Ever tear your ACL?

[TigerVols]

I have.

I tore my ACL and my meniscus and sprained my MCL by pulling a Boy Scout act -- I stopped a guy who was beating the hell out of a woman at 4 in the afternoon in a parking lot at my office. Long story short the guy was later tackled by LAPD and in the process of that, I popped my knee.

Surgery in two weeks. I know it's a very common sports injury (I'm talking to you, Josh Howard!) so I'm wondering if anyone has any insight/advice.

 

[The Big Ragu]

****. I am so sorry to hear that. Know people who have been through it, including my girlfriend who had surgery three times before many of the laproscopic advances that are now more common.

As for what you did, I hope you feel good about yourself, despite the unfortunate result. I'd give you a hand, but it sounds like you need a knee.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I tore one in 1983, so my surgery was much more invasive than what they do now. That said, do the rehab. Whatever they tell you for as long as they tell you.

 

[Rufino]

Assuming they are taking the repair graft out of your patella tendon, be very careful with your rehab. It's easy to get fired up and overdo it, but if you tear the graft out you're really screwed. It takes five years for the tendon to regerate enough to use again.

 

[YGBFKM]

Sucks about the ACL, but kudos for doing what you did. I severed my PCL and tore the MCL in high school. Luckily, no ACL damage, so I was up and around in no time. But because I blew off the rehab, I've had lingering knee issues ever since. I'd imagine with an ACL injury, as was mentioned before, the rehab is crucial.

 

[Care Bear]

Sucks about the ACL, but kudos for doing what you did. I severed my PCL and tore the MCL in high school. Luckily, no ACL damage, so I was up and around in no time. But because I blew off the rehab, I've had lingering knee issues ever since. I'd imagine with an ACL injury, as was mentioned before, the rehab is crucial.

You are quite injury-prone.

 

[zebracoy]

My college roommate tore his playing a game of pick-up basketball. He was in moderate pain when it happened, but not a whole lot, and was able to walk a couple days later.

Then the surgery happened, and he cursed everyone and everything for the next three months as he had to waddle around the world's dumpiest campus during the winter. I really felt bad for the guy and the accommodations he had to make.

A noble battle wound. Good for you. Prepare for hell.

 

[expendable]

Hats off to you, TigerVols. Doubt many would've done what you did. I've been around enough people who have had the injury to stress what others have said about rehab. The ones who did their rehab are fine, while -- without a single exception -- the others are having issues.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

I have.

I tore my ACL and my meniscus and sprained my MCL by pulling a Boy Scout act -- I stopped a guy who was beating the hell out of a woman at 4 in the afternoon in a parking lot at my office. Long story short the guy was later tackled by LAPD and in the process of that, I popped my knee.

Surgery in two weeks. I know it's a very common sports injury (I'm talking to you, Josh Howard!) so I'm wondering if anyone has any insight/advice.

Sucks that you got hurt. On the other hand, I owe you a beer for doing it that way. 8)

 

[mustangj17]

LISTEN AND I REPEAT LISTEN CLOSELY!!!!

DO NOT HAVE BOTH SURGERIES DONE AT ONCE! PLEASE!!!!

Have your meniscus repaired first. If it is a bad tear in the meniscus, it could mean you will not be able to put any pressure on your bad leg for 4-8 weeks. This would seriously hinder your ability to rehab your torn ACL. If you can't even put pressure for say, 6 weeks, you won't be able to rehab for a while. It will also make life hell trying to get around.

When I shredded my ACL and meniscus two years ago, my doctor said he would only do the procedure seperately. I had my meniscus repaired, and as it turned out, the tear wasn't so bad. I was able to then rehab it and build up my strength before surgery.

Because of this, the day after my ACL surgery, I was able to stand on both feet. Not well, but I still could.

Two weeks later I was able to start rehab.
Four weeks later I was walking.
Six weeks after MY FREAKIN ACL surgery I was jogging.
Eight weeks later I running.

Come to think of it, I had my surgery exactly two years ago yesterday. I was coaching track at the time, and the last day of the season (Mid-May) I was high jumping 4-8 to 5-feet with my girls.

And this wasn't just Mustang recovering from a minor ACL injury. My meniscus flipped and doubled over, I shredded the ACL, tore all the cartiledge in my knee and had a bone bruise that lasted for months.

Another thing that I would urge... go to a doctor that will put your knee in an immobilizer immediately after surgery. AND DON'T TAKE IT OFF.

I see guys all the time walking around in these Don Joy Braces after surgery. Sure it protects you if you fall, but you need to protect your leg from trying to bend. It won't make sense now, but in two months when you can't straighten your leg 100 percent, you will know why.

My doctor put my leg in this immobilizer. I did not take it off (but only to shower) for two weeks. No bending the knee. At all. Not once. Don't even try it.

Because of this it was much easier to straighten my knee through rehab.

You will learn it is easier to bend your knee than it is to straighten it. It took me a significant amount of time maybe 6 months to completely be able to straighten my knee. If I hadn't had the immobilizer to keep me from bending it, it could have been much worse.

About a year after the surgery, when I would hoop with my brace on, it still locked up pretty good on me. I would have to sit on my butt and put a 20 pound weight on my thigh to get it to straighten out.

Here I am two years later without it locking up. Haven't had any problems since I started p90x. All the squats built it back up and now I am 100 percent again. Of course, rehab, walking, trying to run again would all have been 10x worse if I had both surgeries together and if I had bent my leg at all in that first two weeks, it would have been hell.

Like everyone said, rehab is crucial. I did 4 weeks after my meniscus surgery and 3 months after my acl surgery. It was all my ****ty insurance would pay for. But, I worked out on my own 3 times a week for months and months and months until it got 100 percent.

Get ready for lots of squats.

 

[mustangj17]

Also, my rehab place had a tool to help straighten the leg. It was called the excruciator.

Good luck.

 

[billikens]

Lots of good advice here, the only big one I'd stress again is, if it is a patella tendon graft, do not push your rehab too hard. I know it's tempting, but patella tendinitis is brutal and ends up hurting your rehab in the long run.

Also, if the swelling has gone down, I'd spend the next two weeks on a stationary bike trying to build up as much strength and stamina as possible (definitely talk to your doc about this first to make sure it won't do any further damage). I tore my ACL/meniscus in college, but couldn't have the surgery for two months because I couldn't miss the classes. But when it came time for surgery, I was in such good shape, and the muscles around my leg were so strong, progress was much easier to come by in rehab.

 

[Corky Ramirez up on 94th St.]

Shea Ralph looked at this thread and chortled.

 

[Stoney]

I ripped mine in two playing high school basketball. But that was back in the late 80s when the reconstructive procedure was far different and more invasive than it is now. Took me six solid months of tedious rehab before I could play anything again, hope it goes better for you.

 

[mustangj17]

Lots of good advice here, the only big one I'd stress again is, if it is a patella tendon graft, do not push your rehab too hard. I know it's tempting, but patella tendinitis is brutal and ends up hurting your rehab in the long run.

Also, if the swelling has gone down, I'd spend the next two weeks on a stationary bike trying to build up as much strength and stamina as possible (definitely talk to your doc about this first to make sure it won't do any further damage). I tore my ACL/meniscus in college, but couldn't have the surgery for two months because I couldn't miss the classes. But when it came time for surgery, I was in such good shape, and the muscles around my leg were so strong, progress was much easier to come by in rehab.

You could always go with a hamstring graft. I felt like the long-term rehabilitation was easier. Of course, I get a lot more muscle pulls in that leg now, because I only have three quarters of the hamstring muscle in my right leg now.

The bike thing is a good idea. So is an elliptical. There's a lot of resistance. Just not cutting or planting, then you could screw it up more.

 

[TigerVols]

First, I appreciate all the kind words/high-fives both here and in PMs. I honestly don't think I did anything most SJ guys wouldn't have done, especially if you had heard the woman's screams. Just to close the loop: I had to attend a hearing for the "perp" yesterday and it turns out he was out on parole and violating a court order on top of the domestic violence, so he's going to plea to an 8-year sentence, but he's making a stop at the psych ward first for eval.

As for the ACL advice: good stuff here. The more I learn about the surgery, the less I like...especially since I'm able to walk around on it OK at the moment. As my wife said this morning, "so you're going to go in and have them screw it all up again now that you're walking OK?" Yep, I guess so.

FYI, I'm going with a cadaver transplant, as per my surgeon's suggestion (my meniscus is not getting the knife, it's not that bad). He's the surgeon for USC athletics and assisted on Andrew Bynum's, so I'm going to stick with his idea. He says it makes for longer rehab but much better results.

The good news is my rehab facility is literally across the street so I've got no excuses not to do it!

 

[Fly]

Good job TV and good luck with the surgery and rehab.

I trashed my right knee three times playing ball (1981, 1983, 1987). The dreaded "terrible triad" injury, never did anything about it other than keep the muscles strong and wear a brace playing hockey, softball, hiking etc.

Finally after all these years, and attempting numerous PTs/injections, the ortho surgeon and I decided to at least clean the meniscus up (as he smugly (and kiddingly) put it, 'It's 20 minutes out of my life' ha!!). He showed me the pre-/post-pictures and the meniscus was a mess, as were the remnants of my ACL floating around the joint. Now, I gots nothin' there. But he said unless there was a big change in my status, we won't do reconstruction and I can just wear my big-ass brace for any athletic endeavours. Had the surgery in November, and the knee is starting to feel a lot better now (but I can definitely feel the lack of stability at times when I move a certain way- previously the pain from the debris in the joint would prevent a lot of that movement before it got to that point).

Wish this kind of surgery was readily available 20-ish years ago when I was still a youngster and jacked it up in the first place. The advancements are mind-boggling...

 

[mustangj17]

First, I appreciate all the kind words/high-fives both here and in PMs. I honestly don't think I did anything most SJ guys wouldn't have done, especially if you had heard the woman's screams. Just to close the loop: I had to attend a hearing for the "perp" yesterday and it turns out he was out on parole and violating a court order on top of the domestic violence, so he's going to plea to an 8-year sentence, but he's making a stop at the psych ward first for eval.

As for the ACL advice: good stuff here. The more I learn about the surgery, the less I like...especially since I'm able to walk around on it OK at the moment. As my wife said this morning, "so you're going to go in and have them screw it all up again now that you're walking OK?" Yep, I guess so.

FYI, I'm going with a cadaver transplant, as per my surgeon's suggestion (my meniscus is not getting the knife, it's not that bad). He's the surgeon for USC athletics and assisted on Andrew Bynum's, so I'm going to stick with his idea. He says it makes for longer rehab but much better results.

The good news is my rehab facility is literally across the street so I've got no excuses not to do it!

Great news about the meniscus. Being able to put weight on your foot shortly after the surgery will make things much easier during the first few months of rehab. The cadaver graft will also help you develop muscle strength in your hamstring. The stronger your hamstring the less chance you have of reinjuring your leg.

A common misconception with people is that knees grow stronger by building up the quadricepts. You actually need to build up your hamstrings. Ask your doctor about some good excercises to do. I used to lay on my stomach and attach 10 lb ankle weights to my ankle, then lift the leg backward. It has to be done slowly, but it is a very good workout.

Also make sure you never do the following things, or you may risk injuring your leg.
-Leg lifts/extensions where all the tension is on the center of the knee. They have those leg extensions machines at the gym. They aren't good for people with good knees. Stay away.
-Hurdler stretches. I tell my runners this all the time, don't force your ligaments to do things they don't want to do. You can achieve a sufficient stretch by sitting on your butt and reaching for your toes.
-Lock out your legs. Don't do this for squats, or anything sports related. Not golf, baseball or anything like that. If you have to lock out your leg, wear a brace.

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

I partially tore mine when I flipped a four-wheeler as a 12-year-old. A few years later, I finished the job playing basketball.

I didn't do the rehab. Biggest mistake. I don't feel like my knee has ever been the same, but I have no one to blame but myself. Until recently, I've always had knee pain when doing any activity. About six weeks ago, I started training for a half marathon. For some reason, my knee has held up thus far and my legs are getting much strong.

IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE OF THIS POST: DO THE REHAB!

 

[standman]

Yes do the rehab and be patient with yourself. I'm not sure how old you are, but forget about all those stories about athletes coming back in 6-9 months. Remember their motivation. They have to get back on the field because you're talking about how they make a living. You have a real job with real time issues. Swim as much as you can as part of your rehab and if you really don't have to do a lot of jumping and moves that require a lot of torque on your knees, don't worry about it.