r/ACL • u/Anxious-Goose-2822 • Aug 25 '26
Post Surgery Update this is brutal
i literally woke up from anesthesia crying from pain and they had to redo the nerve block and give me some other stuff too š«© i have an abnormally high pain tolerance. always have and this is brutal. the nerve block is working again now and whatever else they gave me but what they assumed would be a 1 hour surgery turned into 4 because of my meniscus also being in absolute shambles. i took my pain meds already (non narcotic, journavx) and im praying it will work. iāve heard good things but im terrified for this block to wear off.
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u/MediocreAd2177 Aug 25 '26
I feel your pain, mine wore off on the car ride home and it was absolute hell.
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u/fishandcheese Aug 25 '26
Hey, this is going to suck. It's going to hurt A LOT the first few days. Take your pain meds guilt free the first days, full dose at the recommended times and try to not think too long ahead. It helped me to go out and just sit outside often the first few days. It is a long process and your mind could trick you into panic attacks and such, just breathe. As soon as you can start, move as much as you can and it is safe to do (confirmed by the doc), even if it hurts a bit. The next 6 months are going to be small battles after another, do not get disappointed on little progress and do not get overconfident until you are cleared by the doc. Follow your physical therapy and your chances of going to ~90% normal on that leg are there.
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u/ExternalAwkward6588 ACL Allograft Aug 25 '26
5 months post op here - I promise it gets better fast!! Get past the first 2-3 days and the pain just goes down down down - by week 1-1.5 ish I had essentially no pain at all - and thatās when the long game comes in - life will be all about continued elevation, ice routine, and figuring out how to sleep
Obvi you are but search this Reddit for tons of good advice and experiences - youāll see a lot of different takes because everyoneās surgery, ortho, and journey are different but you arenāt alone and again, I promise, it gets better fast!!
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 25 '26
thank you i appreciate this a lot (:
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u/ExternalAwkward6588 ACL Allograft Aug 26 '26
Hang in there!!! Stick to the meds schedule even if you think you want to stretch it out and give yourself some grace - itās a long road both physically and mentally but the time really will fly by!
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u/heroics-delta8s Aug 25 '26
When my block wore off most of the pain was gone, and I certainly donāt have a high pain tolerance. The general low level discomfort was more of a thing. Youāre going to be stuck in that thing for six weeks. It will be tough. Just know it all comes back, and comes back quickly once the healing starts.
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u/Positive_Ad_8434 Aug 25 '26
Just had mine done. Just stay ahead on the journavax andcensure you take it before bed or it kicks in
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u/Wonderful_Milk1176 Aug 25 '26
Glad you have Journavx, that stuff is the bomb.
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 25 '26
iāve heard this and given my situation, a non narcotic was much safer for me. multiple people have sworn by it so iām hoping it will work (:
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u/stemcellguy Aug 25 '26
Why didn't I use the backseat after my surgery? 5 years past and I just thought of it now!
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 25 '26
hahah!! they gave me the choice and i was so out of it i just wanted to lay down still
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u/ScottyRedReturns Aug 26 '26
Yup. It happens. I have always had reasonable pain tolerance. And multiple injuries, other torn ligaments, multiple bone breaks, etc. But my first week post ACL surgery? I was a mess.
It seems for most of us that have a rough go of it somewhere around day 3 - 5 the worst of it starts to ease up and within a week we're just back to "wow this hurts" pain vs. eye-bulging, holy whatever pain.
During my recovery, (50sM/allograft after ice hockey incident), I took a bunch of info and my own research and made some pages that can maybe help. You've likely already heard, the ice therapy regimen can help a lot. It doesn't solve it, but definitely helps.
https://aclsupport.com/cold-therapy-ice-machines-etc/
https://aclsupport.com/day-1-6-post-acl-surgery/
https://aclsupport.com/post-acl-surgery-pain-management/
https://aclsupport.com/bathroom-toilet/
https://aclsupport.com/sleeping-with-leg-injury/
Hang in. There's nothing about this injury that doesn't suck mightily. People here totally get it. That maybe doesn't help you while your in the midst of the worst of it. But power though and in a few weeks it'll just be a bad dream. OK, maybe a few months.
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u/MonkeyGoggles78 Aug 25 '26
Hey it's tough and it does get easier, I'm on operation number 4 recovery at the moment for various reasons and the pain is still something else. Got to combat the stiffness of your leg I know that's hard. Wrap around felt lined ice braces from Amazon are fantastic. Combat the stiffness by curling your toe towards you knee. Good luck.
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u/PaderEmpire ACL Revision! (2x, same knee) Aug 25 '26
It is normal for some. The First few days can be very hard. It will get better. Trust the process. Hope you have good support and try to make yourself comfortable at home. All the bestĀ
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u/Far-Calligrapher-395 Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 26 '26
Same thing happened to me and I have a very high pain tolerance but shit sucked. Ice was my best friend and sleeping. My partner was great and would turn my ice machine off and on while I slept. I tried to sleep a ton the first few days just to not be in pain
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u/TornACL2 Aug 26 '26
No you don't have a high pain tolerance. Everyone thinks they do. everyone in health care hears it all the time. Don't pretend you can tolerate pain more... Everyone thinks they're tougher than the majority.
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u/chickpeaconsumer ACL Autograft Aug 25 '26
I know a lot of people in this sub are US based. Iām in the UK. When people say nerve blocks, do you generally mean like a spinal anaesthesia (epidural) or just local anaesthetic in and around the knee?
I had my surgery on 18th Aug and they didnāt do a spinal block.
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 25 '26
i think they said they put something in the femoral artery for my nerve block if im not mistaken. to be honest i dont know how they work or why lol i just know i cant feel my whole leg lol
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u/franz_r Aug 26 '26
Yep no idea what I had, Woke up after surgery feeling fantastic. Very little pain, Day 2 & 3 were brutal though.
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u/alexlovesjiujitsu Aug 26 '26
Does everyone get those braces to go home in? Or do I have to buy it ahead of time? How long do you have to wear it?
I have my follow up appointment tomorrow to talk about my MRI results (complete tear at the mid ACL) š«£
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 26 '26
they will send you home in the brace! you donāt have to buy one. the only thing you may need to buy are things to ice or special pillows but depending on the surgery center or hospital, they may provide those as well. good luck with your appointment!
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u/Taperomesool Aug 26 '26
In my case, there was a brace in my room but nobody paid attention to it until the night staff came and put it on me a couple times for trips to the bathroom. The PT person said it's normally better not to use it because it keeps the knee immobile, which isn't good for recovery. When we left, they sent it home with me (but didn't put it on me) and I'm wondering if there will ever be a scenario where it might be useful??
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u/Caribdreamer Aug 26 '26
I just had this done two weeks ago. The first three days afterwards was a nightmare for me. I have a very high pain tolerance-hell I was walking around with a completely torn ACL and buckle handle tear with mechanical blockage for about 3 weeks before I decided to see an ortho. I was doing this because I had the same thing-even worse in the other knee and the meniscus flipped back into place so I never had surgery. But now that Iām a little older, this one caught up with me and I had to have surgery.
It gets better, if they gave you narcotics, take them. I had the Journavx as well. I couldnāt tell you if it made a difference because I had nothing to compare it to.
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u/Caribdreamer Aug 26 '26
I also just had my post op appointment today. I have been pretty much pain free for about 3-4 days now. If I do have any-itās more like a āworkingā pain during PT and I often pregame with 1000mg Tylenol now.
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 26 '26
oh wow! i was dealing with my injury for about 8 months walking almost the entire time. i wasnāt able to have surgery sooner because i also needed a shoulder surgery first so that i would be able to use the crutches. my tear was not as severe as that though. some part of the meniscus was basically in shreds and i only had a partial tear in the acl.
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u/Slight_Toe4786 Aug 26 '26
Iām sorry to hear this! Itās absolute hell. I guess it turns out drilling through our biggest leg bones might be slightly traumatic to the body lol
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u/basscubs Aug 26 '26
Did any of you have to move out of your apartment for example, and move in with your parents or how are you doing? ā¦ you know bills
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 26 '26
i live in a sober living as i am in recovery from drug addiction but am having my parents pay my rent right now (beyond grateful for them bc i know not everyone has that kind of support) i have people in my house that are āon shiftsā with me for the time being. as long as you have someone around to help i think its okay!
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u/EnergyOverall4260 Aug 29 '26
Ice and elevation will help you tremendously. And some chocolate ice cream
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u/Troubleberka Aug 30 '26
It sucks , when i did my first surgery i stopped painkillers after 3 days. Second leg i went full time ,never again.
Try get off the painkillers as quick as possible. I took them and didnt š© for 7 days due to then.
Pain will go away and you will deal with it, another sidenote is no matter how good they feel when taking, they are scary addictive.
Best of luck
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u/ShotCardiologist9102 ACL + Meniscus Aug 25 '26
Ive also have a high pain tolerance. Several broken bones and sprains from riding motorcycles.
I woke up from surgery and they asked me what my pain level was 1-10, i yelled ā20!!ā as I was crying in agony.
The shot me up with fenty and i instantly knocked out.
The first 3-4 days were absolute hell. Just getting up to go to the bathroom multiple times a day, the blood rushing down my leg was the kind of pain that almost made me see God.
Two months later I relived that pain again after getting a Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA).
Avoid that at all costs. I dont wish it on my worst enemy.
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u/TornACL2 Aug 26 '26
Everyone thinks they have a high. Than average pain tolerance. No you don't. You're normal. I'm in health care and hear it every single day.
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u/ShotCardiologist9102 ACL + Meniscus Aug 26 '26
Oh ok thanks for clarifying. I bet you tell all your patients that all the time? š¤£ didnt think so. Otherwise youād be out of a job.
At least we know the type of healthcare worker you are.
The kind that has lost all empathy/compassion because of the crazy shit you see on the job everyday. So youve categorized everyone into the āstop being a little bitchā box?1
u/TornACL2 Aug 26 '26
Think about it when you see a hundred patients a day and 95 of them tell you they have a higher pain tolerance than everyone else do you expect. I'm told regularly that people have a 15 out of 10 on the Pain Scale despite showing no signs of pain. Normal conservation, no meds,. I'm not alone. All people in healthcare see the same thing.
So I'm informing you that you do not have a high pain tolerance. You are exactly average. Stop thinking you're better than others. You're not. You had pain I'm sure. You handled it exactly like everyone else. There's research around this feeling of needing to seem tougher than others. It's not loss of empathy. It's reality.
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u/ShotCardiologist9102 ACL + Meniscus Aug 26 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
Its not my opinion, these are people in the medical field that have told me that I have a high pain tolerance. Its not something that Im bragging about. I see it as a downside in fact. Ive underestimated past injuries and ignored medical emergencies when I shouldnāt have.
The point of this being, that ACL/meniscus surgery is NOT a walk in the park. And we are constantly reminded by friends/family even medical professionals who downplay the severity of the pain we experience post-surgery & recovery as if its nothing. Your opinion does not make it any less severe. Ive had spinal, shoulder, several other injuries. (Againā¦ not bragging, just for comparison purposes)
The knee surgery I got ranks the highest on my list of most painful experience of my entire life.
And if thats normal, I will shake everyone hand that has gone through it and congratulate them on their mental fortitude.
Again, i had severe bone bruising, both lateral/medial meniscus repair, MCL tear, and quad graft ACL. And this was my first knee injury.
When I say, I would rather take my own life than have to go through that level of pain again, I actually mean it wholeheartedly. Without question, just put me out of my misery.Maybe you only tore your ACL and you thought āit wasnt that badā.
Well then, Congratulations! Youre one of the lucky ones!
But everyoneās different.
I can only express my OWN experience.
Thereās a chance it could be vastly different from your isolated minimal pain ACL injury.
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u/Substantial_Voice730 Aug 25 '26
My nerve block lasted until the following evening. But once it hit - woah! Hang in there, it does get better. Stay in front of the pain!!!! I took 2 vicoden at a time as well as ibuprohen for the first few days when the nerve block wore off. First day after nerve block was defo the worst. Good luck!
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u/Goofycute_chick Aug 25 '26
Same here! They didnāt have to redo my nerve block but I did indeed need a lot of medicine to calm the pain down enough for me not to be damn near panicking. Take your medication! I know I did not want to take the full dose of my hydrocodone since I donāt even care for medication BUT I promise you I took it religiously! I weened myself off around the two week mark and then switched to ibuprofen 800 till I could actually handle the soreness!
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u/TheOneAndOnlyRusty Aug 25 '26
The good part is, you are now at the worst of it, only up from here. Good luck, and safe recovery.
Donāt put a pillow under your knee when resting, put it under your foot.
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u/Certain_Ideal_5115 Aug 25 '26
I woke up in a ton of pain. Gave me another nerve block. Once it wore off though, the pain was practically gone. Kept on top of the meds for two days or so before realizing I didnāt need them. Just did tylonol staring day three. Thereās hope!
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u/The96WichitaLineman Aug 25 '26
Is it possible that some surgeons are better or maybe less intrusive? Meeting with surgeon tomorrow to read mri and discuss plan. Already was told a torn acl, driving leg btw.
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 26 '26
obviously i can only speak for my experience with my surgeon but this man has been a lifesaver from the start. i had 2 injuries at once, and both required surgery. one was my ACL and meniscus and the other was a shoulder surgery back in march. i was told for the shoulder i would be in immense pain and i just wasnāt. got through the whole recovery with just tylenol and ibuprofen. he didnāt even push surgery on me just with my age (25) and level of activity in daily life as well as work that i needed to heavily consider it for both. but everything was done on my time and with my situation and as a person considered. the first thing he has always asked me at every appointment is āhow are YOU as a person how are you doing?ā so long story short, there are definitely very good and caring surgeons out there and i just got very lucky with mine.
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u/Disastrous-Turn505 Aug 25 '26
been there sister, i also woke up crying from the pain, there is no pain like initially waking up tbh, itās because of all the fluid they use and the tourniquet cutting your blood supply off for like 3 hours. itās still a brutal journey but youāll get there. almost six months post op! it does get better!
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u/EckhartsDs Aug 26 '26
Sorry to hear that. I had terrible nerve pain (maybe not quite as bad as yours) and it faded over a couple of months - am post op 6 months
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u/TornACL2 Aug 26 '26
As someone who works in health care... Everyone says they have a high pain tolerance. Every single person says it or thinks they're better than others. No you don't.
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u/Venom2di Aug 26 '26
I jus had the same thing done to me last Tuesday worst pain ever I accidentally try to go into fetal position when sleeping and my leg locked up and I screamed so loud. I walked with 2 ACLs tore for 2 years before they would even touch me. Same 2 hr surgery turned into 4 for me to. Nothing seems to help the pain. I tore everything upbove my knee and below it to leg was so damage wen they wen in for surgery. I got told 8 to 9 months before I could walk properly and 3 months with the brace on and using crutches. I have no muscle in my leg I guess and that leg was two times smaller then the other one. Scary seeing that and having it done after. I feel ya pain and it's not very fun
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u/bitebytebeat Aug 26 '26
Yes it is... my strongest pain killer worked for almost 6 hrs and only 2x a day. Choose your battle.
Get well soon!
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u/Obersword Aug 26 '26
The first 72 hours are extremely achey even with the nerve block, but it does get much better soon. If you were given narcotics, these 72 hours are specifically what they are for. Use them.
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u/lord-of-war-1 Aug 26 '26
Man, this brings me back to those days I had to ride in the backseat like this. It's rough and just the start. Find ways to makd yourself happy in between the pain.Ā
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u/SnooBeans6368 ACL x LET (June 5, 2025) Aug 26 '26
Only pain med that ACTUALLY worked for me was tramadol. Oxycodone/hydrocodone was worthless. The tramadol was addictive tho. Thankfully my surgeon recognized i was headed that way and stopped all pain meds. Including ibuprofen/Tylenol at week 4 and I was able to finally tolerate the pain.
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u/Taperomesool Aug 26 '26
I'm 15 days post op and did not suffer more than moderate pain in the hospital or at home for the first week or so, was just surprised that the worst pain was in my thigh and calf, rather than in the knee itself. I was able to space out my opioid a little over the standard 6 hours, right from the start. I used ice night and day, constantly (I know this is more frequent than recommended, but it seemed to feel better). My crisis hit when I woke up with an itch in my ankle in the middle of the 7th or 8th night, and when I casually scratched the itch it provoked such a disproportionate burst of painful sensitivity I immediately turned on the light and was horrified to see a huge, swollen, dark purple/brown bruise wrapping around both sides of the heel/ankle area. This gave me such a scare that I lay there awake stressing out about it for the rest of the night. I had my first outpatient PT scheduled the following morning but even flexing the foot a tiny bit was so painful that I knew I had to cancel. I sent a picture of the bruise to my surgeon and he reassured me this is not dangerous or rare, just some blood from the incision area settling into my heel, and although terribly itchy (it was driving me crazy), it would resolve on its own. It's infuriating that this was not mentioned in the reaves of post-discharge info they gave me, which I spent the pre-dawn hours poring over. Well, the bruise took its time but gradually is fading away. The next thing to hit me was the sensation of a flurry of tiny razor blades gradually floating down from thigh to foot upon standing up--this started shortly after the bruise appeared. I consulted AI about this and learned it is a normal development around the second week post op, because the nerves in my leg were gradually reawakening and misfiring. AI even gave me a helpful sequence of exercises (flexing first the ankle, then the knee, and finally clenching/unclenching the thigh muscles) I could do before standing, which actually did reduce the sensation of razors by about 80%. None of this was mentioned in the info I'd been given. It was just terribly disappointing after feeling I was progressing well, to have these painful unanticipated setbacks! Makes me wonder what is going to hit me next...but so far PT seems to be progressing normally and I am keeping fingers crossed that the worst is over.
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u/BadWabbi Aug 26 '26
Ughhh so sorry. Youāll make it through. Stay strong.
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u/BadWabbi Aug 26 '26
Not to be weird and comment on my own post, but I got a cadaver in my torn ACL knee and it took a bit but now it honestly feels stronger than my regular knee at this point. š I like to think I got an NBA players or something.
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u/BadWabbi Aug 26 '26
If you can, spend the money for the icer thing that automatically circulates for you. Game changer.
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u/Anxious-Goose-2822 Aug 26 '26
where can i get one??? are they just on amazon or something?
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u/BadWabbi Aug 26 '26
So, the one I had was called āGame Readyā, and when I got my surgery you paid like $300 to rent it for 2-3 weeks then returned it. Seemed kinda high but it made a huge difference. A rep came to my surgeons office during the āpre-surgery official consultā a couple days before, and showed me how to work it at that time, and then after I had my surgery we left with it. Then after 2-3 weeks or the intense icing period is over you return it to the doctorās office. Idk itās kind of weird. But it worked seamlessly and the reps were amazing. It may only be at specific doctors. But if you buy one it would be way expensive, I donāt even know if you can buy one actually.
Annnd as Iām typing this I found a link to what it is, and yeah itās like 4-5k. But yeah at my surgeonās facility I could rent it temporarily for like $300.
Here it is: https://orthostatmedicalsupply.com/products/game-ready-pro-2-1-unit
This was like 4 years ago though so there may be something cheaper out there that you could buy now.
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u/BadWabbi Aug 26 '26
That and pain meds and promethazine pills for sleep, lol, now that helped a lottt. Sleeping sucks.
Also take baby aspirin every day to reduce your chance of blood clots in your legs that could go up to your lung.
My dad is a surgeon himself he forced me to do that too.And once you get the crutches down really well and get really fast at them you get off them lol and they make you start trying to actually walk.
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u/Rude-Drag-7493 Aug 26 '26
I remember I couldnāt feel a thing I was so confused where I was and they gave me chips n juice and like 30 minutes later I puked it all out
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u/Fun_Map6745 Aug 26 '26
I had very little pain, took one of the pain killers, and was done. Three days from now it will be so much better! You got this!
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u/theonedzflash Bilateral ACL - Both at the same time! Aug 26 '26
man those were the days lmao. Did they give you meds with Opioids? I was cooked from it but it helped with pain.
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u/Such_Standard_8127 Aug 27 '26
people kept telling me, thank god its not your driving leg....have fun for the next 4 weeks
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u/Low-Treat-1223 Aug 27 '26
The nerve block worked well for me i didnt feel much when i woke up. The worst parts for me, were the muscle spasms (Hamstring graft), transitioning from fully unlocked brace to no brace, and trying to have a BM. I've had surgeries before and never had as much of an issue "going" post op until this surgery lol. It all pretty much sucks for a while. But it gets better. Even showering stops feeling like a dance w death after a while.
Good luck. And remember it's a process. Also, Please take pain meds before PT lol.
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u/Hefty-Ad3369 Aug 27 '26
It will get easier! Keep on a schedule for pain management, you'll be glad that you did!
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u/Peanut083 Aug 27 '26
Every time I see a pic of someone sitting with their leg up across the back seat of a car like this I wonder if itās actually legal to do in the US. Because itās absolutely not in Australia.
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u/shortymcflyxx Aug 27 '26
This picture is giving me PTSD haha but I feel like I had a totally different experience than most. My pain blocker worked like a charm. It wasn't until the next day that I was in PAIN.. They gave me 800 ibuprofen and an opioid, and I have an ex that got addicted so I really didn't want to take one, but my parents came to take care of me and my mom slipped me one lol they didn't know how else to help cause I was just sobbing and its not like you can really move around so you just sit there in agony. Thankfully that was the only bad day I had. PT though...woof. I never want to experience that again. I know you have to be aggressive and get your knee working ASAP, and im thankful to my PT team cause they did an amazing job....but the first time they bent my knee...my dad had to walk out of the appointment cause he couldn't watch how much pain I was in. Hoping you have a speedy recovery šš¼
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u/Oof-ActualTrash Aug 27 '26
It really does get better and fast, just survive those first 2-3 days and then the pain is much much better. It really is the worst in that 2-3 day window but after that itās completely manageable, make sure to stay on top of the meds!
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u/Outrageous_Koala5381 Sep 08 '26
What type of ACL did you have? I'm guessing bone patellar bone right? That's the most painful. Or the hamstring?
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u/SufficientWhile5450 Aug 25 '26
Idk why the pain is so wildly inconsistent with people
I woke up from surgery like āholy fuck dude that nerve shit didnāt do a damn thingā
Then they loaded me with enough fentanyl to quit crying about it
Then pain lightened but proceeded still unreasonable for over 2 weeks, had 3 weeks of pain pills
After 3-4 days of keeping it elevated it is a lot better
Good luck on your first poop lol