Torn ACL? Here’s Everything You’ll Need as You Recover From Your Knee Injury

After tearing my ACL, I became obsessed with my freezer and its contents. I immediately bought two two-packs of these 7.5 x 11.5-inch ice packs so I could have them on rotation and never worry about them not being cold enough.

These are flexible enough to rest comfortably over an injury, even at their coldest. I also like that you can wipe them clean or rinse them off to keep them sanitary.

Your doctor or physical therapist may help you get a machine like this or one from another brand called Game Ready. It pumps cool water while applying pressure through a sleeve that goes around your knee.

Dr. Gallucci says his physical therapy offices recommend these units before and after ACL repair surgery. “They are pneumatic compression units that help decrease the inflammation on acute injury,” he says. “The more we decrease inflammation, the more the knee functions normally before surgery, the better the outcome post-surgery.”

You can stack a bunch of regular pillows, or even sofa bolsters, to elevate your leg just fine. The advantage of a pillow like this one is that it will stay in place. It’s also just meant for one leg, so your other leg can move around freely, and it won’t bother your partner if you share a bed. 

“Get a wedge that will keep your leg up at an angle so that you can have your knee above your hip, and ideally, not fully straight but fairly extended,” Royer says.
“Some people keep the foot too low. I’m always an advocate for getting the foot higher than the knee and the knee as straight as you can tolerate it.”


This model’s multiple inserts let you adjust it to four heights, from 3.5 inches to 10.2 inches, and it’s topped with cooling gel memory foam. The only downside is that you (hopefully) won’t need this again after you’ve recovered.

One of the most important things you can do before ACL surgery is make sure you can keep bending and extending your leg, all the experts told me.

If it’s difficult to do this on your own, you can place your heel in the center of a towel, grab on to both ends, and tug your foot toward you, then slide it away. A yoga strap or belt like this one (which I have) is a much less bulky option that you may also find useful later in your recovery.

You’ll be told to elevate your leg to reduce swelling before and after surgery, and sitting in chairs might be very uncomfortable, so you probably will be avoiding desks and tables for a bit.

I bought this 12 x 20.5-inch lap desk so I could work and watch movies on my laptop in bed while maintaining better posture than if I just kept it on my lap. I also ate my meals on it shortly after surgery. You can adjust the height and angle of this desk for better ergonomics.

Years later, I still use this when I feel like writing in bed, so I’m pretty happy with that investment.

If you’re not able to put weight on your injured knee and, like me, have a sliding shower door, you will face the interesting question of how the heck to get into your shower. Then, immediately post-op, you won’t be able to get your leg wet, so figuring out how to hold that leg up and out of the water will be difficult, too.

This should just be a problem for a couple of weeks, so instead of investing in a full shower transfer bench, you can buy yourself one of these folding step stools. Even though it’s not designed for this purpose, it fit fine in my tiny bathtub, and I didn’t mind it getting wet. It was also very easy to store when not in use.

Once I was back to showering semi-normally, it became a regular step stool for use around the house.

Bending down to tie your shoes, or even to grab your shoe heel to pull on, may not be comfortable or even possible for you early on. These chef-approved vegan leather slides are a comfy solution, and you’ll be happy to have them long after your recovery.

“It’s just a really versatile, lightweight slip-on clog that’s ultra comfortable when you’re spending lots of time on your feet,” Everyday Health writer Esme Benjamin says. “These shoes strike me as long-lasting and versatile.”

“A stationary bike post-acute injury is important to get the range of motion back, helping the pumping and decreasing inflammation and getting the musculature around the knee to function normally with flexion and extension,” Gallucci says.

Everyday Health writer Raki Swanson, who tested the C6 last year, liked how beginner-friendly it is. “Whether you want to ride at a leisurely pace for 30 minutes or do some high-intensity workouts, this bike is perfect,” she says.

Save those high-intensity workouts for later, and just stick to pedaling with zero resistance for now. If you want to challenge yourself, Tracy Labahn, PT, MBA, facility manager and physical therapist at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Oak Brook, Illinois, suggests pedaling with just your injured leg to keep your knee flexing and extending before surgery.

I rented this one from my surgeon’s office, but since I wound up having two surgeries (don’t ask), I could have bought it for less. The pad (which you should get brand new so it’s completely sanitary) can go over your wound bandages but under your compression brace, leaving the hose attachment poking out and ready to be hooked up when needed.

After you fill the cooler with water and ice, the machine pumps that delicious cold therapy for as long as you need it. With its quiet, efficient motor, this device was my best friend, better than any kind of painkiller, for my first post-op week.

No one’s going to say you need to go out and buy a Stanley just because you had surgery, but it’s a pretty good excuse if you were already eyeing one. “Staying hydrated is really important” for post-surgery recovery, Hassan says. And since you won’t want to get up a bunch of times, a high-capacity bottle or tumbler will be helpful.

I like this one for everyday use because it’s quite leakproof and dishwasher-safe, and it fits in the side pockets of my backpack.

Thanks to arthroscopic surgery, you won’t have a huge wound after ACL repair. But the best way to minimize scarring is to “keep it clean, keep it out of the sun, and use a gel-based topical scar cream once the wound heals,” Hassan says.

Once healed, silicone gel sheets can improve scar healing by not allowing moisture to leave the affected skin area, thereby suppressing the cells that form scars. I like using this tape because you can cut it to size and even reuse the sheets as long as they stay relatively clean, so one roll lasts a really long time.

Your doctor and PT will tell you when it’s okay to start putting weight on your leg. If you can do so but still don’t have complete mobility, ask them whether you can use a cane instead of crutches — it’s so much more comfortable and less cumbersome.

I made the switch to a trekking pole I already owned that has a rubber tip. In the years since my surgery, I’ve kept using that stick for its intended purpose — hiking! After a long day, I like having that extra stability for walking down steep hills.

This inexpensive pair comes with three tip options and two cages for various terrains. Those rubber tips won’t ruin your floors, and they have great traction. The poles weigh 10.4 ounces each and go from 26 to 54 inches long. When not in use, they fit in a handy little storage bag.

A light set of ankle weights can come in handy for a number of exercises at home. Early on, you can use them to help straighten your leg with this exercise Royer suggests: “Have your heel on a little towel roll, then you drape the ankle weight over the lower part of the thigh,” then just hang out there for a bit.

A few weeks into my rehab, I spent some time doing hamstring curls on my bed with ankle weights. Don’t overdo this type of weight until you have the green light from your PT, Royer warns, because it can also put too much stress on your knee.

Everyday Health editor Katrina Cossey tested these Sportneer wrist weights and praised their effectiveness in her workouts. “I like the overall adjustability of these ankle/wrist weights,” she says. “The weights themselves slide, so you can move them around for even weight distribution. And the Velcro strap is plenty long enough to accommodate various wrist or ankle sizes.”

You can practice this at home (after getting your PT’s approval) simply by standing on an unsteady surface, first with both legs and then with just one. “A couch cushion is going to work fine, but there are also balance pads that are super useful,” Royer says. 

Make sure you’ve mastered this before you move on to more advanced devices, like a Bosu Balance Trainer.

You can practice this at home (after getting your PT’s approval) simply by standing on an unsteady surface, first with both legs and then with just one. “A couch cushion is going to work fine, but there are also balance pads that are super useful,” Royer says. 

Make sure you’ve mastered this before you move on to more advanced devices, like a Bosu Balance Trainer.

I’m pretty sure my knees still hate me from overdoing step aerobics in the ’90s, so it’s a little ironic that stepping up and down from a box is a standard part of ACL rehab.

This is another one you may be able to do with regular stairs at home, but having your own box allows you to place it somewhere more convenient. Labahn suggests using “any 6- to 8-inch box” to step up and down, forward, and sideways. When you’re ready to make it more challenging, do this while holding a pair of dumbbells.

“If you’re going back to some sort of higher-performance activities, adjustable dumbbells are great to add resistance,” Royer says. Hold on to a pair of these weights as you do your step-ups, squats, and lunges to keep building that leg strength.

“Instead of purchasing several different pairs of hand weights at different weights, this comes with 12 half-pound plates, so you can adjust each hand weight from 2 pounds to 5 pounds,” Everyday Health editor Nicole Bonaccorso says of this set. “The grip is comfortable and textured to avoid slipping, too.”

“A Bosu Ball is an inexpensive option for balance and function, and the physical therapist can teach people how to use it appropriately,” Gallucci says. This Bosu Sport is just under 20 inches wide, which is much smaller than what you’ll see at the gym or your PT’s office, but it fits much better in a small space.

Keep in mind that this is a tool for more advanced recovery — once you’re able to balance on something closer to the ground, like a foam pad. As I trained to get back to skiing more than a year after my injury, I used this several times a week, balancing on it on one leg, stepping on and off it in different directions, and turning it upside-down to rock side to side on it.

Another bonus: My son bounces on it when he’s got the zoomies, so we don’t bother the downstairs neighbors.