The ACL Athlete Podcast
Episodes
275 episodes
275 | Two-Stage Revision ACL Reconstruction Part 1: What It Is and Why It Happens
In this episode, we open with the story of an athlete who did everything right after her ACL reconstruction and still knew something was off. Her surgeon told her she was fine. Her knee told her otherwise. We break down what a two-stage revisio...
274 | Structure Outside of PT Is Not Optional in ACL Rehab
In this episode, we dig into one of the most common and costly gaps in ACL rehab: the absence of structure outside of physical therapy sessions. We start with the math of how few hours most ACLers are actually getting guided work and walk throu...
273 | Using AI in ACL Rehab: Where AI Gets Dangerous in ACL Rehab and What It Should Never Replace - Part 2
In this episode, we close out the two-part series on AI in ACL rehab with the territory that matters most. We open with a use case we did not cover in part one, using AI as an audit tool to compare your actual care against what the research say...
272 | Using AI in ACL Rehab: What It Can Actually Do For You (And Where It Starts to Break Down) - Part 1
In this episode, we open a two-part series on one of the most important and underaddressed conversations in ACL rehab right now: how ACL athletes, parents, and clinicians are using artificial intelligence (AI) and where it helps versus where it...
271 | You Don't Fail Your Strength Test - You Learn From It
In this episode, we break down one of the most misunderstood parts of ACL rehab: testing. We cover what testing actually means beyond a single number, why the pass or fail mindset is not only emotionally draining but can literally affect the ac...
270 | The Challenging Dynamic When Friends or Family Help With Your ACL Rehab
In this episode, we dive into one of the most common and least talked about situations in ACL rehab: what happens when the person guiding your recovery is someone you already know. Whether it is a PT friend, a parent who is a clinician, or a sp...
269 | Feed the Rebuild: What ACL Athletes Get Wrong About Nutrition
In this episode, we dig into one of the most overlooked mistakes in ACL recovery: undereating. It sounds logical on the surface: you are moving less, so you eat less. But what is actually happening inside your body after surgery tells a complet...
268 | From ACL Adversity to Comeback: The Mindset Shift You Need Right Now
In this episode, we sit with a quote from Duke Women's Basketball coach Kara Lawson that stopped me in my tracks and immediately made me think of every ACL athlete navigating this process. We don't get to control the length of our adversity. We...
267 | The ACL Decision No One Talks About: Should You Even Return to Your Sport?
In this episode, we dig into one of the most important and least talked about conversations in ACL rehab: the decision of whether or not to go back to your sport or activity after an ACL injury. We break down why this decision is not one size f...
266 | Complex ACL Cases: The More Complicated, The More Opinions You May Need
In this episode, we break down what it actually means to have a complicated ACL/knee case, from multi-ligament involvement and cartilage damage to post-op complications like cyclops lesions, scar tissue, and quad shutdown/AMI that never resolve...
265 | Five Years of The ACL Athlete Podcast + Five Lessons Learned
In this episode, we mark five years of The ACL Athlete Podcast by doing something I almost let pass entirely: sitting down with no agenda, and saying the things that have never quite been said clearly enough. We open with a message from a liste...
264 | Your ACL Rehab Is Hard… But Is It Actually Helping?
In this episode, we unpack a big misconception in ACL rehab: the belief that if PT feels hard, it must be working. We break down why sweat, fatigue, and high heart rates don’t automatically equal progress, especially when your knee is swollen o...
263 | Quad Size Still Smaller? The Science Behind Persistent Quad Atrophy after ACLR
In this episode, we tackle one of the most frustrating and under-discussed parts of ACL rehab: your quad is still smaller months later, and you’re wondering if something is wrong. I break down what the research actually shows about quadriceps m...
262 | The Human Body Is Resilient: Redefining ACL Limits Through Lindsey Vonn's Story
In this episode, we take a deeper, more grounded look at resilience through the lens of Lindsey Vonn's ACL journey. Not as motivation, but as a real, physical, and mental demonstration of what the human body is capable of when given time, inten...
261 | The ACL Is a Seatbelt: You Don’t Know You Need It Until You Do
In this episode, we unpack why “feeling good” late in ACL rehab can be one of the most misleading signals an athlete can rely on. Using the ACL-as-a-seatbelt analogy, we break down why the ligament stays quiet during controlled rehab and daily ...
260 | Arthrofibrosis After ACLR: Trusting Your Gut When Rehab Isn’t Adding Up
In this episode, we dive into one of the most overlooked and misunderstood aspects of ACL rehab: what to do when your knee just doesn’t feel right. You can be doing everything “by the book,” checking every rehab box, yet still feel stuck with s...
259 | Why Your ACL Rehab Needs a Guide, Not Just a Protocol
In this episode, we tackle one of the most common (and costly) questions in ACL rehab: when you should bring in an ACL specialist: right away, or “later when it really matters.” Using analogies like hiring an expert consultant or building your ...
258 | The 24-Hour Rule: The ACL Rehab Mindset You Need in the New Year
In this episode, we kick off the new year with one of the most important conversations in ACL rehab: your mindset. Drawing inspiration from performance coach and author Steve Magness, this episode introduces the 24-Hour Rule: a simple but power...
257 | Stuck in ACL Rehab: Why So Many ACLers Fall Through the Cracks
In this episode, we break down the most common and frustrating path that ACL athletes take as they move through rehab and quietly fall through the cracks. From early progress that masks deeper problems, to reduced PT frequency, insurance visits...
256 | Proactive > Reactive: The ACL Surgery Prep That Separates Successful Recoveries
In this episode, we breaks down one of the most underestimated factors in ACL recovery: what happens before surgery even begins. As the end of the year approaches and more athletes rush into ACL surgery due to holidays, insurance deductibles, a...
255 | ACL Injuries Happen - Re-Injuries Don’t Have To: Where Your Focus Actually Matters
In this episode, we break down the recent wave of high-profile NFL ACL injuries, including Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons, and use them as a powerful lens to challenge how we think about why ACL injuries happen. Instead of chasing simple ans...
254 | An Orthopedic Surgeon's Perspective on What Matters More: Surgery vs. Rehab
In this episode, we break down a powerful message from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Howard Luks - a message every ACL athlete needs to hear. After more than 30 years in the operating room, Dr. Luks says something surprising: "surgery is often the...
253 | The Most Underrated Load Management Tool After ACL Surgery
In this episode, we break down one of the most underrated, yet most influential parts of ACL rehab: step count. While most athletes focus on rehab, graft types, or protocol milestones, the real day-to-day needle-mover early on is often the simp...
252 | AnnKNEEversary - It Takes A Village
In this episode, we celebrate another “AnnKNEEversary” of my ACL surgery and use it as a checkpoint to zoom out on life, rehab, and the people who carry us through both. I share stories from my own journey - missing my senior-year UGA game for ...
251 | Knee Flexion Truths in ACL Rehab: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What Actually Matters
In this episode, we unpack the real truth about knee flexion after ACL surgery — what’s normal, what’s not, and how much it actually matters in your recovery. We break down the key milestones you should hit, why extension still reigns supreme e...