Preparing for ACL & Meniscus Surgery and Aftercare: My Comprehensive Approach
Learn how to prepare for ACL & Meniscus surgery and Aftercare. Learn about things that can help you recover faster.

How to Prepare for ACL and Meniscus Surgery and Aftercare
If you’ve recently experienced an ACL injury or meniscus tears, surgery may be necessary in your treatment plan. ACL repair surgery and meniscus repair are standard procedures that address these knee injuries. Proper preparation before the surgery date and a thorough recovery process afterward can significantly improve your outcome. Here are essential tips to help you achieve a successful recovery.
Surgery is a significant milestone, and preparing for it requires physical, emotional, and mental readiness.
For me, the journey has been long and complex, shaped by years of discomfort, setbacks, and lessons learned. Here’s my story and the detailed protocol I’ve followed to ensure the best possible recovery from a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and meniscus tears.
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My Story: A Journey to Surgery
Seven years ago, I believe I partially tore my ACL while participating in shamanic ceremonies. I was digging my own grave where I was supposed to stay 24 hours without leaving it and stepped wrong. Although I was in pain, I didn’t take action to address it. A year later, I entirely tore my ACL and partially tore my meniscus after slipping on a dog toy while coming down the stairs. Again, I avoided surgery and healed on my own. I wasn’t prepared for the physical or emotional toll it might bring, but my knee’s instability and pain made everyday activities increasingly challenging.
Ever since, every time I twisted my knee, the pain was unbearable, and I struggled with the instability. Then, about a year ago, just before the holidays, I was exercising at the gym and completely ruined my knee—this time, my meniscus was fully torn.
My first doctor dismissed my concerns, spent only five minutes with me, and condescendingly told me I would need a knee replacement in the future. He offered no clear plan, and his attitude left me shocked. While I usually advocate for myself, his dismissive tone left me momentarily speechless.
Determined to find better care, I sought out another doctor. This time, I found someone who took my concerns seriously, explained my options thoroughly, and gave me hope for recovery. Finally, I was ready to prepare for surgery and take the steps necessary to support my body and mind.
Interestingly enough, I did not feel well this entire year and had no idea what was going on with me. So I went to a Functional medicine doctor, and the diagnosis was – Hashimoto. Ough!
I think the hardest for me was to be mentally prepared for the surgery and the immobility that goes with it since I have a lot of energy and like to move around.

My Pre-Surgery Preparation
Strengthening the Immune System
- High-Dose Vitamin C: 2-3 grams daily of whole foods vitamin C or for immune health. Liposomal Vitamin C is the best.
- Zinc: A high-quality Zinc supplement supports immunity.
- Vitamin D3: 4,000-10,000 IU daily, paired with vitamins K1 and K2.
- Adrenal Support: Schisandra tincture, Ashwagandha powder, organ meat supplements from Ancestral Supplements.
- Medicinal Mushrooms: I add medicinal mushrooms to my decaf coffee in the morning and golden milk in the afternoon.
- Probiotics: Taking care of my gut with probiotics.
- Turmeric and boswellia : Aids gut health and reduces inflammation.
- Alcohol Abstinence: I quit drinking eight weeks before surgery to improve sleep and detox my body.
- Sleep Hygiene: Aiming for 10 PM bedtimes and waking naturally.
- Stress and Workload Management: Lightened my work schedule to stay calm and relaxed.
- Special exercise regime: strengthening my quads, stretching, and weight lifting.
- Time in nature: I spend a lot of time in nature because it balances me. I knew I would not be able to go on long walks for a while, and I wanted to spend time with my doggies outside.
Support the Liver and the Kidneys and Detox
Daily Bowel Movements: Make sure you eliminate daily. Eat ground flax seeds, more fiber. Depending on what kind of meds they prescribe you, you will be constipated. After surgery, take Triphala and Ayurvedic herbs or Magnesium oxide. Also, you can make yourself senna teas. Daily bowel movements are critical for detox, and we need to detox from anesthesia and all the drugs that they give us.
Calcium D-Glucarate: 250mg twice daily to support liver detoxification.
Liver Support/ Liver Balance: I used Naturwise Live Balance Complete and Milk Thistle.
Glutathione: Liposomal glutathione for detoxification.
Coffee Enema: Coffee enema is a great detoxifier and helps increase glutathione. Here is how to make it.
Lymphatic massage: Lymphatic massage before surgery helps reduce swelling, improve circulation, boost immune function, and promote relaxation. It prepares tissues for surgery, enhancing healing and reducing post-surgical complications like fluid retention and scar tissue formation. Always consult your doctor before starting.
Infrared or Full Spectrum Sauna: Infrared sauna before surgery aids detoxification, improves circulation, reduces inflammation, boosts immunity, and promotes relaxation, preparing the body for better healing and recovery.

Anti-inflammatories
- Turmeric and Boswellia: They help reduce inflammation.
- Progesterone—I continued with my progesterone supplementation because it helps reduce inflammation and promote better sleep.
- Fish oil—I used this fish oil, rich in both EPA and DHA. You will stop taking fish oil a week before the surgery because it is blood-thinning.
Bone and Joint Support
- Collagen, Protein Powder, and Bone Broth Powder: To help, we need to provide the body with all the necessary amino acids, and all of this provides just that. I added it to my smoothies and morning decaf coffee or just drank it on its own
- Amino Acid Supplement: To support the growth of healthy tissues. I used Pure Encapsulation.
- Bone and joint support from
- Silica: Silica supports collagen production by promoting collagen synthesis, a key protein for healthy skin, hair, nails, and connective tissue. It enhances the activity of enzymes involved in collagen formation, strengthens connective tissues, and aids in maintaining skin elasticity and hydration. Silica also helps stabilize collagen’s structure, ensuring its integrity and resilience.
Preparation with Exercise is as Important as After the Surgery
I did a lot of research on how to prepare for my surgery and went to a pre-surgery physical therapy session. He made it clear that my surgery success and post-op recovery depended on how I prepared before. I consistently did quad exercises, weight lifting, walking, and stretching at least three times a week. The workouts were directly tailored to my needs.
Strengthening the muscles around your knee joint, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings, is a good idea before ACL reconstruction surgery or meniscus surgery. These muscles act as shock absorbers and help stabilize the injured knee. Exercises like quad sets and straight leg raises, guided by a physical therapist, can be particularly effective.
Taking Care of Your Emotional Wellbeing
Taking care of your emotional wellbeing is as essential as exercise. I have done a lot of therapy and self-help workshops in my life, but I found out that I still need to dig deeper since I have never had surgery, so I did not know what to expect, and frankly, I was a bit freaked out.
I did some therapy sessions and breathwork to help me move stagnant energy and emotion and feel more balance.

Diet
Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is best. Meaning nutrient food, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy, and nightshade-free. Limited sugar consumption (there are so many sugar substitutes nowadays that it is not that hard). Eating homemade food so you know what you are using and putting in your food.
Easy Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew
Food Preparation
Make yourself nutrient dense food like soups and stew that are easy to reheat.
Chicken soup and bone broth contain collagen and help rebuild the tissues.
Plan for the Day of Your Surgery
Prepare comfortable clothes, arrange transportation with a family member, and set up your recovery space at home. Since most ACL surgeries and meniscus surgeries are outpatient procedures performed using arthroscopic surgery with small incisions, you will likely go home the same day.
Discuss Specific Instructions with Your Care Team
Your orthopedic surgeon or orthopedic surgeon will provide detailed guidance tailored to your knee injury. Be sure to ask questions about the type of anesthesia, potential risks, and the recovery time.
What I Did Post-Surgery Recovery
- Follow your surgeon’s instructions: Adhering to the specific instructions from your healthcare professional is vital. These include caring for your small incisions, using pain medicine as directed, and attending follow-up appointments with your care team.
- Ice machine for icing: Cold therapy can help manage swelling and knee pain during recovery. Your healthcare provider may also recommend a knee brace to support the knee joint and protect the new ACL or repaired meniscus.
- Elevated pillow: to help with swelling and circulation.
- At-home physical therapy strap: This knee replacement recovery aids offer affordable and effective rehabilitation after knee surgery or injury.Helps with range of motion ROM.
- Tubular support bandage: This bandage is used to change the dressing after surgery and when icing to prevent frostbites.
- Post-surgery underwear: I cannot stress enough how helpful it was to feel independent and put on clean underwear since my leg was in the brace and I could not reach my foot.
- Post-surgery pants
- Shower Seat
- Furry boot slippers: to keep your feet warm.
- Electric blanket: to keep your feet warm
- Compression socks: help with swelling and prevent blood from accumulating.
- Utility cart: to keep all the necessary things, such as supplements, in your bed.
- Leg lifter: to help you lift the leg from the bed.
- Full leg cast cover: for showering
- Leg massager with air compression for circulation: I has lots of problem with feet circulation for 10 days after the surgery and those were life saving!
- Eat nutrient-dense food rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals.
- Work on your liver detoxification from anesthesia- continue the supplements from pre-op.
- Drink coconut water and water with essential minerals because you will be dehydrated from anesthesia. Drink lots of fluid for the first three days.

Pain Management
I was not in a lot of pain for some reason. I had a nerve blocker, and after that, I was taking Tylenol Extended Release or 3 days 2 tablets every 10 hours.
Also, I was using red light therapy, which helped reduce inflammation and pain.
My recovery is going well. The biggest issue I had was with my feet. They seemed to lack enough circulation, so they were hot and cold. It felt like feet after frostbite. It was a real pain in the but. I went to get a lymphatic massage, and she worked for an entire hour on my feet with tuning forks and shells to improve blood circulation. That felt amazing, and my feet felt better after that.
I was allowed to weight bear with crutches as long as I did not feel pain, which was really good because they only trimmed my meniscus. I was afraid that the surgeon would have to clean the entire meniscus and I won’t be able to weigh bear for 6-8 weeks.
On day 3, I was waking slowly without crutches with a little cane.
I Also Took Peptides
Peptides can significantly aid recovery after surgery by supporting tissue repair, reducing inflammation, and enhancing overall healing.
- Tissue Repair:
- BPC-157 and TB-500 accelerate soft tissue and muscle regeneration by promoting blood flow and cell migration, reducing inflammation, and preventing scar tissue.
- Inflammation Reduction:
- These peptides modulate the immune response to minimize pain and swelling, speeding up recovery.
- Collagen Production:
- Peptides like GHK-Cu and collagen peptides boost collagen synthesis for stronger tendons, ligaments and improved skin healing.
- Muscle and Bone Healing:
- Growth-promoting peptides like IGF-1 LR3 and CJC-1295 support muscle repair, bone density, and overall recovery.
- Immune Support:
- Peptides like Thymosin Alpha-1 enhance immune function, reducing infection risk.
- Pain Relief and Mobility:
- Peptides alleviate post-surgical pain and improve joint flexibility.
Caution: Always consult a healthcare provider for personalized peptide therapy and use pharmaceutical-grade products for safety and effectiveness.

After a week and a post-op check-up appointment with the doctor, I started to use oil for scars. I will also begin cold laser therapy, which helps with tissue repair (ony if you do not have screw in you knee).
I was really surprised by how fast the healing process went. Mind it that my meniscus was just trimmed. So I was lucky that I could start weight bearing pretty much right away. If I had the meniscus cleaned out I would be not weigh bearing for 6-8 weeks.
The most challenging thing for me was learning to be still and surrender. I’m a doer, and I move a lot for my work and in general. I like to keep moving, so after a week, I was getting a little restless and frustrated at the end of the day, but I managed. Listening to the body was always the correct answer.
Having a support system is really important. My husband Erik was with me from the beginning, and I could count on him, which was great. He took a month off from work to care for me and drove me to all the appointments since I couldn’t drive for four weeks.
Having a friend who cares for you and brings you food, visits, and laughs is a real bonus too.
I firmly believe that the two key factors behind my successful recovery have been thorough pre-op preparation 6 to 8 weeks before surgery and my healthy lifestyle.
The bottom line is that being in the best possible health before surgery is crucial.
I hope this post has been helpful, whether for your own surgery preparation or for someone you care about. Feel free to share it with others who might benefit.
I encourage you to incorporate some of these recommendations to boost your recovery, even if it’s not surgery-related.
Please note that this post should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your functional medicine practitioner to create a personalized plan. This is my personal experience that I wanted to share.
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Refrences:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30915550
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29998800
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39639374
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