The first two days post-surgery go by so slow and it feels like the first time you will fire your quad is going to be life-changing (it is... And then there are a series of chapters which include reaching for extension and reaching for flexion) , the first time you re introduce your knee to stairs

The mental as well as the physical..

  
\*\*I am an elected allograft w minor meniscus debridement (I was very asymptomatic and able to do 3 weeks of intense prehab to strengthen quads and balance).. every type of reconstruction has a different timeline especially in the first month and within that meniscus damage matters a LOT... \*There is a guy on here who walked without crutches the day of his surgery so there are definitely people who are recovering faster than me and some people slower and the most important thing is it's taking it at your own pace but staying dedicated and committed to your physical therapy..

Good or bad people have forgotten around me that I tore my ACL and I'm exploring what kind of a brace or visual and physical support I should wear to remind myself to go easy going into months 3 and 4 (when my graft will be the weakest because it's going to start ligamentization).. I know I need to be careful but I also know I need to continually strengthen and build on the recovery motions 

\*I am doing squats and banded pivots as well as open chain weighted quad lifts and bridges and step ups and side step UPS as well as curtsy's... It used to be only four exercises at PT but now I'm only making it through part of them and do the rest at home 

  
For icing the first week I used the NICE ice machine rental (I had no idea how much I would enjoy the compression with the cold and because it's mechanical there is a consistent temperature that it stays at).. I had very little swelling and I would say that was a large part of it 

  
Nutrition: no one gave me a booklet or spoke extensively to me about it which was disappointing but I took it upon myself to reduce sugar and caffeine and hugely up my intake of leafy greens and what you would call blood building anti inflammation foods (lots of bone broth, (chicken), garlic turmeric and beets) and one natural supplement of riboflavenoids which really increased my healing speed when I had an injury from walking into a wall (don't ask, embarrassing in lots of bruising) isotonix opc 3

My daily routine starts with 20 minutes of movement and heel slides since my flexion is finally really good and I touched my butt with my heel the last time I was in physio last week (almost cried and high-fived my PT the minute he let go of my leg..it was def huge)...

I ride a stationary bike for 20 minutes even though I'm allowed to ride my bike in real life but because it's tourist season here I went out on the bike path and a little kid ran into me and knocked me off my bike so I'm now avoiding weekends entirely 

Did a 3-hour walk today on pavement and it felt really great so going to try some light hikes 

  
\*\*I made this post largely for people going into surgery wondering when things are going to get normal.. I would say realistically it was week five or six for me when things started being so that I would forget but stairs were definitely a huge breakthrough and the gait also.. don't skip your physical therapy exercises even if you're not at physical therapy do them every single day.. the early days are I think super critical to setting yourself up for success and I was doing my PT twice a day especially the first 3 weeks even though that was the most painful phase and the most uncomfortable phase 





63 days: high speed from POST OP week 1 till first bike ride + swim