One Week After ACL Reconstruction: The Unfiltered Recovery Report | PAC Talk Podcast with Pieter Vodden
No script. No filter. Just an honest breakdown of what week one after ACL reconstruction actually looks like.
Piet's ACL was completely detached. He opted for a patella tendon graft — the gold standard, the strongest option, and also the most painful with the longest recovery. His reasoning was simple: he's not going to stop doing dumb shit, so it needed to be as strong as possible.
In this update he walks through everything: the surgery at USC with Dr. Weber, the first physio session with Dr. Sophie at Pharos Echo Park, hitting 80% knee flexion within 24 hours, heel slides, electric stim, the Game Ready ice machine, red light therapy, and the peptide protocol he's running.
He also gets into the parts nobody talks about — how hard it is to sleep, the paranoia that you've re-torn something every time it feels good, the muscle loss you can see in the mirror, the calorie adjustment when you go from active to sedentary overnight, and the mental side that's been far harder than the physical.
He's been in the gym every single day. Push, pull, single leg, core. Because as he puts it — if you have surgery and then do nothing, that's an excuse. There's always something you can do.
The goal at the end of all this: the Austin Half Marathon in February.
If you're going through injury or surgery right now, this one's for you. Nothing here is special or unique — it's all completely doable. Get a good doctor, a good physio, and a good gym.
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