acl experience

[junkyard dawg]

If any of you fellas ever had an acl injury and have any insight or advice, I'd love to hear about it.

I had a little problem getting off the tractor last week... like a lace got hung up on my left boot. I came down hard on my right leg and pow!

Doc says its the acl. Gotta have an mri and then probably surgery

[kenfyoozed]

I havent, but several of the DR's i work with have, from tennis to cricket injuries. They all came through it fine, just took a few months, but all are back to their old ways. One even put it off for over a month. Let ue know how it goes for you.

On a side note, what kind of tractor? I got an old 1974 MF135, passed on to me from my great grandfather. Love them tractors!

Keep Safe!

[myles]

Both my knees are knackered from jumping out of helicopters and landrovers. At some point I will have to have the joints replaced but I am trying to put it off for as long as possible. I wear articulated spring braces - barely noticeable under trousers- to prevent lateral flexion of the joints.

On a day to day basis I am OK but ladders really HURT. Predictable wear and tear from 22 years of joint abuse. Body armour takes its toll eventually.

[olddog]

I have not had an ACL, but I did tear the miniscus, and had the op with keyhole surgery, feels OK 3 months after but still got twinges of pain, now it's one year and everything feels normal with no pain whatsoever.



OD

[C. Morrison]

My oldest son had ACL replacement surgery when he was 25 or so.His injury was so bad, the knee kept popping out of joint.
A donor ACL was used and he has been fine for 10 years.In fact he is heavily into martial arts.
That would be the "worst case" repair for an ACL, there are lesser levels of injury.
Good luck to you,get well soon.

[rtalbigr]

My youngest son had acl surgery when in high school from a football injury. It been 17 years and no problems. Rehab was really hard for him, we had to constantly encourage him to keep at it.

I had knee replacement surgery 5 years ago in both knees.

Here's the thing about knee surgery. It is one of the most painful surgeries there is. Aggressive rehab is a must and ya really gotta fight through the pain. The more aggressive ya are with the rehab the quicker will be your recovery. You'll need to do some prior planning, rearange your living space to accomodate your limited mobility. The hardest thing for me was gettin' on and off the crapper and takin' a shower, had to put a tall stool in the shower so I could support my self.

Myles - I would really encourage you to get the replacement surgery. When I finally had my knees looked at the Dr. talked about using the braces like you're wearing and he told me it was mostly just postponing the inevitable. The inside of my knees were bone to bone. I was good for about ten steps out of my truck each morning and the rest of the day was misery. Going down steps was the absolute worse, and like you ladders were H***. Metal/ceramic knees really changed my life, sometimes they ache a little when a cold front is coming in, and I can't squat down, but I have full mobility otherwise. Climbing ladders, stairs, etc is no longer a problem, I walk normally w/o any pain. The surgery now is much less invasive (my scars are only about 4 1/2 inches) so recovery is much better than 10 years ago. I was back to work in only two months. The materials they use are much better and usable life is generally 20+ years with no problems. You can PM me about it if you want.

Big R

[warr87]

I've torn my MCL. My advice to you is listen to your physiotherapist and other doctors and do what they say. do all of your exercises, hit the gym to strengthen the surrounding muscles which will help support your knee, and other things such as flaxseed oil (natural anti-inflammatory) and a healthy diet will help your body recover. Also, icing for a while after is necessary to get the swelling down (the doctor should tell you about this), but also remember that heat is also good. Ice after exercise or a long day to reduce swelling, heatpad to increase blood flow to the injured area when your resting.

It's been almost 5 years from my injury and I still got the occasional pain in my knee. the fact that I recovered (relatively speaking) very quickly from following advice means that my chronic pain isn't as bad as it would have been. the recover period will dictate how 'chronic' the injury will be.

[myles]

Thanks Big R, I supose I am just trying to postpone the day. Other folks have said the same as you. Things are getting better. There was a time when the knee replacement was only expected to last for 10 years before you needed to do it again.

[olddog]

I supose I am just trying to postpone the day

It Does not get any better Myles, I put off my op for a while, but its been a year since now, and I am glad I made the decision even though I was a bit reluctant at the time.


OD

[myles]

Yes I know. My wife keeps going on at me too. I am just coming to the end of a contract and if I get settled into a new job I will get it done. She wants me to get it done so she can go back to Egypt for another holiday. Why she wants to go clambering down inside the Great Pyramid beats me

[rtalbigr]

Myles - Knee replacement is a terribly painful experience, but having been through it I can honestly tell you, it was worth it!! Every miserable day, every miserable rehab exercise, every virtually sleepless miserable night, WAS WORTH IT!!!

Find a DR with a good track record. Be very aggressive during rehab.

Big R

[junkyard dawg]

Got the MRI results today and its not as bad as it could be. ACL torn completely, some 'bone bruises', some arthritis and some patella fraying?

Now the question is to fix it or live with it. Gonna cost a boat load of money to fix... even with insurance. But I don't know how I can work with it like this... my knee is as loose as a $2 baton rouge, louisiana syphilitic hooker...

I'm going to pour a drink and pile on some ice packs...

[rtalbigr]

JD - When I got my knees "fixed" money was a big problem as well. Bastard DR's and hospitals!! But I couldn't see no way out. Fortunately besides medical ins I also had disability ins but still cost me a s*** load a bucks. I struggled financially for a good while but in the end I'd do it again if I had to. Walkin' w/o pain is pretty nice.

Big R

[junkyard dawg]

There are so many crooks involved in the medical business. They don't do a damn thing but shuffle papers and take a cut... leaches! Parasites! I don't mean to commit politics here, but it boggles the mind... reform my ass...

I can survive the hit, but it couldn't come at a worse time...