Hi @theswedking, I had surgery for a severed ACL in the late 70s when I was in my mid 20s. I had surgery in Canada the day after I injured my knee. The surgery then was called a pivot shift. The surgeon rerouted muscle through the bone to replace the torn ligament. I also lost all my cartilage. I was in a huge cast for 6 weeks and able to start phyysical therapy, every day for four months, after the cast was removed. After a month or so of physical therapy with no progress I was assigned to the chief therapist who determined that I needed heat, not ice, which was gumming everything inside my knee up. I walked with crutches for that length of time as I could not be weight bearing until I could straighten my knee. It was very painful, difficult to get around, and a long slow process to healing. I can't emphasize enough the importance of physical therapy - I was able to get all function back and have a stable knee. You are right, though, about the "ease" of other surgeries. I had open heart surgery a couple of years ago and I could not believe that it was not as painful or disabling as my knee surgery was.

Is there anyone you can talk to about the pain? Your doctor or a physical therapist? Maybe an infrared heating pad would help, if heat would be appropriate for you. I hope you get some relief soon.