6 Mistakes people make during their Recovery Journey after Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction Surgery

You're about to embark on your Recovery Journey after ACL surgery which can be a scary and confusing time, causing you to look for answers to some vital questions you may have. Through your research you may find information on what to do to achieve a successful recovery, but gathering information on what Not To Do can be equally as important. So, in this post you will see:

• Common mistakes people make 

• How to best avoid these mistakes 

Like in life mistakes will happen during your entire journey but keeping these simple mistakes to a minimum will enhance the chances of having a successful recovery journey.

So, let's begin.....

Common Mistakes people make during their ACL Recovery Journey

Not doing Prehab

• When you are diagnosed with an ACL injury that requires surgery you may start to feel upset or sorry for yourself, which is perfectly normal at first, but not being proactive before your surgery can hinder your surgery and/or recovery results.

• Prehab is a form of physical therapy performed through exercises prior to surgery, this can improve and speed up results. Prehab has been shown to improve the condition of your knee, as well as improve your overall health going into Surgery and to also help build the patients confidence for a successful surgery and recovery.

• Not doing prehab before surgery would mean beginning your recovery journey on the back foot, facing an uphill and already difficult opening few weeks and/or months.

Not doing your research before Surgery

• Before heading into surgery it's important to immerse yourself with information about some key facts and figures that will help ease the stress and anxiety you may be feeling.

• Searching and finding the answers to important questions like "Who is the best qualified Surgeon to perform this procedure?", "Where is the most experienced and available physiotherapist near me?" and "How long will the recovery journey take?"

• Not doing your research about this information could stall the surgery from happening, decrease the chances of a successful surgery and also delay you from achieving your recovery journey goals.

Not Icing enough

• After undergoing your ACL surgery one of the biggest obstacles you will need to overcome is swelling, icing has been shown to be the best and cheapest available solution for this problem.

• Especially in the first few weeks, icing on a consistent basis will benefit you greatly. Making sure to stock up with ice pack before surgery will help you avoid this simple mistake.

• If for some reason you choose not to ice regularly then it's a lesson you're going to learn the hard way, as icing will not only decrease swelling but also help decrease the level of pain in and around your knee.

Starting with your Physiotherapist too late

• Depending on your Surgeons instructions it is usually 2 weeks after surgery that you will have your first appointment with your physiotherapist. Your physiotherapist will help guide you through this difficult journey and assist you in developing the condition of your knee with exercises, through every stage of your recovery.

• Now some surgeons will say only wait 1 week while others may say wait at least 3 weeks, what the important thing is to remember is to make sure you at least START. Your physiotherapist is there for one reason only and that's to help you achieve your goals by any means necessary.

• Patients who decide to ignore or delay going to their physiotherapist will have a much longer journey than others and may not even have a successful recovery.

Overloading your knee with Exercises

• The recovery process after ACL surgery is a slow and long journey, causing you to become frustrated and inpatient with the lack of results even thought you are performing exercises nearly every day.

• With this you may decide to speed up the process by increasing the volume or intensity of your exercises. This is a bad idea, overworking your knee will have a negative affect with the quality of your knee resulting in an even longer recovery journey.

• The best practice would be to follow your physiotherapist and/or surgeons guidelines and have patience's that everything will come right in the end.

Returning to Sport too soon

• For athletes the idea of returning to sport is the ultimate goal for their entire recovery journey, it's something they use to help motivate them each day while performing difficult exercises however, achieving this goal could come at a hefty price if your knee is not ready.

• Only your physiotherapist or surgeon should give you the all clear to be able to return to sport and should not be taken into your own hands. Returning to the sport you love to play without completing each and every stage of your recovery will increase the risk of another injury to your ACL, which may have long term effects causing you to never play the sport again.

• The number one piece of advice you will be given time and time again is to take your time and don't rush back to sports, listening to this advice may save you from another devastating injury.

Now that you've finished reading what are your thoughts about the information,

• Did you find it helpful? 

• Have you made any of these mistakes?

• Are you about to start your recovery journey? 

Leave your thoughts, questions or answers in the comment section below and I hope you enjoyed this post 

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