Fortis ACL PROGRAM
Prevention, rehab and return to play under one roof, led by a Doctor of Physical Therapy and former MLS goalkeeper.
INtro
If you've torn your ACL, rehab starts before surgery. A knee that is calm, strong and fully straight going into surgery recovers faster afterward.
What we do at Fortis: we reduce swelling, restore full motion and get the quad working. We also test your healthy leg so we know your target for the rest of recovery.
Preventing ACL injuries
Most ACL tears happen without contact, when an athlete lands from a jump, stops suddenly or changes direction. These are movement problems, and movement can be trained. That's why we think every athlete in a jumping or cutting sport should be doing ACL prevention work, not just those who've been hurt.
What we do at Fortis: our ACL Prevention Program is research-led. It's built around specific exercises that research has shown to reduce ACL injury risk, and we adapt them to your sport. We start by testing jumping, landing and strength on force plates. Then we coach landing, strength and cutting, and retest so you can see what improved. You leave with a warm-up to keep doing with your team.
Before surgery: prehab
An ACL tear is one of the most common serious injuries in sports that involve jumping, cutting and pivoting, like soccer, basketball, football, lacrosse and volleyball. At Fortis, we work with athletes on both sides of it: keeping healthy knees healthy, and getting injured athletes all the way back to their sport. Soccer is at the heart of what we do, but our ACL programs are built for athletes in any sport.
Our ACL programs were developed by our team of board-certified orthopedic physical therapists, who guide every athlete through them using the same VALD testing tools as professional clubs.
After surgery: the three phases
Every ACL recovery is different. We break it into three phases, and every phase, including each move to the next one, is based on our testing and on hitting specific goals, not on the calendar. The timelines below are typical ranges, not promises. Your surgeon's protocol and your own progress set the pace.
Phase 1: Post-Op PT (typically the first 3 months)
The first months are about protecting the new ligament and getting the knee working again: straightening it fully, walking normally, controlling swelling and rebuilding the quad.
What we do at Fortis: physical therapy that follows your surgeon's plan, with strength testing so you can see your progress in numbers. Already doing PT somewhere else? We're happy to work alongside your therapist.
You move on when: your knee fully straightens and bends, you walk normally, swelling is under control and you hit our quad strength targets.
Phase 2: Gap Phase (typically months 3 to 9)
This is the part of recovery most athletes don't hear about. PT often ends around 3 months, and the knee usually feels good by then. But the new ligament is still maturing, and the body hasn't relearned how to land, cut and sprint. Research shows that returning to sport too early raises the risk of tearing it again. This is where many athletes fall through the cracks.
What we do at Fortis: the Gap Phase is what Fortis specializes in. Bridging the gap between physical therapy and performance training is why Fortis exists, and it's where our rehab and performance expertise come together. We fill it with a structured plan for landing mechanics, change of direction, gradual running and sport-specific work, and building power and speed. Force plate testing tracks your progress and guides each step up.
You move on when: you pass our return-to-sport testing, which covers strength, hop tests, force plate jump and landing, movement quality and confidence.
Phase 3: Sports Performance (typically 9 months and beyond)
Once you pass return-to-sport testing, you're back to training like an athlete, not a patient.
What we do at Fortis: we guide your return to full training and competition, keep building strength and power, and move you into our ACL Prevention Program to protect both knees. We keep retesting through your first year back, when the risk of another injury is highest.