I had my second visit with the orthopod last Monday, Feb. 12. Doctor Peters confirmed the ACL tear and mentioned that the pain I feel now and then on the outside of my knee is from a small tear in my meniscus. The goal of this session was to determine the course of action. But the question in my mind wasn't so much what to do (have the surgery) as it was when to do it (as soon as possible). The discussion about whether to have the surgery at all really hinged on the level of mobility and the type of activity I felt I needed to have afterwards. I said that there was no way I would consider skiing or playing tennis on the knee in its present state. It's just too unstable.
My feeling was, let's get as much mobility back as possible so I can have a chance to get a USTA ranking in the 50-55 age group, as well as be able to compete in singles at the 4.0 level. So, we agreed to go ahead with the procedure. The only remaining question was where to get the tissue to use for my new ACL. Dr. Peters explained that, because of my age, I was on the borderline for the use of an allograft (cadaver tissue) or my own tendon, probably a part of my hamstring. Finally, it was decided the allograft would be on hand as a backup. Sometimes it's used in combination with your own tissue. I don't have a problem with the use of the allograft. What I'm interested in is the highest statistical probability of long term success -- I don't care where the tendon comes from.
We also settled on the date: March 9: Three weeks from today. So now, I'm reading up on post-op recovery, rehab, and physical therapy.
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