ACL Reconstruction Surgery Essentials

Now that I’m 8 days post-op, I figured I’d write about what I used to make recovery from surgery a little bit easier. My initial list has been edited, as I found I didn’t need some of the things I thought I did. For example, I had no need for a shower chair since my shower has a built-in seat. I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to stand up and walk into my shower, but it turns out I was fine (even with crutches) and I was able to stand up in the shower. I also thought I wouldn’t be allowed to get my incisions wet, however that wasn’t the case. I was allowed to take off the dressings and shower normally. Additionally, I didn’t need the ice machine. It might have been useful (many people swear by them after surgery), but I had a bunch of large ice packs that work great that I’ve still been using.

One thing I did prior to leaving for surgery was packing all my comfortable clothes in a bag to keep near my bed so I didn’t have to rummage through my drawers to find clothes to wear. It was great having everything accessible. I also moved some of my toiletries (like dry shampoo, face wipes, toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant) to my downstairs bathroom since I was going to be spending the majority of my time downstairs on the couch, only walking up the stairs to sleep.

It’s also really important to prepare for the side effects of the heavy-duty pain meds (constipation). A gentle stool softener like Miralax will be your friend. I’d also suggest some high fiber snacks (bran cereal, nuts/seeds, fruits & veggies, prune juice, etc.) I myself didn’t need to use it much since I must not have been on the narcotics long enough, but I’ve heard horror stories. So it’s best to be prepared!

I also set up a little PT station on the living room floor with a folding chair, pillow, towel, and exercise strap so when I get up I can start doing my PT exercises. 

Another thing I found was that I needed really warm, non-slip socks! My feet get really cold, especially when elevating and icing my knee. 

The wedge pillow was also useful. It made elevating my leg a lot more comfortable while allowing it to stay completely straight which is important right after surgery!

Recovery Update

Overall I think I’m doing pretty well for only being 8 days post-op. I ditched the crutches a few days ago and have been walking crutch and brace-free. My knee still feels weird and I have a limp, but that’s to be expected. I’m more curious as to where I should be with my extenstion and flexion, as I have no way of measuring how my knee is doing. I can guess that it looks about 90 degrees when bent while I’m seated. I’m also trying to get my leg as straight as possible when doing my exercises but its hard to tell if I’m at 0 degrees or not. I’m counting down the days until my first post-op appointment (Thursday) and PT session (NEXT Monday) so I can take the next steps in this long recovery process (no pun intended..ha!)