The ACL, medically known as the anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the most powerful groups of tissue knee. It is responsible for providing motion and movement to the knee. When a person gets injured and tears this ligament, ACL reconstruction or ACL treatment, or surgery is required. Specifically, people with sports activities or individuals performing any high-impact physical work are the victims of this Injury. Knowing the right time of recovery after ACL surgery is very important, as you can plan to go back to work or sports if you’re an athlete.
What is ACL Surgery?
ACL reconstruction surgery is the process in which the damaged or torn tissue of ligament tissue is replaced with a graft obtained from the patient’s own body or a donor’s body. In own body, it is usually obtained from tendons like the patellar, quadriceps, and hamstrings. This surgery does not require a big intervention, as this surgery involves the arthroscopy procedure. In which a microcamera and mini robotics equipment are used to operate, and it takes around 80 to 140 minutes to complete. The process requires additional time for recovery outside the operating theatre.
Phase-by-Phase Recovery Timeline
Check out the timeline of recovery after ACL surgery. Here is a phase-by-phase recovery timeline for each stage:
Immediate Post-Surgery Phase (0-2 Weeks)
The initial two weeks after surgery are very crucial. The team will take frequent assessments of you and medicate you for pain and swelling. Regular dressing of the surgical site is a must if required. Anti-inflammatory drugs and medicines to reduce pain are given to give some comfort to the patient. Applying ice and trying a little movement of the leg can provide some relief from swelling.
The knee is usually immobilized with a brace and support to reduce the direct impact on the newly implanted graft inside the knee. Lifting weights will be limited at certain times or totally restricted in some cases. Surgeon and Physiotherapist will provide you with some guidelines that what you can do and what you can’t during this phase. The patient uses crutches to move and must take care of them to avoid infection.
Early Recovery Phase (2-6 Weeks) of ACL Recovery
Two weeks post-surgery, the focus will shift to the functioning of the knee. A physiotherapist will assess your knee condition and track the progress of recovery. They will gradually start to involve you in more active movements. The main objective is to achieve full flexibility in the knee during this period. And also to minimise the pain and swelling around the incision area.
At the end of the sixth month, the patient usually starts walking by themselves without using any support or crutches. Watching your own recovery day by day will boost your mood and build confidence. The supporting knee braces will be removed in most cases at this phase. However, the recovery takes a different time for different patient as per their condition.
Intermediate Recovery Phase of ACL Recovery Timeline (6-12 Weeks)
The intermediate recovery phase is the most important, as it shows the progress of recovery in the most effective way. By the end of the sixth week, the blood supply usually starts to flow through the graft implant. Strength of the surrounding muscle will start to regain. There is an increase in the physiotherapy exercises during this period as the knee starts to move properly.
Proprioception and balance training are essential as these skills are mostly compromised after ACL surgery. The patient can start cycling and swimming easily. Most of the individuals can rejoin their work during this period, but if you are job is physically demanding, then you will need to take care of yourself for a few more weeks.
Advanced Recovery Phase for ACL Recovery (3-6 Months)
This recovery phase is primarily focused on the activities related to sports and little high impact exercise. At the end of three months after surgery, the implanted graft will be strong enough to tolerate the high-impact activities; however, you still have to be cautious. One can be involved in running programmes like jogging in a straight line, usually in this phase.
Gradually introduced to high-pressure activities and plyometric exercise, such as jumping, and activities include explosive movement and sudden stops. Strength training is continuous for the core muscles around the knee. These exercises are essential for athletes who want to go back to their sports activities involving jumping and running.
Return to Sport Considerations (6-12 Months)
Returning to sports after ACL surgery can be a point of issue, as some individuals can return in the end of their 6 months and some can take 9-2 months to recover. There are so many factors for this, as the type of sports a person wants to go back to, the intensity of injury, complications in surgery, late acceptance of the graft by the body, etc.
Before returning to sports, a person must perform to show enough strength. There should be no asymmetry in the strength between the two legs. 8-10% is acceptable but considered not fit to return to sports if the asymmetry is more than 10%. Psychological strength is also important, as if there is a fear of getting injured again in mind, it will affect your performance.
Factors Affecting ACL Surgery Recovery Time
There are multiple things on which the recovery time of ACL Surgery depends.
- Age: Younger individuals recover faster and earlier than older people.
- Medical History: If a person has had any medical surgery in their past, like limb lengthening surgery or bone tumour surgery, recovery time for ACL surgery can be affected by this, too.
- Pre-injury: A past injury around the area of the Knee.
- Diabetes: Diabetic patients often take too much time to recover from anything; the same will go with ACL surgery for them.
- Type of graft used: The different grafts used in the knee may show different results.
Long-Term Outlook and Considerations
The success rate of ACL Surgery is one of the highest in the medical industry. It is around 90-92% positive outcomes for returning an individual to their previous activity levels. However, the recovery process requires willpower to fight the challenges and confidence. A healthy recovery can help your muscles to be strong for the long term, supporting the ACL structure.
You can achieve the healthy outcomes during the recovery period by simply following the guidelines provided by your healthcare team. There is a high risk of arthritis also after ACL surgery. However, there can be some bad signs of infection after ACL surgery. Maintaining the strength of muscles around the knee and keeping your incision point safe from unwanted infection can eliminate the chance of arthritis.
Conclusion
The process of ACL surgery recovery and its timeline are very critical, as the patient needs to face different kinds of challenges and difficulties. Understanding the different phases of recovery after ACL treatment or surgery helps the patient to pass through the whole period easily. The success of a surgery doesn’t depend only on the hospital and treatment, it also on the willpower of the patient and a positive mindset.
An individual would be restricted from so many activities after surgery, but still, patients have to be patient during this phase. The early phase of recovery is most crucial and challenging. However, with the help of proper medication and sessions of physiotherapy a one can return to their regular activities within a year.