Tearing your ACL can be quite traumatic—not only physically, but mentally as well. You know that this is a big injury and one that has to be dealt with surgically. ACL surgery does come with some pain and recovery time. If your doctor has told you that you need surgery, then this truly is your best approach. However, you are not powerless in this situation. There are some decisions you can make, and may even be expected to make, about your upcoming ACL surgery.

Will you have open surgery or arthroscopic surgery?

Open surgery means your surgeon will make a large incision down the front of your knee, and then make repairs to your ACL through that incision. Arthroscopic surgery means your surgeon will make a couple of small incisions and perform the surgery through those smaller incisions. While arthroscopic surgery tends to have a shorter healing time, it can be more expensive, and in some areas, you may have a harder time finding a surgeon that offers it. As such, some people opt for open surgery even though they know it will take them a bit longer to heal.

What kind of anesthesia will you have?

If you have open surgery, your doctor will generally recommend you have general anesthesia, as the surgery is pretty invasive. General anesthesia means you'll be put to sleep entirely and you'll be unconscious throughout the whole surgery. If you have arthroscopic surgery, on the other hand, you may have your choice of anesthesia. Some patients still choose general anesthesia, but others choose regional anesthesia, which numbs the whole area being operated on while leaving you awake. In this case, you'd likely be numb from the waist down. Regional anesthesia is easier to recover from, but not everyone likes being awake during knee surgery.

Do you want to spend time in rehab as you recover?

After ACL surgery, you will need to spend a few weeks doing fairly intense physical therapy. Some people prefer to go to a rehab center for a week or two so they can really focus on this work. Others like to go home but see a physical therapist regularly. Your knee surgeon can discuss which option suits you best based on the severity of your ACL tear and the surgical approach you choose. But at the end of the day, it's up to you to choose.

Making the decisions above will help you feel more empowered about your upcoming ACL surgery.