Just blew my ACL - Recovery?

[SXti]

I've lurked here for a loooong but this is such a bummer I was hoping to see if anyone else had to have ACL or OATS done and what they did to recover.

Here is my little sob story..

I was getting ready to go to the gym when my friend called out of the blue to play some pickup basketball games at the park.
Someone clipped my knee side of my leg and POP, right out of socket!
I go down for the count, I cuss... and cuss some more.

Just did the MRIs and such, meniscus and ACL are screwed. Also they will be doing osteochondral autograft transfer, or OATS as i have cartilage damange.
Super screwed.

Trying to watch my appetite is going to be a chore since I've still been working out (just not my legs obviously). I guess I'll taper down so I'm not so hungry all the time.

[Xenon223]

I know many people that have blown their ACL's because I'm an avid snowboarder. For most it means you cannot snowboard for 12 mos. You're probably going to have to do a good amount of physical therapy given your injury - i'm not exactly sure how long till you can return to the gym to lift legs the way you used to. Probably at least 6 mos...

Personally I've torn my meniscus and it's pretty minor. I was up and riding again in 2mos. I lifted lightly after 1 month and needed no physical therapy probably due to the fact that I have strong legs.

Your doctor will the be one who'll be telling you what's up though obviously. It's a long road ahead but you'll be in alot better shape then somebody who is sedentary.

Feel better.

[JD McNugent]

I'm in day 15 of my ACL recovery, no meniscus or OATS though. They used my own patella tendon and I can walk without the aid of my brace or crutches, although my physical therapist recommends I continue using my brace to prevent buckling. Do you know what they are using for you ACL replacement...cadaver, your patella, calf, or hamstring? Cause that makes a big difference.

[SXti]

They are going to do a hamstring graft. From what i understand it is painful as all hell but makes for a good ACL?

[JD McNugent]

I've heard that some people experience some tightness in the hamstring later on down the road but nothing too bad. Its definitely a quicker recovery than a patella graft, but one thing I'd definitely recommend...prehabilitation is key...stretch out a lot and do very low resistance work before surgery and go see a physical therapist beforehand too (your doctor will probably recommend that)

[terribletriad]

There are LOTS of choices for replacing the ACL and I would suggest you research them ALL and look at the failure rates of each. Then after YOU choose the graft, find a doctor who agrees with YOUR choice.

[couldbaknee1]

yeah, from what i've read, patellar tendon was considered the 'gold standard,' then the hamstring was considered about equal with patellar, and now with some new hamstring methods they've developed, it might be considered even better. however, something i read said that you were basically best to go with whichever method your doctor is best at! guess if there's some cutting edge new technique out there, you still might not want to be one of the ones the doctor learns it on ....

google "acl surgery pre-hab" or something like that, and make sure you're as good as you can be going in to surgery, as that has a big impact on how you recover. the injury/surgery/recovery sucks, but it's not that bad good luck.

[JD McNugent]

Originally Posted by bill36

****,sucks 4 u,lmfao

bill36...Banned, sucks 4 u,lmfao

anyway, yeh each doctor has their own personal preference and I recommend going with whatever they say. They usually choose their favorite and become best at it.

[Bollock-chops]

Originally Posted by bill36

****,sucks 4 u,lmfao

Yeah totally inappropriate.

[SXti]

Ok thanks for the info.

I'm going to do some before and after measurements and pictures of my leg.
Also I'll describe what rehab is done and show development.

Hopefully it will be some good info for someone as well has tracking my own progress.

[xunforgivenx86]

If and when you do decide to go with surgery make sure that you get into physical therapy and STICK WITH IT as soon as you can after surgery. Make sure you look into your rehab office and make sure they are going you weight bearing exercises and not just streching and massages, the streching and massages are good but what really helps you to recover it strength training and when recovereing from an injury you want to make sure you are under the guidence of a professional. I have worked with a physical therapist for about two years now and the people who make the best and quickest recovery are those who want to recover and who are willing to work hard for it. Also your acl will never be 100% as strong as it was before the injury but with proper recovery you can get it damn close. Good luck.

[JD McNugent]

Originally Posted by xunforgivenx86

If and when you do decide to go with surgery make sure that you get into physical therapy and STICK WITH IT as soon as you can after surgery. Make sure you look into your rehab office and make sure they are going you weight bearing exercises and not just streching and massages, the streching and massages are good but what really helps you to recover it strength training and when recovereing from an injury you want to make sure you are under the guidence of a professional. I have worked with a physical therapist for about two years now and the people who make the best and quickest recovery are those who want to recover and who are willing to work hard for it. Also your acl will never be 100% as strong as it was before the injury but with proper recovery you can get it damn close. Good luck.

Im actually gonna have to disagree with you man. I had my right ACL done 6 years ago and it is definitely stronger and my knee is more stable than before. Also, immediately post op and for a few weeks thereafter, range of motion is the most important for a patella graft (I think it should be the same for the hammy, but I'll check with my doc). Im in day 16 right now of my left ACL with a patella graft and even though my recovery is going much faster than normal, I still haven't been cleared for resistance workout. Yesterday riding the bike at no resistance was the most I've done and if I need to climb stairs, I'll adjust my brace and use a railing to assist, just to try and get a little work and avoid getting atrophied.

Understand that you will loose muscle, but if you stick with a proper regiment, then the loss will be minimal and you will recover much quicker.

[couldbaknee1]

ya, my understanding is that the actual new acl will be stronger than the old one. doesn't mean the knee joint as a whole won't be more screwed up tho. main point, well taken tho, is do your rehab - - even all the little boring stuff at the beginning. and take pre-hab before the surgery seriously as well. i'm a bit over a year from surgery (patellar) and although the knee still feels a bit off sometimes, it's plenty strong and i can do basically everything on it.

[SXti]

Well I guess I'm off to a good start.

After all the swelling went down I have full range of motion and I can go up and down stairs slowly. I'll try stretch often and use my quad and calf to help in the post op PT. Surgery is this wednesday so I have a few days to keep doing pre-op exercise.


EDIT : for the love of god don't ever try to pivot off the injured leg. I was getting in bed and kinda forgot about the knee.
The whole thing collapsed and buckled. Won't be doing that again, hurt like a bitch.

[couldbaknee1]

Originally Posted by SXti

EDIT : for the love of god don't ever try to pivot off the injured leg. I was getting in bed and kinda forgot about the knee.
The whole thing collapsed and buckled. Won't be doing that again, hurt like a bitch.

Ya, Isn't that fun?!?!?

Take it easy before surgery ... you don't want to overdo anything and have any swelling going in. The more 'normal' the joint is as you go in to surgery, the better the surgeon will be able to get everything lined up right. If it's swollen going in at all, more chance the alignment may be a bit off.

Good luck!

[StillBallin]

Today is July 14th, this morning I had my ACL reconstructed using my patella tendon, and I had my medial meniscus "hooked" together with dissolving staple/stitches. Currently it feels like there are 1,000 bricks on my leg, but psychologically I feel amazing; its been 8 weeks since my injury and I'm so glad to be at "ground zero" so I can begin my recovery.

I'm a personal trainer, so obviously this has been a huge road block for me. I hope we can all share tips/stories/support to make the comeback a little easier?

[thebm]

I highly recommend going with an allograft, which means you use tissue taken from a cadaver. some people would be a little creeped out by having part of someone else in their body but it really is the best option. for one thing, you don't have to cut up your own hamstring or patellar tendon, so the recovery goes better. Also, when they take it from the cadaver they aren't limited to only the hamstring or patellar tendons, they can take any tendon/ligament they want even if it's something that won't grow back, cuz the dead guy won't miss it. so they take a stronger one.
for my acl reconstruction they used the tendon that connects the big toe to the ankle (it runs on top of the toe and if you lift your toe up you can see/feel it). Apparently that's a very strong tendon, and it's one of the longest in the body which allows them to fold it over several times for added strength.

so ya, not needing to cut more tissue out of your body and having a stronger graft ftw

[Grind4Mine]

The more effort, dedication, and focus you put into PT will make a diff in how fast you come back, God decides the exact time..Understand you could be Heman and its still going to be at least a year though

[SXti]

Thanks for all the good words and info everyone.

It's been 5 days since surgery. The first 3 being complete **** but getting better day by day. I put up some pics to compare the difference in my two legs. Still pretty swollen, and no strength in it what so ever.

My doc did a graft from my own hamstring, wow that's a killer. The hammy was firing and having spasms a lot during the first few days which HURTS but it's getting better.

I go back to the doc on wednesday the 16 for a check up.

[SXti]

Originally Posted by StillBallin

Today is July 14th, this morning I had my ACL reconstructed using my patella tendon, and I had my medial meniscus "hooked" together with dissolving staple/stitches. Currently it feels like there are 1,000 bricks on my leg, but psychologically I feel amazing; its been 8 weeks since my injury and I'm so glad to be at "ground zero" so I can begin my recovery.

I'm a personal trainer, so obviously this has been a huge road block for me. I hope we can all share tips/stories/support to make the comeback a little easier?

Hey I'll let you know how bad they make me weep like a girl at PT, i hear it's brutal.

[pliu22]

Sounds like recovery is going to suck, good to hear that it's getting better everyday. Good luck on your PT and recovery.

I messed up my knee too, torn ACL and medial and lateral meniscus as well. My surgery isn't until August 6th.

[StillBallin]

thanks STXi...any tips on a comfortable position to sit/lie in? my back is soo stiff right now

[SXti]

Originally Posted by StillBallin

thanks STXi...any tips on a comfortable position to sit/lie in? my back is soo stiff right now

my lower back was like that too.

In bed i put a bunch of pillows or blankets under the corner of the mattress of whatever knee is injured. This will help keep that leg elevated and straight while your other leg and body is laying pretty normal.
DO NOT put a pillow under your knee at night, the ligaments will shrink and that will make the PT a complete bitch.

I rotated percocet every 800mg Ibuprofen every 4 hours. And drank a lot of water. To me the Ibuprofen helped so much more, the swelling just made everything hurt worse.

(my girl, bless her heart, got me a big powerade bottle to pee in lol when i was so high i couldn't move or I would just yak everywhere, she is a keeper)

[couldbaknee1]

The first few days are the worst, but you'll start noticing daily improvement soon ... just keep doing what you're supposed to be doing as far as icing, rehab etc., and it'll come along pretty fast Good luck guys

[bulldozerbigbart]

i had acl reconstuction 2 mos. ago...i had no other damage, my acl just popped off of my femur..they took a cadaver achillies tendon for my graft...everything is going good so far and no pain...i took like 3 weeks off before i got back into the gym...obviously im not doing any leg work except for in pt but i am hitting upper body pretty hard right now...5 days a week...they said i will be able to run in one more month..i play college football and i tore it in spring ball practice this past april...i didnt get hit i just caught a route in the flats and tried to turn it up field when my cleat got caught in the turf and i fully hyper-extended my knee.....i will return to the quadzilla i used to be though....

[SXti]

Ya know the whole ligament from a cadaver thing was odd to me, so i choose to have a hamstring graft. No being tough about it that **** hurts. My whole back leg is blue and green from bruising.

[wlifter123]

I'm just about one year out from my ACL reconstruction (July 19, 2007). Had part of my hamstring used as well. It was a pain in the ass, no doubt, and I'm still not where I want to be, but it's all coming back, a little bit more every month. I'm probably 95% right now, although I'm running and squating again near normal, and at my one year check up the doc said everything looked great. Mentally it would still be hard for me to go out on an athletic field and compete at 100%.

The best advice I ever heard regarding my recovery was that it's not about having a strong leg in 6 months, it's about having a strong leg for the rest of your life. I'm not saying don't be aggressive with your recovery, but keep it safe (stay within the parameters that your PT sets). Better to go slow and take an extra month to get where you want to be than to pop it back out and have to start over again. Between six and nine months you should be able to do just about anything again within reason (although I'm still avoiding leg extensions).

Good luck on your recovery, and listen to your PT.

-Dan

[SXti]

Just thought I would post some info my doc gave me, hopefully it will help someone else.

Before Surgery:
The stronger your muscles are before
surgery, the stronger they
will be after. That means that if
you have been going to physical
therapy, continue to do your exercises-
it will make for an easier recovery.

Unless instructed otherwise, dont eat or
drink anything after midnight the night
before surgery. The one exception is that
you should continue to take your regularly
scheduled medicines the morning of
the surgery with a sip of water. Patients
with diabetes need to take special precautions
and should ask for further instructions.


You will need the following equipment:
crutches or a walker, and an ice pack. If
you dont have these we will provide
them for you prior to the day of surgery.
Dress comfortably when you come to the
surgery center and wear clothing which
will be easily put on over the dressing
which will be placed on your knee.



After Surgery:
The day of surgery feel free to eat whatever
sounds good to you. Generally, it is
recommended that you dont eat anything
that is too rich. You will find that
foods that are more simple such as soup
or a light pasta will agree with you better.
The pain medicines may be upsetting to
your stomach.

The will instruct you or your family
regarding how much weight to put on
your leg when walking with your
crutches. Generally, you are encouraged
to put as much weight on your leg as you
are able. Most will find that after a few
days they are able to gradually put more
and more weight on their knee.

You will be given prescriptions for medications
to control your pain. This will be
a narcotic such as Lortabs or Percocet,
and an anti-inflammatory medication.
Follow the directions on the bottles for
these medicines. They may be taken together,
as the anti-inflammatory will actually
help the narcotic to be more effective.
It is important to control your pain in
the early time after surgery as it makes
for an easier recovery.


Exercises:
You are encouraged to begin
moving your knee immediately. This will
help prevent any stiffness and will help
your muscles to begin working again.
You will also be given a prescription to
begin physical therapy. Additionally, we
will show you some exercises to do to
keep your quadriceps muscles working.