18/10/2025
⏰📆As a patient (or non-patient), or clinician, which do you prefer?
During a consultation with a new patient about to have ACL Reconstruction surgery (hamstring tendon graft), and frequently she would mention the magic ‘9 month return to playing’, rugby in her case. I felt she was fixated on that period of time and she agreed because of research. She had clear timeline goals to reach from the start.
I then asked if she would be disappointed if she returned to play at 9.5 months, or be over the moon at 8.5 months? Or if she was prepared mentally to have a setback at any point, even at the start with wound healing?
The reason why I asked these questions was to challenge her expectations and focus on ticking boxes, because that’s what we need to do to progress with rehab. Can we move on if we don’t reach a rehab goal, such as pain free range of movement, reduced neural sensitivity, reduced compensatory/avoidance mechanisms?
I think a mixture of both is needed, depending on context & situation, and lifestyle. If you’ve worked with me, you’ll know I’m very pragmatic in my clinical practice and approach, which I feel gives more confidence rather than being letdown by a deadline.
What do you think? What have your experiences been?
