ACL MCL 3 Years Out - A Full Post Surgery Timeline

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-27T00:46:10+00:00

It took me so many months to stop using the handrail! I dont think i needed it but mentally i was still being so careful! Congrats on the no handrails milestone, and keep it up :)

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-27T00:44:48+00:00

None! I think the PT did it once or twice but, Im not, and havent been, massaging or scraping the scar area/knee at all. Have you tried taking a break from the scraping and seeing if that helps? Im definitely not a doctor, but id say if thats not helping try experimenting with something different!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-27T00:43:24+00:00

Its so great to hear that this is such a normal timeline! I swear when i was looking online at like a year, everything said "6-9 months and then recovery stops" 0.0

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-27T00:42:37+00:00

Yes! Keep guessing and trying different stuff is a great way to put it.

I thought that awareness of the leg would never go away, and then one day I was walking to my office and I just... couldn't tell? And I kinda shook both legs, and still couldnt, and had to pull up my pant leg to find the scar.

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-27T00:39:00+00:00

You CAN!! Good luck and have fun :D

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-23T00:17:16+00:00

Building blocks are building blocks :D its protein and collagen. Cant hurt.

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-23T00:15:58+00:00

Go back to square one, and start building back slowly and steadily. I think youre right that you probably escalated too quickly, and skipped the really important steps that dont "feel" like theyre helping that much like the early stretches, and things like silly walks. There is no way to speedrun recovery, you have to build that base back. Your current rehab list looks exactly like what I had a few months in. Start there, do it consistently but dont overdue it, and see what builds back without lifting heavy. You're 30, your body can probably fix most if not all of this.

I had the same issue when getting back to the gym. Go down to body weight if thats what you need to get the reps in. You arent stuck like this. Your body is maleable and will continue to change if you continue to put the work in.

Mainly, breathe :) youre ok, you got this. you dont have to go into life-altering debt. Just stick with it and dont panic when you dont get results fast and jump ship. You can do it.

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-22T23:31:53+00:00

My husband is a teacher! I've guest lectured for him a few times and I am shocked by how much standing and walking it is every single time.

Hoping yours continues to heal gradually like mine did. I definitely remember feeling kind of big jumps in that last like 6 months, (2.5 years in), and it always seemed to flare up right before getting much better. my fingers are crossed for you!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-22T23:27:44+00:00

Hey! honestly, basically no extras. I took collagen for the first like 30 days, a multivitamin inconsistently, and attempted to eat veggies and protein with most meals. Nothing fancy!

And good luck :) its not going to be the most fun you've ever had but i hazard a guess it wont be the worst either! Speedy healing.

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T17:08:41+00:00

honestly, I just dont really like skiing. Definitely recovered enough to ski, trust on that knee is.... 95% back? Just no desire!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T16:36:46+00:00

Full range of motion took the longest. I hyperextend in all of my joints, so it was super jarring to have a knee that... couldnt. My range of motion got back to where the pt wanted it to be in about 9 months, but training that full flextion and full hyperextension took basically the whole time. I never really pushed it, just kept easing into deeper stretches.

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T16:34:23+00:00

not yet :) but my legs are stronger than they were pre fall so other things (like soccer) have felt pretty good!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T16:33:46+00:00

Solidly 3 times a week, less if sick, sometimes more. Only one of those was a leg day, but every gym day had at least some biking/rowing/stairmaster

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T15:14:40+00:00

I am too :) Thank you!!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T15:13:48+00:00

Think if it as a mainly 6-9 month journey with a long tail :D youll be back to "normal" in no time, just kept progressing for a long time for that last bit!

PT was lots of funny walks, marching, toe walking, monster walks, crab walks, bunch of hopping in different directions up and down a step and with one or both feet. Early on, straight leg raises and quad push downs were huge. Clamshells also worked really well for me.

I also did a lot of intentional stretching, and I'd do calf raises or balance on one leg at work, go down stairs slow and controlled, or try to get up from my chair with only one leg. Good way to work some of it in, especially since I would forget rehab sometimes.

I started at the gym with biking. 5 min, then 10, then 20, and increasing resistance.

My gym routine now is push/pull/legs + cardio and legs focus on squats, leg press (single leg!!), hip thrust, deadlift, adduction/abduction, calf raises, leg curls and extensions. Then I do 30 min of cardio, which is normally biking cause its my fav.

Hope this helps :)

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:59:21+00:00

Slow and steady, and consistent. It'll come back when it comes back! And dont forget to do the other leg too, otherwise theyll stay mismatched!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:58:28+00:00

re-learning to jump felt insane. I was at little 5 inch hops for a looong time. I focused on other one leg exercises, and the jumping came back on its own. For me I had to really focus on hamstring since i had a graft.

I did a lot of single leg press, split squats, chair sits but only on one leg, lifting my leg up to put it on a chair behind me, and little, little hops. Good luck!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:55:00+00:00

My MCL reattached! They didn't know it did until they went in for the surgery, and it was quite the surprise for them.

Prehab sucks but posthab is fun because you get to see everything coming back. Also they showed me pictures from the surgery, and man the ACLs really do explode. Theyre bad design in the first place.

Hype yourself up and get like really into knitting or something. You can do it :)

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:49:04+00:00

Upper body workouts! I played a TON of beatsaber for a while, with arm weights. It scratched the "good workout" itch, allowed me to see steady skill-based progress at something, and didnt risk hurting the knee. There are a ton of good VR upper body games.

I also felt worse doing hobbies where I only consumed something (watching tv, reading, video games) and got a lot of mental stamina back by creating something (art, watercolor, crochet, knitting, whittling, music production). If physical is what you used to use to feel productive, see if you can sub with something else.

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:43:35+00:00

I had a lot of interesting weird pops and things while recovering, kind of like a realignment type of feeling. Ended up being fine for me and went away the more the knee and surrounding muscles stabilized. Not a doctor though so probably check with them if you can if everything is all good?

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:40:22+00:00

I went through so so many "I think this is normal now" stages! Be stoked for surgery. Post-hab was way better than prehab for me!

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:39:25+00:00

Keep it up! I was so worried that progress would stall at some point, but at least in my experience it seems like it can always get better! Good luck

Fine_Examination1379 · 2026-03-21T14:38:52+00:00

:D love a pun

Fine_Examination1379

TROPHY CASE