Arkady Renko Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Turns out that I have been living with a torn ACL for the past couple of years and need to weigh surgical options. It seems like there are a few different approaches using a part of your hamstring, using a part of your patella and using a cadaver tendon. Anyone ever have this done? Still kind of shocked that my ACL is apparently torn. I have had no pain except when it probably happened although my knee's stability has been poor ever since. I am having an MRI to confirm the damage, but the orthopedic surgeon was pretty sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Turns out that I have been living with a torn ACL for the past couple of years and need to weigh surgical options. It seems like there are a few different approaches using a part of your hamstring, using a part of your patella and using a cadaver tendon. Anyone ever have this done? Still kind of shocked that my ACL is apparently torn. I have had no pain except when it probably happened although my knee's stability has been poor ever since. I am having an MRI to confirm the damage, but the orthopedic surgeon was pretty sure. much depends on your age and activity level. i had it done at 45 cuz i wanted to continue skiing (which is how i tore it). i wouldn't do it over again. still wear a brace to ski. still occasional pain. but the pain the week after the surgery was intense. worst i've ever had. didn't help that i was working on crutches 3 days after the surgery but it would have still hurt! remember that thurman thomas played on a torn acl his entire pro career. i'm pretty sure i could have skied on one. if your into your 40's, i wouldn't do it. if you don't regularly play intense sports i wouldn't do it. and if you don't meet either of those criteria i'd still think long and hard about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirly5 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I have had both ACLs reconstruced (2001 and 2006). I am lucky like that. I had the patellar tendon method done. I believe that is the most common reconstruction method. ACL reconstruction is very common these days and orthopedic surgeons have it down to a science. Depending on your age and how active you are will play in to whether or not to get surgery. I was 20 and 25 at the time so I got them cut because I still wanted to play sports. I get soreness in my knees occasionally after exercising and I imagine I will need to get them cleaned out at some point. If you do get cut, find a physical therapist that you are comfortable with and is good. I had a lot of knee pain the first time around during rehab but the second time around rehab went fine. I guess practice makes perfect. Be prepared because the first few months are not fun especially the first few weeks. Good luck either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Turns out that I have been living with a torn ACL for the past couple of years and need to weigh surgical options. It seems like there are a few different approaches using a part of your hamstring, using a part of your patella and using a cadaver tendon. Anyone ever have this done? Still kind of shocked that my ACL is apparently torn. I have had no pain except when it probably happened although my knee's stability has been poor ever since. I am having an MRI to confirm the damage, but the orthopedic surgeon was pretty sure. Had a reconstruction when I was 16. I'm now 53 and aside from some minor pain now and then I've had no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Renko Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Thanks everyone for their input. I am 30, by the way. I am no weekend warrior, but I have been limited with some of stuff I liked to do because of fear of my knee giving out (has happened five times the last few years.) The doc seemed pretty confident that I tore it but I am getting an MRI to confirm. Don't know if there are many surprises in such a case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Renko Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 much depends on your age and activity level. i had it done at 45 cuz i wanted to continue skiing (which is how i tore it). i wouldn't do it over again. still wear a brace to ski. still occasional pain. but the pain the week after the surgery was intense. worst i've ever had. didn't help that i was working on crutches 3 days after the surgery but it would have still hurt! remember that thurman thomas played on a torn acl his entire pro career. i'm pretty sure i could have skied on one. if your into your 40's, i wouldn't do it. if you don't regularly play intense sports i wouldn't do it. and if you don't meet either of those criteria i'd still think long and hard about it. Is it just because of the pain you went through in recovery or because it didn't help you that much? What type of graft did you do and how long ago did you do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I tore my left ACL in 1990 playing pick-up hoops. I was 20 and my doc suggested surgery but I knew that if I did that I'd lose my ROTC scholarship, so I never had anything done. I had a brace for sports but I did all my Army stuff very carefully. Running straight forward was never a problem. In 2001 (after leaving the Army) I tried to score from 3rd on a pop-up to short left and instead of crashing through the catcher (this is beer league softball after all) I tore my right ACL as I tried to ballet step around him. It was the same snapping sound I heard years before. Never had an MRI, so I'm not really sure it's totally torn but it feels the same now as the other. Can't tell you what to do but I do know when the next storm is coming. Good luck! Smash-cut to 2003: I ended up meeting a guy in my alumni group that ran a knee brace company. I got myself a couple of great new braces and decided to join the company softball team again. At the first practice I was fielding grounders at 3rd. After picking a particularly hard one, I took off my glove to see the last join in my left pinkie about 45 degrees off. Broke the least important bone in my body. I figured the universe wanted me off the diamond. Now I just do running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 How can a guy with two torn ACL's call himself "HopsGuy"?? j/k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I would love to try doing it If you want it done for nothing. I always wish I had become a doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 How can a guy with two torn ACL's call himself "HopsGuy"?? j/k Back before the first one, I was a 5'9" white dude that was this close to dunking (I could dunk a volleyball). Now I'm just a guy that likes a good IPA. Either way, it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 1341088433[/url]' post='2495845']Back before the first one, I was a 5'9" white dude that was this close to dunking (I could dunk a volleyball). Now I'm just a guy that likes a good IPA. Either way, it works. Did you shrink? How tall are you now 5' 5''? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Did you shrink? How tall are you now 5' 5''? My spine is messed up these days (long story). I'm probably 5'8.5" now (just like Dexter. ), with a bit of a lean to it. Also like Dexter, I choked out a dude in a bar fight, recently. He had it coming. I have a code. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 (edited) Is it just because of the pain you went through in recovery or because it didn't help you that much? What type of graft did you do and how long ago did you do it? Had it seven years ago. i had a patellar tendon graft (i know the surgeon professionally and he's well thought of) it's because of the pain and the prolonged recovery. work on crutches for 2-3 months sucked. PT took lots of time and was fairly painful at times. the big thing is i'm not sure how much better of i'm with it than i would be without. i don't play contact sports anymore. an occasional backyard touch football game or softball game, occasional racquet sports, ballroom dancing (yes, it's a sport), golf and skiing. i think i could still do all of them without the repair but maybe more carefully and with a brace. i still can predict storms from my repaired knee and it still hurts if i push it hard. it never gives way though. finally, i have a torn mcl in my other knee (from skiing- i've mellowed out a bit since those two falls) that i wore an immobilizer on for a couple months. while it's not near as serious as an acl, it never gives me a problem in any activities. Edited June 30, 2012 by birdog1960 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Renko Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 Had it seven years ago. i had a patellar tendon graft (i know the surgeon professionally and he's well thought of) it's because of the pain and the prolonged recovery. work on crutches for 2-3 months sucked. PT took lots of time and was fairly painful at times. the big thing is i'm not sure how much better of i'm with it than i would be without. i don't play contact sports anymore. an occasional backyard touch football game or softball game, occasional racquet sports, ballroom dancing (yes, it's a sport), golf and skiing. i think i could still do all of them without the repair but maybe more carefully and with a brace. i still can predict storms from my repaired knee and it still hurts if i push it hard. it never gives way though. finally, i have a torn mcl in my other knee (from skiing- i've mellowed out a bit since those two falls) that i wore an immobilizer on for a couple months. while it's not near as serious as an acl, it never gives me a problem in any activities. Wow, I didn't think it was normal to be on crutches for 2-3 months. I thought it was usually two weeks of crutches, although I have heard of the PT being bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Wow, I didn't think it was normal to be on crutches for 2-3 months. I thought it was usually two weeks of crutches, although I have heard of the PT being bad. may have seemed longer than it really was. i just remember being on crutches for a long time, in a hard brace even longer and not being able to walk normally for a long time. i think the recovery is slower the older you are as well. but i've never talked to anyone who thought it was easy. i have met many people who say it worked well for them so i may be the exception rather than the rule. if i were 30, it may have gone differently. you may want to talk to a pt that rehabs knees often and get some opinions. my impression from the ones i worked with was that my rehab was slower than average but not terribly so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Never had to reconstruct a physical ACL. But if you ever need to rebuild a network Access Control List, I might be able to help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamrock Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Had 1 in 2006- patella played in an Arena game Columbus Wardogs. Excellent recovery- gr8 orthopedic in Oz- Julian Feller! Dislocated same knee 12 months l8r- not related. Hamstring- patella dislocated this time- was sitting next to my hamstring! Patella scope hurts, ACL good as gold- that's what happens when patella gets gouged out. Ended my hope of a short football career- retired after! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 (edited) Doesn't the "A" part have to do with that Greek guy who got his hair cut? Edit: that was Samson. Close enough. Edited July 1, 2012 by Jim in Anchorage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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