Hello,

I just came across your post and thought I could give you some advice. I am not a physiotherapist but 5 1/2 weeks ago I had my 4th ACL reconstruction so I do know about the rehab process quite a bit. It sounds like you are not going to physiotherapy. However, for various reasons I realize that physio is not always possible.

First off, extension is the most important thing in ACl rehab. Sitting on a chair is not going to help you with this. You do need to lie on your back with a pillow or rolled towel under your heel and let your leg hang. Never put a pillow under your knee! Always under your ankle. It is not comfortable but you need to get that extension back or you are in for trouble.

You also need to do lots of quad contractions. With your leg straight, tighten your quads and hold for about 10 seconds. You should do at least 50 of these a day in sets of 10. The quad muscles need to be re-trained after the surgery so it is not uncommon that your quads are weak. Some people use electronic muscle stimulation for the quads if they are having trouble getting them to contract. I have my own stimulator but if you don't then you will have to see a physiotherapist. However, my doctor thinks electronic stimulation is useless but I wanted my own because I think they are neat little gadgets. Oddly enough, I used my quadriceps tendon for my most recent ACL graft and I had no issues getting my quads to contract.

Also, the stationary bike is one of the safest rehab exercises for the new ACL. At about 3 weeks, you should be on the bike for at least 30 minutes a day if not more.

I would not worry about the swelling just yet. I still have some residual swelling in my knee but it feels good and I have full extension. Extension is more important than flexion. Swelling will obviously limit your flexion for a while. Keep icing your knee as long as there is some swelling, especially after doing your exercises.

Sleeping with your leg in an immobilizer might help with the extension so your dad is correct. I usually use an immobilizer for the first week and then I use my own custom ACL brace. My surgeon always gives me compression stockings to wear after the surgery to help with swelling and blood clot prevention. You may want to consider getting a pair.

Things will get better. ACL reconstruction is a major surgery and rehab is not always easy. I will help you as much as I can.

Good luck