Week 0: Right after acl reconstruction surgery
- Super painful, swelling at its worse
- Couldn’t get outta bed for 1 day
- Focus is on straightening
- No weight-bearing
Week 1: Bandage removed
- No weight-bearing
- Physio starts with focus on straightening, control of quads & light bending
- Slight discolouration with swelling of ankle
Week 1.5: Bruising gets worse
- Bruising starts to get real bad and painful
- To keep foot elevated above the heart to alleviate
- Physio advises massage too
Read also: ACL reconstruction: one week on
Week 2: Stitches removed
- Stitches removed – waterproof bandage removed too after 1 day (can shower normally yay!)
- Doctor clears for weight-bearing
- Straightening at 180°, bending at 120°
- Work on strengthening of quads/hamstring
- Learning how to “walk” again
Week 3: Ditching the crutch(es)
- Continue to bend! Almost there at 135°
- Bruising at knee with the massaging of scar tissues (oops)
- Discolouration at calf comes back as I lax on the elevation
- The hardening affects my straightening :O
Week 4: Back at work (and juggling physio)
- Walking normally (with a brace as protection) and back in the office after a 4-week hospitalisation leave
- 2 x session at the physio and daily workouts at home (lotsa discipline needed during this period!)
- Strengthening exercises include lunges, ham curl, single leg bridge
Read also: Traversing the road to recovery: A slow, healing journey to the one-month mark of my ACL surgery
1.5 month: Knee swells from over-walking / working out
- Knee starts to swell and hurts when walking – a reminder to take it easy
3 month: Jogging starts!
- Cleared to start jogging on the threadmill before progressing to the more uncontrolled environment of the streets outside
- BUT strengthening still takes precedence – because running with unbalanced leg muscles just means exacerbating the difference
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“Come in your sports shoes next session” my physio FINALLY said 😀 😀 #achievementunlocked #🏃
9 months: Completing a sprint triathlon 🙂
- Super happy to have completed the Lake Hayes Triathlon, a sprint but nonetheless, it’s 750 swim, 20km bike and 5km run one after another, and 9 months after my surgery!
2 years: “Full” recovery
- Finally back to “pre-surgery” fitness with the milestone of breaking my half marathon PB!
- BUT physio never stops. Even after two years, my right (strong) leg tends to ache more after a workout. I have to keep reminding my left leg to work harder, especially after I grow tired during a long run.
So, yes – full recovery from a torn ACL is possible – but it takes time and hell lots of hard work and discipline. It will be worth it though!
For more inspiration and tips if you’d just had a knee surgery, read about KT’s journey towards full recovery:
Why a torn ACL shouldn’t stop your adventures
One reply on “ACL surgery recovery phases”
[…] 2 and 3, the pain in the knee subsided… and shifted to my calf. Dark red and greenish-yellow bruises were forming around a hardened calf which hurt just with a soft touch. Apparently, some of our […]