3rd Time’s a Charm? My 14-Year ACL Journey (and the PT's Paradox)
Hey everyone,
I’m reaching out to see if anyone else has a similar story to me, specifically, three ACL reconstructions on the same knee.
The Backstory:
- 2012 (The OG Tear): Left knee, soccer. Allograft + medial meniscus repair.
- 2015 (The Revision): Re-tear during soccer. Second allograft, but this time they had to perform a partial meniscectomy.
- 2023 (The "Ghost" Tear): During a casual soccer game, I kicked the ball and felt that unmistakable "pop" and shift. Strangely, there was zero pain and zero swelling. I could walk fine, but the knee started buckling during any attempt at running or cutting.
The Current Situation: I’ve spent the last year focused on heavy "prehab." I actually just trained for and completed a full marathon last week (2026). While I finished, the knee feels significantly more unstable now that I’ve crossed the finish line. It’s "loose" in a way that’s becoming hard to ignore.
The Irony: I’m actually a Physical Therapist. I’ve spent my career coaching people through these exact rehabs, yet here I am, struggling with the "patient" side of the desk. I’ve been doing my own rehab religiously, but physics is physics.
My Big Concerns:
- The Meniscus: After the 2015 surgery, I don't have much cushion left. I’m worried that a third surgery might be "too much" for the joint to handle, or conversely, that not getting it will lead to bone-on-bone arthritis even faster given the instability.
- The Graft: For those who had a 3rd, what did you use? Bone-patellar-bone? Quad? Also im reading up on something called LET which was not an ooption when i had my first few surgeries.
- The "Why": At 30, is it worth going under the knife again just to maintain an active lifestyle? I dont think ill do another marathon again but just trying to stay active and go on casual runs.
Has anyone here gone through a third revision on the same side? How did your meniscus hold up, and do you regret the third surgery or wish you’d just stuck to "coping"?
I'd love to hear some lived experiences before I go get the MRI results and talk shop with the surgeon.