The ACL Athlete Podcast

Ravi Patel
  • 4.9 (85)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

The ACL Athlete Podcast brings you everything you need to know about ACL injuries. This podcast creates discussion around the ACL injury itself, research, rehab, performance, return to sport, mindset, you name it. I'm your host, Dr. Ravi Patel, Performance Physical Therapist, Coach, and 2x ACL athlete. I invite you to join me as we explore insights, expertise, personal stories, and experiences - from the athlete to the healthcare professional to the coach, so that we, together, can raise the standard of care and revolutionize the field of ACL injuries and rehab.

  1. 1d ago

    296 | The Trust Problem in ACL Rehab and Healthcare

    In this episode, we sit with an ACLer who told us he would almost rather hear that it was over so he could stop fighting it. He wasn't being dramatic. He was exhausted. For months he did everything he was told, showed up almost every day, and still could not get his knee to move the way it should. Healthcare is messy, and most people inside it are working hard, so this is not a story about villains. It's about what happens to an athlete, and to the people who love them, when the plan on paper and the reality at home stop matching. The numbers in the room looked fine, yet he kept leaving feeling like no one was really hearing him. So what was actually going on underneath the numbers everyone kept celebrating? _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

  2. Sep 24

    295 | Two NFL Players, Two Very Different Paths Back From ACL Surgery

    In this episode we look at two NFL quarterbacks, two knees, and one label stamped on both of them. One walked out under the lights on Monday night in week one. The other is still on the sideline answering questions at a podium, and the comment sections have already decided what his wait says about him. Same league, same headline, and timelines that could not look more different. Then he said something to a reporter that we rarely hear from a pro, and it changed how we read the entire situation. What was actually in that answer, and what does it mean for the athlete at home counting months? https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/falcons_michael_penix_jr_explains_why_his_recovery_is_different_than_patrick_mahomes/s1_13132_44314080 _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

  3. Sep 17

    294 | The Collateral Damage Consideration of Going Nonoperative in ACL Rehab

    In this episode we follow one athlete who had done everything right in recovery. Strong knee, no giving way, nothing to suggest a problem, until one ordinary moment on a wet pool deck changed the outcome entirely. We get into why that single moment carried more risk than anyone had prepared her for, and what it reveals about a decision so many ACL athletes face at some point in their recovery. If you are weighing that same decision right now, or you already made it months ago, we think you will want to know what is often not mentioned about what you are actually risking before you ever find yourself in a moment like hers. _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

  4. Sep 10

    293 | The Comparison Trap Every ACL Athlete Falls Into

    In this episode, we get into something that quietly shapes how almost every ACL athlete feels on any given day, even when their knee is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. It is not a workout, a graft type, or a timeline. It is something most people never notice is happening until it already has. We talk about where this actually comes from, why it hits some people harder than others, and why two people going through the exact same recovery can end up feeling completely opposite about it. So what is actually driving how you feel about your own progress right now? _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

  5. Sep 3

    292 | The One Skill That Separates Good ACL PTs From Great Ones

    In this episode, we go back to a mistake made early in a career, one that quietly cost someone months they never got back. We talk about the feeling that creeps in during recovery long before anyone has words for it, and why so many people are trained to explain it away instead of trust it. We get into what it actually takes to catch a problem before it turns into a much bigger one, and why simply seeing a lot of cases is not the same thing as being good at spotting what matters. If you have ever had a nagging sense that something about your recovery was off, or wondered what actually separates a provider who catches things early from one who doesn't, stick around. By the end, you will understand why that mistake still shapes how an entire team runs their meetings every single week and a huge skillset that is vital for a great ACL PT. _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

  6. Aug 27

    291 | Twenty ACL Athletes Later, Complicated Might Be Normal In ACL Rehab

    In this episode, we open up our actual caseload and walk you through what a normal week of ACL rehab really looks like behind the scenes and the variety of cases we're working with. Not the highlight reel version, not the forum version, just real athletes navigating real complications most people never hear about until they are already living through one themselves. Some of these stories will sound nothing like what you pictured when you first got hurt, and that is exactly the point. So if your own recovery has felt messier than the semi-linear process you might have been expecting, we want you sitting with one question by the end of this. Are you actually "behind", or has nobody just told you the truth about what normal looks like yet for your particular case? _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

  7. Aug 20

    290 | The Fear Of Damaging Your New Graft After ACL Surgery

    In this episode we get into the fear that hits almost every ACLer in the weeks after surgery, the quiet worry that one wrong step, one weird zing, one slip in the shower could undo everything. We share a message from a listener that fueled this episode, and we walk through the real moments so many people have panicked over, from a dog running into the knee to losing balance on crutches, and we also put numbers to the graft to help you understand why you might be more resilient than you think. So is that new graft really as fragile as it feels, or is the fear itself the bigger threat to your recovery? _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

  8. Aug 13

    289 | Why Your Surgeon's Favorite Graft Might Not Be Right For Your ACL Surgery

    In this episode, we tackle one of the most repeated pieces of advice in the ACL space, the idea that the best graft is simply the one your surgeon is best at. It sounds reasonable. Athletes hear it in consults, in physical therapy offices, and all over Reddit and Facebook groups. But there is a gap between that advice and the full picture, and it is a gap that has cost more than a few ACLers a smoother recovery. We break down what actually gets left out of that conversation and why it matters far more than most people realize before they ever sit down for a consult. If you are facing a graft decision, or you already have one and something has felt off since, this episode gets into exactly what question you should have been asking all along. _________ Want a clear plan for your ACL rehab? 1 on 1 Remote ACL Coaching is for ACLers who are tired of guessing. Objective testing so you know you are actually ready, a custom + structured program built around your goals, and an expert ACL coach in your corner from anywhere in the world. You will always know where you are, where you are going, and what to do next. Start with a free consult call: www.theaclathlete.com/coaching _________ Free weekly newsletter The ACL Athlete VALUE Newsletter. ACL advice, go-to exercises, research breakdowns, and the frameworks we use. _________ More from The ACL Athlete Website: www.theaclathlete.com Submit a topic or question for a future podcast episode Instagram: www.instagram.com/ravipatel.dpt Email: ravi@theaclathlete.com

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4.9
out of 5
85 Ratings

About

The ACL Athlete Podcast brings you everything you need to know about ACL injuries. This podcast creates discussion around the ACL injury itself, research, rehab, performance, return to sport, mindset, you name it. I'm your host, Dr. Ravi Patel, Performance Physical Therapist, Coach, and 2x ACL athlete. I invite you to join me as we explore insights, expertise, personal stories, and experiences - from the athlete to the healthcare professional to the coach, so that we, together, can raise the standard of care and revolutionize the field of ACL injuries and rehab.

Information

  • Creator
    Ravi Patel
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    296
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The ACL Athlete Podcast
  • Show Website
    The ACL Athlete Podcast

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