Recovering from PCL Surgery

How long is the recovery from a PCL surgery?

Your recovery from a PCL surgery will begin the first day after your operation. Immediate physical therapy intervention allows for optimal recovery of one’s range of motion and quad re-activation according to the PCL reconstruction protocol. Patients should not bear weight on the operative leg for the first 6 weeks after surgery. After this initial period, they may progress from crutches. Patients can usually return to driving 2-3 weeks after they are able to walk. Endurance and strengthening can be started in the second phase of rehabilitation. Agility exercises start at 4 months along with the running progression if previous stages have been successfully completed. Depending on the severity of the injury and other associated ligament injuries, recovery can be between 6 to 12 months, with return to sport expected no earlier than 9 months post-op. A study was recently published looking at 100 patients that underwent a PCL reconstruction demonstrating excellent outcomes with restoration of the knee kinematics (similar movement and stability to the healthy knee) with a minimum follow up of 2 years.