Whether you need ACL surgery as the result of a sports injury or because of another type of accident, the recovery timeline is similar for most people. A full recovery, including the return to your pre-injury condition, with full range of motion and stability in the knee joint, usually takes six months .
How long will I be off work after ACL surgery?
If you work in an office, you may be able to return to work after 2 to 3 weeks . If you do any form of manual labour, it could be up to 3 months before you can return to work, depending on your work activities.
How painful is ACL surgery?
Most people have some surgery-related pain and discomfort for the first week or so. Not surprisingly, pain decreases with time. By the end of a week or two at the most, you should have very little discomfort . Swelling and bruising are also relatively common, and like discomfort, they’re temporary.
What is the fastest way to recover from ACL surgery?
- Decreased pain. Cold therapy is a long-standing method of reducing pain after surgery. ...
- Less swelling (edema) Your doctor probably talked to you about post-op edema and swelling, side effects of surgery. ...
- Increased lymphatic drainage. ...
- Stimulated tissue healing. ...
- Lower narcotic use.
Why does ACL recovery take so long?
Like all ligaments, the ACL takes a very long time to heal. The reason is because ligaments are poorly vascularized . In other words, there aren’t many blood vessels to provide nutrients for the ligaments, and without nutrients, tissue repair is not possible.
Is ACL surgery a major surgery?
Injuries requiring reconstruction or replacement of the ACL are common among athletes. ACL reconstruction surgery can help restore range of motion, function and stability to the knee joint after an ACL injury. ACL reconstruction surgery is a common but major surgery with risks, like any other surgery .
Is ACL surgery good for life?
FRIDAY, July 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — People who undergo knee surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can expect to stay active and maintain a high quality of life, researchers report.
What happens at 3 months after ACL surgery?
When is ACL graft weakest?
The graft is at its weakest at 3 to 6 months – just when the patient is beginning to regain confidence. It is therefore essential that return to proper sport is delayed until 9 months post-op.
Will I gain weight after ACL surgery?
Beginning 3 months after surgery, the normal weight group had significantly larger changes in BMI percentile at each time window . The normal weight group peaked with a median percentile increase of 4.15 points at 9 months after surgery (IQR, −1.27 to 9.12).
What happens at 6 weeks after ACL surgery?
Week 6-12:
Patients will begin working on more activity-specific strengthening and weight bearing exercises, such as squats, ascending and descending stairs, and balancing . They can also begin biking with resistance. The muscles begin to recover their normal function and gait becomes more normalized.
How do you sleep after ACL surgery?
You can sleep on your back or side . Do not rest your knee with a pillow/towel under. It is very important to keep your knee straight. You will need a walking aid after your operation as you are likely to have a reduced weight-bearing (partial weight-bearing) capacity through your operated leg for two weeks.
How much does ACL surgery cost?
It will cost approximately $20,000 to $50,000 to pay for the surgeon fee, facility fee, anesthesia and graft. Additional costs include medical equipment such as knee braces and crutches which will add an extra $500. Physical therapy adds a cost of $1,000.
What happens 2 weeks after ACL surgery?
During the first two weeks following your surgery, the main goal is limiting pain and swelling as much as possible, while also focusing on partially regaining your range of motion . You will likely be on crutches for at least 7-10 days following the surgery.
What should I avoid after ACL surgery?
- Do not put too much pressure on your knee and body. It’s easy to feel impatient throughout your rehabilitation. ...
- Don’t over ice your knee. ...
- Avoid sleeping with your knee bent. ...
- Do not overcompensate your recovering knee. ...
- Do not be afraid to tell your doctor if you are worried about something.
Is ACL surgery recovery hard?
Recovery from ACL surgery requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears. You will work hard, and in time your body will respond . Having a good team by your side will help you address both the physical as well as the emotional and psychological aspects of your recovery. Do not rush your return to sports.
Is a repaired ACL stronger?
Benefits. The bone portion of the graft allows it to incorporate and heal very quickly into the tunnels used for the reconstruction. It is quite strong. Biomechanical studies have shown that it is about 70% stronger than a normal ACL at the time of implantation .
Will I ever be the same after ACL surgery?
For the most part, patients’ range-of-motion 10 years after surgery was the same as it had been two years after the operation . About 85 per cent of the 502 patients had a stable knee they could hop on. Strength was clearly less in those patients who didn’t have full motion.
Does ACL surgery leave a scar?
Postoperative scarring is a known complication after arthroscopic anterior ligament reconstruction of the knee . The rate of symptomatic scarring requiring surgical lysis of adhesions after isolated anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is approximately 0.34%.
What happens first week after ACL surgery?
Pain and swelling are at their peak in the first week after ACL surgery. 1 It is especially important to apply cold therapy during this period to help reduce swelling and naturally control pain.
Is ACL surgery keyhole?
ACL reconstruction usually lasts between one and three hours. The procedure is usually done by keyhole (arthroscopic) surgery . This means it’s carried out using instruments inserted through several small cuts into your knee.
How Long Does ACL knee surgery take?
The surgery usually takes 2 to 21⁄2 hours , and you won’t need to stay in the hospital overnight. To do the reconstruction, the surgeon will drill bone tunnels into the tibia and the femur, remove the torn ligament, then place the ACL graft in about the same position.
Does age affect ACL recovery?
Impact of age and ACL surgery options
Recent studies have shown that ACL outcomes in younger, more active patients are more successful when their surgeon uses the patient’s own tissue—and not a cadaver graft—to reconstruct the ACL . “There is always a risk that a graft will fail following reconstructive surgery,” Dr.
What can I do 4 months after ACL surgery?
- Improve Your Running Mechanics. Let’s start with the part that many athletes are aching the most to get back to: running. ...
- Continue to Build Muscular Strength and Power. ...
- Begin Agility Training.
What can you do 8 weeks after ACL surgery?
Usually by 6-8 Weeks After ACL Surgery patients should be able to have full flexion to 135 degrees, be able to consistently use the weight room and moderate speed strengthening training or agility and sport specific drills .
What can I do 5 months after ACL surgery?
- Lunges.
- Deceleration.
- Lateral Shuffle.
- Cutting (45 and 90 degrees)
- Double- and single-leg jumping.
- Dynamic change of direction.
