ljs Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 At age 33 I finally had my first knee injury. I wish I had a cool story to tell, but quite honestly, I was running around playing with my nephews and twisted it. Sounds crazy since I've been very active all of my life. (was a fastpitch catcher for years) I have done some research, but am curious to see if anyone has "recovery" stories to tell from a torn ACL. I have heard a lot of varied opinions as to how long recovery is. First, I'm a woman, in good shape and like I said, very active in sports. I will obviously miss out on softball this year, so my next hope is snowboarding. So here are the questions. What type of repair? (Patella, Hamstring tendon or cadaver replacement?). How long did you rehab? When could you fully participate in activities such as baseball, golfing, skiing/snowboarding... *UPDATE* Surgery is Monday, May 19th. I'm going with the Hamstring tendon to replace the ACL. I'll have to post pics when I can, don't want Candace to get all the glory..lol Thanks for the well wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Williams Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 thankfully I've sprained my knee 3-4 times and NONE were beyond a grade III..... now ankles, hands and back are another story :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrellsMyHero28 Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 My girlfriend tore her ACL in one knee and her MCL in the other in separate incidents and shes fine. Of course, she was 16 and 17 when it happened so youth was on her side. She did cadaver for the ACL...I'm forgetting what she did for the MCL but I'm 99% sure she did cadaver for that too. Rehab is a ***** but you'll get through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallMeGreen Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I've dislocated my patella, but never had to resort to surgery, though I know I could get work done on both knees. I have a cousin that has a cadaver tendon in his leg and he seems to get around find. Not necessarily active in sports, but he does plenty of heavy lifting and climbing in his job. Good luck on your impending surgery LJ. Hope for a quick recovery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandaceM23 Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Hello. My name is Candace. I'm your new best friend. I've had two ACL reconstructions. One in the left knee, one in the right knee. I went with Patella Tendon methods for both because thats what my surgeon recommended. Here's a little graphic thread detailing my progress: http://extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172912 Feel free to ask me any questions you have!!! I'm happy to help in any way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 tore mine in a rugby practice. "played" the entire season on it. went with a cadaver replacement. I was back on the rugby field in 9 months, and been playing without issues with it since...now cartiledge issues, well that's a different story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted May 12, 2008 Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 tore mine in a rugby practice. "played" the entire season on it. went with a cadaver replacement. I was back on the rugby field in 9 months, and been playing without issues with it since...now cartiledge issues, well that's a different story... I started playing rugby this year..so glad to hear that still could be an option. I'm really steering away from the cadaver replacement, only due to disese transmission concerns. I know it's a long shot, but my grandmother ended up with Hep C after receiving donor tissue... I've been walkin on it for about 6 weeks or so. I even went to the driving range a few times, but I've stopped going to the gym and didn't run in our annual 12k this year. I just got the MRI and results, surgery is next Monday. I've had my left shoulder reconstruted, and that was 2 days in the hospital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandaceM23 Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I started playing rugby this year..so glad to hear that still could be an option. I'm really steering away from the cadaver replacement, only due to disese transmission concerns. I know it's a long shot, but my grandmother ended up with Hep C after receiving donor tissue...I've been walkin on it for about 6 weeks or so. I even went to the driving range a few times, but I've stopped going to the gym and didn't run in our annual 12k this year. I just got the MRI and results, surgery is next Monday. I've had my left shoulder reconstruted, and that was 2 days in the hospital. The patella tendon method is supposed to be very secure and reliable. I haven't had any issues with stability since I've had the surgeries. Since you're not leaning toward a cadaver, what are you leaning towards? My first surgery had a rehab period of 6 months. I had a nasty piece of scar tissue that wouldn't break loose which wouldn't allow me to fully straighten my leg. Once I got that piece of scar tissue loose, I never went back. I was so over PT. My last surgery wasn't bad. I think that I rehab'ed for about two months and then I was done. I promised my doc that I'd continue doing my exercises and that I'd follow up if I had any issues. Straight leg lifts are going to be your worst nightmare. You'll be doing more straight leg lifts than you can imagine, but it's just to get those muscles working again. The sooner that you can do them (when you have the go ahead) the better ... and the more that you can do, the better. It's not an easy surgery by any means, but it's much better than it was years ago. Just listen to what your doc and therapist tell you to do and you'll be golden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70-chip Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 My 13 yo daughter tore her left knee playing softball. Had surgery in January (patella tendon) and she just got the ok to resume all normal activities. The only issue now is strength and coordination. Fielding grounders is a task right now but shes improving fast. Being so young her rehab progressed very fast. The surgeon had her up and moving on it almost immediately after surgery. Big thing was the continual icing to limit swelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted May 12, 2008 Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 I hear a lot of people talking about the Patella tendon used. A couple of my friends here have had that version done. I am leaning toward the Hamstring tendon as that is what my surgeon recommends. His reasons, a stronger hold and the patella surgery is much more painful for women...I don't take that as a slam against women, I am aware that guys heal faster/differently than women do in some areas. After hearing so many stories, not just on ES, about the patella reconstruction, I want to do more research before I decide. I have til this Thursday to make up my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsaddict Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I'll spare the details, but I tore tore mine (along with the MCL and cartalige) when I was 14 playing soccer (illegal slide tackle)...they took it out. I kept messing up my knee and tearing cartalige without the ligement, they replaced it with a cadavar ligement (donate life!) when i was 15. I was actually one of the youngest ever to have the replacement surgery and mine ended up being published in medical journals (they used fatty tissue to replace bone taken out of the growth plate instead of more bone, as to not stunt growth in my leg). recovery was about a year, but honestly, I wasnt 100% for a few years. I feel for everyone who knows what that is like and CRINGE when I see athletes tearing their ACLs. I cant imagine having to rehab and do everything I did when I was younger. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I started playing rugby this year..so glad to hear that still could be an option. I'm really steering away from the cadaver replacement, only due to disese transmission concerns. I know it's a long shot, but my grandmother ended up with Hep C after receiving donor tissue...I've been walkin on it for about 6 weeks or so. I even went to the driving range a few times, but I've stopped going to the gym and didn't run in our annual 12k this year. I just got the MRI and results, surgery is next Monday. I've had my left shoulder reconstruted, and that was 2 days in the hospital. A fair amount of my teammates have had ACL replacement. I know who has been playing for 20 years without one. He just makes sure the muscles around are strong enough. But yeah with good rehab and keeping the leg strong you will be fine. If you are going to wear a brace, you will have to get one that has the steel mesh on the side, since all others are considered illegal. What position do you play? What club? Enjoy the game, it is a great sport with brotherhood everywhere. I went to England wearing my rugby jacket and I got stopped so many times from other ruggers just to say hi, with a few stopping to chat with us about where our club was loctaed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Hello. My name is Candace. I'm your new best friend. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 I hear a lot of people talking about the Patella tendon used. A couple of my friends here have had that version done. I am leaning toward the Hamstring tendon as that is what my surgeon recommends. His reasons, a stronger hold and the patella surgery is much more painful for women...I don't take that as a slam against women, I am aware that guys heal faster/differently than women do in some areas.After hearing so many stories, not just on ES, about the patella reconstruction, I want to do more research before I decide. I have til this Thursday to make up my mind. My son had the Hamstring done(supposed to accommodate growth spurts better) and promptly tore it a year later and opted for patella,which has held up well thru sports and Marines. One important thing with the patella is keeping active, from my understanding you will have problems if you do not exercise it. He went with aggressive rehab and returned to football ect in under a year. On mine I opted not to repair at all,not a choice I would recommend since I remained active in sports and have done much more damage over the years. On the plus side,I get to pick out two new knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Jones Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 I used the Patella Tendon to repair mine when I tore it. The rehab is longer because you are basically rehabbing the ACL and the Patella Tendon. It takes six months to biologically heal the knee. Any good doctor won't let you play until after six months. How quickly you play after that depends on your rehab. I was playing again after nine months, but really didn't feel right for about a year. Your knee will never be the same again. How close you get back to 100 percent differs with each person. Pray that the doc doesn't find any long term damage inside your knee. I know more than one person that is basically bone on bone and can't play a sport again. One thing I would do is rehab now. Start the exercises now and build up the muscles around your knee. It will make post surgery rehab go easier and quicker. Ask for the bio-degradable screws so they dissolve over time. And like others have said, you need to keep your muscles strong around your knee after you get it back to pre-injury strength. The muscles are the first line of defense against another injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Thankfully I've been an athlete all of my life. I took a year off or so from the gym, but went back last winter. I lost 30 lbs (hate to admit i had gained it.) and got back into really awesome shape. So I feel pretty good about beign able to recover from this. Candace, I read your blog. Thanks for the link. I'll have to post some pics of mine next week. The surger is Monday, the 19th. oh yeah, I've also started those dang leg lifts..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolidSnake84 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 I tore both my ACL and my meniscus in my right knee in 2005. I went the patella tendon route, and highly reccomend it to anyone going through this. I was able to walk with crutches after about a week, and at about 2 1/2 weeks, i could walk unassisted. It was not until about 9 months later that my knee was rehabbed enough to resume running and my normal pre-injury excercise routine. Good luck to you on every part of this process, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandaceM23 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Are you still thinking about which method to use for surgery? And good job on starting the leg lifts!!! You're going to HATE them by the end of therapy. Keep us posted next week and let us know how you're doing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Are you still thinking about which method to use for surgery?And good job on starting the leg lifts!!! You're going to HATE them by the end of therapy. Keep us posted next week and let us know how you're doing!!! I'm leaning toward the hamstring tendon. I've been doing a lot of research. I'll definitely keep ya posted and try to get some pics up. My mom is a surgical nurse and is coming into town for a few days to help me out. My friends have already decided who is coming by each day to make dinner and stuff. It's so nice to know how much I'm loved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 Surgery is on Monday. I am really not excited about this.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandaceM23 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Wanted to let everyone know that Lori had her surgery on Monday. She opted for the hamstring tendon method. She's a little sick to her stomach still from the anesthesia. Hope you feel better soon Lori! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinnedAussie Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 An Aussie Rules footballer here has just returned to the top level 86 days after an ACL reconstruction. He had some radical form of surgery where an industrial strength ligament replacement was used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted May 21, 2008 Author Share Posted May 21, 2008 hey all, thanks for the well wishes. Now that I can actually eat with out puking...lol. Not to mention sitting up, reading or typing... I don't respond well to anesthesia and even though I told them I would get ill, I must not have explained it very good. The surgery took 3 hours and my leg actually feels pretty good The Mensicus had just a touch of scar tissue to take out, but otherwise looked great. I have 4 pages of really cool pics they gave me. Something about looking at your own bone with a hole being drilled in it...It's a bit hard to bend on my own. I don't have to do the leg lifts like Candace did, since this was a different procedure (the hamstring vs. patella tendon). I don't have a brace on, just a large gauze and ace wrap. I get to take it off tomorrow and I'll get some pics posted. I had my buddy paint my toe nails for the pics...haha Showering was quite the adventure. My mom taped up a large garbage bag around my leg and put a metal folding chair in my tub. My best friend helped me in and while I used a bowl to wash up, she washed my hair. I really need a removable shower head. We were laughing so hard, I nearly fell over. My friends got me a cool goody bag to keep myself busy. I have a couple coloring books, a clip board (not sure why) and water colors and goodie snacks. I think they forgot I was 33, but hey, it's better than watching day time tv...Thank GOD for the NFL network! I'm a little bummed though, they had the history of the Iggles, Gnats and Cowgirls, but did not have the history of the Redskins playing today. WTF?? I did get access to my work computer, so I can remote in. I know, I should not care, but I'm a boss of sorts and I already had over 100 emails just in 2 days. I really didn't want to wait 2 or 3 weeks to read over a 1000. Hey, anyone who can PM me with instructions on how to post pics, other than ones on the internet?? Maybe its the oxycodone, but I can't figure it out. Good night~ time for more pain meds ~Lori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 what self respecting 30+ yr old would entertain a coloring book, after thirty years if you cant draw you should probably give up art. to post pic's you have to host them somewhere I think. I dont think the site will host them for you, so you will probably have to get an account at photobucket or any of the free file hosting sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted May 21, 2008 Author Share Posted May 21, 2008 what self respecting 30+ yr old would entertain a coloring book, after thirty years if you cant draw you should probably give up art.. Dude, don't be a dick. If it was meant a joke, I'll let the pain meds apologize. And if you read my post, it was a gift, a joke from my friends cause I'm going to be so bored. So what if I water color precious moments pictures while I watch the NFL network? Damn I love those oxycodones...haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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