I tore mine in high school, acting in a play, but that part's not important. It hurt like heck when I first did it, had to use crutches that day, but it gradually got better and only felt weird or gave out sometimes when I ran or stepped off something onto that leg.

I wasn't very athletic during that time (or I probably would've hurt it doing something other than acting) so I didn't bother to get it fixed until I was 30, when I became active and was bothered by the swelling and "giving out" sensation that sometimes happened when I ran.

I had the type of surgery where they used the middle 1/3 of my patellar tendon to replace the ACL. My sister had the same thing, but they used cadaver tendon on her and her recovery was months quicker than mine. I think I was able to ride a stationary bike right away, but couldn't run for 3 months.

Good luck to your sweetie. I hope he has a quick recovery, whatever the problem is!

Kate