your care provider. Cycling is a popular form of exercise to strengthen your leg muscles and cardiovascular system even if you are not rehabilitating an ACL injury.
