My ACL recovery journey

While juggling my thesis and part-time student work, I injured my left knee during a football game on June 3rd, 2025. I'd like to share my recovery experience here. Before this incident, my knowledge of ACL tears was limited to knowing that athletes typically miss 6 to 12 months of play. The injury was frightening at first—it immediately impaired my ability to walk. I also learned that without surgery, I wouldn't be able to participate in sports involving pivoting or knee twisting, such as football, basketball, or skiing.
 
This was shocking news for me as I didn't have much pain, and three days after the injury, I was able to walk slowly. The MRI report showed a complete rupture which, according to mainstream science, has no chance of healing naturally. Despite this, I believe mainstream science can sometimes be wrong—I've seen instances of this in medicine (when learning more about diet, cholesterol, etc.). Medical research tends to focus on treatments that can generate profit and collects evidence accordingly. If there's evidence that you can heal from an injury without spending much money, such research might not receive funding.
Anyway, this is the MRI picture of my ACL tear.
notion image
notion image
I am not an expert in reading an MRI, but from what I've learned, that's the sign of an ACL tear. With a normal ACL, there should be a solid black line in the specified box. After doing extensive research and finding Dr. Kieran Richardson's talk on YouTube, I discovered significant evidence of people healing their ACL after injury.
I joined a Facebook group called ACL + Meniscus Tear Recovery Without Surgery with more than 32k members where people from around the world share their healing experiences. This was enough to convince me to fully invest in the process of physiotherapy.
 
Here I share my experience in terms of functionality, interventions, and supplements. Generally, I didn't have as much swelling or pain compared to typical ACL rupture symptoms. Below, I'll detail what supplements I took and what activities I was able to accomplish each week during my recovery.

Supplements

  • Magnesium Complex: Tri-magnesium dicitrate, bisglycinate, malate, ascorbate and oxide — taken every morning
  • Zinc
  • Berberine + Chrome + Black Garlic + Piperine: Taken before and during the injury to reduce blood sugar and inflammation for a better immune system
  • Flora 21 Culture Complex: Taken every morning (even before the injury) to boost gut microbiome

Week 1

  • I had no passive pain and limited my walking to bathroom trips for the first 4 days
  • Used crutches for one or two days
  • By the 6th day, I had almost full range of flexion in my left knee
  • I could walk slowly with a limp

Week 2

  • I installed an app called Curovate that has PT videos for different stages of rehab
  • I performed muscle contractions of quads, glutes, hamstrings, leg raises, and heel slides
  • Met with a physiotherapist online who helped fix my limp and increased my knee extension exercise time
  • I could go up and down stairs without help
  • Started using a stationary bike for 10 minutes every afternoon

Week 3

 
  • I walked about 1 hour each day for commuting to university or shopping at normal speed
  • Worked on squats and calf exercises
  • Did bridges to strengthen glutes
  • Got a balance board and slowly started using it
  • Performed mobility exercises like downward dog, cobra poses, and bird dog almost every day
  • Get on stationary bike for 10 mins every evening

Week 4

  • I kept my week 3 routine
  • I can walk in a faster pace
  • Started close-eyed one leg stand for 1 min
  • Trained my leg with Power band