Recovery Guides
What to expect, week by week
Whether you're preparing for surgery or itching to get back to your sport, these guides set honest expectations: what each phase of rehab involves, how long it really takes, and the milestones that matter.
Guides
ACL Surgery Recovery Timeline: What Each Phase Really Looks Like
ACL reconstruction recovery runs 9–12 months, not the 6 many people expect. Early weeks focus on swelling, extension, and quad activation; months 3–6 build strength and running; return to cutting sports should wait for passed strength and hop testing at 9+ months, because earlier return sharply raises re-tear risk.
2 min readReviewed by a licensed PT
Knee Replacement Recovery Timeline: The Honest Version
After knee replacement you'll walk with support the day of surgery, handle most daily activities by 3–6 weeks, and feel largely recovered by 3 months — but swelling, warmth, and stiffness commonly linger 6–12 months, and kneeling stays uncomfortable for many people. Full recovery takes up to a year.
2 min readReviewed by a licensed PT
Return to Running After Injury: Earn It, Don't Date It
Return to running works best when it's criteria-based, not calendar-based: pass basic strength and single-leg control checks, start with walk–run intervals, keep pain at or below 3/10 and settled by the next morning, and grow weekly load gradually — roughly 10% is a useful guardrail, not a law.
2 min readReviewed by a licensed PT
Rotator Cuff Repair Recovery: A Month-by-Month Timeline
Rotator cuff repair recovery moves in slow, deliberate phases: a sling for roughly 4–6 weeks while the tendon reattaches to bone, passive then active motion through week 12, strengthening from months 3–6, and full recovery at 6–12 months. Feeling better early doesn't mean the repair is healed — that gap causes most setbacks.
2 min readReviewed by a licensed PT
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