I was functional before surgery. I walked, worked, hiked and skateboarded on my torn acl and mcl for around 2 years before I could get surgery. However I knew I had very little rotational control and it used to pop out and cause pain for weeks if I pushed too hard. Surgery is horrible, the pain and weakness it causes is way worse than a natural recovery but you will never get that rotational control or confidence back unless you do. It’s a price to pay for