I’m almost 4 weeks post-op and I’m getting very frustrated with still not being able to walk properly.
I tore my right ACL in 2018 and also had a repair then, but I have forgotten a lot of the recovery and when I hit certain milestones.
I know everyone is different, but I would be interested to know when your walking returned back to normal?
Hey everyone. I’m 10 months post-op from an ACL reconstruction using a hamstring graft. What’s the general consensus on using BPC-157 for recovery? Has anyone here tried it, and if so, how were your results?
TIA!
My knee has given me trouble for well over a decade. Because I was uninsured until recently, I always just took it easy for a bit. A few weeks ago I pivoted while walking briskly and the pop happened again. After a MRI I've been informed my ACL is torn, there is significant arthrosis, and the only option is a knee replacement. I'm too young to be able to do that surgery. I was told that artho was not an option. That it will not heal on its own, and PT would help a bit, but it will never be the same.
I'm dealing with quite a bit of grief. I just turned 40 this year. My mother has had both of her knees replaced, so I'm familiar with the lifespan of that implant as well as the recovery required. And now I know that at least one is in my future. And for now...I can't run. I can't stand or walk for hours without ending up walking like a cripple and debilitating pain for weeks. I can't play on the floor with my daughter because I struggle so much to get back up.
Is this really it? Is there truly nothing that I can do but take Tylenol, keep the injury in mind, and delay a knee replacement as long as possible? I'm not sure if insurance would cover a second opinion, or if I'm deluding myself with denial about how things are.
I'm full of such sadness right now.
>MRI reveals a chronic ACL tear
>There is significant arthrosis noted to the medial compartment
can someone please tell me wtf is going on with my scars. they looked so good a couple weeks ago so thin and nice and now they seemed to have turned gross. is it a keloid? i’m so upset :(
I tore my ACL at age 39 playing beach volleyball in Costa Rica four years ago (top gun, smh). I consulted 9 different docs, and it was 5-4 surgery v no surgery. I elected for no surgery because I had a little kid and another on the way and was going back to grad school full time for a few years. I didn’t want to be incapacitated for a few months and I could walk and jog and lift without much discomfort. And also because I drove to Syracuse and spent time with a surgeon and his PT who both said that surgery wouldn’t guarantee my knee would be more stable than just good rehab.
I rehabbed hard for a few months at Zarrett in Philly. Read a bunch about how the ACL could heal on its own. Four years later I’ve had no issues with it. I don’t do anything crazy explosive off it, but I will play hoops and soccer with my kids. I bike, lift, and run without issue. Rode a century a few weeks ago.
If you’re not a competitive athlete and are wondering about surgery, hopefully my story helps.
Ok I’m sure this post is on here 1000x but I’m having surgery in the morning and I am TERRIFIED. I’m scared of the surgery, the GA, the recovery. Any reassurance would be swell 😬😬😬
They didn’t even have to wake me up after the surgery. I woke up sobbing and hyperventilating and pain. After 3 hours and countless pain meds and another nerve blocker finally I came to feel better.
Leg is heavy as fuck. I was almost admitted to the hospital. Nothing was working for me pain wise.
26f, super athletic. Torn acl, torn meniscus both completely repaired. Quad
I’m able to move my toes and leg. Using a lot of my upper body for movement. Calisthenics is so important
Here’s to recovering 🙏🙏🙏
All I could think was that You all LIED that it didn’t hurt the first day. My god 😭😭
For those who have achieved their range of motion ‘pretty easily’ albeit the pain and suffering, what did y’all do to achieve that?
I am 5 weeks post op ACLR + Meniscus repair surgery and I wanted some useful tips to get back full hyperextension as same as the non operated leg and full flexion.
I am still NWB and cleared for walking post 6 weeks.
Today marks 1 year of ACL reconstruction! This group has helped me SO much along the way and I hope everyone here feels the same so THANK YOU and CONGRATS to those on the same timeline as me!
Whether you are freshly torn, pre-op, post-op, no-op, or anywhere in between, YOU GOT THIS and have a great community to back you up!
Has anyone achieved all their goals in 1 year?
Has anyone done more than what they thought in 1 year?
Has anyone done something they never thought they'd be able to do?
Let's hear it :)
Last week I (24F) tore my ACL just holding someone on my back. I’m not athletic whatsoever and don’t play any sports/work out, so I’m not really thinking about surgery as an option, at least right now.
Has anyone opted out of doing surgery and found recovery in just rehab/PT? Especially as a non-athletic person? I don’t even jog or do light exorcise so I don’t think I should go the surgery route. I haven’t done the MRI yet so I’m not sure how exactly how bad the tear was but I’m just thinking ahead of what my options are. Any advice would be helpful, and any success stories from people who haven’t had surgery and saw some recovery are helpful as well! (:
5.5 months PO from ACL reconstruction/MCL distal repair. I'm doing fine with rehab, no real issues. Running on treadmill, jumping, probably close to 80% strength of my good leg. Was out duck hunting, walking through some marsh/uneven terrain.i was going slow, taking my time. Stumbled in a deeper hole and went down, heel to butt in the process of falling. No twisting motions or sudden movements came into play, just stumbled and went down slowly. Since there was no solid ground to grab and stop me from sitting down, I ended up bringing my arse down to my heel. No popping sounds heard. It hurt, not going to lie. Stood back up and hiked the rest of the mile out fine with no real pain or issues, just hurt when it happened. I do feel a bit tight in the kneecap, but not painful. Now every time I bend my knee I hear cracking/popping. To be fair, I hear it a little in my good leg. I'm 45 and have led a bit of a rough and tumble life, so my joints are not well oiled machines anymore. I'm not really concerned, I actually had my 6 month doc visit yesterday (2 weeks after incident) and he said I probably performed my own 'manipulation'. I guess I'm wondering what people's legs feel like after MUA. It feels tight, and consequently different/weird, but not painful or unstable. I didn't and don't have any real swelling. Hasn't stopped me from doing anything or changed exercises.
I'm from India, if anyone is confused yeah there's level to premium hospitals in india. I live in a small city which has reasonably good super speciality hospital and 200kms away a very premium hospital apollo .my local hospital has an orthopedician with 34yrs experience worked in uk and specialised in sports injuries, is it ok to prefer him or does the hospital have an impact on the surgery.
Broke my left knee ACL while dancing in my postgraduate farewell DJ night in the most unlucky way. I was not wearing saree/ghagra but in my casual straight pants, I was not wearing heels but in my room slippers. I was not drunk but completely in my senses. Furthermore, I didn't tore it due to my bad landing but a juniors leg getting entangled into mine which left me with no space to stabilize my leg. POPPP it broke. It broke so badly that I couldn't stand up in the next 2 mins. What happened to her?? Nothing, just an ankle sprain, able to walk back to her hostel.
Fate, destiny, omen f me badly that night. Will be operated in some days.
Wanted to ask what is more painful?? The ACL tear with pop sound or the Post Op PT ?
Had an e-bike accident 7 months ago resulting in a displaced tibial spine fracture, grade 3 ACL tear, and bucket-handle meniscus tear. The surgeon repaired the ACL and trimmed the meniscus, but ignored the displaced bone. When the knee locked, he performed a Lysis of Adhesions (LOA) + Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA), which gave just enough motion to move from crutches to a cane, but left me plateaued at a persistent 30° extension deficit and 110° flexion.
An outside X-ray just confirmed the displaced tibial spine never healed (nonunion) and is acting like a physical doorstop. The surgeon is now recommending a 3rd surgery (ORIF), but local private practices refuse to evaluate me for a second opinion because they "don't touch another doctor's recent surgery."
The Initial Injury (March 2026) Mechanism: Severe e-bike crash. Initial Imaging (March 8, 2026): Emergency X-rays documented displaced fracture fragments of the tibial spines extending into the medial and lateral plateaus, along with nondisplaced fractures of the lateral tibial plateau and lateral femoral condyle.
Surgeon's Assessment: The doctor said the tibial spine displacement was minimal with no surgery needed. Pre-Op MRI (April 3, 2026): Confirmed a ruptured ACL, a bucket-handle lateral meniscus tear, grade 2 MCL sprain, extensive bone contusions, and noted an avulsion fracture healing with "nonosseous union" (fibrous scar tissue rather than bone).
Surgery #1: ACL Reconstruction & Meniscus Trim (Late April 2026) Roughly 5 weeks post-injury, the surgeon performed a grade 3 ACL repair and trimmed the bucket-handle lateral meniscus. The displaced tibial spine fracture was left completely unaddressed and unreduced. The high-tension ACL graft was anchored over/near an unstable, elevated bone fragment. Post-operative imaging was performed, but no complications were communicated.
Post-Op Complications & Surgery #2: LOA + MUA (August 2026) Recovery stalled immediately. Despite aggressive physical therapy, my knee developed a persistent, rigid 30-degree extension block. Walking caused sharp bone-on-bone pain, and the joint capsule remained chronically swollen. Right before scheduling a second procedure, an X-ray was taken, and the surgeon verbally acknowledged that the tibial spine fracture "might be coming back to bite us." Despite noting the bone issue, he proceeded with a soft-tissue clean-out: Lysis of Adhesions (LOA) and Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA).
Outcome: The procedure provided minor gains in extension and flexion—just enough to transition from crutches to a cane—but quickly hit a hard mechanical stop. At 7 months post-injury, I remain stuck at a 30° extension deficit and capped at 110° flexion.
The Revelation & Proposed Surgery #3 (Present Day) An outside chiropractor ordered new X-rays, which clearly captured a prominent, elevated bony fragment sitting directly in the joint notch. I brought those films back to my orthopedic surgeon. He finally admitted that the tibial spine fragment broke off and never achieved bony union over the last 7 months.
Current Recommendation: The surgeon is now scheduling a 3rd surgery: Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF) of the left tibial spine.
Major Concerns: Reducing that fragment flat after 7 months will likely alter the tension of the existing ACL graft, leaving it loose or non-functional. 6+ months of forced movement against a mechanical block has likely caused roof impingement, graft fraying, and femoral cartilage erosion. I do not feel comfortable having the original surgeon perform a 3rd procedure after missing/minimizing this twice.
The Roadblock: Getting a Second Opinion I have been trying to secure an independent second opinion before consenting to this 3rd surgery. The "Liability Wall": Local private orthopedic practices are outright refusing to book an appointment. Schedulers explicitly state they "do not touch or evaluate another surgeon’s recent post-op cases."
Insurance Constraint: I have an HMO plan (Florida Blue myBlue), which requires formal physician-to-physician electronic referrals and prior authorizations to see any specialist. Next Steps in Progress: Working with my Primary Care Physician to bypass private practice gatekeepers and send a direct, urgent referral to an academic tertiary referral / Level 1 trauma center (USF Health / Tampa General Hospital) to see a complex revision and adult reconstruction specialist.
Questions:
Has anyone had an unhealed tibial spine avulsion fracture successfully fixed (ORIF) months after an ACL reconstruction?
Was your existing graft salvageable, or did you need a full revision ACL reconstruction?
Did prolonged mechanical impingement cause lasting damage to your femoral notch cartilage?
Did you ever regain a normal gait with full extension and flexion after clearing a long-standing mechanical block?
For those who faced the "no other surgeon will touch another doctor's recent work" barrier, what was the most effective way you got into an academic or trauma revision specialist's office?
I had my ACL reconstruction and meniscus root repair surgery on October 3rd (they stitched the meniscus directly to the bone).
Surprisingly, I can already do full weight-bearing. My doctor actually advised me to bear as much weight as possible, and when I tried it, I felt literally zero pain—though I suspect that is due to the nerve block!
I was discharged today after spending a day in the hospital. I'm finally back home now and taking the medications they prescribed: antibiotics, codeine, and paracetamol.
I’m posting a video showing how much I can currently bend and straighten my leg, since I know a lot of people struggle with their range of motion early on. In my case, I can still straighten and bend it to a certain degree, but the pain is definitely starting to increase now. It's reducing my mobility a bit, but I'm pushing through and tolerating the pain as much as I can.
My daughter just had surgery to repair torn ACL and had an LET procedure . She also had a complete detachment of the lateral meniscus root. Has anyone had this happen when they were injured? Any help on recovery and pain management will be helpful. We went through this same procedure 2.5 yrs ago on rt knee without the detachment of meniscus. Only had lateral & medial tears. This injury is more severe and I feel so bad for her