Highway to Well: 5 Ways to Speed Up Recovery from ACL Surgery

Well Ain’t a Bad Place to Be. That being said, recovering from an injury takes time. Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee are rarely simple and frequently require surgery. Sadly, there’s no magic cure that will get you up and walking the day after ACL repair. Still, there are plenty of ways to support your body (and mind) on the Rock ‘N Roll Train to recovery.

Here are five tips that may help power up your post-op recovery.

1. Rock the doc. 

No, not your doctor. We’re talking about documents—the papers your surgeon gave you after the procedure. Those little sheets (or that email) are your instruction manual for the first few hours to the first few days after surgery, containing important information about:

• How to keep the incisions clean and change bandages to prevent infection
• Any pain medication you were prescribed and how much to take
• When to start with gentle movement or stretching, such as flexing your foot, gently bending and flexing your knee, and so on. (1, 2)

This brings us to our next tip.

2. Move it. 

No kicking back after surgery and vegetating—for good reason! Moving your leg in the hours after ACL surgery helps promote circulation and prevent dangerous blood clots. (2) The first two weeks after the procedure are focused on getting the swelling down, but by the end of that time, you should be able to straighten your knee all the way. 

At some point, your surgeon may have you wear a brace to keep the knee in place when you’re not doing gentle exercise. (3) Once the swelling goes down, your doctor may want you to do physical therapy for a while to strengthen the knee and the muscles around it. (2, 3) 

3. Get prepped to prevent. 

The only thing worse than a torn ACL is another torn ACL. Pro athletes know this all too well; rates of ACL tears are highest among athletes and very active people, and having one ACL injury increases the risk of another. (4) 

As you recover, you can:

• Do exercises to improve your strength, balance, and flexibility, but consult your doctor or physical therapist first! 
• Make changes in your home or workplace to remove tripping hazards and ensure you can reach things you need so you don’t have to stand on anything unstable. (4, 5)

4. Turbocharge your thinking. 

The more positive you are before and after surgery, the more it helps you heal. Don’t take it from us—this is science. Studies have shown that positive expectations around surgery lead to patients reporting less pain and better function sooner in the recovery process. (6, 7) 

5. Try-o some cryo. 

Cryotherapy, that is. Doctors recommend applying cold to the surgical site and using bandages or a compression wrap to help control pain and swelling. (1, 2) The clinically proven GAME READY system integrates cold and compression therapies to help reduce pain and edema (swelling), outperforming conventional rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) methods. (8) 

If you think GAME READY may be right for your surgical recovery, talk to your doctor.

For those about to rock your ACL recovery, we salute you.

Sources:

1. Ma, C. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury – aftercare. Medlineplus.gov, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000681.htm. Published 2019.
2. After ACL surgery. USCF Health. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/after-acl-surgery 
3. ACL Rehab: Rehab Timeline Expectations. Emory Healthcare. https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/centers-programs/acl-program/recovery/rehab-timeline. 
4. ACL Tear. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16576-acl-tear. Last reviewed August 2023.
5. Macmillan C. 3 Things Most People Don’t Know About ACL Surgery. Yale Medicine. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/acl-surgery. October 2021.
6. Rosenberger P, Jokl P & Ickovics J. Psychosocial Factors and Surgical Outcomes: An Evidence-Based Literature Review. J Amer Acad Ortho Surg 2007;14(6):397-405.
7. Rosenberger P, Kerns R, Jokl P & Ickovics J. Mood and Attitude Predict Pain Outcomes Following Arthroscopic Knee Surgery. Ann Behavioral Med 2009;37(1);70-76.
8. CLAIM-09433. Murgier J, Cailliez J, Wargny M et al. Cryotherapy with Dynamic Intermittent Compression Improves Recovery from Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty 2017;32(9):2788-91.