Injured ACL - is my '06 season in danger?

I used to play football and can only tell you my expeirences with ACLs there, not in tris. The ACL is mainly for going side to side rather than striaght ahead. When you tear it, a big part of the rehabbing is riding the stationary bike and straight ahead running. When you tear it and get surgury the rehab time is officially 6 months but to be back to normal it is closer to a year. Hopefully you just strained or stretched it. If this is the case you could get by without having surgury and doing some PT. I'm just a jock not a doctor. But I could give you some advice. Find a the best orthepedist in the area who deals with sports injuries, I usally find out who does the pro teams and go to them because if you get stuck with a bad sugeon they WILL butcher you. Also let them know what your goals are after the surgury, this makes a difference. DO THE REHAB...this is the most important thing that you can do that is in YOUR hands not the docs.

I just had my ACL reconstructed two weeks ago so the pain is still too fresh in my mind for an objective opinion . . . but it is an ordeal. Hope that you don't have a tear -- but if you do, get it taken care of by somebody really good, even if you have to travel far to do so. So do mega-research (Bob's ACL Board is a good place, also Steadman Hawkins Clinic) and find out all you can. Fight with your insurance company as much as you have to -- it'll pay off. In the meantime, get as strong as you can, right up until the day of surgery. Listen to your PT.

Only know my own timetable, but it goes like this -- tore ACL in July, MRI 3 days later, first app't with surgeon in Sept, surgery 2 weeks later, hoping to be back outside on the bike in Nov or Dec. Everybody heals differently though. I was in kickass shape and thought I would bounce right back -- I was wrong. Still struggling with one crutch and hoping to make a full revolution on the bike pedals. Hopefully Recovery Week #3 is the best yet.

Good luck and take care of yourself!

yeah it is...I sent you a long PM....You can probably use your trainer or a stationary bike safely as long as you have enough motion in your knee...oh yeah...I am a 2 time loser with my ACLs ( tore both)

Edited by sue7013 2005-10-04 7:04 PM

Thanks everyone for the advice. My nagging has paid off, I got a referral to an orthopedic surgeon this morning, so I'm trying to get an appointment setup asap.

Due to injuries still healing on my foot, I haven't tried to do any straightline running (walking more than .5 miles becomes very difficult), but I did get on a trainer last week. I did about 20 rotations before I had to stop, so the motion is there - it is just painful.

Thanks all, hopefully I'll be well rested for 5k season in April.

I had my acl done 10 years ago and I feel for you. I fell off my mountan bike down a hill into a pile of rocks, luck I didn't break my neck, I completely ruptured it. Anyhow I had my sx in July and worked like a dog to get it better, I beat all the odds and was back training in mid Sept, full training by Oct, (figure skating I should add)I was doing this with a top quality brace, but not while running or cycling, just work extra hard and build your quads as much as possible because they do shrink super fast. I should add that my knee is so strong now, go find the best surgeon you can, mine was the head surgeon for the local NHL team.

How did you keep your quads up? I do a few squats (with no weight) at PT, but I'm having trouble with that motion (I may have some torn cartilage in addition to the ACL problem). Any other quad strengthening exercises any of you can suggest?

straight legs raises, short arc squads, quad sets...ask your Pt they will know Good luck at the pod

The best respected place in Chicagoland to get it looked at is Rush, down in Chicago. You should try see Dr Bach at Midwest Orthopaedics (he does his surgery at Rush). It may be a trek to get down to 800 S Wells in Chicago but he has done more surgeries than any other surgeon in Chicago.

I play rugby and have known many people go to NorthWestern for this, but cannot recomend it having seen the number of repeat injuries from the surgeon they see up there. One of their surgeons even told me I had no tear and I rehabbed for 3 months before getting a second opinion.

I also see the level of pain my teammates seem to be in after their surgery (hamstring grafts normally), and whilst I was in some discomfort, and then pain during rehab, I did not have the ordeal some people have.

I had the patella graft rather than the hamstring graft or cadaver and have one single scar down the kneecap.

I hope you didn't damage it however as as much fun as the Vioxx is, it's not a great 6 months. You should however, if you are relatively active now, be able to compete 6 months after the surgery - I was playing and doing taekwondo after 4/5 months.

Luke

Or should I say the Vicodin - rather than Vioxx