Torn ACL….recovery and rehab time?

[1st amg]

Originally Posted by Krash

So sorry to hear about this. I agree with others about seeing someone that works with athletes. I used to live in the Philly area and friends and family would see the same guys that worked on players from the 76ers, Flyers, Phillies, Eagles, etc.

I’m just not sure how practical that is for everyone though. Not everyone has easy access to specialists like that.


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Your exactly right, the wait is up to a year to see one, I managed in five days to see one though some life long convections through business and some philanthropy. Thank goodness. Our Canadian medical system sucks right now


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[1st amg]

Originally Posted by JasoninDenver

Like the previous posters said….

Find the best sports medicine doctor in your area, preferably one that works with the local pro and collegiate sports teams.

Explain to them very clearly that you are not the average 53 year old and you fully expect to be 90+% after any surgery.

Never done a knee but I am veteran of three major shoulder surgeries. You can expect to be walking and biking in three months and, hopefully, skiing again next season.

Thanks so much, that is certainly my goal!


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[1st amg]

Originally Posted by SWS65SM

Never experienced but from what I've heard it's very painful to tear ACL, and just hard to believe to read you skied 8 miles on it going downhill.... hope you are managing the pain much better now. Nothing to contribute here but just wish you the best/speedy recovery

Thanks, I appreciate it. One positive I got out of this….my 13 and 15 yr old saw their dad fight his way down….so, if I hear any whining that their muscles are sore from activities, they just may keep quiet!


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[1st amg]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

Ooof. Sorry to hear Nico! So at least we can expect more posts from you now.

Thanks chewy! Come on down and drive the car for a bit, keep the mechanicals in tip top shape


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[Carguy87]

Damn Nick I’m so sorry to hear this!! Just the other day we were joking in another thread about you coming to visit and ski the Sierras. I wish you a quick and successful recovery my friend!

[sportsdoc]

Sorry to hear that.. ACLs have generally good outcomes. Most people are at a new normal by 2-3 months and cleared for most sports between 8-12 months


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[BNA/LION]

Damn It! Sorry to hear about your accident. I'm 12 weeks into my shoulder separation and 25-50% rotator cuff rear. No surgery but plenty of pain. My only advice is to take is slow and easy. I noticed when I started to feel a little better I started doing thing I should not and had a little bit of a set back. I hope things go well with the procedure and you are back to enjoying 100% mobility soon.

[White Collar Boy]

Sorry to hear, Nicholas. Hope you recover fast.

[MrGoat]

I’m hope you recover soon.

I’ve been lucky enough to not have any knee surgeries. I had a torn Achilles when I was young and it was brutal. Physical therapy was my savior. FOLLOW your therapists and doctors advice. Do not try to exceed it.

I agree fully with the sorts medicine doc recommendation. Those guys and gals deal with this daily, they’re best fit to get you 100% in the quickest time possible.

My brother blew out one ACL at 15 and after fixing was up and running in about 6 months. He blew the other out in the army jumping out of a helicopter and I think it took him about the same amount of time to recover from surgery.

On a different but related note. One of the women in my grandmas church group I used to join up with when I could had both hips replaced at 93. She was a salty old gal and after 3 months was walking without a walker and driving herself again.

You can do this and come out unscathed if you listen and abide by your doctors and therapists orders. Most likely a lot quicker than if you decide not to listen.


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[RW16610]

Oh man, I'm very sorry to hear about this, Nick. As someone who also loves various sports / fitness activities, I know how difficult it can be to encounter an injury. In addition to this, the impact it can temporarily have on life isn't the most pleasant.

Hang in there, you'll get through this and eventually be back to the activities that you enjoy.

Keep your spirits up through the process and I'm confident you'll make it though rehabilitation. With your determination, I've got no doubt about this!

[Andad]

for a speedy recovery N.

At least it’s the throttle side and not the clutch.

[John Deaux]

I obliterated mine in 2001 chasing a dude that went over a privacy fence. I landed properly on both feet, no twist, it just blew when my knees flexed. My ortho was actually dumfounded when he went in for the repair, he said there was literally nothing to be found. Not sure how yours was, but mine was as loud as a gunshot when it went. I too was very active, so repair was a must. I was about 2 years into my law enforcement career and couldn't see myself doing anything else.

In my case, they had me start PT shortly after the injury and continue for almost 2 months before surgery. I was just about walking with no limp by the surgery date, it was crazy. I suppose the logic was to have everything as strong as possible before surgery for a more rapid comeback. I don't recall exactly, but I believe I was on "limited duty" for about 9 months at work and play. On the bright side, it's been about as good as new except for a being prone to tendonitis flare ups pretty easy, I'll cover that below. Strength wise, I have no complaints, my squat PR before the injury was 500 and I was determined to hit it again after recovery (with much grief from my wife). It held up and I did it, once....I was satisfied, no need to risk it again -ever, lol.

If I had the process to do over again, I would absolutely not do a Patella Tendon graft. The only place I ever have pain or get any kind of flare up is from where the graft was taken. Not sure what the options are now, but over 20 years ago it was patella tendon, cadaver, or hamstring. I'd probably do a cadaver if it was happening again today (outside any better options being available with more modern medicine).

[Blansky]

One other thing to consider when trying to make these kind of decisions is that when choosing pro sports team doctors, is that their number one objective is really getting the patient back to playing as soon as possible (there's money involved) and that's why for a lot of injuries, surgery is the first choice. The players as well want to get back out there. But in some cases, maybe long rehab may be a better long term solution.

The number one player in the NHL Connor McDavid had a massive knee issue a year or so ago (not ACL) and he was told he needed to have surgery. He decided against it and rehabbed the hell out of it and was back as good or better afterwards. There was even a documentary made about it...Whatever It Takes.

Something to consider but perhaps not in the case of ACL.

[Zeli_papa]

I'll share my story, you might find it interesting. I tore my ACL in wrestling practice, end of January '21 at the age of nearly 37. I've been involved in lots of different sports since I was a kid, for the last 9 years I've been training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and that's mostly where my injury comes from. It was a weirdest of things as it happened in the middle of practice , after some pretty wild sparring rounds. I was well warmed up and there was no sign of any knee issue, we were just drilling single leg takedowns lightly at that point when I stepped back and my knee just gave out, no pop etc, just felt like it dislocated and came back in... MRI showed complete ACL rupture... I decided against the surgery, took 4 months off the training , did some rehab and slowly my knee was getting better. Over 2 years later and I can do most of the things , I spar 100%, wrestle and even compete. My knee is not as good as it was before and I have to be careful with certain moves , I can play light basketball with my daughter but wouldn't go and and hoop with some guys, however bjj is my biggest passion and I'm grateful that I can still participate in it after such traumatic injury. I've got friends who also went through a similar issue and it seems like the outcomes are better without a surgery in most cases , however it takes much longer to recover .

[Chiclet]

Originally Posted by Zeli_papa

I'll share my story, you might find it interesting. I tore my ACL ... <snipped> ... I decided against the surgery, took 4 months off the training , did some rehab and slowly my knee was getting better. Over 2 years later and I can do most of the things , I spar 100%, wrestle and even compete. My knee is not as good as it was before and I have to be careful with certain moves , I can play light basketball with my daughter but wouldn't go and and hoop with some guys, however bjj is my biggest passion and I'm grateful that I can still participate in it after such traumatic injury. I've got friends who also went through a similar issue and it seems like the outcomes are better without a surgery in most cases , however it takes much longer to recover .

Eh, my experience was a little different. After a cycling accident, the ER doc indicated a knee sprain, and we treated it conservatively as such. The pain was incredible, but I assumed it was only a sprain. And yes, I have a pretty high pain threshold, but it was bad.

Over the years, my knee would 'go out' (for lack of a better term) during routine activities. These events were incredibly painful, and at times debilitating, but I believed it was something I had to live with. I thought I just had a bad knee that I was re-spraining.

8 years after the accident, that knee 'went out' again, and this time I couldn't straighten it; it was locked bent. MRI revealed what ortho called a bucket-handle meniscus tear; both menisci were badly torn/shredded, and the ACL was gone. That knee 'sprain' suffered years prior was actually an ACL tear. All those times my knee 'went out' were damaging the menisci. Had arthroscopic surgery to remove the menisci and started serious physical therapy, hoping it with help improve my knee stability.

Despite this work, I continued to suffer serious knee instability. One year after the arthroscopic meniscectomy, I had ACL reconstruction with a patellar graft. That was 17 years ago.

My conclusion: I wish I had done ACL reconstruction surgery sooner. Delaying it caused me to have years of intermittent serious pain from many instability episodes, as well as significant arthritis and bone wear in that knee. However, now I appreciate having a stable knee and can do all my normal activities with no fear of my knee going out. Clearly, YMMV. For me, I could have saved myself a lot of pain and still had those meniscus 'shock absorbers' if I had reconstruction done sooner.

[Zeli_papa]

Originally Posted by Chiclet

Eh, my experience was a little different. After a cycling accident, the ER doc indicated a knee sprain, and we treated it conservatively as such. The pain was incredible, but I assumed it was only a sprain. And yes, I have a pretty high pain threshold, but it was bad.

Over the years, my knee would 'go out' (for lack of a better term) during routine activities. These events were incredibly painful, and at times debilitating, but I believed it was something I had to live with. I thought I just had a bad knee that I was re-spraining.

8 years after the accident, that knee 'went out' again, and this time I couldn't straighten it; it was locked bent. MRI revealed what ortho called a bucket-handle meniscus tear; both menisci were badly torn/shredded, and the ACL was gone. That knee 'sprain' suffered years prior was actually an ACL tear. All those times my knee 'went out' were damaging the menisci. Had arthroscopic surgery to remove the menisci and started serious physical therapy, hoping it with help improve my knee stability.

Despite this work, I continued to suffer serious knee instability. One year after the arthroscopic meniscectomy, I had ACL reconstruction with a patellar graft. That was 17 years ago.

My conclusion: I wish I had done ACL reconstruction surgery sooner. Delaying it caused me to have years of intermittent serious pain from many instability episodes, as well as significant arthritis and bone wear in that knee. However, now I appreciate having a stable knee and can do all my normal activities with no fear of my knee going out. Clearly, YMMV. For me, I could have saved myself a lot of pain and still had those meniscus 'shock absorbers' if I had reconstruction done sooner.

I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through all of that suffering. It really shows there no cookie cutter solution to this, I was also considering the op but due to the fact I can train my sport with not too much bother and due to the nature of it there's no guarantee I won't pop it again, I've decided against it .

[1st amg]

Originally Posted by Carguy87

Damn Nick I’m so sorry to hear this!! Just the other day we were joking in another thread about you coming to visit and ski the Sierras. I wish you a quick and successful recovery my friend!

Seriously, no kidding. Thanks Steve!

Originally Posted by sportsdoc

Sorry to hear that.. ACLs have generally good outcomes. Most people are at a new normal by 2-3 months and cleared for most sports between 8-12 months
Thanks for the input, I gather you know a thing or two!

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Originally Posted by BNA/LION

Damn It! Sorry to hear about your accident. I'm 12 weeks into my shoulder separation and 25-50% rotator cuff rear. No surgery but plenty of pain. My only advice is to take is slow and easy. I noticed when I started to feel a little better I started doing thing I should not and had a little bit of a set back. I hope things go well with the procedure and you are back to enjoying 100% mobility soon.

Thanks Larry, good thing is I can walk and do stairs with little to no pain. I started on the bike over the weekend to strengthen the knee and all went well so far.

Originally Posted by White Collar Boy

Sorry to hear, Nicholas. Hope you recover fast.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by MrGoat

I’m hope you recover soon.

I’ve been lucky enough to not have any knee surgeries. I had a torn Achilles when I was young and it was brutal. Physical therapy was my savior. FOLLOW your therapists and doctors advice. Do not try to exceed it.

I agree fully with the sorts medicine doc recommendation. Those guys and gals deal with this daily, they’re best fit to get you 100% in the quickest time possible.

My brother blew out one ACL at 15 and after fixing was up and running in about 6 months. He blew the other out in the army jumping out of a helicopter and I think it took him about the same amount of time to recover from surgery.

On a different but related note. One of the women in my grandmas church group I used to join up with when I could had both hips replaced at 93. She was a salty old gal and after 3 months was walking without a walker and driving herself again.

You can do this and come out unscathed if you listen and abide by your doctors and therapists orders. Most likely a lot quicker than if you decide not to listen.


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Interesting, thanks for sharing man!

Originally Posted by RW16610

Oh man, I'm very sorry to hear about this, Nick. As someone who also loves various sports / fitness activities, I know how difficult it can be to encounter an injury. In addition to this, the impact it can temporarily have on life isn't the most pleasant.

Hang in there, you'll get through this and eventually be back to the activities that you enjoy.

Keep your spirits up through the process and I'm confident you'll make it though rehabilitation. With your determination, I've got no doubt about this!

You can count on it, I am definitely determined and ready to deal with this.

Originally Posted by Andad

for a speedy recovery N.

At least it’s the throttle side and not the clutch.

Lol, exactly, I can manage to squeeze that throttle, possibly my driving may improve on a track!

Originally Posted by John Deaux

I obliterated mine in 2001 chasing a dude that went over a privacy fence. I landed properly on both feet, no twist, it just blew when my knees flexed. My ortho was actually dumfounded when he went in for the repair, he said there was literally nothing to be found. Not sure how yours was, but mine was as loud as a gunshot when it went. I too was very active, so repair was a must. I was about 2 years into my law enforcement career and couldn't see myself doing anything else.

In my case, they had me start PT shortly after the injury and continue for almost 2 months before surgery. I was just about walking with no limp by the surgery date, it was crazy. I suppose the logic was to have everything as strong as possible before surgery for a more rapid comeback. I don't recall exactly, but I believe I was on "limited duty" for about 9 months at work and play. On the bright side, it's been about as good as new except for a being prone to tendonitis flare ups pretty easy, I'll cover that below. Strength wise, I have no complaints, my squat PR before the injury was 500 and I was determined to hit it again after recovery (with much grief from my wife). It held up and I did it, once....I was satisfied, no need to risk it again -ever, lol.

If I had the process to do over again, I would absolutely not do a Patella Tendon graft. The only place I ever have pain or get any kind of flare up is from where the graft was taken. Not sure what the options are now, but over 20 years ago it was patella tendon, cadaver, or hamstring. I'd probably do a cadaver if it was happening again today (outside any better options being available with more modern medicine).

Wow, Thanks for the real life experience, I will definitely keep that in mind when I meet with the ortho surgeon tomorrow on questions to ask.

Originally Posted by Blansky

One other thing to consider when trying to make these kind of decisions is that when choosing pro sports team doctors, is that their number one objective is really getting the patient back to playing as soon as possible (there's money involved) and that's why for a lot of injuries, surgery is the first choice. The players as well want to get back out there. But in some cases, maybe long rehab may be a better long term solution.

The number one player in the NHL Connor McDavid had a massive knee issue a year or so ago (not ACL) and he was told he needed to have surgery. He decided against it and rehabbed the hell out of it and was back as good or better afterwards. There was even a documentary made about it...Whatever It Takes.

Something to consider but perhaps not in the case of ACL.

I watched that special, he luckily didn't have any ACL issues. If I only had MCL and LCL I would probably opt to rehab it. But the ACL is a totally different issue. In order to do what I want and to avoid any future meniscus or cartilage damage, the reconstruction is the way to go, but I will find out soon enough.

Originally Posted by Zeli_papa

I'll share my story, you might find it interesting. I tore my ACL in wrestling practice, end of January '21 at the age of nearly 37. I've been involved in lots of different sports since I was a kid, for the last 9 years I've been training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and that's mostly where my injury comes from. It was a weirdest of things as it happened in the middle of practice , after some pretty wild sparring rounds. I was well warmed up and there was no sign of any knee issue, we were just drilling single leg takedowns lightly at that point when I stepped back and my knee just gave out, no pop etc, just felt like it dislocated and came back in... MRI showed complete ACL rupture... I decided against the surgery, took 4 months off the training , did some rehab and slowly my knee was getting better. Over 2 years later and I can do most of the things , I spar 100%, wrestle and even compete. My knee is not as good as it was before and I have to be careful with certain moves , I can play light basketball with my daughter but wouldn't go and and hoop with some guys, however bjj is my biggest passion and I'm grateful that I can still participate in it after such traumatic injury. I've got friends who also went through a similar issue and it seems like the outcomes are better without a surgery in most cases , however it takes much longer to recover .

Thanks, glad it worked out for you!

Originally Posted by Chiclet

Eh, my experience was a little different. After a cycling accident, the ER doc indicated a knee sprain, and we treated it conservatively as such. The pain was incredible, but I assumed it was only a sprain. And yes, I have a pretty high pain threshold, but it was bad.

Over the years, my knee would 'go out' (for lack of a better term) during routine activities. These events were incredibly painful, and at times debilitating, but I believed it was something I had to live with. I thought I just had a bad knee that I was re-spraining.

8 years after the accident, that knee 'went out' again, and this time I couldn't straighten it; it was locked bent. MRI revealed what ortho called a bucket-handle meniscus tear; both menisci were badly torn/shredded, and the ACL was gone. That knee 'sprain' suffered years prior was actually an ACL tear. All those times my knee 'went out' were damaging the menisci. Had arthroscopic surgery to remove the menisci and started serious physical therapy, hoping it with help improve my knee stability.

Despite this work, I continued to suffer serious knee instability. One year after the arthroscopic meniscectomy, I had ACL reconstruction with a patellar graft. That was 17 years ago.

My conclusion: I wish I had done ACL reconstruction surgery sooner. Delaying it caused me to have years of intermittent serious pain from many instability episodes, as well as significant arthritis and bone wear in that knee. However, now I appreciate having a stable knee and can do all my normal activities with no fear of my knee going out. Clearly, YMMV. For me, I could have saved myself a lot of pain and still had those meniscus 'shock absorbers' if I had reconstruction done sooner.

Thank you, this is what I was thinking, avoiding future problems exactly like yours. Glad it finally worked out for you. Thanks for sharing!

[Shmoopy]

Tore my ACL twice. Once playing basketball, and the second while aggressively rehabbing from the first surgery.

Rehabbing it properly is the best thing you can do to ensure success in the future. PT is just as important, if not more, than the surgeon you use. I had patellar tendon the first time, and cadaver the second. I would not do patellar tendon based on the pain and extra recovery.

Glad to see other hockey players here. It's been 20 years since my second surgery. That being said, I skate like I have an elevator in my back pocket, but that's from age and lack of skill, not my knee! lmao

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by MrGoat

… One of the women in my grandmas church group I used to join up with when I could had both hips replaced at 93…

If you’re speed reading as I was this is kind of funny …. I re-read it, you’re good