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Built by a practicing doctor · Sources: NHS, NICE, AAOS & more
💛 Friendly guidance: not medical advice💛 Friendly guidance · Always consult your doctorConsult your doctor · Disclaimer

ACL surgery recovery timeline: month by month

Sources · Last reviewed: July 2026
NHSAAOSNICEAHAhealthdirect
Full sources ↗
📄 Download Recovery Checklist (PDF)
ACL recovery essentials
Practical support for the long road back from ACL reconstruction.
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Cold and compression together are the cornerstone of ACL rehab swelling control, you will use this daily for weeks. Cold therapy wrap →
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Resistance bands are essential for the progressive strengthening protocol your physio will prescribe, quad and hamstring work especially. Resistance bands →
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A proper exercise mat makes your daily physio routine more comfortable, you will be spending a lot of time on it. Exercise mat →
Postopcare.info may earn a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you. These are things patients have told us genuinely helped their recovery, nothing else.

Your recovery toolkit

Free interactive tools to track your recovery day by day. Everything stays on your device — nothing is uploaded or shared.

These tools support — never replace — the advice of your surgical team. If something feels wrong, contact your doctor or emergency services.

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Where are you in your recovery?
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Content last reviewed: July 2026
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Preparation checklist
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