r/ACL

Around 2.5 weeks ago I was playing beach volleyball (just started a few months ago and I was in love with it). I went for the ball, felt / heard my left knee pop, and couldn't put weight on it. I've been using a hinged knee brace and crutches since.

Finally had my sports medicine doctor appointment today (soonest they could see me). He said my ACL is "gone". My MCL is likely sprained, and some kind of miniscus injury as well. He said I will definitely need surgery. The next step is an MRI in the next few weeks.

The main thing that brought me joy was being outside, hiking, camping, going on solo travels. Tell me it won't be so bad to get through this? 😭 I'm 30, and can't help but feel like my life is over... even though the logical part of me knows this isn't forever, and I'm sure anyone else who's been through this can relate haha.

Hi, I just got out of surgery. I am pretty down guys 😢. My quad graft exploded during the surgery and the surgeon had to take the hamstring. So now both sides of my leg are done.

Hey guys,
I’ve never posted on here before but felt the need for a sense of community as of recently. I got ACL + Meniscus surgery on May 13th of this year, and went with the Quad graft. I’m happy to answer any questions about the surgery if anyone has them. In terms of where I’m needing support is the mental support. Recently, I don’t know what’s come over me but I’m had this overwhelming feeling of emptiness. I just feel completely different than before my surgery even when I was injured. I waited about 2 years to get it fixed unfortunately due to long wait times in Canada. But from the start of May to now, while nothing much physically has changed and I’m back to doing basically everything, I just don’t feel the same. I don’t know how to feel like me again and it’s so uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable with myself. I don’t know if anyone is going to be able to relate to this but if it does, I’d love some support, or even someone to talk to.

Thanks guys, much love!

So, for me I received a spinal block for my ACL reconstruction surgery, they did a hamstring graft. The research I did here, on the internet, and talk I had with another doctor are completely different from what I got in the end.

So, the first doctor I went to quoted up to 2.5lakhs INR (with everything covered), while the second doctor the one I got my surgery from quoted 1.3lakhs INR (with everything covered). I didn't expect to stay in the ICU after my surgery for almost an entire day. The medicine I received was mainly through the vein for almost 2 days.

After an entire day in the ICU, I was shifted to the room. I walked with a physiotherapist in the ICU a day after the surgery. I was asked to walker assistance with full weight bearing on my knee. My physio started on Sunday (the day after my discharge), it's day 5 of post op, and I'm able to walk up and down stairs, bend up to 45 degrees in the sitting position already.

The previous doctor said, I will be needing crutches, and I will stay in hospital only for a day, I was really hoping to get general anesthesia but they went for spinal block as they have to put a ventilator.

How different was your surgery experience from this?

Had quad tendon ACL recon. Surgeon did lachman on me at the 2 months post op follow up, said slightly positive between grade 0 and 1, he doesn't have a machine but said probably 2mm side to side difference.

How common is it to have laxity show up this early? Will it stretch out further over the year?

Did anyone have swelling after their first run back ? I ran for 15 min 2 min run 1 min walk , ran on a small track , didnt feel any pain but knee swelled up a little next day and its still the same. Also knee feels tighter
Anyone have similar experience?

I’m super duper anxious. I don’t shop on Amazon and the cold compression packs that I ordered two weeks ago haven’t shipped and probably won’t arrive in time. My boyfriend is hesitant to take off work to take me to my appointment, none of my friends can take off work at such short notice. I had turned down family flying in to help me because I thought I could rely on my bf. I’ve freaked myself out reading through everyone else’s experiences. I feel wholly unprepared. All this to say, can anyone suggest where I could get ice packs for my knee in one day before surgery?

28F, 51kg.

Did my ACL+LET surgery mid February. Completed 6 months.

Current lifting weights:
Deadlift - 75kg
Barbell Backsquat - 65kg
Leg extension - single leg - 10kg 15 reps, 15kg possible
Leg curls - single leg - 15-20 kg
Chest press - 12.5kg dumbells
Dumbell row - 15kg dumbells
Bicep curls - 10kg dumbells

Physiotherapy is too expensive so I refer my own youtube and medical papers on progress rate and next step. I make my own weekly chart on what to each week. There is a new chart every week.

Can do jumps now. Double and single. Have been running for a while too. Max speed till
Now is 6 noted in strava app..

Proud of myself
For all the effort and work I did not being able to afford rehab PT.
Hows this growth?

3 weeks post ACL (hamstring graft + LET) and I literally cannot sleep, need advice.

So quick background, fully tore my ACL and partially tore my MCL beginning of july. Did prehab for about a month with a knee brace, then had surgery july 31st (hamstring graft + LET procedure).

I’m almost 3 weeks post op now and my recovery has been kinda average/below average tbh. Still on one crutch, flexion is stuck at 90 degrees and hasn’t moved in like 2 weeks, extension is decent though. No real pain during the day besides after PT or walking too much, no brace (doc said only needed if meniscus involved, which mine isn’t), no pain meds besides tylenol/advil at night if needed.

But the SLEEP. I genuinely cannot get more than 4-5 hours a night and it’s wrecking me. I fall asleep fine but then I wake up and just can’t find a comfortable position anymore. I use a leg elevation pillow to keep it straight but that stops being comfortable after a while, so I switch to just having it flat on the bed with a regular pillow under it. I’m a side sleeper so I’ve tried putting a pillow between my knees with the injured leg on top, but after a few minutes my knee starts hurting and I have to move again.

It’s not really pain keeping me up, it’s just discomfort and not being able to find a position that works for more than an hour or so. Some nights I technically get 5+ hours but it’s broken up into chunks with an hour or two awake in between. I end up needing like 12 hours in bed just to scrape together 7 hours of actual sleep, and most nights I don’t even get that because I can’t fall back asleep once I’m up.

I work full time remote so between work and PT there’s no real time to nap during the day either, so this is just compounding.

Has anyone dealt with this? When did it get better for you? Did you find any positions or setups that actually helped? Starting to feel like the lack of sleep is slowing my whole recovery down at this point, any advice is appreciated.

Hi guys! I’m not gonna lie I’m really stressed out about my recovery progress.
From day 1 I did all my PT exercises, and doctor said I could walk with crutches (weight bearing as tolerated). However, 2 weeks later and I’m honestly behind schedule. I’m extending to 9 degrees, and walking is just IMPOSSIBLE because of my limited extension. I can bear weight, but the walking part has to happen in the most bizarre and unnatural way. I read everyone is walking without crutches on week 3 and I’m like… did I ruin my progress? 😅
Also we found out yesterday when removing the stitches, that 5mm of my wound did not close properly. So now I’m withhold from physio until it closes, which means even less progress.
Basically: freaking out 😭
Anyone went through the same? 🙏

Im 8 months post op. I have no feeling in my shin. Its just been like this ever sense the surgery. Ive told my doc and my PT they both said it could take a while. Theres a possibility that it could just stay that way. Anyone else have something similar happen to them from surgery?

i’ll start.

i was playing pickleball when i was jumping and overextended my knee. i went down for like 5 mins. when i looked up, i saw a lot of people staring at me and i felt so embarrassed so I shook it off and finished my game… next day, i couldn’t even bend my knee 🤣 rested my knee for 2 weeks (no workouts etc) and after 2 weeks i returned to workouts and sports. a month later, i got a confirmed mri result with a full acl tear, partial mcl and meniscus.

i recently got seen by ortho surgeon and been advised that since i have no pain and still have full range of motion, i am not a surgical candidate.

so far, i’m fine with the non surgical route but things can change, so… what’s your story?

A month ago I tore my acl completely got a bucket handle tear in my meniscus sprained my mcl and fractured my tibia I’m in the marines and if you know the healthcare likes to take its time with everything I haven’t gotten surgery yet and haven’t even scheduled it I see the surgeon next week should I be worried about this timeline and the ability for them to repair my meniscus or should I be just fine or should I attempt to get it somewhere else