The ACL-R Recovery Journey

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Your ACL is one of the ligaments inside the knee joint capsule that attaches from the femur to the tibia. It can be injured in isolation (common in skiing) or the injury can include other collateral ligaments (like your MCL or LCL), meniscus injuries, or boney injuries (common in pivoting sports like soccer). This is part of what makes each injury unique and specific to the athlete.

ACLR (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction surgery and ruptures (grade 3 ligament tears) can be a devastating injury.

ACL injuries, like many ligament injuries, have a massive impact on the athlete – physically and psychologically. It likely will take the athlete out of the season, and possibly for up to 12-24 months following the injury. Rehabilitation options can include both operative and non-operative management – this means surgery and rehabilitation or rehabilitation-only – and both take a substantial amount of time to recovery from.

Rehabilitation should be criteria-based, meaning that the athlete must be able to perform at certain levels of strength, range of motion, psychological readiness, functional movements, capacity exercises and more, before being able to move onto the next phases of rehab.

Unfortunately, ACLRs also have a quite a high rate of re-injury for a multitude of reasons. This makes it even more important to be prepared and knowledgeable about your injury and treatment options. When you’re supported by a team and with the right information, you’re setting yourself up for the best chance of success.

My ACLR Experience

I tore my left ACL playing soccer. I completed knee prehabilitation for 3 months, then had surgery with a bone-patellar-bone graft at the end of 2021. In the surgery, they found a bucket-handle meniscus tear and performed a partial meniscectomy.

It ended my soccer season, it took me out of the snowboarding season and had me off work for two separate bouts of about 5 weeks each.

As a physiotherapist, I have also diagnosed and treated many patients who have had this injury. It’s never an easy conversation to have with an athlete.

The path might be long and hard, but having the support, the education, and knowing your options can make the path easier.

In the end, you will get out of rehab what you put into it – so make it worth it.

looking down at my knees, left patellar tendon scar visible

Here’s how I can help you with your ACL injury recovery:

3 iphone screens showing the ACL injury pages in my app

Download Ripple

In the app, you’ll find:

More on my ACLR experience
Short workouts and warmups for mid to late stage ACLR, knee stiffness, anterior knee soreness and upper body moves for when you are unable to weightbear
Blogs on ACLR insights from myself – a physiotherapist – and other physiotherapists who treat ACLs
Mental fitness strategies to implement right away
Stories and Q&As from other athletes I treated who went through an ACLR and retuned to their sport

See the programs in the app

Check out the ACL Injuries ebook

Reading mixed messages about your injury? Get trusted information on your ACL injury.

In the ebook, you’ll learn about:

Contributing factors of tearing your ACL – modifiable and non-modifiable factors, including female specific risk factors
Considerations for surgical or non-surgical pathways of rehab – discussions on the graft types, healing of the ACL and non-operative rehab options
Injury timelines for the first few days through to the first few months
Key questions you need to ask the physio you will be working with
Post-operative expectations including the physical and the psychological
General timelines and roadmap for ACLR rehab – discussion of milestones to hit for your progressions

Feel prepared for rehab and recovery

Looking for trusted information on ACLs?

I injured my ACL in 2021 playing competitive soccer. I have shared my experience through my blog posts to hopefully provide some insight to what this injury entails and to support other athlete in their injury recovery. You’ll also find evidence-based articles on the ACL-R rehabilitation process.

Non-operative management for an ACL Tear
Surgery is not the only option for an ACL tear. Camille shares her experience with her ACL and MCL injury and going through non-surgical management.
Curating ACLR Rehab for the Jiu Jitsu Athlete with Josh Chung
Josh is a physiotherapist and an expert at applying rehab principles to his patients to help them return to contact sports. His Q&A dives into ACLs and jiu jitsu athletes.
Getting injured doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
How I have been navigating multiple injuries after getting back to soccer after my ACLR.
Hear from a Basketball Physiotherapist about recovering from an ACL injury as a court athlete
Hear from Haider – a sports physiotherapist and mid-way through his own ACLR on rehabbing court athletes.
Why is it so hard to get quad strength back after ACLR?
Understanding the strategies to build back your quads in the early phases of your ACLR rehab.
What are the rates of Returning to Sport after ACLR? It might be lower than you expect.
It’s common to hear that at 1 year you’ll be back playing your sport after your ACLR, but is that really the case?
How long does it take to return to sport after an ACLR?
How do you get back to sport after your anterior cruciate ligament tear and/or reconstruction? I talk about my experience and some of the Arsenal Women’s players who describe their experience.
Post-Op ACLR – My experience after 2+ years of rehab
Getting back to women’s soccer at 2 years post-op and keeping up with my sport performance goals.
Tips for injury rehab from Snowboard Physiotherapist Jian Soares
Hear from experienced snow physio about return to snow sports after anterior cruciate ligament injuries and more!
Getting back on the ski slopes after ACLR surgery
Returning to skiing after your ACLR? Read these insights from a client to help prepare!
Attn: Snowboarders! Get back to the hill after your ACLR
I asked a patient of mine, an avid snowboarder, about his ACLR experience and getting back on the hill.
Staying on track with ACLR rehab
From going through my own ACLR rehab, here are 3 tips to stay on track during the ACLR recovery journey.
Exercises to help with knee stiffness after ACLR surgery
Knee stiffness is generally normal after surgery. Learn exercises to do for your knee stiffness after ACLR surgery.
Brace Social – A community for ACLR athletes
Brace Social is a community for athletes who are going through their ACL journey. I was featured to write an expert insight as a physiotherapist on their website.
Post-Op ACLR – My experience hitting the 12 month milestone
I share how it feels being 18 months post-op ACLR and meniscectomy. I’m back at outdoor soccer recreationally, and share some rehab insights.
Are you waiting for your first surgery? Here are 3 tips for post-op planning.
About to have a surgery? I chat with my sister, Rachel Friesen, on getting back into exercise after her double jaw surgery and relate that to my own experiences with ankle and knee surgeries.
Get your power back post-op ACLR
An introduction to power based exercises for knee rehab and tips on how to modify your current exercises into explosive exercises.
Getting knee extension back after your ACLR
Here are some tips from a physiotherapist on getting knee extension back after ACLR surgery and busting some myths from the past: Are knee extensions safe after ACLR surgery? YES.
Post-op ACLR – My experience from month 9 to 12
I was able to return to sport post-op ACLR and meniscectomy including snowboarding, indoor soccer and outdoor training.
Post-Op ACLR – My experience from month 3 to 9
Be prepared to put in the work for ACLR rehab from months 3-9. I outline what I was able to do and some tips for your rehab.