Adam (I am guessing from the about),

Congrats on a “full” recovery from ACL surgery. Last March 18, 2007, I tore my ACL in my right knee playing basketball. I had the surgery a month after and did some very aggressive recovery – played basketball 4 months out of surgery and was back to running on a treadmill daily there after. Around the new year I was feeling pretty great and playing in a few basketball leagues – able to dunk well again, with some soreness but nothing big.

Fast forward to March 25, 2008 (a week ago), I tear my ACL in my left knee playing basketball. WHAT ARE THE ODDS??? I am pretty depressed and feeling very unlucky at the moment. Another 6 months of hell and rehab, I am not excited.

I wish I could say I slacked off on my weight training or physio for my legs, but that definitely was not the case. Just bad luck I guess. So here I am on the couch, doing all my prehab exercises for surgery in 3 weeks. Feel free to send me a get well card!

Take care and stay in good health..

Jason

Dude, I’m so sorry to hear that. Oddly enough, I’m SO WORRIED about doing that to my other leg now. I feel like I’m always tweaking my right knee because I’m probably using it more now for fear of re-injuring the left.

Good luck with your recovery!

–adam

Hey Adam,
Thank you for sharing the story. I torn my ACL 5 days ago, I am devasted since I race mountain bikes and the season has just started.
I am convinced too that surgery is the answer for people like us who like tp play hard.
Alex

Alex-

While I’m sorry to hear about you tearing your ACL, I personally think you made the right decision. Best of luck on your recovery!!

All the best,

adam

alessandra,

don’t be devastated. i am 11 days post-op (patellar graft) and can feel myself getting stronger every day. what’s interesting is that i’m finding this to be every bit as interesting a physical challenge as the sports that i’m currently unable to do. the rehab is pretty hardcore and i’m digging it. i won’t lie and say that i wouldn’t rather be snowboarding or training krav maga… but it’s not as depressing as i thought it might be.

good luck to you and keep your head up.

david

My 21 year old daughter is on a soccer scholarship in college and popped her acl. The surgeon is giving her a choice of using her hamstring or a tendon from a cadaver. What have other people chosen and how was the outcome?

That’s a good question, I don’t know. I can tell you from a hamstring perspective that I have suffered little in the way of ill effects. My hamstring is a wee bit weaker but in ultimate frisbee, hockey, biking, running, softball.. I can’t tell.

I’ve recently joined and wanted to introduce myself

Here I am, 49 years old, a lifetime of hard driving sports activity, and now finally my first serious knee injury sustained while freeriding. It was not even a spectacular event, just a sideways step off a “skinny” about 2′ off the ground. I felt a little pop in the knee but no devastating pain. About 10 years earlier I experienced some shredding of a small section of meniscus in the right knee and it felt like I had knife jammed into the knee joint. I couldn’t walk for two days. With a little trimming on the meniscus I was back on the bike about 5 days after surgery.

After tearing the ACL in my left knee I was back on the bike the next day, not really thinking I had done any damage at all. After about a week the knee was stiff and sore so I went to the ortho and he confirmed an ACL tear, also suggested there might be some meniscul damage. Sure enough, he removed 25% on the left side and 50% on the right side of the knee along with the ACL reconstruction. He used hamstring sections from the same knee to replace the ACL. I have been told to stay on the crutches or use a cane so I don’t over stress the knee during recovery. The pain has been manageable with meds and ice, but the biggest annoyance comes from the area where he harvested the hamstring tendons….it burns like heck when I put them in play. Six days after surgery, tomorrow, I go in for checkup and he puts me on a rehab program. I hear that’s a bunch of fun.

I plan on avoiding any sports requiring lateral movements of the legs and just stick to the biking (road, mountain and freeride-no skinnies though) and very careful hiking. From what I see posted here and on other web sites, I might be back on the mountain bike in 2 months riding and I hope catching some big air.

I’ll try to submit updates on my progress.

Mark

Good luck Mark! As an athletic guy, I think you’ll be back on the bike in no time.

Thanks for the support.

Well here I am 9 days after surgery and my first checkup. My surgery doc was on vacation for my 6 day checkup so I had his regular substitute on duty to check me out. I am only a couple degrees shy of full extension but flexing or pulling the leg up behind me is another story. The muscle above the knee is still swollen and quite large. The doc said this will go away over time. Back to day 9, I am able to balance for a short time on a flexed knee and able to walk up and down the stairs to our second floor, though very funny looking at that. I use a cane to assist most of the time but can physically wear out quickly if I overdo it. Sleeping with a recliner with the leg elevated has been the way to go up to this point. Tonight I try the bed, but will keep a pillow handy for flexed knee. Tomorrow morning is my first big day at the “House of Pain” – physical therapy.

I tore my meniscus, ACL, MCL and LCL. You want to talk about rehab hell. Surgeon says at my age 41, and a lifestyle change, I don’t need the surgery. It is now 6 months since I fell, and 3 months since surgery to remove the meniscus and I still cannot do stairs, squats etc. My knee/leg move in every direction when walking and I have spent the entire summer ‘watching’ my kids enjoy themselves with everything we used to play together- biking, soccer, frisbee, badminton, rollerblading, hiking, volleyball -need I go on. I have to do 7 more weeks of rehab before I see the surgeon again, and I hope to goodness he lets me have the surgery. I am not even allowed to swim this summer which is my fav. Winter brings skiing, how I fell in the first place, and hockey. Any one with enthusiasm please share, I just started driving again.

Frances…OMG…don’t waste any more time, get the surgery done and forget the lifestyle change, your mental health is at stake here. Speaking of mental health, I had my second episode of depression yesterday. The first was about day 4 after surgery, but both were overcome by getting out of the house and a good support group. My second episode was the day after my first visit to the PT. He made the knee hurt and I overstressed with a long trip to the hardware store and grocery shopping. The next day was miserable, thus depresssion. And I forgot to mention I lost my desk job 5 weeks prior to my surgery and my wife had sinus surgery the day after I was terminated….Who wouldn’t be depressed? Take up snowboarding, my Doc said I could do it without my ACL and I know it is much easier on the knees than skiing. Do the surgery, but find someone who does a minimum of 50 to 100 a year.

Mark — I had similar experiences when I ‘over stressed’ my ACL after the surgery. I got extremely upset, thinking I had re-injured myself. Hope your recovery goes well!

Frances — I preface anything medical ALWAYS with “I am not a doctor” but if your knee is moving in all sorts of directions you *really* don’t want to go an extended period of time like that. My knee did the exact same thing, and the surgery fixed it completely. I can’t stress enough how great it is to have a totally stable knee.

Good luck,

adam

Also, Mark, keep those updates coming.

This past Monday morning at 8:00 am I strode into the PT’s torture chamber and found one other gentlemen older than I doing some shoulder rehab. By 8:15 am there must have been eight guys all over 50 years old with knee, shoulder and back injuries……I just thought, is this my future? I certainly hope not, but if I keep doing these extremely physically demanding sports, it just might be. One of the cute young female assistants commented something about it being “Men’s Day”, I thought it was at an AARP/Medicaid-Medicare meeting.

The session went well. I did two different squat type exercises and a 10 minute session on the cycling machine, albeit with the seat as high as it would go and my foot outside the pedal strap. Later that day and all of the next, both my legs (thighs especially) were very stiff and sore. The hamstrings in the surgery leg where also very tender. I have concluded when your have the ACL surgery and they use your hamstrings, you should just curl up in a fetal position and accept the fact your body will sacrifice all it’s energy to heal your wounds, thus the aching thighs. Of course it did not help when I got out of bed Tuesday morning, slipped on the carpet and went into an ass slide down the stairs. Both legs immediately went into self protection mode and the muscles tightened so fast I think I strained every fiber in each. Then I went out and worked on bikes all day. I could hardly move either leg at the end of the day. This morning was much better though and I spent a second day standing and working on bikes. Again, I was barely able to walk into the house. Tomorrow I climb a ladder and start stripping wallpaper. I’ve done this before and have concluded God created wallpaper so wives can punish their husbands.

I find I can walk normally if I try hard, but not for long. If I walk with a bit of a swagger, you can’t really notice I have a bum knee. But I look fairly stupid doing it since I have no rhythm.

19 days after surgery (8/20/08): The area above the knee is still swollen, the bruising behind the knee where the hamstrings were stripped is fading and I am sleeping much better at night. Hint-take one pain pill each night, it most definitely helps you sleep. But tonight I use only Ibuprofen since I am out of the good stuff.

PT again tomorrow at 5:00 pm. It gets me out of going the County Fair with my wife. I just hate the Fair. As soon as I walk through the gate, the smell of all the greasy foods and cotton candy makes me sick.

There it is, a bit off subject, but its all part of my life in recovery.

Mark

8/25/08 – 24 days out of surgery. Today I thought I might post a link to some photos of my bike riding antics. http://wheelbender.pinkbike.com/album/old-photos/
I’m the guy in the red helmet and oh yes, the guy who repaired my ACL is the one in the white helmet. He dislocated his pinky finger on this one and said “Oh sh#*%t I have 5 surgeries tomorrow”. I did miss identify him as Eric though , his name is Jim. Sorry Jim.

I’m sleeping well at night with 4 Ibuprofens to calm done any soreness from the day. No more pillow to support the knee also. I actually road my bike up and down street for the first time this weekend. I can see some light appearing in tunnel, but the tunnel still looks very long. I do about 10 minutes every other day on a fixed bike machine and 10 minutes walking backward on the treadmill for rehab. I can still really light up my hamstrings though if I overdo it. I must be doing something right, I’m on once a week now the physio therapist.

Still doing the home improvement projects, repairing some bikes on the side and looking for a job and cashing my weekly unemployment checks. I guess I forgot to mention, I was laid off work a couple weeks before my injury. And the day before my layoff my wife had sinus surgery. What luck, eh?
I am enjoying a disconnect from this machine that has strained my eyes and caused innumerable headaches over the years…….thank you Bill Gates, Dell, IBM etc, etc, etc. I hope to find work that requires much less time on computer. Well, I’d better climb back up the ladder and start painting again. There is something very fulfilling in actually building, fixing or improving things with a little sweat and muscle. Man was not made to stare at video screen all day.

Here it is, labor Day weekend, my wife loaded up her mtb this morning and went out to ride the local trails while I’m stuck at home painting the laundry room. Good for her, she still maintains enthusiasm for the sport while her riding buddy is in recovery.

This past week at the PT’s office they introduced me to the foam roller used to torture the I.T. Band along the thigh. After a few passes over the outside of the thigh I was ready jump off the treatment table. Craaaaaaaaap it hurt! Seems I have a knot in the I.T. band they think should be worked out. There has to be a better way.

I still have some swelling just above the kneecap. It feels as if I have full extension of the knee joint, but not all of the bending has returned. Riding a bike trainer is far from smooth. When the neighbor’s dog is not barking, I can get a good nights sleep. Last night they left him outside all evening so at 10:30 pm and 4:00 am I found a good prolonged blast of water throughout the back yard provided an extended period of silence. They won’t train him so I suppose I have to.

I still need a good dosage of Ibuprofen during the day and several long icing sessions to keep me on my feet. Today I make an attempt at mowing the lawn. My wife is tiring of this chore and she has suggested I give it a good effort. Shouldn’t be problem. Life is still far from normal for me but there are small improvements every day.

Im a 22 year old snowboarder who competes at a high level. I just tore my ACL in Whistler this passed May and I am having surgery this October my therapist believes I can me riding at a high level by march. Do any of you people who have had ACL surgery go through intense rehab as I plan to do? It sounds like your all doing great but the recovery is longer than what I have been told. Maybe I’m on a more intensive program ie. weight training, stretching, diet! anyways would love to hear a response as I have faith that the surgery will go great and I’ll be back flying in the air in the not to distant future. I’m receiving a custom Don Joy athletics brace which I hear are the best! I agree surgery should be done however being Canadian I have to wait 5 months for surgery. Although it’s free it is stressful when I have to wait so long when I know I want the surgery right away, so I can begin recovering rather than waiting.

Hey Oliver,

Sorry to hear about your tear.

A few comments:

* I LOVE my DonJoy brace, I don’t think you’re going wrong there!

* You’re talking about snowboarding again after six months or so? I think, if you’re competitive, it’s totally doable. I know after six months I wanted to ride. I *felt* fine. (Not sure how stable my ACL was, but that’s another story.) And I ended up riding again after nine months.

Snowboarding is interesting because I pesronally don’t think it’s as intense as stuff like football or soccer where a great deal of lateral movement is required. When it comes to riding, it’s mostly “up and down”. So that, combined with the fact that you ride competitively, means I’m not surprised that a surgeon/trainer would have you going again in six months.

Best of luck dude!

–adam

Oliver, I have children older than you so I won’t even comment on your projected recovery. Go get’em.

5 weeks post surgery and I made a follow up visit to the Doc yesterday. He told me everything is looking great, I have 120 degrees of bending capacity, no apparent loss of muscle mass or definition, something I guess can be a real concern. He tells me now begins the real frustrating part of rehab when you feel good but cannot participate in your sport due to a high likelihood of re injury. My sport, biking, will allow progressive participation, and he approved some time on the bike. I’m cautiously up to 25 minutes at about 80 rpm on a stationary bike. But for some reason it just doesn’t give me the adrenaline rush that a 25′ long 14′ high airborne stunt gives me. The Doc says I should avoid this for another 5 months. The jumping isn’t the problem, its the potential for crashing and torquing the knee in the wrong direction.

I’ve also experienced the breaking up or tearing of scar tissue just below the kneecap. I just wish they had told me this would happen. The several times it has, I got that real sick feeling inside my gut thinking I had really screwed up some part of the surgery. Not to worry though, it is quite normal. He did put me on a once every two weeks visit to the P.T., I like that.

Mark –

Funny, I thought the EXACT SAME THING when scar tissue started breaking up — I was literally ready to cry, thinking I was going to have to go through the surgery again. Little did I know it was all part of the process!

The next stage *is* the most frustrating part. But I found it was also the part, as my knee got stronger, where I thought, “Thank goodness I opted for the surgery.”

Hey Gang!

I’m stoked to have found this blog as I smashed my knee to oblivion a week ago snowboarding (ironically demonstrating a basic box trick after coming from the big jumps park where damage SHOULD have been done!) and have been told to forget about Japanese powder over the summer because I’ll be doing nothing more than looking at my board ’til the Aussie season rolls around again.

Naturally I was devo’d.

I also happen, or rather, happened to be a pretty serious triathlete, so you can imagine the state of my mental health right now (of course you can… you’ve been there yourselves!)!

But like I said, I’m stoked I found this blog because suddenly things look a whole lot better! I was terrified that would be it and I’d be relegated to straight lining green runs and Sunday social rides, but you guys have shown there is life (as you know it) after a re-co!

It’s also awesome to see the progress reports and read about what people with similar lifestyles went / are going through.

So thanks gang for lifting my spirits, and keep the progress reports coming!

Hey Leanne,

Sorry to hear about your knee.

You’ll be totally fine after the surgery. In fact, I totally keep forgetting I ever had it done. If I didn’t wear a brace when I play physical sports/ride, I’d never be able to tell.

Best of luck, and yes, keep coming back. We’ve got a LOT of folks giving us progress reports and asking questions these days, which I think is fantastic!

Cheers,

adam

Hey Adam,
It is so great for you to provide us with so many advices.

I’m Ada – a Hong Kong girl. I love all sports especially in Salsa dancing, bowling, squash & badminton. Unluckily, I broke my ACL during a badminton game last month. Sugery completed 2 weeks ago and now staying at home all day. Will start physiotherapy next week. Hope everything is fine. Glad to see all those support in your discussion forum.

I always cheer up myself – it is only a small incidence in my life. Hope everyone still cheer up.

Ada

Some wonderful news to report. Went camping this past weekend and put together two days of mountain biking. Big deal you say? Yes it is because I am six weeks out of my ACL surgery. We only did two 5 mile rides using my flat pedals, no clips or clip less to impede foot movement. I’m telling you, dirt under my wheels never felt so good. Granted I had several snails pass me on the climbs, but the everything else made it all worth it. Of course I was very careful when approaching some nasty sections and had to dismount a few times. I felt like a mother carrying a newborn baby, overly protective and hypersensitive to potential danger.

After one entire day off the bike my knee feels stronger and more flexible than ever. My wife tells me I appear to be walking normally again…..darn, there goes the Handicap Parking Sticker…..The Doc tells me I should only be pedaling the road bike, but honestly, I feel more in control on the trail than when I have cell phone zombies passing me behind the wheel of their high speed battering rams.

I’ve been told I am ahead of schedule for recovery and not to push it too hard. My wife reminds me constantly that I am 49 years old and I may seriously hurt myself. My body will tell me when it is time to slow down. Right now it says “go have fun….but carefully.”

I am one week out of surgery from a acl tear and also a torn meniscus. I play soccer but I injured the knee first game of the season in football(I am the kicker). I will not be able to return for the start of soccer season which kills me inside and I am so furious at it because I have lost most possibilities of a scholarship. I still have the ability to walk on to a college team. I have never heard or have seen someone with a acl injury. I am hoping to return midway through the season 4 months from now with aggressive therapy. People tell me that it is impossible but I just need to know that has anyone done it before or am I just chasing after a fantasy.

Kevin, I played ultimate frisbee against a dude who had the surgery in December and started playing in May — so, five months. But I’ve never heard of that being recommended.

Good luck with your recovery!

And Mark — great news.

Hey Kevin,

Since doing my knee I have been talking to LOADS of crew who’ve had re-cos for varying degrees of damage. Of interest to you might be the pro soccer player I met who has had two full re-cos (one on each leg, poor bugger!).

With the worst one he was able to resume STRAIGHT LINE running on VERY soft surfaces after about eight weeks under the eagle eye of his coach and trainers. This came about after exhaustive physio and conditioning with his club (and no doubt assisted by some excellent pain killers and probably rehab drugs as well – which are NOT recommended).

He said he was able to train with his team properly, including lateral movement and kicking after about 8 months, and resumed playing shortly after that.

The bad news I guess is that he is a pro with the best health professionals at his disposal. The GOOD news is that there is life after surgery, and, in his words, if you are the perfect patient you will be back to sport as you know it before you know it, with an even stronger knee than before!

I’m not sure how old you are, but sounds like you still have loads of years at top level soccer ahead of you! Bummer about the scholarship, but some amazing athletes have come from college teams!

Keep us posted!

Thanks Adam!

The surgeon won’t even look at booking me in until I am walking properly and have full quad strength, but I give it about 8 weeks and I’ll be under the knife.

I plan on walking in and knocking his surgeon socks off this Wednesday!

A few days ago I started moving around without the brace, and then without crutches. It’s a limp since I still can’t extend my leg properly, but every day the leg is getting stronger and yesterday I went for a swim, first with a pull buoy and then fins (which felt very odd), and then a ride on my indoor trainer (seat lowered slightly) and just resting my feet on the shoes since clipping in and out obviously requires lateral movement, which is not the greatest feeling in the world!! Think I’ll take Mark’s advice and stick some flat pedals on!

What amazes me most is the amount of muscle degradation. My left leg (the damaged one) is now 4cm (almost 2 inches) smaller at the widest circumference of the quads than the other after only two weeks!

I really appreaciate being able to do things again, although in the back of my head I know it’s all a tease and before I know it I’ll be even less mobile that when it started!

I’ve also gotten over the surgeon’s words this week that I won’t be running, realistically, for around 10 months – ouch, and snowboarding is another 12 months away – double ouch!!

But I will come back from this with the strongest swim-ride combo in triathlon!!

P.S. I want to know what that ultimate frisbee dude did to get so agile so quickly!!

Leanne –

I don’t think he did much aside from acknowledge what he was doing is risky! I found I was able to run again (straight line only) in five/six months, so I could have technically started to play ultimate at the same time… but my surgeon would have killed me. I think he must have been going in the face of any advice he had been receiving.

I’ll let you in on a secret.. my surgeon told me 12 months till I could ride again and I started up at about nine and a half/ten months. I think you’ll find so much of this will depend on how you feel, which is entirely subjective.

Cheers

adam

Everyone -

I found this on the web several years ago and find it applicable to my outlook on life so I want to share it with some like minded enthusiasts…….

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming…..WOW! What a ride!

Hey Everyone:

Love the spirited recoveries! Wow…you all rock!

I have what appears to be stretched ACL.

I’m a young woman who wants to do Prehab…but I’m hindered by instability that fosters real painful swelling. I am thinking this could be solved with a good workout brace perhaps?

Any insights?

Thanks,

Suz

Suz, I’ve never heard of a stretched ACL myself. Sounds better than a torn ACL. I will say this — and I will preface it with I AM NOT A DOCTOR — when I had a torn ACL I still played a LOT of sports with a good, solid, brace. And snowboarded too.

Good luck!

adam

Hey Adam:

Thanks for response. YEAH…you’d think that a stretched ACL would be minor…but what I’m reading is that it might make for worse swelling/friction feelings cuz its jerking the tibia around a lot more than if it were completey gone?

Also, makes it harder for a doc to take it seriously. I’m actually worried about whether a brace will help my pains for prehab if that’s what I’ll be doing. Be good if they could just inject something into the ACL…and make it shrink back to its normal size.

Hey Everyone,
I’m reading through this and wondering if anyone has done impact damage to the knee. I fell in the halfpipe, caught my edge and both knees slammed sideways into the bottom. I was good until I stood up and it felt like somebody stabbed me and was twisting the knife inside. It was freezing so I didn’t take a look at it until I got home, but it was swelling. The next morning it was like I had a second knee and it was swelled straight. Walking felt like it was retearing, like a bruise mainly, and the colors were horrendous. Doctor assumed a bruise, never sent me for any tests. It was starting to heal, but was soft, like I had fluid, but the doc wouldn’t stick a needle to find out or try to drain it. By the time I got an appointment with a new doc, the bump had hardened and was painful. Still they thought it was a bruise and dead tissue that would work itself out, but 2 years later I still have discoloration (mostly when it’s cold/or I’m working out) and sharp pain if I lean on it or try to massage it out. Some people say to massage it out, but that hurts just enough not too. Has anyone ever encountered something like that, or have any idea what it could be? It was left knee, right side. I ride fine, run a bunch still, but the fact that there is still a bump/discoloration bugs me.

A bit beyond 10 weeks out of surgery and I’m riding the mountain bike trails hard…..taking the techinical rocks and jumps as if I never had surgery. The knee is stiff and sore the next day so I need a rest day between rides. I’m also hitting the wall rides and wider wood skinnies. Still not jumping the 20 footers…jumping okay but crashing could do some damage. I’ll follow doc’s advise and wait out the full six months before I go big.

Anyone get the double-bundle done?

ACL surgery was 8/1/08 and yesterday 10/21/08, 2 months and 20 days after surgery my physio rehab therapist excused me from any further sessions. I have full extension and full bending restored to the knee. All muscles surrounding the knee are firing with plenty of strength. I’m my own rehab therapist now with knee specific work scheduled 2 days a week for the next 4 months and bike riding as many days as I can handle. I guess I am one of the fortunate few, he told me I am way ahead of schedule on the recovery scale but I still need to protect it from any cutting or twisting motion.

This will be my last post to this site unless something horrible happens and I reinjure the knee. I attribute my quick recovery to a lifetime of physical activity, a high threshold for pain, and 6 previous unrelated surgeries that taught me how to deal with it all. I wish all of you the best of luck and be sure to follow your doc’s and therapist’s orders.

Mark

That’s great! I remember when my physiotherapist excused me from any more sessions — I felt like we were breaking up.

This is the best site i have found and i have looked alot. 5 days after surgery and this site is now my bible. Please keep the timelines coming it really motivates me into thinking i am not alone and recovery can be down to individual, everyone is different .. right. So 5 days and i am off crutches after my graft. Sleeping is ridiculous and my poor suffering husband is also getting a lack of sleep. getting some pretty heavy bruising, and full extension is getting close but flexion is miles away. Physio tomorrow and then i’ll see what theat brings. I wanna be like Mark, wouldn’t that be great

I am 3 weeks removed from ACL surgery and I am walking with only one crutch – I barely use it but my friends freak out on my when they see me on campus without it so its more for show.I haven’t started doing PT yet because of finals and four ten page papers due this week and last. I was walking the other day and my knee cracked scared the hell out of me to the point I used two crutches the for a day. Turns out it was my knee going back to normal. Luckily I had a strong hamstring so my recovery so far has been good. What I was wondering is if I could get my body in decent enough shape to do a sprint triathlon in June I want to do it as a sort of birthday present to myself.

Eunice: I understand with the lack of sleep I’m happy when I get 4 or 5 a night. I’m also having problems getting my leg to go straight all the way.

Bryan — I think six months out is aggressive but possible. Also, I wasn’t able to fully extend my leg for a few weeks too (physio fiexed that).

Cheers,

adam

My son had ACL reconstruction surgery on 12/4/08 using his patella tendon. Sometimes when he tries to bend his knee he can’t but then after moving his knee around a bit it bends with a feeling of something slipping inside. Anyone out there experience that feeling?

Hi Adam,

First of all, wonderful wonderful blog. I would say I learn much more here then any other website. Thank you!

I am in week 10 after ACL reconstruction on my right knee using patella tendon. Rehab goes well. Now I gained full extension, full range of motion. I can walk fast without noticable limp.

I am a volleyball lover. Volleyball is like my second life. I can’t live without it. It really depressed me when I knew I had to get through the surgery. And, as a Canadian, I waited for EIGHT month to get the surgery done. The waiting was torture. BTW, I live in downtown Toronto. I guess you know what I am saying…

Now I am in torture again. No matter how hard I work on rehab, I probably will miss the winter season. Well, let’s keep optimistic. I am hoping to start recreational volleyball at week 20, and start competitive volleyball at week 24. Do you think it is doable?

Another question is about the brace. I have a customized DonJoy brace. I was wearing it when I was playing volleyball before surgery. It worked quite well. I am wondering if I can use it when I am back on volleyball court to protect my leg. I am hoping maybe after 1 or 2 months, I can stop using brace when I gain confidence.

Congratulations for your full recovery. Hopefully I will get to that point soon.

Jon

Mark: I had the same feeling right after the surgery. I think it was the patella tendon. I just kept telling myself: it is healing.

Do not hesitate to tell doctor the problem when your son is doing follow-up. Good luck.

Hi All
i am 4 weeks and 3 days since surgery. i have to get back quickly due to my job and i have a custom CTI brace it is awesome, my PT told me only wear it when my knee is in danger of injury as my job is very physical. I am off crutches and walking with out a limp but i still feel like i am miles away from full flexion and extension, and sleeping a full night sleep is still impossible. How long till full extension i feel like i would improve so much when i achieve that as my quads will improve greatly when they are loaded properly.
I just can’t wait till i am fully recovered i just feel like i’ll never get there. is this negativity normal as i am not normally negative ever
Hope you all had good Christmas

Bryan i would love to be able to be full on like that by june, if you get there tell me how so i can be of the same standard
eunice

Hey guys, I’m a 20 year old who is just about 4 months post op for a patellar graft and meniscus repair. I mountain bike, snowboard, play competitive ice hockey, and weight train so I have always had very strong legs. I hurt my left knee last November over shooting a jump snowboarding, then lived with it for a while because it felt fine (didn’t know it was torn, and I have big quads and hamstrings which I’m presuming helped keep it relatively stable) until I did the exact same thing Mark did stepping off a 2 foot skinny while mountain biking. I got surgery at the beginning of September. The doc said the meniscus had a 60% chance of healing and opted to go for the repair instead of removing most of my meniscus because of my age and fitness level. I just had a check up and he said everything is feeling nice and tight, and I’ve been hitting the leg press machine hard to get my strength back. The doc OKed me to ease into jogging, to cycle more, and to do some easy ice skating with the team in 6-8 more weeks, so I’m hoping to do some trail riding soon (I’ll hold off a bit on the jumps, drops, and skinnies). I just built up a full suspension mountain bike to make freeriding a bit easier on the knee when I do get back into it though! I’m also hoping to catch some easy spring snowboarding in late February/March (which would be between 5-6 months post op)and to get full-on back into mountain biking by the summer. Is this (especially snowboarding this season) too optimistic? I see the doc for another check up at 6 months. He also said I’m not going to need a brace, is this normal?

Hey David,

First, sorry to hear about your injury. But it sounds like you’re well on your way to recovery!

First, about the brace — no, it’s not odd. I have a surgeon who insists I wear it for two years, and he fully admits he’s overly cautious. “The worst thing in the world,” he told me, (and I guess I’m slightly paraphrasing) “is having to come back to do this surgery a second time”. But I’ve run into tons of people who say their doctor said not to wear a brace at all. So if your doctor says you don’t need one, don’t sweat it.

On riding six months out: check out this post I did on recovery timelines:

http://www.highlyobsessed.com/2007/09/10/the-acl-recovery-timeline-and-other-miscellaneous-bits/

Personally I think it’s a bit aggressive, especially if you have no brace. But I know how you feel — at five or six months I totally felt like I could ride. But I personally went at nine months, with no problems at all (and with a brace).

But then again, as I always say: I’m no doctor.

Good Day all!
I had a skiing injury one month ago today. I completely tore my ACL, MCL, partial in my PCL and bruised the bone…I’m waiting on physical Therapy before they will even consider surgery…I have two kids and cant’ keep off of it completely. this is very painfull and fustrating! I want to be doing something in the mean time to help with my recovery..and not gain weight..Any suggestions?
Thanks
Keri

Hey Keri —

Sorry to hear that.

How about swimming? That’s what my surgeon recommended when I tore my ACL, even though I don’t relly enjoy it.

Good luck with your recovery.

Cheers,

adam

hey i am 9 weeks after surgery and i still don’t have full flexion
is that bad

Hi Eunice,

It took me several weeks to get full extension, so I wouldn’t worry about it (in my non-medical opninion).

Good luck!

I tore my ACL 2 weeks ago playing soccer! i have a PT appointment today, and im sure i will need surgery to repair the damage! I am 23 years old, and its been two weeks now and my left knee is still slightly swollen and cant extend it full nor can i bend it to my butt either…. I heard a loud pop noise and instant pain. The pain lasted for about 2 min max, then i was able to walk off the field. Since then its been soar and tender! i’ve been using crutches ever since. I hope the PT schedules a MRI to see exactly what i messed up. Im thinking of having the surgery in the fall or around then. In the mean time i plan to train my muscles and get them ready! i really hated the idea that I would need surgery but its the right thing to do I believe. just this whole process is long and annoying as i was very active before. Hopefully recovery wont be to bad. a lot of hard work for sure!

Thanks for all the great posts. I tore my medial meniscus and my ACL in the right knee on 12-27-08. I have been pre-rehabbing for the last 2 months. My legs from my hips down to my shins have never been stronger. I am having surgery on 3-11-09 and was very nervous until I read all the great posts. Once surgery is complete I’ll try and keep everyone posted.

I am now three days post op-I feel horrible. I can not put any weight on my leg. The pain is excruciating. I really thought I was going to be in great shape after surgery due to the extensive pre-rehabbing. It hasn’t turned out that way. I have been laying in bed popping percocets every 4 hours-it has been brutal. The bright side is it can only get better-I think!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dominic,

i get a lot of mixed feelings about the surgery… some people say that its not that bad and the pain after is mild, and like you, some people mention that there is a great deal of pain.

I know one person personally that limped out of the hospital the same day…. so I guess it’s different cases with different people. I have a meeting with my surgeon on May 27th and supposedly there is a waiting list for ACL’s here in Ottawa Canada!!!

Im going to have to go with no ACL for about 5 months, then finally the surgery.

Im just looking forward to getting it done and recovering! but i know that its going to take forever cause its such a slow process!

Alin,

Hang in there. Day 10 I finally feel a little better with swelling down slightly also. Day 1-9 were brutal. Day 9 was my first rehab day. My extension was -5 degrees and flexion was 80 degrees. P/T thought that those numbers were good, he said my main priority is to get the sweliing down with lots of ice and elevation. I went into yesterdays p/t defeated and left with lots of hope. The first nine days just felt horrible. Iwas frustrated because everyone told me each day would be a little better and it just wasn’t happening. But day 10 it did and I am seizing the moment and running with it. (not literally) I just wanted to finally feel a little less pain. Day 10 I am doing all of my exercises and using plenty of ice, and walking slightly with crutches but mentally I feel awesome.

Im glad things are going good for you!!! i like to hear good news about this sort of stuff! I have a long journey ahead of me. I just started driving my manual car and my knee gets stiff after a lot of driving! the swelling is still there, and it seems like it will never go away. I just have to wait and keep going like this for now. I could almost walk without a limp! but then again i think of the fact that after surgery, this whole process has to be repeated again. Im going in strong though! Its all about the mentality!

Two weeks after surgery and things have improved a lot. Pain has finally subsided a great deal. Alin, before I went in for the surgery I too was feeling pretty damn good and you will be at a big advantage when rehabbing. I feel like I should be doing more but the P/T guys think I am doing well. I do see small improvement daily. Mentallity is a big part of it and you are prepared mentally. For me it is now a big challenge to try and be close to 100%. Good luck and keep me posted.

Dominic, how are things with you now?

hey has anyone heard of the new graft being placed in the wrong position. I have to get mine done again it has emerged that my graft is on wrong. How bad is that 6 months after surgery and i have to go through it all again

I’m 12 days out of surgery. I’m 42 yrs old and had lived with a torn ACL since I was 21. Tore it playing volleyball, and was highly active in most sports. I rehabbed and wore a brace for everything I did, and managed quite well to participate in most sports but at a slightly reduced level. Eventually it got so I cut more and more out of my life and got so I was doing very little of the things I love to do. No volleyball, tennis, softball, skiing, golfing…Getting into dirtbiking and sledding at 40, after cutting most other things out, put alot of stress on the ol’ knee. It got so it was swollen all the time and could barely do anything. So, 21 years later I get the surgery. Part of me wishes I had it 21 years ago, but the method of surgery and results are so much better now that it might have been worth the wait! I would recommend to anyone wanting even a mid-level active lifestyle to have the surgery, don’t wait! I’m walking now and have good extension and the pain is less. PT starts this week. My Dr is a specialist in sports medicine and they do not use braces for rehab or after. One thing that was interesting was that my ACL was completely gone…nothing left where it was attached or anything…a big black hole the surgeon said. I did a spinal so I could stay awake and watch the whole thing…pretty cool surgery but not for the queezy, especially the hamstring graft!
Looking forward to rehab and getting back on my toys after 20+ years of favouring my knee.

Eunice,
I read about that happening when doing research on the surgery. It sounded like that was why a person should ensure they have a specialist or a surgeon that performs at least 100 of these surgeries a year. It’s possible to drill the holes incorrectly where the new ACL threads through. This would result in it not working as it’s intened to. Why it took 6 months to determine seems odd.

Tamara
I was working and just attributed the pain to maybe doing a bit too much, but the mishap was seen in a scope to discover why i was still getting pain and that was about 8 weeks ago, i just can’t get the op just now due to work but will be getting it done all over again in 4 weeks time. I did think i had a great surgeon just goes to show you can’t research enough

I have my surgery coming up in a few months!

Just can’t wait for it to be over and start rehabing my knee!!!

Hey guys-
After reading through all of these stories I thought I could share a little of my experience too.
I tore my ACL playing indoor soccer last June 1st (2008) the day after high school graduation. I had already secured a full scholarship, but when I told my college coach, he asked me to give my scholarship back so he could find another player. I didn’t know any better and only wanted the best for my team, so I conceded. Worst decision!
I had surgery one week after being told it was torn and began rehab the next month (July) because had to deal with moving out to campus. I worked with the athletic trainers there and watched my team play a record breaking season.
I was released to play soccer again December 17th (6 months of rehab). My doctor told me to wear my brace for the following 6 months as the graft would be completely healed at 12 months.
Things fell through with my coach and he did not let me play once I told him I wanted to look at other schools. However, for the two months that I was able to play, I played only indoor on a hard surface with my brace. Not a single problem arose with my knee.
I want everyone who has torn their ACL to know it’s not the end. However, sticking to your rehab is huge. By mid season I was lifting more with my acl leg than 90% of the team, and I think the strength in my hamstrings and quads has really made a full recovery quick and stable. Each person’s body is different, so some will recovery with more ease than others, but if you are patient and dedicated to your rehab, don’t let yourself get depressed. I kept myself happy by thinking of the day when I’d be able to play and I would know how far I’ve come while fighting through rehab.

Also, I had a question…I am nearly at 12 months post op, and my after hearing my trainer mention biking isnteadof running, boyfriend insists that I don’t run if I don’t have to (ie: soccer practice) because the constant impact isn’t good for my knee. I have been biking every day but it’s never as intense as running…I need to get in great shape for this Fall season, can anyone back me up in saying I am ready to run at least one mile a day without consequence?

Thanks and keep your head up through rehab, show everyone what you’re made of

Here’s mine. I fell skiing on February 24, 2008. I fractured my knee, cut my meniscus and tore my ACL. I had to wait four months for my bone to heal before I could have surgery. I had staph infection about ten days after surgery which set me back a few weeks. This kept me on crutches for almost six week. Now I’m almost a year out (June 26th) I live in a ski resort, I couldn’t keep myself from skiing last winter. I skied like twenty times. I wore a hinged brace which seemed to keep my knee stable. I always had pain and swelling afterward. I exercise {stretches, squats and weights) as well a swim daily which also causes minor pain and swelling. My thinking is if I do nothing I’ll get nothing. I’ve been trying to do Yoga, but I have trouble putting all that weight on my knee(s). I was told another six to tweleve months and I would be back to normal – I’m really hoping.

Wow, haven’t been on this thread for a while. Glad to see it’s still going.

Tatiana – personally I think you’re okay to run but I think your boyfriend has a point. For the past three months or so I’ve been running 6.5 – 8km at least three times a week, coupled with a day a week of ultimate frisbee. This week I ran into a LOT of knee pain for the first time in a long time by the tail end of it, and I’ve had to take a few days off.. even two years later. I guess what I’m saying is: I would run if I were in your situation, but I wouldn’t overdo it, and certainly wouldn’t do it daily. Even now my max is three or four days on, followed by one or two off. And I think that’s good even for your OTHER knee that hasn’t been repaired.

–adam

Here we go… 34 years old lifelong soccer player and snowboarder. Tore my left ACL and partialled my MCL April 26th playing soccer. Surgery June 1st utilizing the patellar tendon. Painful the first 4-5 days, but meds help. Dumped the crutches on day 6 and was set back due to a soft tissue ankle injury I sustained 10 years ago where I tore all of the ligaments in my left ankle. My left foot actually started swelling and became extremely red and painful from the foot to the bottom of the knee. Surgeon indicated evidence of lymphadema and treated immediately. In one week everything has turned around with aggressive treatment and rehab. Today is day 25… full extension and 143 degrees of flexion. Good knee had 145! The knee is starting to feel “normal” again. Will update as I go, but I plan on returning to the pitch in January-February. Cheers to all of the posts and keep on working towards that day!!!

Wow, so many good stories posted here. Quick facts:

-Tore ACL, PCL, Meniscus, etc. playing Ultimate frisbee Aug. 2008.
-Had ACL-reconstruction surgery March 2009.
-Recovery going well but a bit slower than some people.
-Glad to see some of you only jogging as of 6 months! That is my biggest challenge at the moment.

Good luck to all!

I just stumbled upon this website and thought it might be a good place to ask my question.

Here’s my story – I am a dancer at Disneyland and tore my ACL doing a lift in a show. Had surgery a little less than 4 weeks ago using ACL donor graft and they trimmed my meniscus.

I’m having a problem getting off of crutches. I have gone down to 1 crutch. Am I way behind because I’m still using a crutch?
I have full extension and my flexion is about 94 degrees. I have PT 3 times a week.

I just feel like I’m behind and that scares me a bit.

Any advice is appreciated! Keep up your hard work toward recovery everyone!
Lisa

Hi Lisa,

Sorry to hear about your injury.

I find that the first few weeks vary wildly from person to person. I was only on crutches for a few days but a) my damage was less than many other people here and b) I paid for it with some excruciating pain for a couple of weeks thereafter (though it was all the “good” kind of physio pain). So I wouldn’t worry about it too much, especially if you’re going to physio a lot already. Once you get over the first few weeks, I think you’ll find recovery comes fast and furious.

Good luck! I’d also recommend reading Andrew’s story, who I played ultimate frisbee with (and hopefully will again soon):

http://acl-r-us.blogspot.com/

Cheers,

adam

Hi Lisa
I have had 2 grafts done on my left knee in 9 months, i came back too early. Basically i have learnt that everyone is different, and rates of recovery have many different factors to make comparisons to other cases and yourself. Just let your body do its thing and as long as you are in PT then i am sure you are in good hands. My second graft was performed in NY and i am now the Worlds best patient and i am not rushing a thing. Good luck

Eunice

Thanks Adam and Eunice. It is nice to talk to people who understand what I am going through. It’s a tough process and I know everyone is different. I just wish I was one of the people who bounce back really quickly.

My goal is just to do as my physical therapist tells me and work on getting better!

Good luck to you both!
Lisa

I tore my acl just over a month ago. Had surgery 2 days ago and I must say reading all this is very helpful.
Little problem, I have alot of pain In my knee cap when I put pillows under my heel, I can’t do it for long. So now my leg just lays flat on the bed with ice packs and the knee brace. Is that bad? Must I keep it elevated?

Hey Marc, in the first few days I experienced the same thing – pretty nasty pain when elevated. It gradually went away. In my personal non-medical opinion I wouldn’t sweat it given you only had the surgery a couple of days ago.

Good luck with your recovery!

–adam

Thanks man, I appreciate it! Can’t wait to start rehab soon and get on the road to recovery.

I’m having surgery on Nov 23rd.

They said i need to buy compression socks, I just don’t know to what level of compression I should buy…?

I wont be buying a brace, but I will be buying a splint.

Can’t wait to get this over with!

Thanks for the details. I got my acl surgery on July 14th. Well, to be exact, they grafted a piece of my patellar which replaced my ACL.
Planning my first trip on Nov 21st, season opening (OKEMO).
Just wondering in your experience if this is too soon or how do you gauge if the knee is ready for snowboarding.
Of course it isn’t at 100% and i wont be doing any jibbing. In terms of bending, I can bend it pretty much all the way (2 finger width from my butt). I can “kind of” hope on one leg. I can do squats holding light wieghts. And of course i I will be wearing my ACL brace.

So did you really wait a year before you went back?

I’m def going to be waiting atleast 9 – 10 months before the fixture is completely secure and healed properly! I wouldn’t risk anything!