What to Expect After ACL Surgery

The period following any surgery is physically and emotionally daunting. We’ve worked with hundreds of ACL surgery patients, helping them through everything from pre-surgery jitters to post-surgery recovery. 

After ACL surgery, the questions we get most often are “When can I go back to work?” or “When can I play my sport again?” And unfortunately, the answer is: it depends.  

We’ve worked with enough patients in our in-patient and out-patient facilities to be able to provide you with valuable information about timelines and expectations after ACL surgery. Everyone’s recovery is different, so your timeline might be different depending on your age, athletic ability, and the result of surgery.

24 Hours After ACL Surgery

In the immediate aftermath of ACL surgery, pain and discomfort are common. Your medical team will help you manage your pain with prescribed medication. 

You will be encouraged to begin physical therapy the day after your surgery. The main goal is to prevent stiffness and maintain joint mobility following ACL surgery. 

Contact your medical team if you have increased pain, concerns, or unusual symptoms. These might be early signs of infection or complications that affect your recovery.

1 Week After ACL Surgery

In most cases, the initial post-operative pain and discomfort will decrease within the first week. You will likely still need to take some pain medication, but as you heal, swelling will reduce and pain should start fading. 

You will start physical therapy. Focusing on range-of-motion exercises to prevent joint stiffness and improve flexibility in your knee. 

Physical therapists will also guide you through exercises and techniques to help you regain strength, balance, and stability in your knee. Soon enough, you’ll be able to walk without using crutches.

1 Month After ACL Surgery

By this point, you will likely be walking without assistance such as crutches. 

Exercises will also intensify as you focus on strengthening the muscles around your knee. These include weight-bearing exercises as well as activities to improve balance and stability. 

Expect functional exercises to be thrown into your routine to replicate everyday activities like walking up the stairs, bending your knee to pick up things, etc.

2 Months After ACL Surgery

Around two months after ACL surgery, you can expect to be working towards returning to your normal daily activity levels. 

Your thigh and calf muscles should be noticeably stronger, and the balance and body awareness exercises provided by your physical therapist will help improve your knee’s stability further. 

Full sports participation usually occurs 6 months after surgery, and you may still need accommodations if your work or activities are physically demanding. It may take anywhere from 6 months to a year to get back 100% depending on various factors.

3-6 Months After ACL Surgery

You will continue to progress in physical therapy, returning to running, cutting and plyometric exercises. 

You will be able to increase your work loads and demands. While you may be feeling good it is important to remember that the ACL graft still needs to be protected from injury until complete healing occurs around 6 months. 

6 Months After ACL Surgery

At 6 months you should be returning to sport and exercise activity. You may have some discomfort with increased physical activity or mental hesitation when returning to sports and activities. 

Expect to have regained near-normal or full range of motion in your knee, but you will still want to perform flexibility exercises to ensure your knee is as mobile as possible.  

By now, you’re well on your way to a full recovery.

Have More Questions About ACL Surgery? Reach Out to CORE Orthopedics Today.

The days, weeks, and months after ACL surgery are physically and emotionally demanding. CORE Orthopedics wants to help make the pain relief process as simple and easy as possible.

Whether that means focusing on non-surgical pain relief methods or outpatient surgery, the experts at CORE Orthopedics have a wide range of tools in our arsenal to get you back to feeling your best as soon as possible.

Contact CORE Orthopedics today to speak with one of our experts.