06/02/2026
One of the worst pieces of ACL advice I still hear:
“Let’s stop training the good leg so the surgical side can catch up.”
No.
The answer is not lowering the ceiling on the non-surgical side just to manufacture better symmetry numbers.
Because here’s what gets missed:
Your “good” leg changes after ACL surgery too.
Strength drops.
Force production changes.
Movement strategies change.
Confidence changes.
But that does NOT mean we intentionally make it weaker.
The goal of rehab is not equal weakness.
It’s restoring high-level function on BOTH sides.
That’s why we look beyond simple symmetry percentages.
We also care about:
* force production
* force absorption
* torque relative to bodyweight
* power output
* movement quality
* confidence under load
Because 90% symmetry between two underperforming legs is still underperforming.
And honestly…
the more athletes hear “bad knee” and “good knee,” the more those identities start sticking.
Language matters.
Expectations matter.
The way athletes think about their body matters.
We’d rather keep building the ceiling on the non-surgical side and make the surgical side rise toward it.
That’s how you build real capacity.
Not artificial symmetry.
ACL rehab should move athletes forward.
Not shrink the standard.
