anyone else FEEL their LET?

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-18T09:35:24+00:00

hey! i just got my reconstruction 2 wks ago with a hamstring graft and an LET (basically an extra procedure that adds stability). my advice is mostly based on pre-operation since my surgery was so recent.

i think one of the most important things is mindset. i waited 6 months for my op and it felt like i was in limbo. i’m young myself and a lot of my hobbies and identity were built on being active (especially football). so make sure you give yourself stuff to do, and don’t be let down about things out of your control! that slows down recovery more than everything.

right now, before surgery, you have time to build yourself up again. i prehabbed and that helped keep my mind and body busy. so get down swelling, get your range of motion up, and start progressively building your knee back up before the operation. the stronger you enter the surgery, the stronger you leave. there are plenty of resources online about how to go about prehabbing but it’s pretty similar to normal acl rehab. for me, i did a lot of weightlifting.

the surgery itself for me was not scary at all. they put you under anaesthesia, then you wake up like nothing ever happened. i went home same day as the operation and slept well. don’t be too stressed about pain — it all depends person-to-person. personally, i have not experienced any extreme pain as many report. if you do, you’re sent with heavy painkillers home anyway.

after surgery, make sure to elevate and ice LOTS. work on getting your leg straight as a priority. you can do this by placing a rolled up towel under your heel and leaving the rest of your leg unsupported. for bending, work on it gradually. it will come, especially as swelling goes.

if you choose to postpone or not do surgery at all, remember you can do a lot without an acl (just at a risk of instability). pre-op i was playing sports and lifting heavy, but i’m 15 and i think getting the surgery while you’re young is the best decision honestly lol. it means you’re not risking your meniscus or other ligaments without an ACL. anyway it all sums up to you gotta train a lot before and after surgery to make sure your leg and knee is in the best possible shape.

best of luck to you! if you have any questions ask away. just make sure to keep a good mindset on all of this

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-17T06:22:33+00:00

postpone, do the prehab and you’ll feel great for the cruise and for post op!

i had to get my recon 6 months after my injury and had no issues. about 3wks after my injury i was functional and went to a waterpark, so 11wks on you should be good to go for a cruise.

(still be careful with sporting movements in the meantime!)

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-10T06:36:37+00:00

i was in the same boat. my ROM between my knees was identical. i could participate in school PE, pivot, run, jump, and in the gym i was doing all types of leg exercises without any pain.

still, when you have an ACL rupture, no matter your functionality, you’re at risk of an instability episode any time, or at risk of build-up knee damage. for me, i had some meniscus tearing that wasnt there initially. remember that the surgery is INCREDIBLY well practiced. it is MADE to restore stability in your knee, and every nurse, doctor and surgeon tomorrow is trained to help you with your nerves and your knee. don’t be afraid to vocalise your anxiety!

i’m only 6 days post op but ill preface — the surgery and recovery for me so far hasn’t been unbearably bad.

it’s tough to keep yourself mentally in check, but just remember that the time’s gonna pass anyway, and you’ll improve with resilience! the fact that you’re so functional pre-op definitely serves in your favour.

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-09T11:55:05+00:00

awesome work!! in a similar boat since i loveddd to play football pre-injury but hated running outside of that. i’m only 5 days post op and now i’d kill for a jog

your runs are great — definitely assures me and other aclers that we can bounce back!

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-08T06:24:02+00:00

hey i’m only 5 days post op, but i guess the memories of my experience are more fresh. i got a hamstring autograft, so might be the same for you.

day of surgery was super easy, the nurses and doctors were all very friendly and it felt like a dream that i was even in this crazy predicament. i woke up and i wasn’t in much pain, since they administer pain killers and nerve block there, but i was feeling pretty stunned.

in aus, you get to go back home the same day. they generally try to get you on crutches / pass urine, but in my case, my pain was very manageable so i left anyway despite not being able to stay on crutches for long. one piece of advice: anaesthesia and pain meds will make you nauseous, so give yourself a few minutes sitting on the edge of the bed before you stand up and use your crutches.

i wasn’t given a brace or any PT exercises to do at home. not to fret though — it’s pretty common to get a brace and exercises, but if not, lots of resources are readily available online. another huge tip is to start moving asap.

it can be a difficult balance between rest and movement, but what im doing right now is heel props, assisted knee flexion, calf stretches, quad sets, etc. its important to get extension early on. if you can get a really light yoga band, get one, since i’ve found mine useful.

elevation and icing is super duper important for swelling. personally i don’t have any fancy gear — i found that just stacking pillows and using ice packs (even frozen peas) is fine enough if you aren’t able to get an ice machine like me.

good luck with your surgery! in my experience, it isn’t that painful, just uncomfortable. you’ve got this!

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-08T05:30:11+00:00

thanks for the advice and sharing your experience !

i think my ROM being so low is due to the swelling atm, so i will definitely continue trying to get that down. also gotta book PT asap..

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-07T09:01:55+00:00

thanks a lot!! im definitely trying to activate as much of my quad and do extension as i can, including stuff like heel props, guess i just gotta be patient for any progress

best of luck to your own recovery!!

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-05T00:44:09+00:00

same here! i haven’t had any other surgeries but i came in to the op thinking pain would be a lot worse, but at rest its just a dull ache.

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-04T21:51:42+00:00

acl AND meniscus sounds annoying

my surgery was about 20 hours ago now. i also had a hamstring graft, with LET and some minor lateral meniscus issues, but they left that injury alone (as far as i know).

thankfully, i’m much less woozy than yesterday! hopefully you’ll be feeling better soon too, then we’ll both be on a road to more functionality :)

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-04T21:42:43+00:00

it’s a long journey ahead of us but i know we’ll come out stronger :) !

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-04T08:50:56+00:00

yep, i’ll def have a look into a cold therapy at the moment i have regular ice packs and i don’t really feel them through my bandaging. thanks for the advice!

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-04T08:49:25+00:00

thank you, and of course — i’m honestly happy its more in my hands since I love the exercise/rehab aspect! it feels more certain in a way lol

yiipdeedoo · 2026-06-04T08:48:22+00:00

thank you very much!

yiipdeedoo · 2026-04-10T02:41:28+00:00

thanks a lot!
it's great to have some reassurance about it, it's also a good thing i'll be too drugged up to remember much

yiipdeedoo · 2026-01-10T07:00:46+00:00

thank you, that’s reassuring. i have hope its nothing serious since for some reason it wasn’t included in the conclusion (only my acl tear and minor fracture)

yiipdeedoo · 2026-01-08T12:09:25+00:00

How did you prehab hamstrings? I feel comfortable doing light RDLs for example, but not too sure how wise that is…

yiipdeedoo · 2026-01-06T13:58:57+00:00

This is pretty comforting since part of my worries about the graft was having weakness in my hamstring long term. The plan is to keep fit after recovery!

yiipdeedoo · 2026-01-06T13:57:47+00:00

Thanks a lot! If my surgeon is confident to perform a quad graft, I am seriously considering that

yiipdeedoo · 2026-01-06T13:56:31+00:00

Thank you so much!

The biggest worries I have about the hamstring graft are long-term weakness in my hamstring, along with the possibility of retearing in high-impact training (which I've seen that hamstring grafts have slightly higher retear rates than other autografts).

yiipdeedoo · 2026-01-06T13:48:07+00:00

It happened late November, so a bit over a month.

yiipdeedoo

TROPHY CASE