i tore my acl in oct 09. my surgery is this fri. im 27 and im very active. i do mma. boxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, fighting. this is how i tore acl. im ex military so the VA is doing the surgery. i was told from the begining that the allograph was the best way to go. so didnt think anything about it. but i decided to read some stuff today and seems that an autograph is the best way to go if you are an athlete. i plan on getting right back into mma, and the sooner, the better. i havent even stopped training yet. too much fun. but did slow down atleast.
so what is the best way to go for this level of activity. also read good idea to get muscles ready before surgery, so should i cancle and wait a month so i can work leg out?
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- Posted by kinz384 8 months ago. There are 9 posts. The latest reply is from MikeM.
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I torn mine in October too. I'm 18 and I got surgery December 29 using an autograph.
I played varsity soccer for my school and ran track and field. I'm one of those teens that has to be doing something so when not actually playing a competitive sport I used to go biking through the woods for hours or just run.
I've heard it's better if you're young and if you're active to use your own tissue, logic being your own tissue is stronger when you're young. Though autographs are supposed to take longer to heal. An older man at physical therapy got an allograph and they said he was on week two post-surgery and he was walking without a brace or crutches. I haven't hit week two yet but they say I'll probably have to use one or the other.
And yes get your muscles ready. I don't know if you should postpone the surgery if you are still being active though. I went to physical therapy for a little while before surgery and they just have you do squats and run on machines and balance. I'd say if your quads are strong already that you should just go for it. Right after surgery my quad muscles felt seemed like jelly. It's as though your muscles completely turn off post-surgery even if you worked out beforehand.
Hope that helps.
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kee,
did u use patella or hamstring? & i read on one website that its better to use the tendon from your opposite knee. recovery time is alot faster. ? -
I used my patella from the same leg I injured. My mom had gotten the surgery three times before and the first two she always used her patella so I just went with that too. Last time she used an allograph but she doesn't play competitively anymore- she coaches.
I read this site for a few benefits and drawbacks of each decision. http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/aclrepain/a/aclgrafts.htm
I have no idea about recovery time if you use your opposite knee. No one I've know has ever done it.
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Time-wise I've heard people say 4-6 months. My friend torn her ACL last year in August and she said it was 6 months before she could play again. My sister's coach could run again after 3 months. Apparently your ACL doesn't get back to it's full strength (if it ever does) till anywhere from 9-12 months. But it really depends on each person too. Some bodies just heal faster.
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so what problems have u had?. pain in knee from patella?
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Hi,
I am having the autograft, patella surgery in two weeks. The doctor told me that this is the best graft if you are younger, heathy, and active. You always want to use your own issue if possible. Recovery is more difficult than the allograft. I was in PT for two months to get my quad in order. This is really important and I am told that it makes the post-op a lot better.
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mikem so should i postpone my surgery and build my quads up?
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Kinz384,
I do not think that is necessary. I know I wouldn't want to want any longer for surgery. All of the PT people told me that few people do pre-hab. If your quad isn't so strong now, it will mean a little longer recovery time. Good luck with the surgery. Let us know how it goes.
Mike
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