Personal stories about having surgery for an ACL injury

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Don, age 42: My knee is only a little unstable after my ACL injury. My doctor said the decision to have surgery is really up to me. I am going to do some intensive rehab for a few weeks and see how my knee progresses. If I can avoid surgery, I'd like to do that.

Susan, age 38: I'm not a competitive athlete, but I am very active and I enjoy running, hiking, and bicycling. My doctor said that my ACL tear wasn't too bad, but I am definitely going to have surgery. I think surgery is my best chance of being able to continue to do all the things I did before I hurt my knee.

Carmen, age 53: I'm not a very active person, and so it isn't too important to me that my knee be stable. It only has a small amount of instability right now, so I am not going to have surgery. I feel like the risks of the surgery are more than the risks of not having it, at least for someone like me.

Peter, age 45: I need a stable knee to do my job well, and I'd also like to avoid getting osteoarthritis early if I can. I'm going to have the reconstruction surgery, even though I know the rehab is long. It's the best chance I have of getting a strong, stable knee.