u/hot-chocolate24

I am into week 11 of Acl reconstruction and lateral meniscus repair surgery and wanted to share some insights to people who are in their rehab journey with the hope I could be of help to anyone going through the same.

Backstory- I torn my acl while playing football- landing awkwardly after a turn and shoulder tackle. I heard a huge pop and left the field immediately.
Had a MRI of the knee which showed grade 3 acl tear, meniscus damage, pcl and mcl damage.
Scheduled my surgery after 3 weeks of the injury. Did no prehab, just flexion upto 110 degree as recommended by my surgeon. Still don’t know how much prehab could have helped but wasn’t told so.

After surgery- First 2 weeks were the hardest, sleepless nights, pain everywhere, I couldn’t lift my leg on my own, had so much swelling and couldn’t put any pressure. I started my rehab just 2 days after surgery who’s main focus was on flexion. Should have focused on strengthening too but didn’t know at that time.

After 4 weeks, I had 90 degree flexion, the pain was controlled during the day but during flexion it was extreme. Was still around 20% weight bearing. Swelling was still too much and was at bedrest.

At week 6, I had achieved 120 degree flexion and swelling was less than before. The doctor then gave me anti inflammatory medicine which helped a lot with swelling. As swelling became controlled, most of the pain and mobility issues were gone. I now could walk around with a stick (limping) but still wasn’t confident about how my PT was going.
I consulted my friends who had gone through this before and they suggested me a different PT. (Trust me, my life changed).

Within 2 weeks at my new PT (who focused maily on strengthening), I was a brand new person. I could walk easily, drive and do all daily tasks easily.
If you are feeling stressed about how your recovery is going, try a different PT.

Present- I am doing my PT 5x a week and all home exercises daily and right now I am at my best. Very minimal issues which is understandable as the seriousness of this surgery.

What I learned- Flexion, extension and strengthening should go hand in hand for a good recovery. Focus on your isometrics and be consistent. Many days you will feel like not doing it, but consistency is the only way you will be back to normal sooner. Also, my pain threshold has increased and I have become more disciplined than before so looking at the silver lining here.
Also, I am grateful to people here for sharing their knowledge and helping me through this journey.

Why did I post this- This was my first surgery ever and without help of people around me, reddit I was lost and frustrated. This is my way of giving something back to anyone who needs it. You can text me anytime and will try to help having gone through that experience myself.

Cheers!

Good luck!

No middle ground.
I used to think my diet was “mostly fine.”
Ghar ka khana, junk food thrice a week… nothing extreme.
But I kept ignoring one thing: late night eating.
One chips ka packet, biscuits, always saying bas aaj last.
And that one habit was enough to mess everything up. Sleep got worse. Next day felt heavy, routine slipped. Breakfast got delayed, then you repeat it again. Not because I didn’t know what’s right.
Because I kept breaking it in small ways.

That’s the real problem with diet.
It’s not big cheat meals.
It’s small, daily compromises.

What actually worked for me wasn’t some new plan.
I just went back to basics:
Roti. Dal. Sabzi. Rice. Dahi. Fruits. Chicken. Eggs.
Simple food. On time.
And most importantly—I stopped eating late at night.
That one change fixed more than anything else.

What I follow now:
Home food most of the time
Fixed eating window (no random late nights)
Keep meals simple.
That’s it.

You don’t need a perfect diet.
You need a repeatable one.
Because your body doesn’t react to what you do sometimes.
It reacts to what you do every day.

Be honest—what’s the one habit ruining your diet right now?
And what are you going to fix starting today?

I fixed my sleep after having a knee surgery 2 months back. Not with hacks. Not with supplements. Just basics with consistency.

1. Put the phone away before 9pm
2. Slept at 1am (even when I didn’t feel like it)
3. Woke up at 8am without negotiating.
   It took me 2 months to achieve this because I was forced to do so.
   Real question is can I do this the whole year? Maybe not but earlier sleep cycle was ruining me since college finished.
   What are your methods of achieving your routine?