![\"How](\"https:\/\/14erskiers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/1486454751559422170067.jpg\")
<\/a>I sat on the couch, and my throbbed with pain. It was only a couple of weeks after my first ACL surgery nearly 20 years ago. I sat there, resting, with ice over my knee. Then, there was the ring-ring of the phone across the room. This was before cell phones were mainstream. I got up and hobbled over to answer it. My ski coach greeted me on the other end, asking how my knee was coming along.<\/p>\n“It’s healing up. Every day is better than the last.” That was some of the best ACL recovery advice I received. So good that I remember it 20 years later. It saved me from some frustration. I mean, don’t get me wrong – of course I was frustrated that I couldn’t ski like I used to be able to. But, I was so glad my coach had explained to me that it was not going to last forever. I would be back. And stronger than before. I let healing run its course and stayed diligent with physical therapy and strength training. That first year I skied when I came back hurt like hell. She was right, I couldn’t ski at the same level as I had been, even though I struggled hard to do so. Admittedly, I didn’t want to believe that part. I wanted to be the exception. But, I wasn’t. So, I took the next step of her advice which was to fine-tune my skiing, taking time to work on skills that you don’t have time to work on when you’re competing every week. And then the following year, was my best year on skis that I’d had up to that point in my life. My coach’s advice was invaluable to my healing. Just a brief conversation had made all the difference.<\/p>\n As it turns out, some of the best advice you can get about healing from an injury comes from those who have been through it themselves. If you’ve been following this blog you know that I am once again recovering from ACL knee surgery – my third one, in fact. Over the last two decades, I’ve gathered some pretty good experience with ACL surgeries and recoveries. While all of my recoveries have been different, there are underlying themes that remain the same. I’ve had to console dozens of people recovering from ACL reconstruction themselves, and have been thanked many times after. Unfortunately, it happens that I know a thing or two about this stuff. And, I guess it’s time I start sharing it more.<\/p>\n That’s the purpose behind this post. I want to help those who need help recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery. I’m not a professional doctor or physical therapist. I’m barely a professional athlete. So, you won’t find super technical details in this post. But healing is more than the details. There’s a “big picture” aspect to it. Furthermore, experience can go a long way and I want others to benefit from what I have learned. So, here’s some tips I’ve come up with for how to heal from ACL knee surgery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n“That’s good,” she replied. I sensed some hesitation. And then she just dove in.
\n“You know, they’ll have you skiing next year, 5 or 6 months after your surgery. But, you won’t be skiing like you want to.”
\n“What do you mean?”
\n“Well, it’s going to hurt, you’re not going to be skiing at the same level…. Really, it takes a year to recover.”
\n“Really?”
\n“Yeah, but don’t worry. Give it a full year and you’ll be back stronger than ever. Take some time next year to focus on technique, fine-tuning your skiing. You’ll be all the better for it. You’ll come back a stronger skier. But, it’s going to take a year.”<\/p>\n\n
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