The ACL Repair Forum Firsthand accounts of ACL surgery and recovery

1. 

   ibz
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   Hi need some advice.

   I injured my right knee during MMA training 6 weeks ago.

   Had an MRI & the results are a complete ACL tear & Medial Meniscus tear. I am walking/limping around ok with some clicks & locking but I still have pain when i kneel &I cant straiten my leg like the other(left leg over extends but right leg cant).

   I have experienced some fealing of my leg giving way but not a great deal. My doctor is advising a reconstruction of the ACL but my physio is saying a should not rush into it & just work on strenghening the muscles.

   Not sure what to do as I am a train driver & do a lot of walking on uneven surfaces like ballast & some climbing on and off the train.

   I would like to continue playing sports like football and some martial arts training.

   Sorry for the long winded post but been at home bored for a while.

   If it helps I am Male Age 31.

2. 

   ssowada@cox.net
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   At 31 years of age and you like to participate in MMA and football, you almost certainly will need the ACL reconstruction to maintain that type of lifestyle. I am 39 years old and had a complete tear of the ACL and a slight tear in the Medial Meniscus. This happened after someone rolled into my knee playing football. I had reconstruction surgery on 1/18/2010. I choose the patella tendon autograft from my injured left knee and I am 97% back to my old self. Having the surgery was the best decision for me. Because, I am an avid tennis player and I tried to play three weeks after the injury and my knee completely "buckled". This "buckling" was very painful and it causes further damaged everytime it occurs. They used to call a knee with a torn ACL a "Trick Knee". This name is because it would give away frequently.

   Find a great orthopedic surgeon, choose which type of graft is best for you, and with a little hard work you will have a fully functional knee before you know it!

3. 

   ibz
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   Thanks for the advice.

   How long did it take you to walk un aided with no pain?

   I have been offered a desk job until I recover if I want the op.

4. 

   ssowada@cox.net
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   Walking un aided was about one week only because of the meniscus repair...per Dr's orders. I actually could have walked un aided on day 3-4. Walking un aided with no pain was about 1.5 weeks or so.

6. 

   ibz
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   Thank you so much for the info

7. 

   Elaine
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   Just do it.

   Every Doctor has their own protocol. Every patient has their own level of pain tolerance and recovery schedule.

   It is very helpful to compare our experiences on this blog, but your experience will be yours alone.

   I am 58, and suffered the same injury on May 3. I had reconstruction done, using my own hamstring, on May 28. Four weeks ago today. I am riding a recumbent bike every day with low resistance. I have a protocol of exercises I do at least twice a day, and I have started walking on smooth level ground; yesterday I made it a mile, but was exhausted overall. It is amazing how much fitness and strength I have lost in the eight weeks since the injury! I am normally very active, and this is the hard part: the forced inactivity.

   My Physical Therapist keeps preaching patience. Slow and steady.

   My Doctor had me in a locked knee brace for the first 36 hours to maintain full extension. After that, I wore the brace at night, in full extension, for 2 1/2 weeks. I do not need the brace at all now. I can go up and down stairs, slowly and carefully, with normal knee extension and flexion.

   As far as pain goes, I was still in fair amount of pain at two weeks. It is much better now. I get by with Tylenol during the day, but still take a Darvoset before bed. The pain is like a "heavy ache" now, at it's worst.

   I was walking around the house without crutches by the end of the first week. I would take the crutches if I went out, mainly for security and to warn others that I was "fragile". Being somewhat "disabled" is a good reminder for all of us: be courteous, hold doors, be kind.

   Good luck; keep posting!

   Elaine

8. 

   Deborahlr
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   I tore my ACL and medial meniscus in February, and I decided to wait until June 1 to have the surgery, since I am a teacher and could spend the time over the summer focused on rehab rather than worrying about standing all day at my job. I found that after 3 weeks post injury, I had full ROM and by 5 or 6 weeks I was back to jogging (very slowly and not for very far distances). Mostly I rode the stationary bike and used the ellipse, but I also took long walks and went on (careful) hikes. By the time I had the surgery on June 1, I was holding onto good form, and I am sure that has helped me to recover my ROM so quickly. I am now 4 weeks post-op from a cadaver allograft (I'm a 43 year old woman). The allograft has some advantages--less pain at the outset--but it is the procedure that doctors will require the rehab to go a little more slowly. As a result, my PT is also advising patience, patience, patience, and I'm not allowed on the bike for more than 10 minutes at a time. Not because of anything that's not working well (my extension is at 100% and my flexion is at 145 degrees), but because I have to wait until my body fully accepts the allograft. Turns out I'm not a patient as I thought. For me, this surgery was a great decision because I want to return to my previous activity levels, and without at least the menisectomy that wasn't going to happen. I agree with the earlier posts--have a good talk with your doctor. Good luck and keep us posted!

9. 

   ibz
   Member
   Posted 2 months ago #
   

   Thanks to all who have posted

   Trying to gaver as much info as possible. From the sounds of it I should be ok with the op as long as have some time doing a desk job to get over the first 4-8 weeks post op.

   Keep posting & thanks again

   Anyone had the physio only?

11. 

    bjjgirl
    Member
    Posted 2 months ago #
    

    Ibz keep the desk job as long as possible during your recovery-its tough if you have a job where you are on your feet for long hours, so its awesome your job is willing to work with you on that. As far as returning to MMA/martial it seems like you'll just have to be patient with the injury and take it easy rolling when you first go back, its all this waiting that will drive you crazy!
    My Doc told me it will probably be a year before i get back into BJJ and I've suffered some set backs. :(
    Strengthen the muscles as much as you can before you have surgery I hear it makes a big difference in your recovery after tho I can't speak from experience.
    Since I did however have full ROM before surgery I got it back pretty quickly after, getting the strength back has been a bit of trouble for me but I do alot of standing/lifting/turing/twisting in my job. Take all the time off they will give you and that you can afford.
    Good luck!

12. 

    Karen
    Member
    Posted 2 months ago #
    

    Ibz, my injury was May 13 and is somewhat similar to yours: meniscus torn and ACL completely severed. Back in May, my Dr. thought I only needed meniscus surgery and not ACL reconstruction. He sent me to PT for a few weeks. When he examined me again on 6/25, he changed his earlier recommendation. Based on his examination and my answers to his questions, where I said that I still sometimes feel as if the knee is close to giving way, he said he recommends the ACL reconstruction. He also said that delaying surgery will allow more damage to the meniscus. One big difference between my case and yours is that I have excellent range of motion in my injured leg.

    You might want to consider getting a second opinion from a qualified MD.

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