The ACL Athlete Podcast
Episodes
290 episodes
290 | The Fear Of Damaging Your New Graft After ACL Surgery
In this episode we get into the fear that hits almost every ACLer in the weeks after surgery, the quiet worry that one wrong step, one weird zing, one slip in the shower could undo everything. We share a message from a listener that fueled this...
289 | Why Your Surgeon's Favorite Graft Might Not Be Right For Your ACL Surgery
In this episode, we tackle one of the most repeated pieces of advice in the ACL space, the idea that the best graft is simply the one your surgeon is best at. It sounds reasonable. Athletes hear it in consults, in physical therapy offices, and ...
288 | Should You Let Your PT Crank On Your Knee In ACL Rehab?
In this episode, we walk through a real case that has us fired up. An ACL athlete four and a half months post op, 40 physical therapy sessions in, finally hit a breaking point and told her PT to stop. We get into what was actually happening in ...
287 | 9 Lessons I Learned After Tearing My ACL Twice
In this episode we get personal. We are pulling back the curtain on two ACL tears in two completely different chapters of life, and the nine lessons that came out of both. We talk about the moment denial feels more like certainty than fear, why...
286 | 5 Signs It's Time to Switch Your PT
In this episode we walk through the quiet signs that your ACL recovery might not be on the track it should be. We get into what actually separates a provider who knows what they're doing from one who is behind, the questions you should be able ...
285 | The Mental Toll of ACL Rehab Nobody Talks About
In this episode, we open up about the side of ACL rehab that almost no one prepares you for, the mental toll that runs right alongside the physical recovery. We talk about why this process is a rollercoaster and not the clean linear path people...
284 | Why Hamstring Co-Activation Might Be Blocking Your Knee Extension
In this episode, we break down why your knee extension might feel stuck after ACL surgery, and it is not about weakness or effort. We walk through arthrogenic muscle inhibition, a new EMG study showing how the brain co-activates the hamstrings ...
283 | 10 Common NMES Mistakes in ACL Rehab - Part 2
In this episode, we close out our two-part NMES series by getting into the setup and execution details that make or break every individual session. We cover the five most common mistakes we see in how athletes actually run their NMES sessions: ...
282 | 10 Common NMES Mistakes in ACL Rehab - Part 1
In this episode we kick off a two-part series on one of the most valuable tools in ACL rehab: neuromuscular electrical stimulation, or NMES. We break down why arthrogenic muscle inhibition makes quad recovery so much harder than most athletes e...
281 | Is Knee Soreness Normal in ACL Rehab?
Is knee soreness in ACL rehab normal, or a sign something is wrong?In this episode we break down the real difference between soreness and pain, why soreness shows up more in mid and late stage rehab, the three most common causes, and th...
280 | Further Out and Still Not There: Why Your ACL Recovery Is Taking Longer Than You Expected
In this episode, we dig into one of the most common and quietly painful experiences in ACL recovery: being months or even years out from surgery and still not feeling close to where you thought you would be. We break down why the 9-to-12-month ...
279 | Bone Bruise After an ACL Injury: What It Means for Your Rehab and Recovery
In this episode, we take a deep dive into one of the most overlooked pieces of the ACL injury: bone bruising. Present in roughly 85% of ACL tears, bone bruises are almost always mentioned in the MRI report and almost always glossed over in the ...
278 | How to Navigate a Second ACL Opinion: Before Surgery, After Surgery, and Complex Cases
In this episode, we break down how to actually navigate second (or third) opinions in ACL care without getting overwhelmed or stuck in decision paralysis. From pre-surgery planning to post-op confusion and complex, lingering symptoms, we walk t...
277 | The Sympathy Gap: When the Visible Markers of ACL Rehab Disappear
In this episode, we talk about one of the quietest and most underrated phases of ACL recovery: the window after the crutches and brace are gone, but the real work is still very much in progress. We call it the sympathy gap, and it shows up when...
276 | Two-Stage Revision ACL Reconstruction Part 2: The Surgery, the Research, and the Road Back
In this episode, we go deeper into the two-stage revision ACL reconstruction process, starting with what actually happens during Stage 1 and why understanding the bone work changes how you think about the months that follow. We break down the i...
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...