You’re here because you had that moment where you felt something ping and your knee stability changed forever. I ruptured my ACL (full tear) as well as creating a grade II tear in my MCL and ripped my meniscus in the same accident. What followed was years of indecision – whether to have ACL surgery or not – and recovery.
I did decide to have ACL reconstruction surgery. I engaged in some pre-hab physio, had the surgery and then started on the long journey back towards full knee health.
Before my surgery, I was a very active person – this website is a travel site dedicated to helping people, especially solo female travellers explore the glorious sights of the world. I’ve hiked volcanoes in Hawaii, Central America and Italy. I’ve run along the boardwalk in Miami, swam with whale sharks and sea lions in the wilds of Mexico and been on safari in Kruger National Park. Tried Stand-Up Paddle Boarding, surfing, ski-diving and zip-lining. And that’s before we get onto winter sports in Switzerland and Lapland.
My point: I didn’t want to live a life where my knee wasn’t stable and I didn’t want to come out of surgery living life behind a desk. So, I set to work on my knee. I had some complications (hypermobility and fibromyalgia) and I didn’t do some things as well as I could have. And so, I’ve written it all down. What went well, what I would have done better and the things that helped along the way. In this series of articles, I share my ACL surgery journey so that you can better prepare for yours. Do check out the comments on this article in particular:
ACL Repair – Timeline of My Recovery (With Pictures)
You’ll find there are a lot of people like us out there, experiencing the same problems and sharing solutions. Feel free to join the conversation. I personally answer every comment and other readers often offer advice too.
If you want to start at the beginning of this series, head to this article:
A Real Life Guide To ACL Surgery & Recovery
Good luck. Recovery can be yours.
I wasn’t prepared for my ACL surgery. I wish I’d done more research about the recovery process, the physio required and even the practicalities of how to get around a 3-floor triplex apartment on crutches. But the thing was, there wasn’t much out there beyond the usual medical, anatomical articles telling me which bit of … Read more
If you’re reading this, you already know the moment – the moment when you heard a pop and your life, or at least the life of your knee, changed forever. It was a sickening moment. A moment I would go back and change in a heartbeat (I don’t have many moment that I regret so … Read more
This post is part of a series. You may want to start here. If your want the quick links, here’s the full series: This might be another side-venture from my usual travel topic but ‘that post’ about my ACL surgery has fast become one of the most popular on this site. Not only have people told … Read more
This post is part of a series. You may want to start here. If your want the quick links, here’s the full series: My Real Life Guide To ACL Surgery and Recovery Injuring my ACL – My Story ACL Repair – Timeline of My Recovery (With Pictures) ACL Recovery – 15 Things I Would Have Done … Read more
This post is part of a series. You may want to start here. If your want the quick links, here’s the full series: In 2016 I had ACL surgery. It seemed like a no-brainer since I’m a travel writer and was (relatively) young when I ruptured my ACL, MCL and meniscus in one fell swoop – … Read more
The moment my cruciate ligament ruptured in my knee has left a visceral imprint in my mind. It wasn’t so much the popping sound, although I can conjure up the exact noise at a moment’s notice. Nor was it the pain, which wasn’t as bad as you might imagine because, apparently, the more severe the knee … Read more