Tested out the knee on skis for the first time since getting injured in January 2007. Felt great. I was at Smuggler's Notch for a weekend and wasn't sure if I would ski or not. I did, though I stayed very low key -- the terrain wasn't anything intense. But the knee felt about 99% normal. I had posted a really poor video on YT, but pulled it.
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Hello Stephen,
Firstly I would like to thank you for giving all of us such a detailed look into your experience with the ACL reconstruction.
While skiing two days ago, I tore my ACL. When I tore it, never thought that I actually had, I was not going all that fast, my initial thought was that I had tweaked it badly. "But a tear? no way"
After an appointment with the doc today, reality has fully set in. I go in for an MRI tomorrow to confirm the tear and see if there is any damage to the meniscus, hopefully not.
We began to talk of surgery, and I have begun to look at recovery time of patients. This is a more serious injury than I had thought. I am 16v years old, and a very aggressive skier, I run track, and play a lot of golf. Reconstruction is certainly the way I will be going with this, as I want to return to my normal athletic self much as possible. Hopefully, the growth plate will not be a major issue. I hope to go for the cadaver graft, as I don't want to lose any strength in my leg.
From the recovery time of you and others, this injury looks like it may set me back much further than I had thought.
What are some recommendations of yours (things you wish you had done differently, or whatever) for someone going through this experience?
Will, with the right surgeon, a positive attitude, and the self-discipline to stick with your rehab, you'll be fine. If you look through my posts -- from immediately post-procedure to just recently, you'll get an idea what the recovery is like, at least for an active 50 year old. Your age is definitely a factor that you'll want to talk over with your orthopod.
As for the seriousness of the procedure, it's not called a "reconstruction" for nothing. The ACL and PCL hold it all together and the amount of torque and force exerted on the knee is immense.
If you have the procedure soon, you should be able to ski next season, if your rehab goes well. Best of luck. Stop by again and let me know how you're making out.
Hi again Stephen,
Well, after the meeting with the doc today to look at the MRI, the damage is worse than we expected. Not only did i tear my ACL, but tore the meniscus as well (he used the word "shredded"), and slightly crushed in the bone/cartilage on the underside of the femur. The report says "osteochondral lesion along the lateral femoral condyle and prosterior lateral tibial plateau" for this, if that means anything to anyone.
He says he doesn't want to do any surgery for four to six weeks!, until some of these other newly discovered problems can be assessed. He also said that due to the damage to the femur cartilage/bone that two surgeries might be necessary, as fixing all those things in one go would be too much.
So, I'm very disappointed with this, and my summer seems to be being eaten away at already. I think they want me to star some PT "pre-hab" before the sugery for the next month. What have I done!!
That sounds pretty serious Will, but don't be too discouraged. My understanding is that the amount of force required to tear the ACL means there's usually other damage as well. For me it was a meniscal tear. You may be out of the game for a while, but it'll give you a chance to focus on other stuff -- what else can you do? So, don't feel too bad -- it may be hard to accept now, but the sooner you do, the better your outcome.
The pre-surgical rehab is meant to get you ready for the rehab following surgery. When you're laid up for a significant amount of time, you lose muscle mass very quickly. Remember that most athletes deal with injury, and how they deal with it is what distinguishes them. You'll be fine, but keep the goal in sight.
Hi Will,
When is your surgery? Will you get a cadaver even though you are so young? I am 39 and 18 days post op... had hamstring graft for complete ACL tear. My OS (orthoped. surgeon) said he cleaned up some ragge d stuff on my meniscus but otherwise it looked fine. 100% weight bearing post op. The first 2 weeks post op suck (use painkillers). But then it gets much much better. I expect 3 months to heal according to my OS and PT(physical therapist). Obeying my PT and trying not to get discouraged as I am bored out of my skull sometimes. Very used to being active as I am a ski instructor and outdoor enthusiast. Hoping to ski again in mid Nov. for my job. I hope all works out. You are an inspiration Stephen. Thanks for sharing. I feel optimistic...today:)
Skiedtoo..., Sorry to hear of your injury, but you're already on the road back. My advice, find a PT you really like to work with/for -- someone who can help motivate you. Don't be afraid to 'fire' your PT if you're not getting what you need.
I developed a good relationship with the guy I worked with, and really wanted to show him how dedicated I was. Like you, I went into the injury in decent shape, which made recovery easier. I was told almost from the first week that I was well ahead of schedule, and that helped keep me motivated too.
The other thing you can do to stay motivated is watch videos on YouTube, like World Cup racing, as well as clips on rehab and exercises. I just love seeing those racers lay it out, esp. on GS courses. And check out the long line of Warren Miller movies. I love seeing guys ripping it in deep snow on some insane pitch you can only reach by copter.
Hello all,
So I haven't posted for quite some time now, since before my MRI, at the beginning of MArch.
I had surgery on the 25th of March, one week ago. A while back I was unsure of what type of graft was going to be used, but it turns out that we used the patella, as my surgeon prefers this over the hamstring, and the risk of infection w/ a cadaver is too high in people of my age. Before the sugery I did some "pre-hab" every day for a week and a half.
The surgery went well, and it turns out that the damage to my articular cartilage actually was not a problem. I had my ACL repaired and two stitches put in the medial meniscus. I have had a few sessions of physical therapy already, the first of which was the day after surgery. I had one session yesterday and one lined up for Thurs. My range of motion at this point is from about -3' to 80' or so. I'm trying to take tylenol now instead of the Lortab (hydrocodone)that had been relied on for the first few days. The pain isnt so bad unless I am standing for more than a min or so, when it starts to throb badly.
I'm getting pretty stir crazy after sitting around like this and not being able to do something or at least go out to eat. I'm looking ahead to when I'll be able to play golf, maybe the end of June??
At least the surgery is done with and now I'm on my way to recovery
Will, Good news on your procedure. The only thing I can say is pay attention to your PT, and be careful. After every session, my PT would always say to me, "now, you're feeling good, that's great, but don't do anything stupid."
You want the knee to be nice and tight to begin with, and you want to keep developing the muscles that hold it all together. Now you have something to work toward, but just don't rush it and get reinjured. I've been told in great detail by my orthopedist that fixing a failed ACL reconstruction is not something you want to have to deal with, the prognosis is so much worse in general than it is for you now.
Good luck.
I do realize the importance of a "controlled" recovery. My PT noted that the healing process is going to take 7 to 9 months no matter what, so there's no use in being overly aggressive in the training, because you're not "getting there" any faster. I think this will all become much easier to deal with once I am able to be up and around a bit more. For now, I'm spending a lot of the time on the couch icing and doing quad sets constantly. So long as my knee is strait, I have a pretty easy, fairly painless, time of firing my quad. One other thing that I've been doing is moving my knee cap side to side with my hands, which is supposed to prevent the build up of dreaded scar tissue.
Also, I'm going to continue to work w/ my PT longer than needed on a sports specific training program. I would like to go into next ski season stronger than I was before the injury, not only the knee, but upper body, etc.
Hi Stephen:
I admire your blog and think its so cool that you put all these vibrant details out there for all.
I have a stretched ACL (and a subluxed patella), so now I'm in the heartbreaking business of looking for a good surgeon. The event occured last March..so its taken awhile to determine what is going on. Its a pretty strange uphill challenge as my knee feels sloppy and almost SEVERED. Even when I'm laying down that creepy sensation fills me with dread.
I love to see the great story though..and would love to get back to skiing and dancing. It seems like such a far away place right now, but if you can make it, and others can make it...then I can too!
I live in CT, just beyond Springfield...so I'm familiar with all those ski place you are talking about. BOY...oy BOY!
Finding just the right PT can also be hard... I've met two (trying to do prehab), and they seem pretty darn invasive and pushy. OY!
Not my style at all.
Question for ya... Did you get 100 percent recovery? You would never know that you ever had surgery?
Wish me luck...
~E:)
Anon: I do know which knee is the 'involved' one (my PT scolded me for calling it the 'bad' knee). But I don't have any awareness of it playing tennis. The only thing I sometimes feel is some remaining weakness in my hamstring from the graft site. With ski season coming up though, I'm renewing my attention to core and leg strengthening. I'm *not* getting injured again.
Stephen:
Yeah...I twisted my right knee. Its really throwing me off when I walk. Since my ACL shows up as merely a "mild sprain" I'm having a hard time getting the docs to take it seriously.
As it turns out, women can stretch more than they tear...and since stretched ACL doesn't show up on MRI...we are less likely to be believed when we start talking about a sloppy unstable knee.
I've been to two OS's so far, they were quick to dismiss what I'm saying because it counters the MRI. I'm working on getting the KT-1000 machine to prove my case.:(
ARG!
Your story is truly beautiful. YES! You've had an outstanding recovery and I am thrilled!!!!
Not enough good stories on the web. It looks like doctors and rehabbers are getting better at handling this injury, so the good news is slow in coming....but the cool thing is that it IS coming.
They say if you really bulk up all those muscles, you should be fine for skiing. Hamstring grafts can be a bit difficult to overcome...but from what I understand that will heal in time.
Also...one thing I read is that the reason why skiiers hurt their ACL more is because they don't FEEL the awareness of their limbs because of the boots....so it would be good for you to do a lot of working out and stretching with no shoes on (pointing toes and building dexterity there)...to LIVEN up that spacial awareness.
I plan on doing that when I get out of this jam.:)
Are you planning on wearing a brace?
~E:)
~E:) Thanks for posting. I skied the end of last season, nothing too intense, and I did wear the brace -- not so much for protection, but just as a reminder. What you say about the ski boots is probably true, although I'm pretty sure I hyper-extended my knee because I was skiing in very loosely buckled boots, which I had a habit of doing on my first run or two (not any more). If the boots had been snug I don't think it would have happened, at least on that fall.
Stephen:
That is so excellent.. You sound like a man with a lot of courage, getting back out there so quickly. A brace and solid boots....sound like a good plan to me. :)
Its good that you stay in shape and do other sports as well.:)
How did you handle all of this with such a good attitude? I read a lot of stories and it sounds like such a mentally taxing thing. Your story sounds so smooth... Easy breezy...
~E:)
Anon: To be honest, I was never sure I would want to or be able to ski again, mainly because I didn't expect the knee to feel as good as it does. I accepted that possibility, what else can you do? There are a lot of interesting things to do in the world -- skiing is just one thing.
The reading I did prior to the surgery made it clear that I could reasonably expect to get back nearly all of the range and strength I had before. That was affirmed by my PT and my orthopod.
I was lucky that I didn't have any real setbacks. I started out in decent shape and I had a clear vision of what I wanted to be able to do. What I wanted mostly was to be able to play tennis again and that was going to require not only the knee procedure, but also repair of a torn labrum (SLAP II) in my playing shoulder. Guess what? Same orthopod. Same excellent results.
Stephen:
I do love your story and your spirit.
Don't mean to be a drag, but I'm in such a different place right now.
I guess its because this leg injury hasn't been diagnosed properly yet and its been a long road (event happened in March), and it looks like I have a long way to go...so it feels like a never ending battle. My MRI shows and intact ACL "mild sprain"...but my guess is that its badly stretched, and stretched ACLs look like good ones on MRIs.
Like you pointed out, I too had a multi-trauma. Mine also involved a dislocated patella, and since it self-reduced by the time I got the MRI...the doctors thought there was no reason for my pain and limping.
To keep my head...
I find myself watching football just so I can SEE football players running who had ACL recons. NEVER have I watched football in my life, but it turns out to be not half bad, even if I don't really understand it all that well.:) I'm even hanging on every piece of news about Tiger Woods and Tom Brady. Poor Tom Brady. Did you read all about Curt Shillings labrum? He's posted about it on his blog...
See...I've gone 'round the bend...LOL
So questions for ya if you know. I've got skinny legs and I'd like to get a stationary bike for the pre-hab. Does the action of the unstable knee damage the meniscus or other knee structures when one spins?
Would it be good to get a brace for the prehab..as my tibia is really unstable? Maybe just for walking around?
Thanks..
~E:)
Thank you very much for sharing your ordeal about your ACL rehabilitation, since it serves as a guide to everyone who'll be unfortunate to be injured, just like me. I once broke my leg once due to a bad fall, thankfully, my past records were easily accessed by the electronic health records so diagnostics aren't much of a chore.
After months of rehabilitation, I was discharged and fit to skate again, but I tripled my efforts in keeping myself safe, since the next one might be the end of my career. Other than that, I am thankful for the electronic medical records system, without it, it will take me even longer to get out of the hospital.
Hi Stephen!
I took a tumble in norway about 12wks ago which has just been diagnosed as a complete disruption of the acl. I went boarding and skiing in france in january without too much difficulty and it hasnt caused me to much trouble. I am young and I like to get about so I think surgery is almost a definite, but I am cautious about the timing. As we all know summer is coming and, exams aside, I'd like to have a good time! However Im not too keen on missing out on next seasons snow. Could you tell me how long it took you to make your full recovery, do you think I would have to miss college post op and also how long did it take you to get a basic level of functionality back in you knee? I know Im being a bit greedy trying to satisfy all my desires but it cant hurt to try!
with thanks,
Ben
Ben, I had my procedure in March and did a little skiing the following season, but nothing too serious. I started playing tennis seriously again starting in February the following year, though this date was complicated by a shoulder surgery I had in October the same year as the knee. So I basically missed the whole 2007 season, but was completely back for 2008.
Results will vary, of course, but that was my experience.
Hi, I am 59 and live in breck i am an old bumpskier that has no acl and cartalidge in my left knee. i have been skiing the last 4 years anaverage of 50 to 80 days per year. I even skiied without a brace for last 3 years. I am a very aggressive skier. 5 weeks ago I was traversing on some ice hit a clump and had to set my right ski to stay on the mountain. I tore my right ACL and bruised my MCL badly.I can feel my left knee now because I am favoring it as I walk.
I live up her to ski and am looking at having surgey soon.I have some calf pain too. Please let me know your thoughts and any advise you might have. I have to ski its my paaion!e
Anon: You're living the dream, dude. Did you get a "courtesy" ride down the hill from Ski Patrol? I always hated the idea of going through that - and never have, but sometimes, it's the only way down.
I'm not an authority on anything but my own experience, so I can only tell you that with the leg strength you already have going into a procedure, you have a big head start on rehab. Shop around for the right orthopod, read up on your options (graft, PT, etc.), and get yourself mentally ready to work on your recovery. That's all you can do, right? Play the cards you're dealt as best you can. Good luck. Let us know how you make out.
Hi thansk for putting this on here I AMA ski racers and I tore mine ACL last season. In my last race at the bottom of the run. I am a month and 2 weeks out of sugery and doing GREAT. but I am worried that I won't ski next season. But I go to physical therapy and train. Any advice reply back thansk
From ,
A very dedicated ski racer
Thank you so much Stephen for sharing your experience. Currently I'm in my first year of physical therapy school and had to create a portfolio on ACL Reconstruction. One aspect of the portfolio was describing patient symptoms and general abilities at different time points throughout therapy process. I shared your blog with my 61 classmates and we have found it very useful with that portion of our portfolio. From the class and I..... Thank you for educating us young therapists!
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most commonly injured ligaments of the knee. The incidence of ACL tear injuries is currently estimated at approximately 200,000 annually, with 100,000 ACL reconstructions performed each year.In general, the incidence of ACL injury is higher in people who participate in high-risk sports, such as basketball, football, skiing, and soccer
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