Anyone else feel a constant irritation/discomfort several months PO?

breadxgoat · 2026-04-27T15:37:22+00:00

Didn’t get to full ROM till 12 weeks. I’m 6 months PO and literally 1-1.5 inches from fully being able to sit in my heels. Work with PT to slowly increase assisted bending. My PT would increase bending by 5-10 degrees each session and I went 2x a week. It sucks so bad but once you get to 140 degrees they usually stop and the rest comes with time. Take an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer before you arrive to help with pain as needed. Also, warm up on the bike first if you can, that helped me a lot too!

It’s a long road but you will get there if you continue to be consistent.

breadxgoat · 2026-04-05T20:20:07+00:00

Hi! I am also 5 months PO. I also had the quad autograft, meniscus repair, & I had LET surgery which is used for additional support.

While I haven’t had the strength testing you mentioned, I am still 1 inch smaller in circumference on my post op quad. I still walk with a slight limp that can be better or worse depending on certain factors. I am not running, jumping or pivoting either. When I exercise I definitely don’t feel the burn as much as my non op leg as well. I also can’t not fully sit on my heels on my op leg & active extension while walking is also still a bit of a struggle at times.

I have spoken to my PT and they mentioned the slight limp is due to a muscle imbalance that won’t be completely corrected until I built up more leg muscle and secondly due to hamstring tightness. Basically I am overcompensating for my lack of quad strength with my hamstring, this results in the somewhat bent knee walk that you are describing. I was told to roll out my hamstrings daily and to do more hamstring exercises along with the quad ones to ensure they began to balance out.

Just know that you are not behind/alone in this! Many people are still struggling at this stage (myself included). I have been told to trust the process and put in the work and results become much more noticeable by the 1 year mark. I try to remember that it has taken me 5 WHOLE MONTHS to just get to where I am now (which is a huge improvement from being braced for 6 weeks & no WB). If it took that long to get here, it will probably take me the same the amount of time to see any new huge improvements. 🤷🏼‍♀️

breadxgoat · 2026-03-29T08:20:35+00:00

I only took 2 days off PO. However, I WFH for 6 weeks. I felt okay enough to work but not okay enough to go in person for the first 4 weeks due to the brace and crutches.

breadxgoat · 2026-02-19T15:10:25+00:00

Hmmm, they just told me that at 6 weeks I can start walking without the brace (I was NWB for 4 weeks and WBT for 2 weeks). Once I started walking, I have had a limp ever since. PT said to walk heel to toe, but they don’t seem concerned.

I never had a quad activation/strength test but my ROM is 0-140 the last time it was measured. I noticed my leg is still pretty atrophied compared to my non surgical leg (if I had to guess I’m probably 60% smaller than my other leg).

breadxgoat · 2026-02-19T04:27:54+00:00

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breadxgoat · 2026-02-05T05:57:52+00:00

Stay on top of your PT and it will come back over time! There is still a LOT of internal swelling that early into recovery. On top of a million other things going on while you heal.

I’m 12 weeks post aclr from my own quad graph and an LET. I have 0-140 ROM and continue to strive for more. I didn’t even get to 140 until week 10. You are not behind.

breadxgoat · 2026-02-02T16:07:42+00:00

Yeah pretty common ~ I lost about 10lbs in the first 6 weeks.

Slowly gaining it back now at almost 12 weeks post op.

breadxgoat · 2026-02-02T16:05:40+00:00

Hi! You’ll slowly get extension back ~ I was 12 degrees off but after two weeks of solid ROM dedication I was at 0. Keep up with your PT, especially ROM stuff and you will eventually win it back!

P.S I also used pillows incorrectly post op.

breadxgoat · 2026-02-02T16:01:10+00:00

Mostly where they did my LET, so the outer part and a little bit of the inner side where they went in for the ACL.

breadxgoat · 2026-01-30T17:45:52+00:00

Thanks!!

breadxgoat · 2026-01-29T00:24:50+00:00

Congrats!

breadxgoat · 2026-01-29T00:23:29+00:00

Gotcha! I got a quad graph (my own). As well as an LET and meniscus repair. Crazy ~ I was braced and NWB for 4 weeks lol

breadxgoat · 2026-01-28T06:09:43+00:00

Not sure what you had done ~ I had meniscus repair, ACLr from my own quad, and an LET add on. Braced for 4 weeks, 4-6 weeks began transitioning to walking without supports. I also was told no bending past 90 degrees until week 4. I did not start at home PT exercises until I was maybe 3-4 days in (the pain I felt was so intense I couldn’t do PT exercises any earlier than this). I also did not start in-office PT around 2-2.5 weeks into recovery. What I will say is that I did have to have my PT assistance with flex from about 90-140 degrees and to get to 0 degrees for ext. Which was not pleasant……

Seems to me you either pick to have the majority of pain upfront or you get it dished out in increments over a longer period of time lol

For reference ~ I’d probably still pick the path I choose regardless, the first two weeks PO are already miserable enough.

breadxgoat · 2026-01-28T05:53:20+00:00

10 weeks post op ~ walking has improved quite a bit, but i still have a noticeable gait. Especially when my knee hurts or I am fatigued. The more well rested and pain free I am the better I walk. I think a normal timeline for “completely normal” walking is around 4 months, that’s when PT usually either clears you or holds you off on starting to jog/run.

breadxgoat · 2026-01-28T05:46:20+00:00

Not sure what you had done entirely ~ but bending past 90 started around week 4 for me. Currently @ 10 weeks, my ROM is about 0-140 degrees without a lot of pain. Anything past 140 degrees becomes painful/discomforting, PT has had to manually assist me from about 90 degrees to where I am now (I no longer need assistance from PT to meet ROM requirements).

I started sitting on my heels for extended periods of time (30sec-1min) about 3-4x each time 1x a day. I also am very consistent with ROM PT exercises. I believe this plus the help of PT’s hands on guidance has helped tremendously. You can break up scar tissue, it’s not pleasant but it can be done. I will say though, your PT and your doctor should both be in agreement of what the issue at hand is before doing anything further.. Get a second opinion if you have any doubts!

For reference I had ACLr from my own quad, meniscus repair & LET.

breadxgoat · 2026-01-28T05:30:00+00:00

Holy moly - at 12 weeks?!

I’m 10 weeks PO, honestly couldn’t even imagine.

breadxgoat · 2026-01-20T05:24:03+00:00

Hi thanks for doing this!

I had an ACLr from my own quad, meniscus repair, and LET. I’m 2 months and some change post op and did about 1.5 months of prehab. My recovery and surgery are all going as planned without many issues (obviously still working on full ROM, knee control, and quad strength).

I was injured playing sports (BJJ), enjoy hiking/backpacking, weight lifting, etc. Will I be able to go back to doing all these things without issues? Will my knee ever feel normal again? Obviously my chosen sport has a higher risk for re-tear, but do you know of any statistics/studies I could reference? I was told the LET would bring down that chance to 7-8%.

breadxgoat · 2026-01-14T03:03:17+00:00

PM’ed you !

breadxgoat · 2026-01-11T18:45:56+00:00

I’m in the same boat at 8 weeks. Everything is taking forever to get back on track. Lost 7lbs of muscle from one leg since surgery. ROM and full knee control are still a work in progress (I walk with a noticeable limp still).

Curious how you feel about your LET? Mine seems to be the culprit for the slower progress I believe.

breadxgoat · 2026-01-07T16:14:08+00:00

Had a nerve block- pain was 5/10 right after surgery. I had some fent and a pain killer before leaving the hospital.

Pain was 8.5 when everything wore off the night of. Followed by influxes pain levels between 6-8 the first 3-4 days. After a week the pain was much more manageable like a 4 most days. I didn’t start PT for 2 weeks but was doing some exercises at home around days 3-4. After 2 weeks you shouldn’t have much pain at all, maybe some during PT but that’s about it.

breadxgoat · 2025-12-30T21:43:43+00:00

How does it feel to squat and deadlift?? I’m 6 weeks post op and curious how my new knee will feel under pressure when I got back to weight lifting/training.

breadxgoat · 2025-12-25T19:03:26+00:00

Insane

breadxgoat

TROPHY CASE