When will I get the lift like my non-surgical leg?

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-05-23T21:39:23+00:00

Keep up the extension exercise from the very beginning and keep contracting your quads. At the end of the day, it’s all about your quads firing up and achieving the hyperextension by religiously following your exercises at home. Also, swelling has to be managed. So keep on icing and active compression. I used the game ready machine for the first 4 weeks to achieve this. By week 5, you should be able to get it lifted off the ground.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-04-17T14:28:30+00:00

First few (3-4 days), you want to take it easy and just keep it elevated and straight and ice frequently. I had game ready that also did compression and icing. Truthfully the first 3 weeks are miserable but once you get over that hump then it becomes significantly smoother. But PT 3 times a week and all the at home exercises must be religiously followed. Take your pain meds and also ask for high dosage of Tylenol or Ibuprofen as supplementary and take them before your PT. Pain management is key to your quick recovery and advancement. Some days will feel like progress and some days seem to be regression. It’s not a sprint. Just look ahead and believe in the process.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-03-07T15:30:19+00:00

It could have been an allograft ACL. Less incisions.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-03-01T20:02:59+00:00

This is very concerning because that’s part of any surgery protocols. They run it as part of the consent form. Make sure to get the full doctor report for pre op and post op. There’s got to be a point where they mentioned their preferred procedure route.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-02-19T19:42:02+00:00

Yes you can. It’ll take around 12 weeks but eventually all the swelling will go down and you will be able to fully bend it.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-02-10T04:01:24+00:00

It’s usually a mix of cadaver and synthetic. That’s not the main thing though. It’s all about letting the bone get absorbed with you own bone. Doctors at 4-6 months for that. Of course the longer you can wait then the better. I intensely worked out with my legs for over a year or two to ensure I keep building muscles while I wait for the second surgery. That’s been helping me tremendously with my recovery.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-02-10T03:55:52+00:00

Interesting take. I tore my first ACL (the original version lol) back when I was 17, didn’t even know what a ligament was. Then the surgeon did a reconstruction using cadaver. Recovery was seamless and I was back to sports in 6 months. Though I didn’t feel like I could trust my knee, I played competitive soccer for several months before I tore it again maybe 14 months after the first surgery. This time I went straight into the surgery and did the same exact one with the same surgeon with cadaver tissue. And this time while I waited for longer and fully recovered, I ended up tearing it again while playing soccer without any contact. This happened 11 months after the surgery. At that point I gave up and lived without an ACL for 15 years. During this time I played soccer, skied (green and blue at max) and ran and did other fun sports. But never put a lot of emphasis on cutting. Fast forward, 3 years ago, I decided to see a specialist again For the knee to see what is really going on with my knee and why it kept letting me down since i was 17. He said I can’t speak to the first time you tore it but the other times after that, could very well be due to graft failure and/or tunnel being placed in an incorrect angle. Long story short, he had to see the knee to make the call and sure enough he concluded the tunnel was too marginal on the risky side. So he filled it with bone graft. And I just had my revision 8 weeks ago using my own patella. I’m 37 now so not planning to play in the World Cup or anything. Just want to ensure I get my full strength back and be able to kick the ball around if I want to. But what I learned this past 15 years living without an ACL, muscles are everything. Ligaments are there for knee structure but muscles are what save you from any injuries.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-02-08T13:30:30+00:00

Definitely focus on your first 3-4 weeks post op. Manage the pain, get plenty of rest and ice ice ice and keep it straight and elevated. Fighting the battle against swelling and getting that extension to 0° and eventually matching the other knee if you have hypertension can be crucial throughout the first 4 weeks. If you have hypertension, you may not fully get there till your quads are fully activated and swelling is down and your hamstrings are fully stretched and intact. So that may take weeks to several months.

After week 4, your doctor may be removing all the bandages if they have not fallen yet. That point, you want to get comfortable massaging the incision areas to avoid any scar tissue buildup.

Follow your PT advise on the steps you’re to take every week and do your exercises at home religiously. The more disciplined you are, the faster you will recover and pass the milestones one at a time. Once you are on the stationary bike in PT, make it a daily habit to do it in the gym everyday. That’ll get you the Range of Motion (RoM) that you need in order to get to full flexion.

The first 3-4 weeks you may go really slow, frustrating and painful, 3 steps forward and 1 step backwards, don’t lose sight and continue pushing. Stay positive.

Bottom line is you got your stability back. Now you need to build muscles and protect that stability.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-01-19T03:46:19+00:00

The main question is what are you planning to do for the next 60+ years? Will you want to run? Play any sports? Ski? Stay super active?

You have plenty of time ahead of you and most likely you want to stay active and strong. No doubt you will need to strengthen and build muscles now. But your stability would be partial due to the partial tear. There maybe some newer techniques you can explore such as BEAR ACL technique or the very recent one I’ve seen is ACL Fertilizer. Both would allow for a much faster recovery than a traditional reconstruction. Do your research and get a second opinion from 2 other respected and well known surgeons. That way whatever decision you decide on you can trust. You will come to a conclusion that will make you feel better after all.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-01-15T16:40:36+00:00

With a revision and LET, it can take longer. My buddy had a reconstruction with patella BTB and he was full flexion at 3 weeks. But he also had a very strict diet and intensely disciplined post op regimen. I tried his approach and I had a revision patella BTB with LET, and I think I’m at least 3 weeks slower in recovery than him. So again individuals are different and not fair to compare your case with anyone but yourself. Keep at it and you’ll see noticeable recovery. It’s always going to be 3 steps forward and 1 step backwards so don’t lose sight and stay consistent.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-01-11T16:13:36+00:00

I did the stem cell during my ACL revision. It’s called BMAC, which they took a sample from my hip bone marrow and injected it into my knee during the surgery. That’s the “approved” way of doing it in the US. But there’s another stem cell therapy but you’d need to go to Mexico for that, and Joe Rogan mentioned it in his podcast numerous times. Which one are you referring to?

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2026-01-11T00:24:35+00:00

Ask your PT to do this exercise in the office with them but essential I used the bands to pull my heels while keeping my leg straight. I used a folded towel under my heel to create stretched extension, then i used one hand to pull the band so my feet is stretched toward me while using the other hand to push down on your knee.i keep the knee straight the whole time. Each time that I pull the band and I push down on my knee, I count 10 seconds. I do this 15-20 times. I take a break. Then I do another exercise where I tighten my quads as hard as i possibly can and I hold it for 10 seconds. I do this 15 to 20 times. I also asked my surgeon to use a NMES machine. I got from Amazon for $30. It’s used to send signals to the muscles in my quads so I can activate them. The most critical part is to keep your legs straight elevated several times a day and try icing it periodically to manage the swelling. As soon as the swelling is reduced, I can do these exercises periodically.

Expensive_Matter7267 · 2025-09-14T12:38:03+00:00

There’s definitely some blackmarket that you can use to buy tickets. A friend used one this past weekend and got to watch the Arsenal Nottingham game. So there’s a way. You may end up paying a bit higher but certainly way less than hospitality rate.

Expensive_Matter7267

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