Does anyone have experience with ACL tears?

Catie, I feel that you have no confidence in that orthopedist. So try another one but one who works with dancers. The reason for this is dancers are famously known as people who punish their bodies until they breakdown. It is a mindset that is sometimes difficult for other orthopedists to understand. Now I do understand the orthopedist's reluctance to do a surgery if they feel it is not really warranted. The ACL is a very important ligament as it has 2 functions. The first is to keep the thigh bone, femur, in constant contact with the shin bone, tibia. Without this ligament working the femur pistons upon the tibia and breaks down both the meniscus and underlying cartilage. This would lead to further deterioration of the knee causing painful arthritis to develop. The other function is to keep the femur from slipping forward on the tibia. Now according to the MRI there is a severe grade II sprain. This grade means that the tear is between 25 and 50%. Now this is where the difference between the radiologist and orthopedist comes in. The radiologist is always going to note anything that even remotely looks like a problem so that no one can turn around and sue them for having missed something. The orthopedist is going to look at the same films and see what is there from a surgical standpoint. They just don't want to go in there and on the basis of the radiologist perform a procedure that turns out to be wrong. The orthopedist sees far more of this specialty film than the radiologist and again they look at things differently. So go see another orthopedist. If that one agrees that there is nothing wrong then you are going to have to look at another avenue. I purpose that you try these movements to see what happens. You may or may not have done them in physical therapy. Knee injuries have a very interesting side effect. They create what is known as a inhibitory response in the muscle that controls the kneecap and the locking mechanism of the knee. So what occurs is that this muscle doesn't work normally allowing the knee to buckle where it should lock. This would be evident with such activities as stairs and even walking. I would also tell you to stop the ice. I am fairly sure that you are addicted to the use of ice but recent studies show that use of this stops or greatly impedes healing of that area. When you exercise always start the movement with the right knee or leg. For instance doing terminal knee extension movements, the right knee should do 3 sets of 15 reps with a 1 minute rest period between sets. The 1st set should be with a weight that is comfortable to perform. The 2nd set should be with a weigh that is challenging but not a total struggle. The last set should be one that really makes you work to complete. Now do the same with the left knee only the resistance factor is greatly reduced. The 1st set is with a very light weight. Notice how the knee feels. Place a fingertip on the inner aspect of the knee just above and to the outside of the kneecap. That muscle should be flaring up even with a very light weight. The next set should either be with that same weight if nothing heavier can be lifted or with a slightly heavier weight if you can. The same goes for the last set. Lift a weight that you can manage or drop back to a weight that is easy. With time you are going to find that the left knee will start to increase in strength thus upping the weight. The reason that one lifts this way is that there is a reflex in the body that transfers strength from the stronger muscle working to the weaker muscle. So if you are always starting with the injured muscle it is going to struggle to gain strength. Another reason is that when you start with the uninjured side first there is a neurological input that occurs. This wiring is enhanced with each set that is done so that when it is time for the injured area to work the mind and body have an idea of what is supposed to happen. I would recommend that you workout doing the program this way. The use of a horizontal leg press would be beneficial and to do one leg at a time this way. Lunges can be done this way as many other movements. You are going to find that each muscle group in the body has a different strength level. They are not based on handed or legged dominance. Hopefully your therapist will understand this and make the changes in your program to accommodate this. Also just don't work the knee but the entire leg from the hip down to the toes.