In fact,years ago, according to a study, researchersinjected saltwater into the knee joint of volunteers,said Dr.Farr. As an athlete or a weekend warrior, you most likely have strong quadricep muscles fromfrequentexercise. IS THE KNEE EXTENSION MACHINE SAFE TO USE? In some, The Banff Sport Medicine Foundation is a registered charity with a Mission to Prevent, treat, rehabilitate, and research musculoskeletal and sport injuries among people of all ages and abilities.. . I have spent the last 4 months trying to build up strength but there is no signal going to the muscles. 7 The muscles in your quad will be weaker after surgery due to the fact that you did not use them as much prior to surgery. I got steroid injections, removed 15 cc fluid. It hurts when I walk down the stairs. All rights reserved. Olympic Hopeful Returns to Climbing After Successful Shoulder Surgery, Professional Racecar Driver Gets Back On Track From Hip and Back Injuries. 2000;28(4):480-489. It has been sent. **Do not perform this exercise if you have knee pain during this movement. That was 4 days ago and swelling has gone down, but Ive noticed I can not lift my leg, which turned me to this site/video. Learn how Banff Sport Medicine Physician, Dr Andy Reed, is recovering from a recent injury in his latest Bow Valley Crag & Canyon article. I think youll find it to be harder than it sounds . Effectiveness of a neuromuscular and proprioceptive training program in preventing anterior cruciate ligament injuries in female athletes. Thank you. Normal gait pattern and no limping when walking. Ok, I probably wouldn't have hiked the Inca Trail again - not with all those steps but I could have pushed myself more. Im 3 month post MPFL reconstruction w/ allograft. Your well-being is important to us. At this point, your front knee should be over the middle of your front foot. Journal of athletic training. P: 970-476-7220 I had knee surgery two weeks ago. Binkley JM, Stratford PW, Lott SA, Riddle DL. Front Physiol. It has two main functions: Bone sockets are created in both the femur and tibia in the exact location where the original ACL once attached. The first two weeks have been anything but routine as week one I found out I had a DVT and a day or two later a PE. Do not get discouraged! ACL Surgery with Patellar Tendon Graft vs Quadriceps Tendon Graft? For more about this program click HERE. Ive also found myself struggling with finding the right balance of implementating quad exercises and pushing through the tendinitis pain I feel with those exercises. Perform 3-5 repetitions, 3-4 sets. The procedure normally requires an hour but there is also some set up and take down time in the operating room. Build Stage 2 from 2 to 12 weeks. As a result, there is often less pain with a quad graft and patients recover quicker. Hi Alex, thanks for the comment it sounds like you are doing a great job with the recovery process so far. Scraping, Metal Tools and Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, How to Avoid Common Health Mistakes in 2023, Sometimes touching the muscle, massaging it, or hitting it can help, Think about moving your kneecap up and into your hip socket, Move your shin bone in the shape of a J by moving your knee down and your heel up at the same time. Buckthorpe M, La Rosa G, Villa FD. so sorry to hear thisi know exactly what you are going throughdont know if you have seen any of my posts but i had a similar op and now a few years down the line i have no quad power at alli have had mris, nerve conduct studies, xrays, ive seen various consultants/ physios etcand all i seem to keep getting told is that the messages arent getting through!!! A New Paradigm In Electrical Stimulation [White paper]. The quadriceps extend / straighten the knee. The solution is to have a consistent strengthening, balance and agility program that focuses on functional movements and has been shown to reduce risk of both of these injuries4,5. The knee is thoroughly evaluated. I do this for around 10 minutes every appointment. Typically, I use NMES on any patient that has had a significant knee injury/surgery that . and our Olympic hopeful Piper Kelly dislocated her shoulder many, many, many times while climbing. Patient is a UK registered trade mark. Why do my Quads shut down after surgery/injury? If not treated appropriately, these injuries can have many negative long-term sequelae, however if diagnosed . Hexter AT, Thangarajah T, Blunn G, Haddad FS. A less intrusive harvesting procedure, without the need to take portions of bone from the patella and tibia, which results in less kneeling pain in the future. Due to better stability, lower re-tear rates, and less donor site morbidity than other autografts, Dr. Cunningham highly recommends utilizing a quad tendon autograft for ACL reconstruction. Any meniscus tears are repaired. F: 970-569-3260 The scenario described above is formally called "quadriceps activation failure" and is common after traumatic knee injuries such surgery or an ACL tear. Weak quadriceps after ACL reconstruction often hamper patients' ability to return to sport and to function in everyday life. Am J Sports Med. dont get me wrong, do not give up hope, i am apparently an exceptional case as my consultant told me last week and he has never seen anything like it!! In a total of 352 patients with a torn ACL, overall weighted mean quadriceps activation was 87.3% for the injured side and 89.1% for the uninjured. The incidence of anterior knee pain after hamstring graft for ACL reconstruction in the literature is less than 23%. Nani WoollingsPT, MSc., MScPT, is a physiotherapist and current coach and former member of the Youth National Climbing Team. I am 1 week post op from my ACL reconstruction with Patellar graft.. my quad is still not firing.,. 4. They're the muscles which actually get the leg off the floor! As a result, there is not the kneeling pain with a quad graft that is often seen after harvesting a patellar tendon graft. He believes the key to improved health care is education and awareness. Lay on the ground or table and place a rolled-up towel/shirt under your knee. A torn quad or quadriceps tendon rupture occurs relatively infrequently and usually occur in athletes older than 40 years old. After surgery, jump-start the rehabilitation program as soon asdetermined safe by your surgeon., DOWNLOAD OUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SPORTS MEDICINE. Copyright 2023 OrthoIndy. This exercise will strengthen the quads in their most shortened (end-range of motion) position. Wishing you the best of luck!!! Regaining sufficient quad strength after an ACL reconstruction is important for walking, going up and down stairs, running, cutting, changing direction, etc. . The effects of exercise for the prevention of overuse anterior knee pain. Leave a comment below or email me, Zach, directly at zach@accelerateacl.com to let us know how it goes. The consultant did mention he had another patient who has the same condition as me. Electrical stimulation promotes wound healing by enhancing dermal fibroblast activity and promoting myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Physiother Can. Waking it up with frequent exercise and consistency is crucial for knee extension. Quads are king after an ACL surgery. One of the most significant obstacles in achieving those goals is rebuilding the quadriceps muscle on the affected knee. Almost one-fourth of individuals who are of a younger age (<20-25) and return to a high risk sport that involves pivoting and cutting will either reinjure the reconstructed ACL or injure the opposite side. Biol Open, 7(9), 2018. I have had it drained but the fluid came back. The new graft is at its weakest 6-12 weeks after surgery so extra care should be taken during this period. Can't lift heel at all for leg lifts and when walking with crutches I still can't put much weight on it. However, keep in mind, it is not just pushing through the heels, butstraight down. ACL Specialist, Dr. Richard Cunningham has seen techniques evolve over the last 2 decades, but he highly recommends ACL reconstruction utilizing a portion of ones quadricep tendon for a number of reasons. I will be awaiting your call on Thursday at 3. Also, if seeing a physio, that individual can continue to implement various techniques in attempts to help further facilitate activation of your quad. The Prehab membership is the anti-barrier solution to keeping your body healthy. Thanks. ACL injuries are common in active sports like basketball, soccer, football, skiing, and tennis. You will feel your quadriceps, the muscles on top of your thigh working with this exercise. Quad activation failure is the inability to squeeze or tighten your quadriceps. Egton Medical Information Systems Limited. With a hamstring graft, most ACL surgeons are doubling over both the semitendinosus and the gracilis tendon to create a graft comprised of 4 strands of tendon. Its not uncommon after major surgeries like an ACL surgery or atotal joint replacementbut can occur even with arthroscopy. Other then the video suggestions, is there anything else I should look towards doing to help fix this or am I trying to rush things too much? 2010 Jul 22;363(4):331-42. To build quad strength after ACL reconstruction surgery, we like to include: SSB Squats with a Pause/Skater Squats with a Pause, Lateral Single Leg Wall Ball Squats/Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats (RFESS), Forward Step Downs/Skater Squats to a Box, Related blog: why skater squats are a better alternative to pistol squats. It is because my knee cap is on the side. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that attach one bone to . Can I walk before complete quad recovery? Contact our Hudson Massachusetts physical therapists to get back to being stronger and more athletic than before you were injured. After knee surgery, the knee swells up which leads to arthrogenic muscle inhibition, whichishaving theinability to contract your muscle despite no injury to the muscle or nerve. We didnt realize they werent moving till my first PT appointment when I wasnt able to move them at all, and Im using other muscles to move my leg around. Quadriceps weakness makes life difficult and running sports nearly impossible. Quad shutdown iscaused by neural inhibition which means the nervous system isnt allowing the normal pathways of muscle activation to happen. Int J Sports Phys Ther. had 5kr to left leg. Add weight, reps, sets, etc. By the eighth week, patients can ride a bike outdoors. To reverse this after knee surgery, you will need to re-establish a brain-muscle connection and retrain your muscle to contract properly. Anatomic and Morphological Evaluation of the Quadriceps Tendon Using 3-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reconstruction: Applications for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Autograft Choice and Procurement, Is Quadriceps Tendon a Better Graft Choice Than Patellar Tendon? Follow these steps to activate your quad muscle. The patient is moved to the recovery room. Historically, ACL surgeons would try to get athletes back to these high level sports by 6 months from surgery, but there was found to be a significant re-tear rate, so most ACL surgeons now wait until 8-9 months to clear patients for these sports. 3 William Street Tranmere SA 5073; 45 Gray Street Tranmere SA 5073; 36 Hectorville Road, Hectorville, SA 5073; 1 & 2/3 RODNEY AVENUE, TRANMERE Within 5 days i was in physical therapy. Begin by activating your quadriceps muscle by pushing the back of the knee down into the floor. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. But researchers at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology have found an additional cause, which could help clinicians design more effective . If you cant wiggle your ears or splay your toes, the feeling is the same, except when you cant contract your quadriceps the consequences are much greater. Dont let your butt go back and your hip bend when you straighten your knee. It's a much shorter path from the knee to the quad muscle so the quad muscle is hearing a lot more of that signal. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery replaces the damaged ligament with a new ligament called a graft. In the first stage of rehabilitation (typically 0-6 weeks post-op), it is critical to reduce edema, gain full knee range of motion and normalize functional activities such as getting up/down from a chair, walking and climbing stairs. I am 64 years old, avid golfer, former 20 year world long drive competitor. The benefits of NMES after ACL reconstruction and knee replacement surgery have been clearly demonstrated in multiple studies - those patients demonstrated better quad strength and improved functional outcomes compared to those who did not receive NMES. Hello! Turns out the implant is loosening and or failing. Unfortunately this systematic review was focused on describing the prevalence and incidence of quadriceps weakness after knee injury and did not systematically investigate any of the treatments for it. Patient aims to help the world proactively manage its healthcare, supplying evidence-based information on a wide range of medical and health topics to patients and health professionals. Swelling causes pain, stiffens joints and decreases muscle contractile force. Slowly lean back, bending through the knees and lifting the heels. This is consistent with the risk factors for these two injures. Taking control of your health with exercise & education from the palm of your hand has never been easier. Focus on getting your knee fully straight while keeping the rest of your body still. A case study in what not to doContinue, A High Tibial Osteotomy (HTO) is a type of joint preservation surgery that involves cutting the shin bone (tibia) to change the alignment of the knee. The goals of the initial recovery period include: Patients can spin on an exercise bike as soon as tolerated with minimal resistance. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); CLICK HERE TO REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE. If youre interested in working with me and my team to build quad strength quickly and avoid atrophy after ACL surgery, click the link below to find out if you qualify for a 2 day trial. 2018 May 15;9:445. Squeeze both quadriceps at the same time Happy quad setting. Move Strong Physical Therapy in Hudson, MA. When deciding the best ACL graft for female athletes, some things to consider are: ACL reconstruction utilizing a quad tendon is performed by ACL doctor Dr. Cunningham on an out-patient basis and does not require an overnight stay. Once the graft has been harvested, both ends of the graft are secured with high strength suture and small fixation devices. An autograft (from the individual) or allograft (from a cadaver) graft can be used. For rehabilitation and physical therapy, no referral is needed tosee one of our physical therapists. Despite approximately 90% of people opting for ACL reconstruction surgery, significant risk for re-injury after repair remains. Also, if you have any of your own tips for ACL surgery recovery, please do share them in the comments below. 108 South Frontage Road West Click To Find Out If You Qualify For A 2 Day Trial, Supercharge Your ACL Prehab Exercises With The Neubie, 8 Exercises Utilized In The Accelerate ACL Prehab Protocol, 4 Important Types Of ACL Prehab Exercises, 8 ACL Prehab Goals To Hit If You Want To Go Into Surgery Feeling 100%, Activating The Calf After ACL Surgery Accelerate ACL, I want to get back on the field as soon as possible, I want to ensure this never happens again. Shelbourne KD, Freeman H, Gray T. Osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: the importance of regaining and maintaining full range of motion. Borgens R.B., Vanable J.W., Jaffe L.F., Bioelectricity and regeneration. Although it seems counter-intuitive, building a strong. Literature I've read also suggest that extensions should be done to about 70 . A high protein nutritious diet isalsocrucial to help your muscles regrow. This arthogenic inhibition was not the problem before the surgery. What do I eat when traveling through food deserts? ACL Surgical Recovery Expectations Get general information on recovery expectations after ACL repair surgery, including information recovery steps and potential complications after ACL surgery. thank you for your question. And while modern, minimally invasive surgical repairs of the ACL do a good job restoring control of these movements, the risk of re-tear remains higher than we would like, Dr. Gardner explains. A Comparative Effectiveness Study Between the MOON and Delaware-Oslo ACL Cohorts. Please keep in mind that I do want to get back on the field for Summer or Fall 2023 Fall flag football seasons and Ive been training to optimize my physical abilities to support this goal. Theres a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your Every person will respond to surgery of the knee differently, which is completely normal! One way to protect the knee is to prevent the quads from acting on the joint. Sample Quad Set Knee Extension [P]rehab Program Exercise, Sample Quad Set Knee Extension Exercise Program. In order to both return to the field as soon as possible AND minimize the risk of re-injury, we need to re-build the nervous systems trust in fully activating the quadriceps. Historically, ACL surgeons would try to get athletes back to these high level sports by 6 months from surgery, but there was found to be a significant re-tear rate, so most ACL surgeons now wait until 8-9 months to clear patients for these sports. however the swelling is still all around my knee and I have no power in my quad muscles. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater, 2018. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. i have just had a TkR and have not been able to lift my leg since surgery. Knee Extension Range of Motion at 4 Weeks Is Related to Knee Extension Loss at 12 Weeks After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. J Exp Zool. I am in PT 2 times a week, also in the gym 4 days a week. 3. All rights reserved. Electrotherapy in tissue repair. Notes on Quad muscles not working after knee surgery, https://patient.info/forums/discuss/quad-muscles-not-working-after-knee-surgery-652219. Hello Zhila, thank you for your question! (NMES) if quadriceps not firing or if the patient tests less than 2 on manual muscle testing (MMT) Quadricep Strengthening : quadriceps sets, long arc quads (90-45 degrees), supine heel We would suggest following up with your physical therapist who could best answer these questions for you in-person!! appropriate medical assistance immediately. This will act as a lever which will make it easier to activate your quadriceps muscle. In most cases, the graft is a tendon taken from your own knee or hamstring. Autograft tendon (from you) taken from either the patellar tendon, hamstring tendons, or quadriceps tendon are the typical sources used for ACL reconstruction. Blood flow restriction. Coppack RJ, Etherington J, Wills AK. N Engl J Med. Hold for 3 seconds, then slowly lower back to the start position. had scan last wk waiting on results. This exercise can be performed as an alternate to the reverse Nordic curl. After muscle control is established, aphysical therapist can design a program to strengthen your muscles using a protocol that is personalized for you. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. We'll show you our expert tips to increase your quadriceps activation following surgery! 3 Minute Exercise To Improve Quad Strength And Decrease Inhibition After ACL Surgery. As a licensed physical therapist with a strong background in strength and conditioning, Michael likes to blend the realms of strength training and rehabilitation to provide prehab, or preventative rehabilitation, to his patients. Many studies have shown significantly higher re-tear rates in allograft ACL reconstructions compared to autograft ACL reconstructions. They can cause significant loss of time from sport and work. How is it possible that you cant squeeze your quad?! To determine what percent of their muscle someone is able to activate, the person is asked to contract fully against a force plate, then the muscle is electrically stimulate and the additional force is recorded.Having a voluntary contraction that is more than 95% of your voluntary plus electrically stimulated contraction is considered fully activated. northeastern dining hall menu; benefits of jamaican citizenship; long term florida rentals; karakusevic carson thamesmead. Quadriceps activation failure is a painful reminder that life without the quads is very difficult indeed. Follow this foolproof guide provided in this article to wake your quad back up! Am J Sports Med. 1. On the side, you want to perform the exercise, point your toes towards you and start with your knee on the ground. Hi there! If you are unable to lift off the ground, you may sit up on a block or stool. Failla MJ, Logerstedt DS, Grindem H, Axe MJ, Risberg MA, Engebretsen L, Huston LJ, Spindler KP, Snyder-Mackler L. Does Extended Preoperative Rehabilitation Influence Outcomes 2 Years After ACL Reconstruction? | Sports Injury, THIS POST IS PART OF THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SPORTS MEDICINE AND THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY. Injuries to the torn quad can be very disabling. Review of Chen 2009. I hope that can lead you in the direction of getting some help. This means that they are not caused by, for example, another player kicking your knee. Mobile Directions, Best ACL Graft for a Professional Athlete, Why Muscle Imbalances in Female Athletes Lead to ACL Tears. Takarada et al. It is best to utilize a graft that approximates the size of your original ACL and a quad graft accomplishes this. At a national meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, physical therapists were reporting that this problem is widespread, even two years after surgery. Because of this, your brain feels the need to protect the area from increased stress. Hello Zach, 1, 2 Preoperative quadriceps weakness predicts poor . If you push the weight too far forward, you will start compensating with your plantar flexors (soleus and gastrocnemius), again decreasing the amount of quad activation you are actually getting with the exercise. 6. Am J Sports Med. In the spirit of our efforts to promote reconciliation and create belonging for all, we acknowledge the traditional territories and oral practices of the Blackfoot, the Tsuutina, and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, the Mtis Nation (Region 3), and all the people who make their homes in this Treaty 7 region of southern Alberta. 2. 8. Uninjured controls averaged 95% activation. THIS POST IS PART OF THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SPORTS MEDICINE, AND THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY. If so, listen to their advice over anything I will say here. The quad muscle does not stiffen up much when stretching because it is kept as limber as possible. A hinged knee brace is applied on the knee. Stay with it and stay consistent, dont be discouraged as sometimes it takes some time for the quad to wake up after surgery! Knee I'm just guessing at the times, i haven't been counting. We are doing that in therapy by using electrical stimulation in the quad muscle while i am trying to flex the quad. ACL reconstruction surgery is not a repair or a salvage procedure.1,2,3 The entire ligament is reconstructed from either autografts . Suppressed quadriceps fascicle behavior is present in the surgical limbs of those with a history of ACL reconstruction. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2020 Feb;19(2):76-83. Its all healed now but I swear I cant activate my inner quad (vmo). Disclaimer: As always if you have an injury, see a physiotherapist or other healthcare practitioner who can advise you on rehabilitation (or prehabilitation!) 2005;33(7):1003-1010. Although there is less morbidity when using an allograft, numerous studies have shown inferior results when comparing an allograft to an autograft. As much as a 90% increase in load function compared to a patellar tendon graft. Here, she provides additional, and more advanced exercises, that can be done. Complete ACL tears are usually treated by sports medicine physicians and orthopedic surgeons with . We are sorry to hear about your injury, but glad you have healed up! Read our editorial policy. It is estimated that approximately 60,000 to 75,000 ACL reconstructions are performed each year in the United States. In his latest Bow Valley Crag & Canyon article, Banff Sport Medicine Physician Dr Andy Reed, reflects on his recent injury. Quadriceps activation following knee injuries: A systematic review. Registered in England and Wales. These patients had quadriceps activation of 78.6% on the painful knee and 77.7% on the non-painful knee. The quad tendon tissue usually heals in 10 to 12 weeks, and it may take longer for the muscle to recover completely. Simply put, ACL reconstruction involves taking something else and creating a new ligament out of it, says Moira McCarthy, M.D., sports medicine surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery. On the side, you want to perform this exercise, kick the leg straight until your knee is fully straight, hold for a moment, then slowly return to starting position and repeat. A week ago i had knee surgery to replace my ACL tendon, repair my torn MCL and repair the meniscus. Here at Move Strong Physical Therapy in Hudson, MA, inside of Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, MA, we create a customized program for all of our clients and athletes returning from an ACL reconstruction. Quad atrophyisusuallyassociated with chronic knee instability, which can beeven more alarming. Congratulations on all of the hard work youve put in. Sit up tall, holding the seat to stabilize yourself. Place your feet hip-width apart and 12 to 18 inches away from the wall. Upgrade to Patient Pro Medical Professional? The quad graft is the strongest graft as demonstrated in several studies, stronger than hamstring or patellar tendon. Any of your preferred core-strengthening exercises. BRYN . Check out our previous article on exercises to strengthen weak quads after ACL surgery for more information about various movements and exercises one can do to help regain quad strength. Why does exercise in the cold feel so hard? Another advantage of a quad graft over a patellar tendon graft is that a quad graft is nearly twice as thick and stronger than a patellar tendon graft. A quad graft has over 80% more tendon fibers or collagen compared to a patellar tendon graft. bolton ccg medicines management team; quad not firing after acl surgery By on June 14, 2022 June 14, 2022 Building quad muscles after an ACL surgery is imperative for athletes or clients. You may experience quad activation failure also known as quad not firing or quadshutdown.. Bencke J, Aagaard P, Zebis MK. I had to accept this at the time but my life is becoming unbearable. The quadriceps weakness common after anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, reconstruction surgery isn't just the result of muscle atrophy, research indicates. Focus on the quadriceps, not your gluteal (butt) muscle or hamstrings. Sci Rep. 5, 2015. There is no signs of gout. The ACL is located in the center of the knee joint, where it runs from the backside of the femur (thigh bone) to connect to the front of the tibia (shin bone). The quad tendon is reliably a 9-10mm graft. Salpeter, Garrett. Why is my quad not firing after knee surgery? Some variations are easier than others. Sorry to hear that you have had difficulty with your quadriceps activation. In order of increasing difficulty, arms can be placed forward, down by the sides, or crossed over the chest. It's not uncommon after major surgeries like an ACL surgery or a total joint replacement but can occur even with arthroscopy. Get back in the game or back to doing what you love. Sorry for the detail but just because one Dr says the MRI's show nothing along with x-rays etc it does not mean there is not a problem. Muscle activation is estimated from muscle electrical activity as recorded by intra muscular wires or surface electrodes. Finally I found one the Dr. took a look at my knee and he thought I had an infection and he wanted some lab work done and wanted me to have a bone scan done. I can do Thursday at 3pm and thats EST ;o). Most importantly, keep the swelling down. Step outside your comfort zone & elevate your bodys potential. Dont worry, below we will show you some other quadriceps activation exercises that are great for building muscle in this area of the body! Knee extension is not just a recommendation it is needed! You will feel your quads working with this exercise and maybe even your glutes. Its appropriate for anyone regardless of current fitness level and will build you from the ground up to tolerate the end ranges of knee extension. How long it takes normally to get the quad back? Any advice or help would be very welcome. None of this is fun but if I would have listened to the one Dr. that said everything is great how much worse would things have gotten before it really got bad?? If using a band, anchor the other end to the closest chair leg or to your opposite foot. Noll S, Garrison JC, Bothwell J, Conway JE. Here's a quick 3 minute exercise we recommend doing to assess if your quad is a primary reason for not being able to get into full extension AND start re-building the neuromuscular connections to the quad. The following exercises can help maintain knee function and strength.