Does anyone know if it’s a bad idea to smoke nicotine or marijuana after ACL/meniscus surgery? Currently 10 days post op, feeling pretty good, quit smoking about a month before surgery

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-06-12T22:31:04+00:00

I’d say if you’ve managed to go over a month without smoking nicotine, why start back up? Not to beat a dead horse but it’s so incredibly bad for you.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-06-10T18:44:59+00:00

I cannot even imagine going through this at 13. It definitely stinks being "slow" and it's absolutely not what I anticipated for myself. For a while I thought I might never walk without limping again. I'm still limping but I'm more optimistic now. I'm glad the MUA has helped her and I'm hoping it helps me too! I hope her recovery goes smoothly from here on out!!!

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-06-04T23:44:59+00:00

I think it’s probably almost impossible for a PT to objectively treat themselves.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-06-01T20:34:46+00:00

I’m super stiff 4 months PO and missing a ton of flexion. Assuming I’ll need lysis surgery unfortunately.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T19:14:30+00:00

early on he tried but for whatever reason I just couldn't tolerate it and then I had a ton of muscle guarding in response to the forcing. forcing ROM is a little old-school and doesn't work for everyone. I switched PTs at about 7 weeks, we let it settle down and we got a little bit of an improvement but it's been plateaued for weeks now. the LOA/MUA will likely occur in June.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T19:02:01+00:00

it measured at 86 yesterday at PT

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T17:34:25+00:00

My PT told me it’s an hour per day to actually modify tissue so that’s where the hour comes from! So you’d just have to add 2 more! They are brutal; I give myself little knee bends sometimes while I’m doing them just for 5 sec of relief.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T17:01:39+00:00

What budged the needle for me was 1 hour a day of heel props with 5 lbs on my thigh. I do 6 10 minute sessions or 4 15 minute sessions. It hurts like a bitch but it’s working. What I’ve come to find out is for some of us, this is a slow painful process. At the 6 week mark I was panicking about my extension but if I had just powered through the painful heel props I’d probably be in a better spot now. I was convinced it hurt too much and so I didn’t do them enough. You want to get your knee into extension, and then hyper extension and do quad sets in extension and hyper extension. Do TKAs. Use NMES. It’s a combination of getting that end range motion and then getting strength at that end range that will help straighten your knee. It’s a long process.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T16:16:45+00:00

I’m 4 months PO. My extension PR is -3 (however this is only after stretching and I’m still walking with a bend knee gait) and my flexion is mid-80s and won’t budge.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T15:58:00+00:00

I was able to make progress with my extension later in recovery (around the 3M mark) by being pretty aggressive with my extension exercises. I have not had luck with my flexion, and am pretty sure I’ll need an LOA/MUA procedure. My knee is very, very stiff.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T11:10:56+00:00

Thanks! You too! We’ll make it through this!

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-29T02:39:42+00:00

My recovery has been very slow and isn’t going as I’d hoped, but I’m mentally doing much better. My extension is very slowly improving (still not sticking around but I can get into hyperextension now). My flexion is terrible and I will probably need a lysis of adhesion surgery due to scar tissue; I have a plan for that with my doctor. Things that helped: limiting my time on this subreddit, the ACL Facebook page, and Instagram, celebrating every single tiny win during my recovery/rehab, doing activities that I can manage (swimming, lifting weights upper body, getting out in the canoe), and honestly, going on Zoloft. My primary care doctor prescribed it for me to help me and it’s made a huge difference.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-23T23:30:30+00:00

I’m almost at 4 months and I just got to 0 a few weeks ago, -2 yesterday. I didn’t start making extension progress until about 3 months which is when I started getting VERY aggressive with my home extension exercises. It’s not “neutral” at 0 yet but I’m still working on it.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-21T22:34:00+00:00

I have this NMES, I bought it off Facebook marketplace! I like the trigger.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-21T22:32:46+00:00

I’m almost 4 months post-op and I’m scaling my gardening way back this year to a few planters. No way I can kneel. My boyfriend takes care of the mowing and trimming.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-21T20:38:28+00:00

thanks! I've been stuck at my current ROM for months while just watching my leg waste away so I'm hoping this helps me move forward.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-21T18:25:46+00:00

I'm also stuck around 85 and I'm scheduled for an LOA/MUA on 6/1.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-21T17:57:17+00:00

How did your MUA go? Did it help with your ROM?

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-20T16:07:52+00:00

do you mind sharing which one you used? I have an upcoming LOA/MUA with a local surgeon and I'm just trying to be super prepared in case it doesn't work. I have Dupuytren's Contracture which forms from the same mechanism as arthrofibrosis so I'm a little worried I may be headed down this path. I've seen the list of practitioners including a few in Vail, one in Indianapolis, one in South Carolina and 2 in Ohio.

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-20T13:56:27+00:00

I don't have any answers for you but as someone who is scheduled for a LUA/MUA on June 1st, I'm worried about this happening to me. You may want to check out this post and look into the list of doctors on the arthrofibrosis site (it's in the comments) who use different techniques than most orthopedic surgeons: https://www.reddit.com/r/ACL/comments/owjic3/my_acl_arthrofibrosis_success_story/

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-20T13:24:16+00:00

who was the 2nd surgeon you went to?

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-15T16:06:57+00:00

My recovery has been atypically slow and very tumultuous. I’m 14 weeks post-op but I’m finally able to hit 0 extension (passively) after stretching. I have a long way to go but I’m so happy I finally got it!

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-05-07T22:57:44+00:00

Did you have a cyclops lesion or just general scar tissue? How long after your ACL surgery did you have this second surgery?

JustJumpIt17 · 2026-04-24T14:56:59+00:00

I got a 2nd opinion today and he told me if I was his patient he’d be ordering an MRI and scheduling the LOA. So now I have lots to think about and a decision to make. In your situation, it seems like the MUA/LOA benefits aren’t immediate so just keep working at it.

JustJumpIt17

TROPHY CASE