Crutches After ACL Surgery: What to Expect and What to Use

After ACL reconstruction you’ll be on crutches for a while, and how comfortable that stretch is depends a lot on the crutches you use. Here’s a practical overview.

How long you’ll typically use crutches

It varies by surgeon and procedure, but many people use crutches for roughly 2–6 weeks, often starting with weight-bearing as tolerated in a brace and weaning off as strength and control return. Your surgeon and physical therapist set the actual timeline, follow theirs.

What makes ACL recovery on crutches easier

• Comfort over weeks, not minutes. You’ll take a lot of steps. Shock absorption and an ergonomic handle prevent the hand, wrist, and shoulder soreness that wears people down by week two.
• Stability for controlled movement. Articulating tips and a secure stance help you move deliberately while protecting the knee.
• Forearm crutches for the long middle stretch. Once you’re past the first days, forearm crutches are usually more comfortable and less fatiguing than underarm ones (see forearm vs. underarm).
• Good for stairs. You’ll need to handle stairs carefully; forearm crutches do this better than a knee scooter (see knee scooter vs. crutches).

Which crutches to choose

From our best forearm crutches picks, the recovery-focused, shock-absorbing models score highest for this, the Ergobaum 7G (recovery extras + shock absorption) and the In-Motion Pro (spring-assist comfort) are strong choices. Take the quiz for a match to your situation, and see our broader crutches after surgery guide.

This is general information, not medical advice. Follow your surgeon’s and physical therapist’s weight-bearing and rehab instructions, they override anything here.