ACL Returning to MX

I had tore my MCL two years ago on the mx track and just had surgery 3 months ago for it. If you were ever gonna wanna feel secure again on that knee I'd suggest investing in a brace. Either get a set of dedicated möbius knee braces or do what I did and go to a specialist and get fitted for a carbon fibre titanium one. For one, it prevents the injury from happening again. It also adds stability. And that does wonders for confidence. Just take it easy on it and ease back into it. As for excercises, you may want to return to your physio therapist and ask for more to work out the specific areas that may be weaker. Hope this helps.
TLDR: Just read it.

My sister did her medial ligament, she's a jockey, bit different to motocross but sorta the same, she spent only 12 or so months off the saddle before returning (then did it again). The exercise helped her and she doesn't wear a brace (because of weight). I think most of it comes down to confidence, build up to it, but if you're doing gym days and running and riding, then you should be fine

I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus cartilage in a race several years ago. For me the rehab back wasn't too bad. Squats and lunges by going very slow and deliberate worked the best strength wise of course. I really had to slow the exercises down though because it was way too easy on the compound moves for other body parts to want to over compensate for the weakened knee. Then believe it or not the next best was just jumping rope. That fast paced quick movements hit everything totally different than the slow and steady stuff. Mine has felt solid for years now. Only issue I ever have is I can't stand the weird feeling directly below the kneecap if you're doing something on your knees like playing games with kids or hunting for a lost damn bolt in the garage.

How old are you? I was 45 when I messed mine up.
I detached mine in 2012 as well as meniscus damage and it took me a while to get my confidence back because that knee never felt the same.
It took about 3 years for me to feel good on it again but I didn't really put any hard work into rehabbing it properly.

Jason

Dam, I am facing the same thing.Had mine fixed last November and going to see the doctor in May .Still feals funny specially when going down the stairs,yeah I'm talking about the strange pain under the knee cap.I guess I'm going to take it really slow and maybe not jumping.Do any of you guys have any experience with CTi?!How they feal ,how you can order them when using your health insurance!?I was using Mobius and I really like them,but I was thinking to try CTi since my left leg is pretty much twice as small :-)

I did mine about 12 years ago and I've never had any of the issues other people have. I run around and play baseball and cut and stuff with no issues. I did start wearing braces right after when riding. Mine took a lot of rehab and I wasn't sure my leg would straighten out but finally did. My doc used a way that gave me a double ACL though using me hamstring.

10 years since my left ACL said snap at Elsinore MX.
Allograph ACL repair two weeks after injury,
I stay away from days I might have to dab my foot often (muddy ride days), and always some kind of compression or brace on it while riding. There was no warning when it tore, what choice do we have but trusting it and riding again?

You've come to the best place for medical advice.
Running is not doing you any good and in my professional opinion, and has the potential to set you back from
any improvements. The high impact nature of running isn't good for even healthy knees.
If your form on squats isn't 100% perfect you risk going backwards in rehab. Also, if you're doing your sets on Venice beach in a speedo - 8 reps till burning exhaustion, you're strengthening muscle more than joint, and risk re-injury. Train for power: 3-5 reps and finish strong instead of with a whimper.
On the strength aspect - explosive, compound or multi joint exercises will get you where you need to be - kettle bells.
If it's good enough for the Russian military it's good for you. Google "pavel kettle bell". And you will get lots of info. I can't spell his last name.

I tore my ACL clean through playing college football and went through the whole surgery and rehab, working as hard as I could to get my knee back to where it was. I felt that little twinge you're talking about, and it's terrifying.

What worked best for me was lifting (squats, lunges, working with the gym bands, etc.) and biking and just being on it in general. After that final strengthening process, I felt very cautious on it, running receiver routes at quarter speed just in case, but over time I became more and more confident in it. Now, I'm positive my ACL knee is stronger and more secure than the other. I have no doubt that it'll be the exact same process with riding, and my opinion is for you to just to go out there, ride how you think you need to for now, and just get comfortable. There will be moments of uncertainty, hell I still have them 2 years later, but just trust in the process

Then again, I'm only a 21 year old kid and in no way have a professional opinion on the matter, but that's how it worked for me.

Reduce running, run on something with give (treadmill), never do leg extension machine, don't squat heavy or deep. Cycling, MTB, eliptical, rowing, all good IMO. Mostly just takes time, and "going hard" to make your knee better is counterproductive. Been there. It's possible you have a little scar tissue or meniscus issue that gives you that twinge. If it's at a level of sharp pain there's an issue that needs corrected IMO.