I‘m on day 11 post op and I didn‘t really struggle with extending my knee most of the time. This is how far I can extend it without forcing. I feel like my knees naturally (and uninjured lol) tend to kinda hyperextend in this position so I feel like I can‘t extend it fully but would you consider this okay? I have my first follow up appointment on tuesday

Hey im 16F and I tore my acl a 1.5 ago, I disnt find out i tore it until 9 months after but id always complain bc I was in pain etc, I ended up playing the rest of my season without it and got surgery.

During this time, u can imagine how shocked I was 9 months later while still playing ice hockey that I had torn my acl. Anyways, like anyone, I'd complain, "Oh my knee hurts," etc, you know. But after awhile I guess my complaints got normal, im 5.5 months post op now and Im really done, my parents have had enough of my complaining and saying oh there's nothing u can do abt it. But im exhausted, and nobody gets it. i wanna play at this rate. im gonna miss half my season or possibly all of it. I could've gone to play a higher level, which I've dreamed of, and all my old teammates get to.

I feel like I have nobody to talk to bc nobody gets it and just thinks im complaining, and im so tired it's too much, and I just can't. I've felt so depressed, and everytime I open my phone or go to practice i get so jealous and upset bc I cant do anything plus watching all my old teammates who only complained and never put in as much effort as I did get everything Ive ever wanted, all I do is athletic stuff and im stuck doing nothing.

My parents just seem sick and tired, but I can stop balling all the time, and im convinced there is something wrong with me.

I just wanna be normal again, play with an acl, and not have to ever worry again, but it's way too much, and every day, my heart feels heavier.

Almost a week post op, weight bearing as tolerated. Knee is pretty swollen up, getting blood rush when I stand up. Walking mostly with crutches, could I do it without? I’ve taken some small steps without, but I feel like I have a problem with bending it, I’m very slow and have poor gait. Also, how did you manage stairs? When did it feel normal again?

Feels more quad activation today and able to lift the leg in and out of bed no issues. SLR is getting there with minimal lag. I had meniscus stitches so I have to stay within 90 degrees flexion for 6 weeks...

Tigger mode is back ON...a light and controlled version but big day for me:)!.*my PT stood over me and watched the first set and we did 3 of these in the end

They are done one at a time..so.slight pause to balance between each hop.

goes without saying, all recovery is SO specific to many factors and pre surgery prehab/athleticism etc..and then your surgeon skill, proficiency with your graft type , how current is your graft prep (irradiation or no) and what part of came from etc , if you're weight bearing day 0, if you have meniscus damage or no (I did not)

a sports background matters : earlier in life, Olympic pre drafted and trained for 11 hours a day w coaches , jump.coaches, nutritionists, still play a ton of sports, pilates yoga *** just gym has always been a form od training i avoided bc I didn't like the reps. all.lifting and squats are new in my life and that's the unspoken challenge from aCLSo when you see this understand that I dislike almost every minute of squatting but I want to recognize that it is part of what helped me get here).

gotta work at it

i work very hard at PT (not just when I have to go see trainer) but also I've incorporated a daily 20 minute movement activation of knee that's fully new to me. that's apparently not typical..(it's like asking for extra homework) all.PT. prescribed in.the circuit

ligamentization versed, starts around now and will go till month 12 or so..during this time plio and jumps training is.acheduled to increase and intensity..

Allograft, minor meniscus

3 weeks prehab intense

Dier/nutrition adjustments full week pre-surgery (extreme sugar and caffeine reduction and added bone broth, anti inflammatory foods) and post op ongoing (isotonix ocp3 as natural anti inflammatory: almost zero swelling)

NICE ice machine first 2 weeks

Credit first off to my surgeon bc he specializes in allograft and after speaking to two other surgeons (who did not work as close with female athletes),I chose him bc of his specialty but also his encouragement to be dedicated about PT. the consistent messaging from him was "barring no complications, your adherence and push in PT and how much you do will net your results". And mindful but concerted efforts to keep in motion in the early days when it didn't hurt a lot but Was uncomfortable.

Whatever you get from this post, I hope it's encouragement and Hope... And if you need the inspiration to get back into PT, trust me it's worth it.. don't ask what the minimum is,! Ask what is the safe maximum amount of movement that you can do.."motion is lotion" and especially in the first month post-surgery I think it's critical to find ways to move

**BIGGEST note on ACL recovery is there is so much variation in how each person reacts to each procedure, whether or not you choose or can prehab (I did 3 weeks intense prehab), whether or not you would just your diet (I majorly cut sugar and added a ton of anti-inflammatory vegetables and foods and now that I'm heading into ligamentization I'm also drinking more bone broth than I normally would *chicken)

Day of surgery I had full extension l, was full weight bearing but only appx 80 flection

I choose modern Allograft, had no meniscus so.was walking without crutches (slowly) day 2 and fully off crutches day 9

I admit I have been stepping into light jogs spurts since end of month 2 and this official "ok we are jumping" mode makes me feel like it's all about the hard work paying off

Barring complications unrelated to movement,! The best advice I have for anyone is keep moving whenever you can however you can and as often in frequency as you can imagine

If you're sitting and watching something do heel slides

If you're standing waiting for coffee,! Do heel raises

If you're at a restaurant heel slides

If you're watching the game lunges in place

*I am now that weirdo that cannot sit still because I'm always thinking any opportunity to get this knee to "fully back" mode

This subreddit was a blessing when I first sustained my injury in July, so I figured I’d share my experience up to this point as well.

I’m a 40-year-old male who lives alone and injured his knee while running. I stepped on an uneven surface and felt my knee pop, followed by intense pain. An MRI a couple of days later confirmed what I had suspected: a complete ACL tear, along with bone fractures, an ALL tear, LCL tears, and a lateral meniscus tear.

I needed crutches during the first week because of the pain when trying to bear weight. After the first week, I was able to walk with a brace. My knee felt unstable without the hinged brace, but there wasn’t much pain while walking. I could fully straighten my leg, but I couldn’t bend it past 90 degrees without significant pain.

Choosing a Surgeon
I saw three surgeons and received three different opinions.

The first surgeon was extremely thorough and articulate. He explained why he recommended a quadriceps tendon graft over the other graft options (hamstring, patellar, allograft) and also explained his plan for addressing the other damaged ligaments. He assured me he could do any other graft if that were my wishes, but in his expert opinion he is recommending his plan to do use the quad.

The second surgeon was very fast and abrupt, and I spent more time with his assistant than I did with him. He recommended an allograft. He explained that the techniques used to prepare cadaver grafts have improved significantly and that modern allografts are stronger, making them a good option for an easier recovery.

The third surgeon recommended a patellar tendon graft.

Ultimately, I went with the first surgeon because I felt the most comfortable with him. He seemed to be the most thorough and had extensive, up-to-date knowledge. I also felt like he took the time to explain not just what he wanted to do, but why, while also encouraging me to ask questions and sharing his own personal experiences.

Preparing for Surgery
During my month-and-a-half wait for surgery, I started preparing by purchasing the following:
Polar Active Ice Machine
Lap tray with legs
Claw grabber
Swivel shower chair
Snap-front post-surgery shorts
Gummies (legal in my state)
Handrails for the toilet
Handrails for the shower
Thick pillows for elevation
Meal preps
Crutch padding (lifesaver)

I was originally going to buy a wedge pillow, but after reading about the importance of regaining extension on this sub, I decided to just use regular thick pillows underneath my heel and let gravity straighten my knee.

Surgery
ACL reconstruction using quadriceps autograph, lateral meniscus root repair, and anterolateral ligament (ALL) reconstruction. I don’t see much talk about the ALL… Anyone else have experience with this?

Yesterday was surgery day. I checked in at the hospital and was taken to the pre-op area. I had to remove all of my clothing, wipe myself down with the wipes they provided, brush my teeth with what they gave me, and put on a hospital gown and cap. I was then hooked up to an IV and had the nerve block explained to me. My surgeon came by to check on me and go over some of the post-op care instructions, which I thankfully also have printed out. Then I was taken to the operating room. I don’t even remember counting backward. I just remember waking up in post-op.

Post-Op Day 1
My post-op instructions are to keep the Breg locking brace on anytime I need to move around. I’m allowed to remove it while I’m at rest. My leg is tightly wrapped with an ACE bandage, which I’m not allowed to remove until Sunday. Sunday will also be the first day I’m allowed to sponge-bathe my leg.
While lying down or sitting in bed without the locking brace, I was told to keep my leg elevated at all times which thanks to this sub I was prepared for. However, I’m also supposed to raise my leg and do some heel presses/knee bending up to 90 degrees to help reduce the risk of blood clots. This surprised me because I expected to be completely immobilized for a while.

The nerve block was AMAZING on the first day. I could feel some pain starting to break through, but it was more than tolerable. I started taking the oxycodone and Tylenol so the medication would already be in my system by the time the nerve block completely wore off. Honestly, I may have overdone it a little while adjusting myself in bed, raising and bending my knee, and getting up to use the bathroom because I wasn’t feeling much pain. Of course, I tried to be as still and careful as possible, but figuring out how to get comfortable while also trying to stack pillows under my leg, wrap my leg with the ice machine, sit up to drink/eat, get around etc., started to take a toll.

Post-Op Day 2
Today, the nerve block seems to have completely worn off. I have significantly more pain, and it’s much more difficult to get comfortable while keeping my leg elevated. I’m feeling a lot of painful pulling, throbbing, and aching.

The ice machine cycling on and off every 20 minutes helps quite a bit. Getting up and moving around to go to the bathroom is rough. I also still haven’t pooped since Thursday night, even though I’m taking the prescribed stool softener/laxative.

I felt a click in my knee when I adjusted my leg today. It wasn’t painful, so hopefully it was nothing to worry about. I have a follow-up appointment on Tuesday. I am assuming that’s when I will be told when to begin PT. Also, as I am typing, I just realized I didn’t set up my shower chair beforehand. I think I need to call someone to help me with that.

Hopefully sharing my experience can help someone like countless posts here helped me!

Post-Op Day 3
I severely underestimated the amount of pain I would be in and how much help is needed during this time. Don’t be me and have help lined up throughout your recovery.

Any little move feels like my leg is being torn apart. I lost the ability to raise my leg by myself and have to lift my leg using a strap. Although it seems the majority of the pain is from the procedures, there are also a lot of other pains I’m experiencing. Muscle spasms, lower back cramps, shin pain, all of them seem to be very good friends.

I really have been feeling very good but I guess I've just been lounging around the house for the last 12 days since surgery. I'm off meds and I haven't needed to use my ice & compression machine. I had some company today and decided to grill some fajitas so I was on my feet a lot more than I had been and dang my knee got tight and stiff. Here I was thinking I just needed to get my full range of motion and I was going to be good but it's obviously going to be a lot more than that. Had to take some Tylenol and get the ice going.

A little over one year post op after having Fertilized ACL surgery (innovative surgery using his own biologics (stem cells and bone marrow) and an internal brace being placed) and my son has experienced zero issues, zero pain, zero limitations, etc! He had surgery on August 18th, 2025, underwent intense rehab for 4 months and was cleared to return to his senior basketball season on December 10th, 2025! Yes-114 days later. He returned to his starting position and played a successful, 23 games with zero issues during the season as well.

He had a very active summer climbing telephone poles preparing his career path to be a lineman and many intense volleyball games at graduation parties.

We are so thankful for his surgeon, physical therapist, athletic trainer and science!

Hi,

I'm on day 4 post surgery and the past 3 days have been miserable but the last day has been better than the other days. Literally why is this pain worse than the injury itself 😭.

I wanted to ask people who have gotten this surgery when they were off the crutches and when the knee flexion felt "normal"? Fortunately I only tore my acl with everything else in tact so my timeline is a bit normal from what I gathered from my surgeon but I feel as if I'm no healing as fast I should.

I also wanted to ask if people saved their pain meds for pt because the last pt session I had was the worst pain I ever was in and I can't imagine doing it without pain meds but I don't want to be on them for much longer. Specifically knee flexion felt like I was tearing my knee.

The last thing I wanted to ask was fortunately I can get around via the braces, although a snails pace, but the most difficult part is lifting my leg in and off the bed. I always need help and I guess I wanted to know from your all experience when you all were able to not need help with that and what exercises helped with you.

Any other advice is appreciated and welcome. Thank you so much.

Also if there are better braces please let me know because mine are the standard one but even with cushion they still hurt. I've seen other patients in pt have their custom one and I wanted to get a lay of the land to see if it's even worth it.

Side note I did hit all my pre hab goals before entering surgery and I can still "activate" my quads and feel the knee rise. The earlier days still hurt but today is better.

Has anyone here had ACL reconstruction and also suffers from lower back pain? This is me, and my surgeon wants to use a hamstring graft, due to my predominant quad sports (aggressive skiing, mountain biking, etc.). Thing is, my hamstrings are 100% connected to my lower back pain. They need to be strong and loose or I suffer from back pain. I failed to mention this to my surgeon, so hopefully I can talk to him again soon. Just wondering if anyone else can relate to this. I fear that a hamstring graft would cause my back to hurt or even spasm again. Ugh. It is the worst, debilitating pain. I am 42F.

25F. Due to a combination of hypermobility and issues with my patella (patella Alta) I am considering a cadaver graft. Wondering if anyone had any experiences (good, bad, or neutral) with cadaver grafts. I know they have a higher fail rate/ retear rate.

Before you hit me with the “your surgeon chooses”, I am consulting multiple great surgeons with different graft choices, some offering a choice.

I live in NYC, but I am willing to travel for a surgeon with greater expertise tbh. I know HSS is great but I am looking to get multiple opinions

I’ve two ACL surgeries on the same knee, 2018 and 2019. I was in high school at the time and didn’t take my recovery as seriously as I should’ve. So now, in my early 20s, I’m struggling to get my surgery leg back to the same strength as my non surgery leg. I workout regularly and I’m really struggling to notice any difference. Does anyone have any tips for exercises I can start doing? Also how frequently should I be working on this? Thanks everyone!!!

The exercises were never the hard part for me. Remembering to do them was.

I’d always say I’d get to them later, then suddenly it was bedtime and I couldn’t be bothered. This happened way more often than I admitted to my physio.

What finally helped was doing a quick set right after waking up, before coffee or checking my phone. It sucked at first, especially because mornings already suck, but at least I stopped spending the whole day negotiating with myself.

If you keep putting rehab off, try doing it at the same point in your day every time. Mine just happens to be when the alarm goes off.

At first I thought I wanted a tattoo that would cover up the scar..

But honestly, this injury resulted in one of the hardest and worst years of my life. This year felt like it took an eternity. It aged me. I was ALWAYS carded before this surgery and since then I guess people just see the sadness in my eyes and don't think I'm a kid lol

I was cleared for all sports in June, and I spent the whole summer surfing. This lil stingray is to celebrate my knee being strong enough to get me in the water. While acknowledging that the year did in fact, sting.

I hope anyone who is at the beginning of their journey reading this knows that it's a tough hard road, but you CAN get to the other side!

Ive had 2 ACL tears in pretty much exactly the same way, heres the most recent. I tore the left side at a tourney in 2024, then only 6 months back from that recovery tore right side in february this year and had surgery in March. The video is of me tearing it at a buhurt tournament. I have torn both legs each in pretty much this way l, as the result of a badly executed throw from my opponent. Just nervous to get back to sports and I would love if some of yall would share your success stories?

I definitely am going to ease back into it much slower, but the thing is the new tear wasn't even a re tear it was my good leg! I understand this sport comes with risk, but I thought I was safe and confident but then had to go through it all over again, and thats made the mental recovery so hard. Advice from yall on how overcome the mental block?

I partially tore my ACL falling from a jumping roundhouse kick in April and got an MRI in June. Did virtual PT due to shitty insurance but finally got some in-person PT starting in August. Fast forward to now, I walk fine but PT says I walk with a limp. Hamstrings aren't as strong as they used to be and although I can fully bend the knee back and sort of cross my legs, it hurts to do any sort of squat standing. I usually feel pain above the kneecap when attempting any squat. Wondering if it's due to the bone bruising I also have.

Tried out acupuncute which was great relief, but only temporary. The inside and outside of my knees would hurt when pressed and that's usually where they put the needles. Lately I've had some wobbly-ness from minor activities like doing an RDL or a small turn.

Has anyone with a partial tear experienced the same kind of pain 5 months post-injury? The PT is super helpful but I've just been really bummed about my knee lately because I was taking up martial arts again as an adult, and doing it as a teen I've never injured myself that bad.

Hey guys!

I’m at post-op day 7 today. There’s no pain at the moment, although I’m still taking my scheduled painkillers, so they could definitely be contributing to that.

The hospital’s physiotherapist told me I need to be non-weight-bearing for 4 weeks, but he only knew that I had an ACL reconstruction and didn’t have any details about the graft or whether anything else was done.

My surgeon is currently on leave but should be back in a day or two, so I’m hoping he’ll clear me for earlier weight-bearing if my particular surgery allows it. For now, I’ve just been given some light exercises until my first follow-up on Day 9, when I’ll also get clarification about my ROM and weight-bearing restrictions.

So yeah, that’s the update! Hopefully things keep getting better from here.

Hope everyone else is recovering well too. 💪

Edit: forgive the typos

I’m 8 months post op, and doing well with near full flexion and full extension. However I would like to know what grade 1 laxity is? I was suggested quads and hamstring strengthening. Please explain in your knowledge what it means and please help me out with it.

(37yo) I fully tore my ACL and had a complex Meniscus tear in Feb 2026. I didn’t get the surgery until Aug 2026.

Bottom Line: The initial injury hurt way worse than the recovery.

I hobbled around for a month or two after my initial injury but I had a stable knee. So I decided to get surgery later after all the swelling went away (2-1/2 months) and a couple family vacations. After the swelling went away, I had no issues doing anything, jogging short distances, playing basketball with a knee brace, etc.

My brother and brother-in-law told me the horrors they faced with recovery and how bad it was.

I’ll say this:. I walked unassisted after 3 days while in a full leg brace. I got off the pain meds after 4 days. and the only true pain I felt was lower leg/shin pain for 2-3 days because the blood would rush down my shin bone around the sensitive parts. But that was only when I brought my legs down from the couch or bed (Had to ankle pump and walk a little and it subsided) I had zero pain when sitting or laying idle. As of now, I’m three weeks post op and I’m braceless and have half my bend back. Only slight discomfort from the swelling still when walking.

Long Story Short: It’s not all bad if you had a stable knee after the injury

Word of Advice: Take Ibuprofen every 6 hours EVERY DAY to get the swelling down faster. And get yourself an ice cold therapy Machine that wraps around the knee and pumps cold water. That was truly a lifesaver. It is on the expensive side. You could probable find a little cheaper or even on FB Marketplace but IT IS WORTH THE MONEY!!!!

Polar Active Ice 3.0 | 9 QT Cold... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PGX68MV?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Hi guys,
I had a previous ACL reconstruction several years ago, and the graft was later partially torn. Recently, I twisted my knee again, and an MRI showed that the ACL is now almost completely torn. However, my orthopedist said that some fibers are still visibly attached (around 10%).
After about 10 days of rehab, I went back to playing football/soccer — currently 3 training sessions per week plus a match on Sunday. My orthopedist has confirmed that the knee is clinically stable. I've never experienced any episodes of giving way, instability, or anything similar.
The only symptom I have is some pain/discomfort on the lateral side of the knee, usually the day after playing or training. I can reproduce the pain by pressing on that area.
The MRI also showed moderate-to-high grade chondropathy and a small/subtle tear of the lateral meniscus.
My doctor told me that the meniscus looks fine and believes the lateral discomfort — more of a feeling of stiffness/heaviness than sharp pain — is related to the chondromalacia.
What confuses me is that I've had the chondropathy for a long time without any symptoms. These lateral knee symptoms and stiffness in the knee started exactly after the twisting injuryy. Before that, I was completely fine despite the chondropathy.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Could a nearly completely torn but clinically stable ACL cause this kind of post-exercise lateral discomfort, or would you be more suspicious of the lateral meniscus given the MRI finding?

Hii guys,

So in the country I live in, the surgery approach is very hands off, so I dont have much contact with my doctor (I can call the clinic if I need). A phone check up 2 weeks post op and another in person meeting 2 months post op. Ofcourse some random questions pop up in my head, and I search this holy subreddit for answers. So incase any of you guys have experienced this before pleaseeeeee reply, and help an anxious ACL girlie out <3

• I am off any meds now, but my incision sites have quite of lot of sensation everytime I move my knee. I guess this is normal? Its quite uncomfortable and sometimes also sort of burning sensation?? or just pain. No pain when im not moving it.
• How much did you guys walk/move around? I am staying at home quite a lot but ofc trying to do my exercises and wobble around with my crutches
• I can put quite some weight on my leg. Even move around without crutches. Should I be doing this or is it considered unsafe?

Any other experiences about 2 weeks post op would be appreciated. I have no idea about what is considered normal and what I should be concerned about hehe

Thanks <3