open dataset · last reviewed 2026-06-05

ACL reconstruction recovery data

Every measured number behind the ACL recovery timeline, with the study each one came from. knee · confidence high · 4 interpolated points not listed. Part of the recovery data index. Quote it, chart it, cite it — a link back is all we ask.

Published cohort data. Not medical advice, not a prediction for your body, and not a substitute for your surgeon or clinician.

Measured pain by week

Measured pain by week after ACL reconstruction
WeekTypical painBandScaleSource
05.2 /104.1–5.5a comparison, not a spread — The low edge is patients sent home the same day; the high edge is patients kept in hospital overnight — from a different study than the typical value, not two people who had identical care.0–10 as publishedstudy

Documented milestones

Documented milestones after ACL reconstruction
WeekMilestoneReported rangeSource
0Full weight-bearing as toleratedDay 0 to 2 weeks, usually with crutchesstudy
3Off crutches / normal gait2-6 weeks; criteria include quad control and full extensionstudy
8Pool or unweighted treadmill running7-8 weeksstudy
11Return to workAbout 46-84 days depending on graft and job demandsstudy
39Return to sport / pivoting clearance9-12 months, criteria-basedstudy

take this

Cite ACL reconstructionone line, ready to paste

Steady. ACL reconstruction recovery data: 1 measured pain points and 5 milestones, from 3 cited sources. Last reviewed 2026-06-05. https://growsteady.me/recovery-data/acl-reconstruction

Embed the ACL reconstruction chartfree to use on your own site, with the credit line kept

The image is drawn from the table above and redraws whenever the data is reviewed, so an embedded copy never goes stale. Open the image →

<figure>
  <img src="https://growsteady.me/recovery-data/acl-reconstruction/curve.png" alt="Typical pain by week after ACL reconstruction, from published studies" width="1200" height="675" loading="lazy" />
  <figcaption>
    Pain band after ACL reconstruction, from
    <a href="https://growsteady.me/recovery-data/acl-reconstruction">the Steady recovery data index</a>.
  </figcaption>
</figure>

every paper cited here (40)

take the data

This procedure's records as JSON — one per question a person actually asks, each with the answer written out in full and the study beside it: /recovery-data/acl-reconstruction/claims.json. The whole dataset lives on the recovery data index.

The data says what a cohort did. Your own log says what you did — and saves you from re-arguing week six from memory.

Start a recovery log

This page reports published cohort data. It is not medical advice, not a prediction for your body, and not a substitute for your surgeon or clinician. New severe or rapidly worsening pain, fever or chills, a hot swollen calf, chest pain or breathlessness, wound redness or discharge, or new numbness or weakness are reasons to contact your surgical team promptly.

Steady · recovery data index

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