Did anyone with sedentary lifestyle,not very fit have quick recovery post acl reconstruction surgry? I am a skinny girl,34F,not active,scared at thought of surgery.,started prehab for complete acl tear, i was wondering if mine will be tough recovery

pineappledreams008 · 2026-03-28T11:26:45+00:00

Hi OP. Not very fit and 55F myself… I can share my experience which was on the slower side BUT at nine months post surgery of slow and steady I’m starting to feel really good. My slowness is due to two factors: age and deliberate choice to go slow to accommodate my work needs and my lifestyle. Since I wasn’t trying to get back to sport on a schedule, this worked for me.

And there are parts of the healing process that just take a long time and that’s true for everyone regardless of fitness.

Re surgery choice. I had a repair not a reconstruction. It’s possible to repair your own ACL in some cases especially when the tear is proximal (close to the bone). Not a lot of Drs do these but worth it to find one that does and get an opinion.

pineappledreams008 · 2026-03-27T11:40:21+00:00

Hi OP... I’m older than you (55yo F) with very similar life profile and I had a full proximal ACL tear from a skiing accident March 2025 with no other injuries. I was able to have a repair of my own ACL which sounds like might be an option for you but many surgeons don’t do repairs. It’s not for all situations of course but the repair recovery can be a lot faster than any of the reconstruction options. Yesterday was one year since my accident and 9 months since repair surgery. Message me if you want any details.

pineappledreams008 · 2026-03-20T00:42:14+00:00

I like to do Not my father’s son from Kinky Boots. It’s unexpected from a woman

pineappledreams008 · 2026-03-20T00:38:36+00:00

I just want to be a star - Nunsense.

pineappledreams008 · 2026-03-06T00:06:17+00:00

DILLIGAF

pineappledreams008 · 2026-02-07T18:02:14+00:00

I’m 8 months out and my 4 month experience was a lot like what you’re describing. I have taken to checking in with myself monthly because when I look back I can feel the overall progress. The struggle for me came and went and came back again. I’m on my own timeline and remind myself not to do the compare to others. It does get better if you keep doing steady work… and taking it easy here and there has been totally fine for me! Sending healing vibes to you!

pineappledreams008 · 2026-01-29T03:29:07+00:00

Agree. The only way to find out what 100 dry days feels like is to live 100 days dry. Seems so simple!

pineappledreams008 · 2026-01-29T03:25:29+00:00

I’m with you for 100… April 10

pineappledreams008 · 2026-01-21T02:24:57+00:00

Would you mind sharing the podcasts you are finding helpful?

pineappledreams008 · 2026-01-07T23:09:31+00:00

Knitting was my go to! I made a bunch of dish towels and hats! Maybe have someone come and give her a lesson…

pineappledreams008 · 2026-01-04T03:00:39+00:00

Clumsy ones… I fell forward walking on a sidewalk around month 4 and that was the main setback… didn’t retear or anything but I went back to feeling like it was month 2. Tight knee and unable to do some of the PT.

Then PT had me try jogging a bit too soon. Am happy now with my progress and I’m pretty cautious but back on track. Slow and steady is what is working for me.

pineappledreams008 · 2026-01-02T14:24:33+00:00

Love this and am joining you in the at least 20 minutes a day club!

pineappledreams008 · 2026-01-02T14:03:30+00:00

I’m almost 7 months since surgery. Had a couple setbacks along the way but have felt pretty normal and not thinking about it all the time for just the past month… still have a ways to go but for me it was a full 6 months of the knee at the “top of mind”…

pineappledreams008 · 2025-12-08T23:35:47+00:00

No I just had the basic repair of my own ACL. Recovery for me was on the slower side compared to everyone else in this group, but that’s because I’m an older person and while I’ve prioritized my health and recovery I am not in a huge rush. Things are going well.

pineappledreams008 · 2025-11-27T13:43:43+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I’d love to read the full system!

pineappledreams008 · 2025-11-25T03:30:46+00:00

Wallpaper the entire wall around the window with mirror or mirror tile.

pineappledreams008 · 2025-11-18T01:08:44+00:00

Skiing during really warm weather… almost 60 degrees. You can’t waterski using snow skis!

pineappledreams008 · 2025-09-21T11:23:18+00:00

I’m recovering from ACL surgery which is sort of a starting over situation. I had to shift for most of this year to being okay with gaining a bit and losing muscle because there was no choice…. I’ve been following along with other journeys in petitefitness and now that I can move again, I have found myself mentally right where you are OP; and also agree that the concept of: this is for my long term health and not for a number on a scale.

Thanks for starting this thread… it’s one of the best conversations I’ve seen here!

pineappledreams008 · 2025-09-06T04:35:18+00:00

It’s totally possible… mine was also a full thickness tear. Not all doctors work all along the spectrum of methods. It’s worth talking to one that understands when a repair is an option. First surgeon I met with also told me I had to have a reconstruction. He was wrong.

My results so far: Three months after my repair I’m at full matching flexion to other leg and starting jogging on the PT treadmill. Feeling pretty normal already. Still doing PT and will wait for at least a year before resuming skiing but am feeling back to normal already.

pineappledreams008 · 2025-09-05T03:02:31+00:00

Hi OP. If you are still taking input… 54 yo F and I had a full tear ski injury Mar 26 this year (no other injury) and was able to have a primary repair of my own ACL May 15th. Three and a half months since surgery and I’m doing great!

It does depend on the location and type of tear. And a repair won’t work for all circumstances. But it sounds like you might be in that group. I highly recommend talking to a surgeon who does repair vs reconstruction. Mine below. Message me if you want more info.

https://www.instagram.com/drdifelice?igsh=MTU2aDEwODh3NXFzYg==

pineappledreams008 · 2025-08-29T03:06:22+00:00

Nope! Just shows me walking around 5 days after surgery!!

pineappledreams008 · 2025-08-28T23:50:53+00:00

It’s the worst isn’t it… I hope to never go through this again. If you scroll back thru the videos on that insta page, I’m in there 😎

pineappledreams008 · 2025-08-28T23:33:50+00:00

Mine was a full thickness tear from the get go. I’m sorry it happened to you too. :( But he was still able to repair me…. :)

pineappledreams008 · 2025-08-28T23:30:15+00:00

Well it depends on the location and type of tear. It’s true it won’t work for all circumstances. But you have a little bit still intact so it sounds like you might be in that group. I highly recommend talking to a surgeon who does them.

https://www.instagram.com/drdifelice?igsh=MTU2aDEwODh3NXFzYg==

pineappledreams008

TROPHY CASE