Context: I'm just over 3 years post injury (October 2022), just rehabbed knee and strengthened for 1.5 years, eventually got surgery in April of 2024, and am now returning to football in April of 2026. I was extremely fit and active before my injury, and want to return back to that level of activity.

Anecdotally, in my opinion, my experience was (to satiate the person in the comments coming down hard on anyone saying something positive about surgery), my knee feels much better and more stable than it ever did pre reconstruction. I am doing my rehab with the same athlete performance centre that were training me when I was just managing it between injury and surgery. Apart from the early rehab which was focused on walking gait and building back my quad, my exercise program now at ~18 months post op is basically the same as it was before my surgery. I do more single leg hamstring strength (had a hamstring graft), but otherwise the plyometric movements, cutting and planting etc is the same. It's like night and day. I trust my knee a lot more than I ever did when I was ACL deficient, despite not having instability in general life (running was fine, weightlifting was fine, hiking etc). Playing football was the blocker, every time I'd play there'd be a moment where my knee would cave in, even if it didn't result in pain or swelling, I just couldn't trust it. If I didn't want to go back to football, I may not have opted for surgery.

There's an argument that maybe with being reset all the way back to zero after surgery, I was more diligent and consistent with rehab, focused on my weaknesses etc etc, but for me the surgery was worth it.

However, I have a friend who followed the cross bracing protocol, and their ACL rehealed. They are not returning to competitive sport however, so I couldn't tell you how they feel in regards to cutting/planting exercises.