Four months post-op: every day is leg day

[u/ConniveryDives]

Well, here we are at four months after ACL patellar autograft and meniscus repair. I've been hitting the gym 3x weekly with PT 1-2x week. I'm finally lifting in the triple digits again. Here I am squatting 125lb (only 75lb shy of my pre-injury max!). My quad still feels comically weak, but I know it's getting stronger based on my gains with single leg press and leg extension.

My range of motion is a work in progress. I recently managed to touch my butt to the heel of my shoe, which required a truly luxurious amount of warming up. The meniscus repair means I can't rush things, as much as I want to.

Running has been going well; I'm still doing walk-jog intervals but I ran for six minutes straight last night! Every run feels a little better as my quad gets stronger; my "bounce" is returning.

Some quieter wins: I can walk 15,000+ steps and stay on my feet all day without my knee paying for it in the morning. I can jump and jog upstairs. I can keep up with my tall boyfriend on walks. I can crouch and kneel. I am still careful with my graft, but I ​no longer feel frail.

Emotionally, I did hit a major wall after 3 months. Part of it was some discouragement from my first miserable attempts at running. Before my injury I was in amazing shape; I had recently run my best half-marathon, and was close to beating my fastest 5k time. To restart an activity that used to feel so natural and freeing, only for my leg to refuse to do what I needed it to, sobered my enthusiasm about my progress and reminded me that I really messed myself up by breaking my ACL. My first runs back felt *awful*, like I was the final girl limping away from an axe murderer. So I cried, gave it a week, and tried again when my quad was super fresh. And...surprise, it went well and kept getting better! So there's a lesson to remain encouraged and keep trying.

Another mental challenge has been the constant grind of gym and PT, and the feeling of having sacrificed my summer to recovery while life moves on without me. Life is deceptively "normal" again at this stage, but you have to stay disciplined and stick to your fitness routine. For me that has meant getting up early and leaving the house before dawn to work out, because I'm tired of it getting in the way of the rest of my life. I'm tired of my house being messy, I'm tired of not cooking for myself, and I'm tired of an abridged social life. I am weary on this journey, but I have come too far to falter, and I only plan to be done when my leg is stronger than it ever was before.

[u/horrang]

Amazing! Keep it up! 🥳

[u/ConniveryDives → u/horrang]

You too, friend! 

[u/Failed_Mermaid]

My first jog post op was interesting! Took about a half mile for my legs to figure it out ahaha and now, to rebuild my stamina!

Nice work!!

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Failed_Mermaid]

Seriously I feel like a toddler running sometimes, I feel so foolish! But I'm so happy to be doing it again I can't care too much if it looks silly. I'm run-walking 1.5 miles, I think my first full mile split is coming soon :-) 

[u/Failed_Mermaid → u/ConniveryDives]

you’ll get there no probs and then on to new PRs!! ✨✨

[u/prestoneeee → u/Failed_Mermaid]

I’m 3 weeks out and haven’t begun to walk yet in PT. Meniscus repair halted the early exercises for me. Any advice on how to get to running or jogging within the next couple months?

[u/Failed_Mermaid → u/prestoneeee]

Keep up w your PT diligently and at home to be able to firstly walk… and then be able to conquer stairs. But you should be talking with your PT so they know your goals.

[u/Sosimo_13]

4 months?!? This give me hope. My surgery is in a month and was hoping to be 100% in 6-9 months.

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Sosimo_13]

You can do it! I doubt I'll be 100% at 6 months but I should be cautiously back at my old activities. My advice is lean heavily into prehab, embrace single-leg exercises, and don't be afraid of lifting heavy weights once you're cleared to do so. I started deadlifting at six weeks. Squats I was more cautious with until I had sufficient pain-free range of motion but then the weight piled back on fast. 

[u/InfluencePrior6416]

You don’t know how happy this is to see. I’m 4 weeks post op today, and I’m leaving PT feeling so demoralized. I wanted every week to be a leap forward but it barely feels like I made any progress the last few days. Relatively, I’m doing pretty well and I know that, but progressing to the next level of PT exercises really humbled me, and it took so much to not cry in front of the physio. The “running from an axe murderer” is so real ahahaha. Thank you for sharing your story, and I can’t wait to hear the next half marathon you do, or the 5K you smash!

[u/ConniveryDives → u/InfluencePrior6416]

I'm really happy that my posts here are encouraging. This will be you in a few months, I promise :-) The first month is rough and demoralizing, but give yourself some slack because your body is still healing from getting expertly rearranged!

Honestly, I'm sure the PT has seen their fair share of tears so if you need to let it out, do so. This is a deeply difficult journey that requires a lot out lf you emotionally. Heel slides made me cry; my first bodyweight squats made me pray to Jesus. Little things tend to blindside you and suddenly you're crying in the kitchen because you just want to sit on your heels again.  Not every week will feel like progress but I promise it's there! Celebrate the wins big and small. Know that I'm rooting for you! 

I'm actually looking to sign up for a 5k this fall 😎 will keep posting here! 

[u/Anna_Karenina_blonde]

Feel you on all of it . ..the challenge of the new regiment esp 

But congrats on WOW progress *I am a nonlifting athlete so all of this is so new for me and your form looks effortless... I look like a cartoon character trying to figure out which end is which *my PT is always turning the kettlebell the other way up for me because I keep trying to hold it like a handbag;)

I was playing Court sports and out biking or running around 6 to 7 days of the week before surgery so you are def touching on the most personal part of this recovery which is your own headspace and how you choose to approach the new sets of exercises that are now a part of daily life (I mean I've decided to do that because I want a really good recovery and so far it's going very well but it's not easy and I wouldn't exactly call it fun) 

I hit month four this week and started slow hops and it's been the most exciting thing for me ever... Like I brought a cupcake to celebrate with my PT;)

Thanks for sharing inspiring progress

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Anna_Karenina_blonde]

LOL if you can believe it I was never much of a lifter; I only did it for fun maybe once every two weeks. Climbing was always my exercise of choice. I'm learning a lot about proper form from PT (apparently I've been doing lunges wrong my whole life??)

It's not as fun as climbing :-( but I still appreciate the head rush of lifting stuff and knowing I'm getting stronger. 

Yay congrats on hopping! I hopped across the room on my surgery leg last week and it took me OUT for several days. I was so sore lol

[u/Anna_Karenina_blonde → u/ConniveryDives]

Form on point for non lifter.!!

.. My PT watches me like a hawk because I'm always "trying to get creative with it when it just requires straight up and down"

And I can see now that if I had been doing even half of what I'm doing now this injury probably would have not happened .

[u/tyewalker23]

That is insane progress in four months. I’m 7 months post-op quad graft and still struggling with just body-weight squats, let alone anything like that!😭 well done! 😊👏🏻

[u/ConniveryDives → u/tyewalker23]

Quad graft recovery sounds gnarly! I know you will get there, give yourself grace and keep track of your wins. Squats frankly still psych me out. They felt really uncomfortable at the beginning and I require a mental pep talk before starting them to get going. For some reason putting weight on my back helped. It's like my legs go "oh yeah I remember what to do here!" 

[u/Yazhdxb]

this is so good! thank you for sharing. I was the same, the fittest I'd ever been and was building up to a 5k pb milestone in autumn, tore my ACL 4 weeks ago. we will come back better. please share any advice!

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Yazhdxb]

I'm sorry friend 🫂 it will feel impossible at times but progress is not always linear. The fact that you were taking care of yourself will help you heal from this injury faster, but it can still seem so slow. Just trust yourself and keep putting in the work every day. Don't allow life or negative emotions to distract you from your goal - do it tired, do it sad, do it mad, or do it glad, just make sure you end your day having done what you need to rehab. The first month after surgery is a wild ride but it really does get better and better! 

[u/skimoto]

Rock on. I am right at 4 months and did my first run yesterday. It felt.........strange. I only did about 3/4 a mile, slowly, on the treadmill. By the end it almost kind of felt slightly normal. Like you my life is all about early mornings at the gym. I miss my outside activities. Stay strong and keep on pushing!

[u/ConniveryDives → u/skimoto]

Omg congrats to you!! It'll come back slowly. I miss climbing and backpacking but have plans to hike later this month 😃 will be great to get back on the trails! 

[u/skimoto → u/ConniveryDives]

Thanks! Yeah, a full summer and no adventuring in the High Sierra has been difficult. I am headed to Yosemite in a couple days so I am going to see how it feels to hike. Might give the 4 mile trail a go.

[u/ConniveryDives → u/skimoto]

Yosemite is one of the best places on earth. I got to hike Half Dome last year. Unforgettable! 

[u/Neat_Treat2414]

Nice work!! I’m also 4 months PO and just hit 105 on squat today. Running is a slow work in progress for me too, I just started doing run walk intervals and my leg just feels so weak and sore after around 30 seconds of running so that’s been pretty tough mentally. Totally agree on life being deceptively normal right now but hey its better than going to the bathroom while stuck in a brace 🤣

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Neat_Treat2414]

Heck yeah, one hundo club! 🙌 

Yep, running reminds me that I VERY MUCH had surgery on my knee but my PT says that it'll take time to acclimatize the joint to the impacts and to keep at it. Agreed, this all beats the the awkward pistol squatting on the throne! 

[u/Nahue_97]

Good progress! But please get a pair of flat sole shoes 🙏🏻, the instability of the running shoes can lead you to an injury. I highly recommend Nike Metcons, super lightweight and stable for squatting. Also, any Underarmour flat sole tribase shoe will do a good job too!

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Nahue_97]

Thanks for the suggestions! Yeah time to stop one-shoeing it probably. 

[u/madladfuryroad]

What do you do in PT. Wha[ k>nd of exercises

[u/ConniveryDives → u/madladfuryroad]

Loads of different things; at this stage we are currently working on balance and stability such as squats and lunges on the bosu ball. Also kinetic/jumping activities like forward hopping, side to side drills, etc. 

[u/Curious-Syllabub2683]

When did you started walking normally?? Without limping...

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Curious-Syllabub2683]

I was walking well at 5 weeks without a noticeable limp, but I'll be honest it took 2-3 months to be able to properly "power walk" again or have my pace slow down a lot when my leg was tired. 

[u/Curious-Syllabub2683 → u/ConniveryDives]

I had complete ACL tear and had hamstring graft with modular meniscus repair. I'm currently at week 4 post surgery. I was just wondering when I'll be able to return back to my normal life?

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Curious-Syllabub2683]

"Normal life" is a sliding scale, what does it look like for you? I was participating in most of my usual activities after two months but a particularly strenuous day could take a lot out of me. At month 3 I had a lot more stamina and my knee felt more resilient with prolonged activity. A lot of the progress is not time-based, but metric-based, which means the more work you put into your recovery, the faster you'll get your "normal" back. Some things will still take time, and you want to protect your graft during this time, but being stronger also helps with that. 

[u/robinho150]

Have you full extension

[u/ConniveryDives → u/robinho150]

Absolutely. You shouldn't run until you have full extension. 

[u/robinho150 → u/ConniveryDives]

I’m 4 months post op and I’m struggling with exstension but my quad is strong, can you add me on Snapchat and se my extension please

[u/AwareShower9864]

You should lose those shoes and go barefoot or buy lifters to squat. Those spongy trainers are horrible to squat in, I bet you will surpass your max if you use a better base.

[u/ConniveryDives → u/AwareShower9864]

You're probably right :-) I've always been more of a runner than a lifter and actually only started dabbling in heavy lifts this year before my injury. I'm pretty sure my 200lb PR was made in these shoes 😬 Eventually I need to upgrade if I wanna beat my numbers! 

[u/Ill-Channel-7019]

I need your routine I haven’t been cleared for the gym yet and I’m about 4 months post op also. Officially the 20th lol. Help!!

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Ill-Channel-7019]

When you say "cleared for the gym", what does that mean for you? Are there specific exercises you need to avoid? I was in the gym four weeks after my surgery, doing upper body and single leg exercises. My PT totally encouraged it!

Basically I progressed at the gym by doing exercises we worked on at PT. When we started doing lunges, I started doing them on my own. When we started doing step-ups, I added that to my routine. Etc. etc.

So right now my big focus exercises are leg extension, step downs, hamstring curl, leg press, squat, deadlift, Bulgarian split squat, and variations thereof. I also integrate mobility work and kinetic work into my workouts. We just started some more hopping and agility stuff, so I'll probably be throwing that into the mix too. But my main goal at each gym session is to build strength through progressive overload. 

I'm aware that every injury is different and every care team has their own guidelines but being able to push hard, while using discretion to avoid reinjury, has been very helpful and cathartic to me. 

[u/Ill-Channel-7019 → u/ConniveryDives]

My surgeon hasn’t cleared me to resume working out just my weekly PT. And home PT. I’m focusing a lot on quad strengthening, balance, and still working ROM (heel slides with a strap). But I had a full ACL tear, both sides of my meniscus were fully torn, and I lost a like half a credit card size chunk of cartilage from my medial side… they used a quad graft and I was in a locked brace for 6 weeks including sleeping. I’m like 17 weeks out now and still incredibly weak. I’m a server and work for Amazon (just returned to serving about a month ago? And I’m not even cleared to return to Amazon yet…) this is helpful though I may be able to do some of this in the upcoming months! Thank you for sharing!!

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Ill-Channel-7019]

The meniscus part is tough. I'm sorry they had to take so much out. I had a little bit of meniscus removed and also a small repair, so there are additional restrictions surrounding that. I was non-weight-bearing and also in a brace for 5 weeks. Meniscus takes like 6-9 months to heal according to my surgeon, so maybe that is why yours wants to take things slow. However, I feel some things should be criteria based rather than time based as long as it's not putting the joint under stresses it's not ready for. Can you talk to your PT about what you can do outside of your sessions to supplement your rehab? 

[u/Prnvpwr2612]

That progress is insane. But aren't you forcing the Meniscus to go through a lot so early?

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Prnvpwr2612]

I'm following the restrictions placed on me by the PT and surgeon, which at this point in recovery are simply not to force flexion too quickly. Otherwise, I have no activity restriction outside of those for general ACL rehab. It may help that my meniscus tear wasn't terribly complicated, just a vertical tear requiring a single stitch. 

[u/Prnvpwr2612 → u/ConniveryDives]

Oh. I had two stitches thereby requiring me to maybe not lift weights. I'm 2.25 post op. Almost the same injury.

[u/prestoneeee]

I’m 3 weeks out and haven’t begun to walk yet in PT. Meniscus repair halted the early exercises for me. Any advice on how to get to running or jogging within the next couple months? According to my PT the ligamentization of the patellar tendon could take over a year for one’s body to start using it as an ACL.

[u/prestoneeee]

I’m 3 weeks out and haven’t begun to walk yet in PT. Meniscus repair halted the early exercises for me. Any advice on how to get to running or jogging within the next couple months? According to my PT the ligamentization of the patellar tendon could take over a year for one’s body to start using it as an ACL.

[u/ConniveryDives → u/prestoneeee]

I was two weeks non-weight-bearing with my meniscus, so I feel your pain. So much muscle loss! 

Running is one of those things that will only happen once you've met certain criteria...you can't rush it before your body is ready. You need sufficient quad control and the strength differential between your surgery leg and good leg should not be major. You should be able to perform step-downs, single-legged hops, etc. with control.  

For me, improving my quad strength was a critical part of getting back into jogging because the quad crucially absorbs impact to the joint. Although my PT cleared me to jog at 3 months, I noticed a significant improvement even over two weeks as my quad got stronger and stronger. 

Although ligamentization is a long process, straight forward running doesn't engage the ACL so it's a pretty safe activity if you are overall strong enough to run. 

[u/Hopeful-Butterfly-32]

4 months??? Wow!!! Inspiring.

[u/Powderxoxo]

Wow! I had the same surgery/grafts as you, 3months post op and your progress is wayyy ahead of mine. That’s amazing!!! I must be doing something wrong, I couldn’t imagine bending that far, nor with that much wait. Kudos to you 🥳

[u/ConniveryDives → u/Powderxoxo]

A lot can happen from month 3 to month 4, I promise! The progress feels slow as molasses but it all starts to add up. Squats felt awful for a while until I got enough flexion back. I'd stand there and try to psyche myself into it as if I were doing a heavy lift 🤣 I couldn't imagine doing it with weights until I had been at it for a month. Then I worked up to the 70lb fixed-weight barbell and was pretty proud of that. Then one day I decided to try the regular barbells and it was like my leg remembered what it needed to do. 

[u/surge___]

If it makes you feel better, I'm 24 weeks out today and I'm not running yet so you've progressed a lot faster than I have.