I’m over three years out of ACL and medial and lateral meniscus surgery, and two years post-op from a partial meniscectomy.
Things have just continued to improve since my last update over a year ago. After such a long recovery, I’m thrilled to be playing soccer again.
I’m currently playing professionally in Romania, where we won the league and cup titles in the spring. We then competed in the first round of the Champions League before starting up the league again this fall.
Today, I’m going to share my experience 3 years post-op ACL and meniscus surgery, and discuss how I manage this injury now as a professional soccer player.
If this is the first post of mine that you’ve seen, I’d suggest starting with:
How I Feel Mentally
Honestly, I’m thrilled to be playing professional soccer again. Some days, I’m in awe that I actually made it on the other end of this crazy journey. There are moments when the fear of re-injury sneaks up on me, but overall it’s not something that holds me back. I still feel like I have several years left of playing in me.
How My Knee Feels 3 Years Post Op
I said it after two years, and it still stands: my knee does NOT feel 100% normal.
It’s close, really.
But after very intense sessions or playing on hard surfaces, I can tell this knee had work.
Most of the time, though, it’s fine while I am playing or working out.
When I have pain it’s in one of two places: the medial joint line (where part of my meniscus was trimmed) or the front, where I’ve frequently had issues with patellar tendonitis. I truly think the partial meniscectomy is having the most long-term effect since I do not have the full cushion there anymore.
Another thing to note is the range of motion. Hyperextension is exactly the same, but my knee does hurt in the end range of flexion. It seems a few degrees off flexion-wise and just is overall a little stiffer.
My knee still pops and clicks sometimes, but not nearly as often. Sometimes it feels tight and then once it clicks it releases the tension.
How I Manage My Knee 3 Years Post Op
Here are some things I do to help manage my knee:
- Use heat before training and apply when it’s feeling tight.
- Take ibprofen (only sometimes if it’s really aching).
- Use my compex on my knee.
- Foam rolling, especially on the quad and VMO.
- Doing a few extra exercises for balance, glute activation, and landing before/during warmup.
- Taking time to cool down after working out.
- Wearing a compression sleeve if it’s bothered.
Overview
- ROM: Extension is the same, flexion lags by a few degrees. Discomfort and pain occur when trying to push my knee in end-range flexion. I have enough flexion for all of my activities.
- Quad: I struggle more to keep mass and strength in this quad. I also have not been lifting nearly as much this year, which has also made this difficult.
- Pain: I most often get pain along the medial joint line, especially after multiple days of high-intensity training or playing on hard surfaces. This pain can feel like a deep aching and impact my sleep at times. Ocassionally I struggle with patellar tendonitis still as well.
- Swelling: I do not usually experience any swelling
- Activity: I have fully returned to professional soccer, nearly finished with my first full professional season.
The Plan Moving Forward
Moving forward, taking care of my knee will continue to be important. While I feel past this surgery, it’s something that remains in the back of my mind.
My plan moving forward is to continue to play soccer as long as possible. Following this season, I will head home for a few months. During this time at home, my priority will be strength training. My aim is to gain back more quad strength as well as general lower body strength and power. I will also be training and playing soccer during this offseason until heading out for the next professional season abroad!