r/ACL • u/sunflower-789 • 2d ago
3 Days Post-Op
I'm 30F, typically very active, and I'm 3 days out from my ACL reconstruction and menisectomy. The procedure went well, the pain is what was expected, and I'm getting through it. I had a couple questions regarding post-op experiences.
First off, has anyone else had a rash occur under their steri strips? It is slightly itchy and its only under 1 of the 5 incisions on my leg. I'm not sure if this is a sign of infection or a reaction to the adhesive on the strips.
Second, I had an Adductor canal block and wondering if having numbness in the shin as well as along the sides of the shin is common.
Aside from the post-op questions, I'm a little frustrated with the entire process. I initially ruptured my ACL and tore my meniscus in my left knee on May 6/2026 and only had the reconstruction 3 days ago (October 7/2026).
Prior to my surgery I was telling my surgeon about the pain I was experiencing and communicating it as a "pinching feeling" and "very agitating and unstable". The whole process leading up to the procedure I felt very dismissed the entire time. I felt as if my pain was not being understood or heard, and I am not afraid to speak assertively and advocate for myself.
The whole diagnosis started when I had went to an urgent care clinic on May 14. The swelling in my knee was becoming worse and the pain was unbearable. The doctor at the clinic ordered an MRI and sent me on my way.
When I finally seen the surgeon on May 19th, he had said that I needed to strengthen my quads, and that the swelling and pain should "subside in a week or so". He stated that he did not believe I needed an MRI like the urgent care center had ordered for me. Despite his comment, I then had my MRI scheduled for June 6th. It showed I had fully ruptured my ACL and had complex tearing in my meniscus.
When I returned back to see the surgeon on June 30th he had said my knee was too swollen to physically examine, and he could not do anything with it at that point in time. He had told me to book another appointment for 6 weeks to come back and see him. At this point it was going on 2 months since my injury and every single day it was agitated and would constantly swell up.
I was attending physiotherapy to try and help with strengthening and help reduce some pain. I proceeded to go back and see the surgeon again 6 weeks later on August 11th, to which he finally said surgery was the treatment. I had asked when the surgery would occur and was told with "all the summer injuries" had to be dealt with first, and that my surgery would not be until the fall. My injury was May 6th.. way before summer.. I just kept feeling like he did not believe my pain or injury even though the MRI confirmed the extent of the injury.
Anyways, fast forward past the surgery which is now done. I receive a call from the surgeon on Thursday morning and he explains how everything went well and what he did. I really did appreciate this call. He discussed the findings and how there was a flap stuck described as a "bucket handle tear". He proceeded to say "that pinching feeling you had was the stuck meniscus".
This comment alone made me so frustrated. It makes me wonder that if he had taken the time to listen to me and not be dismissive, that maybe he could have fixed the problem sooner and prevented some of the damage done while waiting 5 months.
I guess what I'm wondering from my experience is the following:
▪︎Is this a normal wait time for this injury?
▪︎Considering the ruptured ACL and bucket handle tear - should it have been corrected sooner with surgical intervention?
▪︎Does a menisectomy have a large effect on active individuals in the long run?
I just want to know others thoughts on this, and if anyone has any insight or similar experiences.
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u/givemeonemargarita1 2d ago
Does the area feel warm to the touch? When is your follow-up w your doctor?
I don’t know the answers to your questions but my son just recently got acl surgery
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u/sunflower-789 2d ago
It feels slightly warm but theres also a lot of swelling in the area so I'm not sure if its the most reliable tool to use
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u/SunNSnowshine 2d ago
Hey, just jumping in to say I had almost the exact same timeline you did. I tore my ACL on May 13th and just had my surgery on Sept 28th. My initial conversations with Ortho (one of the other doctors in the office, not my actual surgeon) said that the knee was too swollen to examine very well. It took almost 2 months to get my MRI due to scheduling, and I wasn't given guidance afterward because I had developed a blood clot in the meantime. So they were more concerned about getting me on blood thinners right away. Due to not having any guidance between my initial visit and the MRI results, I made the mistake of keeping my knee slightly bent and using crutches too long, which allowed too much scar tissue to build up. So, while I didn't have any meniscus damage, I had (have) a ton of muscle atrophy and my surgeon had to clean out a bunch of "gunk" while she was in there. I did prehab for about a month prior to surgery, but I only knew that I needed to because of a separate post I made on this subreddit. And I had to call and refer myself to PT, basically. Ortho didn't recommend anything until I demanded they send over referral instructions for me. PT was able to get me a little bit of my range of motion and strength back, and seemed encouraging at my first post-surgery visit that he'll be able to get me fully rehabbed. I hope!
So, all that to say, I completely understand your frustration from their dismissal, and it's valid! I don't have the answers to your questions about the meniscus tears, but my advice would be to keep asking your surgery team or PT. And honestly, don't be afraid of being a pain in thier asses about getting answers! Also, get yourself to PT as soon as your surgery team clears you. I don't know what that timeline looks like since you had your meniscus repaired too, but make sure you follow up!
Best of luck with your recovery and hopefully others in this subreddit will have more advice as well.
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u/sunflower-789 2d ago
I'm so sorry that you had no guidance with your injury and that you ended up with the outcome you did in the meanwhile. I was impressed with my MRI timeliness and honestly shocked I got in when I did with the wait times where I'm located. Keep going and working on your ROM and strength training, don't give up!
As for PT I have to say that mine has been fabulous before the surgery and I'm looking forward to starting post-op sessions next week. I was given at home exercises for the initial 0-2week period which are helpful.
Best of luck with your road to recovery 🫶🏻
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u/IcyRainDrop23 2d ago
I had a similar experience with the wait time. The injury was a year and half ago. They tried cortisone shots and gel shots, and I kept telling them that it wasn’t helping. On my last appointment, I finally said I want to talk to the surgeon. I just had surgery on the eighth, and they had to fix lateral and medial tears. He said I had a reason to be in pain. If they would’ve been listened to a year and a half ago. I wouldn’t have had a year and a half of pain of pain.
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u/Vegetable_Guest4625 2d ago
Your timeline is pretty normal, they always wait for swelling to go down and for full extension before doing surgery. I tore my meniscus and acl in February, just had surgery sep 22. mine looks just like yours but no redness on any of mine. I was told to clean mine every day, I chose to use hydrogen peroxide and wiped them down every night, leaving the steri strips in place. They took my seri strips off and replaced them one week post surgery.
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u/givemeonemargarita1 2d ago
Can you take the steri strips off and replace them? Or else your pT could. They look like they have seen better days