ACL Recovery Log – 5 Months Post Op

Whelp, I’ve officially been discharged from physical therapy! Five long months of rehab and surgical post-op appointments are over! It feels surreal to be done. Of course, I still have plenty of work to do to continue strengthening my legs, so I’ll continue my at-home workouts. Last night at my final PT appointment, my therapist said my rehab was one of the best she’s seen in an ACL reconstruction patient that didn’t play sports. That made me feel pretty good—although I’d argue that even though I don’t play actual sports, I am still an athlete.

Today I also had my final follow-up with the surgeon. He said everything looked great and I no longer have any restrictions on activities. He just cautioned against something like trail running, where I’d have an increased risk of falling if I tripped. It’s a weird feeling to finally be done. This injury has consumed my life for the past seven months. According to my PT, I’ll need to continue strengthening my hips, glutes, quads, and hamstrings…for life. I’ll admit that before this injury, I wasn’t really into strength training besides the occasional class at the gym, but now I’ve committed to it and I’ve found it’s something that I really do enjoy. It is important to maintain healthy knees throughout life.

I have everything I need to continue my rehab at home. We’ve slowly added equipment to our at-home gym. Here’s what I recommend getting for ACL rehab at home if you have the opportunity.

Stationary Bike / Bicycle Trainer (if you have a bike already)

My surgeon reiterated this again today–cycling is the BEST activity you can do for ACL recovery! I got on my trainer a few weeks after surgery and it helped with regaining range of motion (extension and flexion) and helps to build the quad muscles! Plus as a huge cyclist, it’s a no brainer for me! Eventually, I got a cheap stationary bike so I can do spin workouts while not having my bike on the trainer and it has been great. I wish I had purchased one sooner. 

BOSU / Balance Trainer

If you can’t afford a stationary bike but still want to invest in something for ACL rehab at home, the BOSU is it! It’s so versatile. You can do any exercise on it and it helps with balance and core strength. I started out doing squats at PT (on the flat side) and it helped immensely with my balance. 

Foam Pad

This is a cheap piece of gear you can find on Amazon that helps with balance and proprioception (where your brain associates your knee in space). I do squats, lunges, and the star balance drill on this foam pad. Definitely worth it. 

Dumbbells / Kettlebells

These are great for any workout. I like being able to add on weight when certain exercises get too easy. Thankfully we were gifted some used kettlebells and I’ve been using them a ton! And I was lucky enough to find a set of 12 pound dumbbells at Target at the beginning of the pandemic! 

Exercise Step with Risers

I actually use this step a lot for doing step-downs (super important for ACL rehab) and step-ups. I even use it to do little “box jumps”. 

Agility Ladder 

This was another cheap Amazon find. It will be good for doing agility drills. It’s probably not a must-have, but now that I’m done with PT and need to continue to work on agility I think it will be good to have. 

TRX Trainer

A TRX is probably not necessary but it is really nice to have for doing squats, single-leg squats, and lunges. I used a TRX a lot at the gym, so I’m glad we got one so I can use it at home. It’s also great for upper body workouts!

Needless to say, I love my home gym. Even though I miss going to the actual gym and taking classes, etc. it’s nice to have everything available in my basement! At this point we have no idea when gyms will reopen, so I’ll continue to do my basement workouts! 

Knee  Update

Overall, my knee has been feeling pretty good. Not much has changed. It’s still going to feel weird and stiff for many more months according to my surgeon. It’s totally normal. He gave me the green light to ski this upcoming season, which will probably feel really weird and will be a huge psychological challenge for me.