ACL injury, surgery, rehab, etc. log

[2knees]

i really think the acl is over rated. unless you are playing sports where you change direction fast. i have never had a problem MTB, motorcross, snowboarding, and wakeboarding. just keep you legs really shape. i am not a doctor but that is my personaly experiance.

I'm gonna edit my post cause in reality you are correct about the changing directions part. However, as Wa-loaf pointed out there is a greatly increased risk of arthritis, tendinitis and other issues further down the road. I initially didnt get my left acl repaired, thinking i could just suck it up and deal with it. It popped out constantly on me playing basketball and softball. It even would pop out due to minor things like trying to sit cross legged and such. It was way too painful to deal with when it went out so i went ahead and got it fixed. Skiing? yeah, I managed one day on my leg with no acl. I skied groomers cautiously for an hour or two and then headed for the bumps. That lasted all of 1 and a 1/2 runs before i was in a sled and being taken down.

Overrated? I guess it depends on what you like to do for activity.

 

[deadheadskier]

I find it interesting that some are able to carry on without functioning ACL's - hardline, geoff, John Elway, but others cannot. I guess it depends on an individuals body and that for some an ACL isn't needed. Elway is an amazing case because he was not a true scrambler, but one of the more mobile quarterbacks the game has seen.

At any rate, for those who are injured, here's to a swift recovery; I hope I am fortunate enough to keep my knees intact for a long, long, time

 

[wa-loaf]

I find it interesting that some are able to carry on without functioning ACL's - hardline, geoff, John Elway, but others cannot. I guess it depends on an individuals body and that for some an ACL isn't needed. Elway is an amazing case because he was not a true scrambler, but one of the more mobile quarterbacks the game has seen.

At any rate, for those who are injured, here's to a swift recovery; I hope I am fortunate enough to keep my knees intact for a long, long, time

My knee was actually very stable after the accident. So much so that they thought maybe I hadn't busted it. They were on the fence about surgery, but I wanted to make sure I didn't have any trouble in the future.

 

[Puck it]

I blew my mine out in grad school playing hockey for the staff intramural team. FYI, never injured playing college hockey for four years but torn ACL and broke three ribs playing hack hockey. Back to topic, I had it scoped and cleaned out but could not take the time or afford the money for the reconstruction in grad school. So, I abused the joint for 12 years, skiing, playing hockey, etc. It would pop out with a Rx brace on. You can function without the ACL. You can run, but changing direction and especially stopping was the problem. Needless to say, my knee was the worse knee that my ortho had seen. Six hour surgery, normal is 2.5 hours. He had to grind to do the surgery correctly. Now, I use no brace and knee is tight. However, I will have a problem when I am older. Knee replacement in my future.

 

[lerops]

Planning to get back on snow this weekend first time after injury. Want to do a trip to the Catskills, but the weather does not seem promising. We'll see!

 

[wa-loaf]

Planning to get back on snow this weekend first time after injury. Want to do a trip to the Catskills, but the weather does not seem promising. We'll see!

I had my final doctors visit today. Everything is cool. I'll be getting fitted for a brace (for skiing, soccer) on Thursday.

 

[lerops]

I am debating whether to do the brace or not. Even my doctor said it had no scientifically measurable impact, and the benefit of psychological effect can be achieved through a simple brace as well. So, I don't know. How did make your decision ?

 

[wa-loaf]

I didn't really. He's said here's the number for the guy for you brace. I figure it doesn't hurt to have it and my insurance will cover it. I'll be racing in Jan so I figure the extra support will give me a little more confidence.

 

[Paul]

Good luck, One-Stumpers!

 

[wa-loaf]

Good luck, One-Stumpers!

Thanks Limpy.

 

[Hawkshot99]

I am debating whether to do the brace or not. Even my doctor said it had no scientifically measurable impact, and the benefit of psychological effect can be achieved through a simple brace as well. So, I don't know. How did make your decision ?

I dont have a real nice custom brace. I just have a Don-joy that I owned before the injury. I only wear it when skiing. I hate the feeling of weakness I get skiing without it.

 

[lerops]

Back on snow after 9 months. It was my second day today, and I was really happy to notice that unlike the first day knee felt more normal. This happens all the time though. A new activity makes the knee feel weird.

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread with their experience, opinions or good wishes. And also I wish a quick recovery to those still working on it! The prize will be well worth it.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Glad ur out there and feeling good --what a great Christmas present !

 

[Hawkshot99]

My knee was real sore after a long night of powder skiing Friday night, but feeling better now. I just need to not push it too much.

 

[lerops]

Hawkshot, I am glad you are enjoying the snow.

I am skiing about 5 hours a day, maybe 3 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Taking a long break in between and not pushing myself a lot . All the strength I have built up while rehabbing definitely helps. Before the injury I would ski first to last and most of the time would do a quick lunch.

 

[Hawkshot99]

Hawkshot, I am glad you are enjoying the snow.

I am skiing about 5 hours a day, maybe 3 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Taking a long break in between and not pushing myself a lot . All the strength I have built up while rehabbing definitely helps. Before the injury I would ski first to last and most of the time would do a quick lunch.

I dont normally ski more than 2-3 hours a day. I just go out quick after work, or when the store gets slow for a while, so I have not built up real good skiing endurance yet.

 

[wa-loaf]

So first time out on skis last night went really well. Knee didn't bother me a bit and I got used to the brace really quick. After the first run to assess things I skied the rest of the night as if nothing had ever happened. My quads got tired quickly, but that's mainly due to a lot of inactivity lately. Knee is slightly achy today.

 

[Greg]

So first time out on skis last night went really well. Knee didn't bother me a bit and I got used to the brace really quick. After the first run to assess things I skied the rest of the night as if nothing had ever happened. My quads got tired quickly, but that's mainly due to a lot of inactivity lately. Knee is slightly achy today.

Good news. Glad the patch job held up!

 

[severine]

So first time out on skis last night went really well. Knee didn't bother me a bit and I got used to the brace really quick. After the first run to assess things I skied the rest of the night as if nothing had ever happened. My quads got tired quickly, but that's mainly due to a lot of inactivity lately. Knee is slightly achy today.

Glad to hear your first day (night) back on the snow went well! My knee was sore when I returned to skiing, too, because I hadn't been doing enough. It's so easy to get busy and forget to do the PT exercises (which I imagine I should have kept doing to keep my knee strong). Also glad to hear you got used to the brace quickly. How long will you have to use that?

 

[Warp Daddy]

So first time out on skis last night went really well. Knee didn't bother me a bit and I got used to the brace really quick. After the first run to assess things I skied the rest of the night as if nothing had ever happened. My quads got tired quickly, but that's mainly due to a lot of inactivity lately. Knee is slightly achy today.

SUPER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loaf er i'm delighted that you are able to get out there and do your thing . You DESERVE a great season , my man and i'm sure that THIS is exactly what You NEED . Vibes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are your kids ready for the hill yet ??