Special Situations: Pregnancy – Dependents

July 2, 2025

Special Situations: Pregnancy – Dependents

ACL Injuries When You’re Caring for Others

Tearing your ACL is tough enough when you only have to worry about yourself. But when you’re pregnant, have young kids running around, or are caring for aging parents or family members with special needs? That’s a whole different ball game.

The reality is that your recovery decisions suddenly affect a lot more people than just you. Here’s what you need to know when an ACL injury collides with real life.

When You’re Pregnant

Getting Diagnosed

The good news is that MRIs are safe during pregnancy, especially once you’re past that nerve-wracking first trimester. Just make sure to tell everyone on your medical team that you’re expecting so they can take extra precautions. Also, you maybe might not know if you’re pregnant! If you have a bad injury like a potential ACL problem, and you think you might possibly be pregnant, it might be a good idea for a pregnancy test.

Surgery or Wait?

Here’s where things get complicated. Most doctors will want to hold off on ACL surgery until after you deliver, unless your knee is really unstable or you have other damage that can’t wait. (Many simple won’t operate.) Think about it – you’re already dealing with pregnancy hormones, weight gain, and a shifting center of gravity. Adding surgical recovery to that mix isn’t ideal.

The anesthesia risk question is real too. While modern medications are generally considered safe, we don’t have decades of research on pregnant women. Your team – and that should include your OB, anesthesiologist, and orthopedic surgeon – will need to have some serious conversations about timing.

Managing Pain (The Hard Way)

Forget about popping ibuprofen like candy. NSAIDs are off the table when you’re pregnant, which leaves you with acetaminophen and not much else for swelling and pain. This makes physical therapy absolutely crucial, even though it might be the last thing you feel like doing. (NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are usually avoided during pregnancy because they pose specific risks to the developing fetus, especially in later stages.)

One piece of good news is that cold therapy, (when done properly), can safely alleviate a lot of discomfort. (See: Cold Therapy – Ice Machines Etc.)

The Fall Factor

Pregnancy already makes you feel like you’re walking on a boat deck sometimes. Add an unstable knee to the mix, and suddenly getting to the bathroom at 3 AM becomes an adventure. If you’re navigating your way through pregnancy with a seriously damaged ACL you’ll have to remain very purposeful in your movements.

Delivery Day Planning

Some birthing positions are going to be off limits with a bum knee. Talk to your OB early about what positions will work and what won’t. And if you’re planning to delay surgery until after delivery, you’ll need to be thinking now about how you’ll manage a newborn if you’re still struggling with leg injury recovery. Timing may be challenging.

When Your Partner is Pregnant

The Reality Check

If you’re the one with the torn ACL and your partner is pregnant, you need to face some hard truths. You might not be able to drive them to the hospital when they go into labor. You might not be able to carry anything heavier than a cup of coffee for weeks. That’s scary stuff when you’re supposed to be the support person.

If your partner is the one pregnant and has an ACL injury, (or for that matter any other debilitation issue), you need to be ready to carry a lot more work than you otherwise might. Planning ahead, acquiring whatever products or services you might need, pre-asking family or friends for help; the more you can plan ahead the better off you’ll be in what is already going to be a challenging situation. This will be even more so later on once your partner schedules leg surgery. You’ll need to understand this isn’t just a sprained ankle. While some people are walking within a week of an ACL procedure, (which often has associated repair work such as to a damaged meniscus), others can take longer. Sometimes, it might be weeks or a month or more before someone can move around very well even still using crutches or other assistive devices. And even in the best cases, ACL recovery is a marathon lasting months. Even with good physical therapy, the fullest possible healing, (which might not even be 100%), might not happen for 9 – 12 months. It’s also possible that someone might feel normal again after just a handful of months, but the reality is this is a risky time as a repaired ACL or bone integration is not likely as yet. Returning to full activity, (such as sports), is probably not a good idea.

Note: This article is primarily focused on issues surrounding a pregnant person navigating an ACL injury. However, when it comes to managing an infant, the same issues apply to all. There’s many ways to create a family; people adopt, perhaps have a surrogate carrying a child, and so on. When a potentially debilitating injury such as a torn ACL comes along, it’s important for a supporting partner to understand the scope of what may be needed. (Obviously, if managing alone that’s its own set of challenges.)

Emotional Overload

Both of you are going to be stressed, tired, and probably a little scared. That’s normal. Don’t try to tough it out alone. If needed, find a counselor, lean on family, or join a support group. Your mental health matters just as much as your physical recovery.

Making Your Home Work

Take a hard look around your house. Does it have multiple levels? Can you both get upstairs if needed? Who’s going to haul the laundry around if needed? These aren’t romantic conversations, but they’re necessary ones. Sometimes the answer is hiring help or asking family to step in.

When You Have Little Kids

The Lifting Dilemma

ACL recovery means no heavy lifting for weeks, but toddlers don’t care about your rehab protocol. They want to be picked up NOW. You’ll need to get creative – maybe invest in a good baby carrier that doesn’t stress your knee, or teach your kids to climb up onto the couch for snuggles instead of expecting to be lifted.

Babyproofing on Steroids

When you can’t move quickly or chase after a runaway toddler, your house needs to be Fort Knox-level safe. If your home has multiple levels, consider setting up a recovery station on the main floor where you can supervise without needing to navigate stairs every five minutes.

Explaining to Kids

Little ones don’t understand why mommy or daddy suddenly can’t play soccer in the backyard or carry them up to bed. They might feel confused or even blame themselves. Be honest but age-appropriate: “Mommy’s knee is hurt and needs time to heal, but I still love playing quiet games with you.”

Explaining to Pets (Especially Dogs)

It’s much harder to explain injuries like this to pets. Including or especially dogs. This is mostly because they don’t speak. Though ok, they can understand a lot of words. Still, you know your pet. Some dogs are relaxed. But others? Others are in your face and between your legs all the time. Even a couple of months post surgery and ideally walking, carrying child while a dog tries to weave in between your legs is a challenge. They may be especially agitated as they probably haven’t been getting as many walks while you’ve been hurt. Again, this is one of those things where you have to stay very much aware and purposeful in your movements. Quick lateral moves to avoid problems, (the way you always used to), are not a good idea until you’re further along in recovery. Just be aware of this if pets are a factor for you, including when they leave the fuzzy toy on the stairs right in the spot you might put a crutch or your still good foot.

Caring for Elderly or Special Needs Family Members

When You’re the Primary Caregiver

This for some may be the most challenging scenario. If you’re the person who normally helps with transfers, bathing, or medication management, your injury creates a care gap that needs to be filled immediately. Don’t wait until you’re desperate. Start making calls for respite care or home health aides as soon as you know surgery is on the horizon. Your recovery depends, (among other things), on your ability to take the time and expend the effort on self-care.

The Guilt Factor

Feeling guilty about not being able to provide care is completely normal, but it’s not helpful. You didn’t choose to get injured, and taking care of your own health isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. The better you recover, the better caregiver you’ll be long-term. This is trivially easy to say. But feeling it and taking action on it? Challenging in the best cases. It’s been said that when things are hard there’s at least a couple of options; changing the situation, or changing how you feel about it. Chances are you can’t change the situation. So you have little choice but to try to change how you feel about it. Reach out to others. Even if there’s no local help, there’s people online who’ve been through this. They may have tips for you or at least be able to offer emotional support.

Looking Ahead

If You’re Planning Pregnancy After ACL Surgery

Give your body time. It takes months to rebuild strength after ACL reconstruction, and pregnancy is going to add weight and stress to that recovering knee. The hormonal changes during pregnancy can also affect ligaments and tendons, so this is definitely something to discuss with your doctor before you start trying to conceive.

The Bottom Line

There’s no sugarcoating it. Managing an ACL injury when you have people depending on you is incredibly challenging. You’re going to have to ask for help, delegate things you’d rather handle yourself, and maybe delay treatment longer than you’d like.

But here’s the thing: recovery is still absolutely possible. It just looks different than it would if you only had yourself to worry about. The key is being honest about what you can and can’t do, building a support team you can rely on, and remembering that this is temporary.

Your knee will heal. Your family will adapt. And eventually, you’ll look back on this time and realize you were stronger than you thought you were.clear communication with your care team, honest planning with your support system, and a proactive mindset toward adaptation.