ACL reconstruction waiting times
How long the wait for ACL reconstruction really is, what it looks like at your own hospital, and the three honest routes through it: NHS, a targeted private step, or fully private.
Updated July 2026 · NHS RTT data
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Across England, half of Trauma & Orthopaedics patients are treated within 27 weeks; the average is 29, and 1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks.
Half are treated within 27 weeks
The average wait is 29 weeks
1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks
Pooled across 118 NHS trusts (33,554 patients). Source: NHS RTT, July 2026.
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Your three routes
We don't tell you which to pick: we give you the honest shape of each and let you decide.
Join the queue and wait. Nationally that's a median of about 27 weeks, and longer at many hospitals. Check yours above.
Best if cost is the main concern and waiting weeks or months is manageable.
Pay to be diagnosed sooner, then have the operation on the NHS. If you are already referred, this does not change your place in the queue.
Best if you want to save significant time with a targeted spend, without paying for everything privately.
Pay for everything, including the acl reconstruction itself (typically £7,300–£9,500 for the surgical package), and skip the NHS wait entirely. The fastest route, and the most expensive.
Best if speed is critical and budget allows.
If a private consultation is what gets you referred, your NHS wait starts from that referral, not from when your symptoms began or when you first saw your GP. You lose nothing by going private first, because you had no NHS clock running to lose. But you do not gain a head start either. Ask your GP for an NHS referral at the same time, so the clock starts while you are being seen privately.
What it costs privately
A private acl reconstruction is typically £7,300 to £9,500: the all-in surgical package (surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre, hospital stay, follow-up). A private consultation to get there, and a scan if needed, are a few hundred pounds on top. If you pay for just the diagnosis, the acl reconstruction itself stays free on the NHS.
Typical UK self-pay package prices, reviewed periodically.
How long is the private wait? Privately there is no formal waiting list. Allow about 3 to 6 weeks from your first consultation to treatment: against an NHS median of about 27 weeks in Trauma & Orthopaedics.
Related conditions
See every NHS trust's ACL reconstruction wait, ranked fastest first →
See NHS orthopaedics waiting times by hospital →
Browse all NHS waiting times →
See what an ACL reconstruction costs privately, and on the NHS →
See NHS MRI scan waits, hospital by hospital →
Common questions
About ACL reconstruction
What it is
The anterior cruciate ligament runs through the middle of the knee and keeps it stable when you turn. It is usually torn during a sudden twist, pivot or awkward landing, often playing sport. Many people feel or hear a pop, the knee swells within a few hours, and afterwards it can feel unstable or give way on turning. Other parts of the knee, such as the cartilage, are often injured at the same time. An MRI scan confirms the tear and shows what else is damaged.
How it is usually treated
The first days are about settling the swelling and pain, with rest, ice, a compression bandage, elevation and painkillers. Physiotherapy to rebuild movement and strength follows, and for many people that is enough, particularly if you do not need to twist and pivot in your daily life or sport. Reconstruction surgery, which replaces the ligament with a graft from one of your own tendons, is offered when the knee keeps giving way or you want to return to sports involving sudden turns.
After treatment
After a reconstruction most people go home the same day or the next, using crutches for the first couple of weeks. Physiotherapy starts straight away and continues for months, and it matters more to the result than the operation itself. Driving is usually possible after around four to six weeks, running at about three to four months, and a return to twisting sports typically takes nine to twelve months, guided by your physiotherapist rather than the calendar.
General information only, not medical advice. Your GP, consultant or physiotherapist will advise on your own situation.
Written by the Wait or Pay team and sourced to the NHS. Last reviewed September 2026.
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