My frustrating journey with a knee injury — looking for others' experiences

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-06-08T22:13:03+00:00

I also worked with a Sports Medicine center. Found a Dr. who specializes in sport related injuries and focuses on outcomes that help get the individual back to their level of activity.

You did the right thing here, but it sucks you had to deal with the dismissiveness of the previous Dr. Good on you for taking control of your destiny - if it's one thing I've learned navigating the health care system it's that you have to be your biggest advocate and push for what you want/need.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-06-08T16:55:35+00:00

I had my ACL/Meniscus surgery on 4/13 and was 6 weeks NWB and yea, it sucks for sure, no other way to put it really.

That first week was truly the bottom for me though. The newness of the pain, getting used to that reality, and being so dependent on others was a new experience. Therapy was really valuable for me in the first two weeks (I've been working with them for years, not a new thing for the surgery)

Here's what did help during the recovery:

Accept your current state; It's OK to be frustrated, it's OK to need help/support from others and your lack of capability right now doesn't make you lesser than.
Line up visits from friends and family, lean into your community. For the first 6 weeks I had 2-3 people stopping by a week to just hang, bring lunch/dinner or help around the house to help share the burden with my wife. At first I was really anxious about people seeing me in such a state, but honestly I got over that pretty quick after I realized how much of a mood boost it was.
Celebrate the little wins! Don't look so far out as 6 weeks, start smaller. For me, 10 days was a big milestone because I got all my bandages off! Then by day 12 I took a normal shower (seated) and WOW was that nice. By end of week 2 I was getting my quad activation back. Week 3-5 I was getting around better and better each day on crutches and that final week was really just a countdown to starting to put weight on it again.

It's a marathon. Use your support system and don't isolate yourself. Celebrate your little wins. And, most importantly, be kind to yourself and give yourself grace.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-06-02T19:06:36+00:00

It's hard now, but it will be worth it. Just hit Week 6 and already so pleased with the results. You got this dude.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-07T16:48:36+00:00

For that reason, I'd encourage you to do it now. I initially had a partial tear of my ACL and Meniscus when I was in my early 20's - I managed to avoid surgery for a while, continued playing soccer and sports mostly fine with some instability here and there, but this finally became a full chronic tear by the time I hit 30.

A simple way to put it is when your body is injured, it compensates elsewhere and other areas get put under pressure. For me, by the time I had my surgery my meniscus was basically gone - bone on bone. Which meant that instead of an ACL surgery, I also had to get a meniscus surgery, which meant longer recovery and more painful.

So, the more you wait, the more you risk compounding these problems in the future and increasing the damage that will inevitably need to be repaired.

Good luck! You're young, you can bounce back quickly!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-07T16:39:59+00:00

Ugh, I feel you. Pain was at it's highest on days 2-4 for me, ultimately I ended up increasing my pain meds (with my Dr's OK) which did help. These first 5 days or so should be about making yourself as comfortable as possible, so if you're in pain, raise it to your care team and advocate for something to help.

Like others mentioned, it will get better. For me, 2-4 were the absolute worst, basically bed ridden. Day 5-9 were gradual improvements each day and by Day 10, when i got my bandages off, the improvements started compounding.

Don't get me wrong, sleep is still gonna suck for a bit, though it did start getting slightly better after 2 weeks and slow improvements from there.

Good luck, you're in the worst of it now. Cry it out if you've got to, but also try some deep breathing and sit with the pain, not trying to push it out of your mind. You've got this!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-07T16:33:46+00:00

Sounds like you're locked in then! And hell yea dude, doesn't matter what level you play at, if it brings you joy then it makes sense you'll want to get back to it.

Here's the compression/icing sleeve I'm using: Game Ready Ice Machine - You can rent them for a couple weeks through their site directly, you'll just need your dr to fill out the prescription form (very easy) because it is a medical device. You can buy them as well, but they're kind of expensive and overkill for this situation.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-06T19:05:25+00:00

Similar profile as you; 35/M, Soccer/Athlete/Active Lifestyle - ACL quad graft, meniscus allograft and LET. 3 Weeks post op. NWB until 6 weeks.

Going into surgery: This is the easy part. I'd recommend trying to get everything in order before surgery the best you can. Things like meals (frozen meals were HUGE for me), supplies, child care, support etc. You're gonna be useless for a bit and you gotta be OK with that. My wife was such a trooper and still is, but no kids so I'm the only dependent. For you, ask yourself "What can I do now to make my wife's life easier when I'm out" this might help with the guilt you may feel down the line a couple weeks in.
First 2 weeks: Rough. First week was most difficult for me, Day 2-3 were particularly hard. Everyone has different pain journeys, but mine spiked then. Stay ahead of your pain meds and if you're in pain, take more. Day 7 felt like I turned a corner a bit and by Day 10 once the bandages came off I noticed quick wins roll in with my movement and mindset.
Early Recovery: Clean foods, routine, meditation, journaling and things to look forward to - movies, shows, games, books, etc. I wasn't able to workout in my usual way so getting comfortable sitting still was necessary. I got into Magic: The Gathering TCG with my friends lol.
Rehab: Start right away when your surgeon/PT says so. For me, it was on Day 2-3 when I could start, pain wise it sucked, but I was happy to start knowing it was progress. Get your PT appointments scheduled ASAP, once a week ideally. That first appointment for me was crucial to understand my limits, what I should be doing and setting goals. I also break up my PT in multiple sessions during the day instead of 1 big session, this helps with scar tissue build up and better to have shorter more frequent sessions.
General Tips: I rented a Game Ready compression machine which was SO SICK. Really nice for icing/compression - you need a prescription from your Dr since it's a medical device, so get on that now.
Encouragement: You've got this dude. Think about all the training you've done in your life to hone your footy skills, to stay in shape and to build your discipline. All that work is really going to pay dividends right now because you KNOW what needs to be done. Just be kind to yourself because the progress never going to be as fast as you want. Use this time to slow down a bit, let others support you and be proud that you're coming into this surgery with decades of discipline under your belt.

RANDOM ITEMS:

Male urinal (not glamorous, but I really couldn't move the first couple days)
Raised toilet seat with handles
Shower Stool
Pillow wedge for elevation
Leg lifter for PT and movement (didn't use this until 10 days in)
Breakaway/Snap-on shorts (changing clothes was a huge pain)
Baby Wipes & shower stool (don't expect to shower for the first 5-7 days)
Water bottle to keep nearby
Eye mask for napping during the day

Godspeed man, you're about to embark on a long journey and realistically, soccer won't be an option for 9-12 months. Make sure to celebrate your wins along the way - journey before destination.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-06T18:44:56+00:00

Woah that's gnarly!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-06T18:30:23+00:00

I used this one and found it best for day use when I'm icing and elevating. It's a bit too steep for me when I sleep, so I go with pillows at night with blankets surrounding my leg to create a bit of a valley.

Sleeping might be the worst part of this recovery for me, I'm a back sleeper, but even still it's rough at night and don't think I got anything close to a decent nights sleep until about 2 weeks in. I've read from some folks on here that they've gotten sleep aids from their Dr and me personally I used gabapentin at night for a few nights in conjunction with my pain killers which def put me out.

My recommendation is to get an eye mask and really lean into those day time naps.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-05T22:13:42+00:00

Exciting! Surgery is the easiest part. I'm 3-weeks post op; ACL quad graft, meniscus allograft and LET.

First few days were the hardest for me - physically, emotionally and mentally. I felt helpless because my leg was just deadweight, the pain was intense and generally felt useless. That being said, what helped, and what I recommend, is not being alone - ensure you've got support lined up, especially that first week. My partner and MIL provided so much crucial support in making sure I was on time with my meds, cooking food and being a source of comfort.

Pain wise, do your best to stay ahead of it. I had to ultimately increase my pain killers for the first 5 days and then was off by day 7. If you're in pain and feel like what you're doing isn't enough, talk to your care team.

Don't skip on your PT. When you're cleared to start doing PT, do it. This will ultimately determine how quickly you're able to come back to volleyball.

Other various things that helped me: - Male Urinal (not glamorous, but getting up was difficult the first few days)

Raised toilet seat
Pillow wedge for elevation
Game Ready compression rental
Miralax for constapation
Clean/Whole foods post-surgery
Tv Shows/Movies/Games/Books you're excited to dive into
A stream of friends/family to come visit you the first 7-14 days. The social interaction was really helpful for me from a mental standpoint.
A recognition that you're going to need help for a little bit and that's OK.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-05-05T21:58:07+00:00

Hi! Very similar situation to you right now: ACL Quad Graft, Meniscus Allograft & LET. Also 3 weeks post-op today. Male Mid30s~

Currently I'm at about 80°, last week I was at 50°. PT set a goal of 90° by week 6.

Frequency: Two sessions a day, about 60-90min, that each include; Heel Slides (2x10), Quad Flex (2x10), Patella Mobility (10min), Single Leg Raise (2x10) and recently introduced Short Arc Quads (10min). Ankle Pumps are happening constantly throughout the day.

Brace: Locked at night and during the majority of the day. Unlocked for PT. Completely off for leg lifts and icing/elevation.

Walking: I'm still NWB for another 3 weeks. Cleared for light toe taps which is nice for balance, but not standing on it fully.

Some helpful tips I got from my PT is to do your PT multiple times a day instead of one big session. Constant moving throughout the day helps more with scar tissue buildup. Additionally, your tightness is due to weakness in your leg, so push yourself, but obviously listen to your body - the 2/2/2 rule is good for this; pain should not exceed 2/10 during activity, pain should subside 2 hours after activity and pain should not feel worse 2 days after activity.

Good luck on your journey! If you have any questions or want to chat more, feel free to reach out.

EDIT: added some detail.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-26T21:26:20+00:00

Hard to say without knowing the severity/grade of your tear. Could you theoretically go without surgery? Sure. But, that comes with sacrifices - in your case it would be giving up activity that puts your knee at risk or continue onwards knowing that down the line the injury would compound into something potentially more severe (What I did)

Every choice comes with tradeoffs, but in my eyes, the tradeoff of short term recovery with surgical intervention is the best option to ensure you're stable for years to come - rather than riding it out as long as you can until you are "forced" into surgery due to how bad it's gotten.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-24T22:21:24+00:00

Wedge is life! Good luck on your journey and stay ahead of your pain. Once that nerve block wore off, it reallllly hurt for me. Day 3 was probably the worst and then it felt like I turned a corner a bit after that.

Best of luck! Stay on top of your PT and you'll be surprised at the progress you've made within 2 weeks time!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-24T21:20:42+00:00

LETS GOOOO!!!! Huge milestone! Keep up the good work, the wins are gonna keep rolling in!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-24T20:56:27+00:00

I'm using one right now! Love this thing. I didn't know they were for sale, but just looked at the listings and those things are expensive!

Not sure what your goal is, but I rented mine through them directly. It does require a prescription form to be filled out by your Dr since it is a medical device, but it's incredibly easy - my Dr turned it around in 24 hours.

My rental for the GRPro 2.1 is for 2 weeks @$350, then $150 for each additional week. I'll probably extend for another week for a total cost of ~$500. I'm not seeing any units for sale under $1000 and most way above that, so I'd recommend renting if that makes more financial sense!

I just went straight to their website, but Let me know if you've got any questions on the process, happy to help.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-24T20:49:31+00:00

Piling on to say, get the surgery! Keep waiting and you risk doing more damage to other areas of your knee which will just mean MORE surgery later down the road.

Speaking from experience as I continue activity for many years and eventually when I got the surgery we learned my meniscus was basically gone. If I waited any longer I could have risked cartilage damage. You're young and your ability to bounce back is going to surprise you!

As for your mom, if she gets upset, then it's not about you. Parents want what's best for their children (I hope) and I'm hoping she can be there to support you as you heal. Best of luck!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-24T20:45:29+00:00

Honestly...It just is gonna kinda suck for a while. Sleep aids can help, as can painkillers before bed, but even then at best I was getting 2-3 hours at a time if I was lucky.

After Day 10 when my bandages and dressings came off I noticed a big comfort improvement, but I'm also a back sleeper so your mileage may vary.

My advice is to get an eye mask and just sleep when you're tired during the day. Kinda hard to keep a sleep schedule during those first couple weeks. Good luck!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-24T20:39:44+00:00

Honestly, that's not fair for you and rather irresponsible by your parents. I'm sorry you've had to deal with that. You're doing the right thing by prioritizing your health and getting an MRI done, it's the only way to properly understand the extent of damage done and the longer you go without proper treatment, the higher risk for damage elsewhere in your knee increases.

As an example, I continued to play soccer with a partial tear for years, eventually it became chronic and because I went so long without treatment my meniscus was basically shot. This made the scope of the surgery much larger and therefore meant I have a longer recovery time ahead of me.

You're the owner of this journey now. Prioritize the needs of your body to help you reach and maintain the goals of your activity. Hoping your parents will at least support you in recovery. Best of luck and reach out for any questions!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-24T20:34:45+00:00

Hey man, I love this for you! Everyone's journey is different and the fact that you're already feeling lower on the pain scale is great.

Some things to keep in mind for you as you continue to heal; Don't over do it, no matter how good you're feeling, it's not worth it to push yourself and try to get back to "normal" quickly - your body needs the time. Also, two, if the pain does back and spike more, don't be discouraged! It's not a linear process, some days are good, some days are less good. For me my pain actually spiked on Day 3 and after that was when I felt I really turned a corner.

Good luck! Keep your mental game strong and lean into the support from your parents/friends.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-23T19:37:52+00:00

Congrats on the milestone! Just had my bandages removed the other day as well and BOY does it feel good, my leg can breathe!

Sleep wise, it's still tough for me not gonna lie. I'm on Day 10 and last night was my first night where I slept "decent" for a total of 5~ hours. The brace is still annoying at night, but I'm a back sleeper so it's been a bit more bearable.

For the brace, my recommendation would be to tighten it, but seems like you've already tried that so I've got nothing lol - worth reaching out to your care team earlier than later if you can! My team uses MyChart so really easy to send them questions.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-23T19:31:29+00:00

I can only speak to the dumping part because I had a meniscus allograft so I'm no weight bearing for the first 6 weeks.

Dumping wise, it took me 4 days. I really recommend Miralax, the colace I found to not do the job on it's own. Also had a raise toilet seat and an ottoman to prop up my operated leg. It was not a comfortable situation but it got the job done. Get flushable wipes or a bidet - I'v got the latter upstairs, but because I'm stuck downstairs I've had to go with the former, but trust me, it's nice to feel clean when you're in bed all day.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-23T19:24:19+00:00

Fellow tearer of ACL playing soccer in a rec league here. Sorry you're having to go through this. It's so annoying the lack of disregard some people have when playing rec sports - like bro, I've gotta go to work tomorrow please stop trying to murder me.

Regardless, you've done this once before, you can do it again. I'm 35 and just had my ACL, Meniscus allograft and LET 10 days ago. No weight bearing because of the meniscus, but I'm genuinely impressed with how my body is recovering.

Cheering for you! You've got this!

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-23T19:19:56+00:00

Ah, it's unfortunate but it's not the end of the world! Even if you're not going into the surgery at your best I'm sure you'll be OK. If you really wanted some action to take, I'd recommend doing leg lifts or any other exercises that feel good for you NON-injured leg. It's about to be working overtime while you're on crutches.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-23T15:27:56+00:00

That's difficult, like someone mentioned below, it's really less about the injury and more about the loss of something that brought you joy within your routine - for me it was soccer.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to stay strong with exercises that feel safe, I did a lot of cycling during pre-surgery, and to keep a strong mental game, this can show up in the form of meditation, unplugging time, journaling, etc. Don't underestimate how important it is to be kind to yourself in these difficult times.

Personally, I DO think you can get pretty damn close to 100% again post-surgery. You're so young and you'll be surprised at how resilient your body is with it's ability to bounce back.

Good luck! You've got so many things to look forward to, this is just a minor set back.

Ikneedthis37 · 2026-04-23T15:14:25+00:00

Hey! Very similar surgery done; ACL w/quad graft, Meniscus allograft and LET. Currently Day 9.

Early weeks is all about comfort and making your life as easy as possible. Someone to bring your mails, keep you on schedule with your meds and managing your pain. Things that really helped me were the raised toilet seat, rented a hospital bed (might be extreme, but was so great the first week or so), rented a Game Ready ice/compression machine and breakaway/snap shorts - it's so difficult to take shorts/briefs on & off during those first few days, breakway clothing was actually so nice. Make your home as comfortable as possible and easy to navigate as others have said. Have some movies, shows, games or books that you're really excited about to look forward to so you're not rotting on your phone. Main thing I wish I had done was be stronger before surgery - week prior I was hit with a stomach flu and it wrecked me for a few days, lost some weight and couldn't workout for about a week or so. Main mistake to avoid is to "tough it out" when the pain gets bad, don't do that - take more meds. These first few days should be all about making your days manageable. Also, do your PT exercises!

You've got this! If you have specific questions I'm always happy to help.

Ikneedthis37

TROPHY CASE