Anyone have An ACL tear and not have surgery?
 

I just got the bad news that I have an ACL and meniscus tear. Surgery obviously in an option, but doc said not having surgery is an option, I just won't be able to make lateral, pivots type moves. Basically my athletic life, outside of working out, would be over. But, it would be over for me anyways. So I'm wondering if anyone here opted out of surgery and how did that work out?

How did it happen?

They never heal naturally?

Raises hand.couple years ago. Doesn't even bother me anymore.


Only time I feel it is if I put my foot on the ground and tweak my knee towards my other leg, basically I have to try to know it's still there.

But for months it hurt like ****ing hell., my dumbass didn't even use a brace and if I would roll over in bed and the leg would hang oh my ****ing God...
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My wife tore hers many years ago and finally had to have ACL reconstruction earlier this year. She played volleyball and many other activities over the years with no problem.

BTW, we'll be out there a week from tomorrow. Probably will come see you for MNF if you're still going to be there. It'll be the Mrs. birthday that day too.

I got the same advice from my doctor when I tore my ACL many years ago. He said "It's not like you're a pro athlete".

So I decided not to have the surgery.

Four years later, I had the surgery, and I cursed myself for not getting the thing fixed when I originally injured it.

If you're ready to just sit around and watch television all of the time, skip the surgery. But if you'd like to do normal things like playing on company softball teams, playing tennis, going skiing, or doing anything else that requires a stable knee, you should get it fixed. It will suck for a year, but then you'll be whole again.

Was your meniscus ****ed too? Did you do rehab? Workouts?

Mine was a story kinda like yours ..lol


Pissing fell into the tub while zipping up. Foot got caught between the tub and toilet while I was in tub.

Then I couldn't get out of tub, stuck, and drunk as hell
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No.

Excuse me, but I must ROFL

Softball.

Yes no no, I play softball, some pickup basket ball. Work on my feet on concrete all day long, hardly bothers me at all anymore. But it wasn't torn completely.
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I injured mine 20 yrs ago and never had surgery. And what you're talking about in bed is so real. That shit ****ing hurts.

Oh go ahead, me and the wife laugh about it to this day, I tore the shower curtain and rod down, ****ed up the faucet.


Good times.. Lol
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Baseball. I was pitching, my plant leg. I heard a pop.

Searing pain followed.

Why did she have to have it? I'm unsure if I'm here or not.mi wasn't suppose to be but things have changed.

Truth.


that was the worst
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How torn? Mine isn't totally torn either, just don't know the extent yet?

About half way.maybe a little more.
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And while we have been doing this huge ****ing house project I made sure in the new bathrooms the toilets are totally away from everything else.
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Ok, how old we're you?
I'm a 43 yr old woman, who works out and I would do things like softball, but Im done
d with that now, regardless. I have a pretty sedentary job (radio), so I figure if I just rehab like hell and build my knee through workouts, I ould be ok?

Lol

I had an MCL about 10 years ago that I never really did anything too. After a while it was mostly ok, but even to this day it will randomly give on me a bit, ache when the weather changes, and all around remind me that its there without really bothering me a whole lot.

I like to say it was a sports injury. Did it with a NASTY toe pop playing hacki sack. saved that damn thing from going out of the circle though so it was all worth it~

edit; I was about 18 at the time, and healed like a mofo. Now a days, I don't know how I could recover from it because I have a lot harder time healing comparably.

It finally started hurting quite bad. She had 2 meniscus tears too, so a lot of the pain probably came from that. It was actually still fairly stable, but the ACL was pretty much gone after around 30 years.

Do you still have the same cell # from 2-3 years ago? I have you in my cell phone but don't know if its still current.

Well I am not the only dumbass then :)
That Blows

I was probably 31-32. I'm still pretty active. I actually have to try to make it hurt like I said before. I just did too and yep it s still hurts if I do it just right...

But it has never given me problems in softball or basketball
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Yes same number.

So she lived on it for 30 years with a shot ACL and 2 meniscus tears?

I just like to have a good time. Slept I in the tub that night. Wife couldn't get me out lol
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Gotta ask, and it's probably somewhat different, what about sex?
Have to ask. It's an important factor. For real.

As long as you stay Hot is all that matters Carlota:p

No issues lol, but my legs aren't getting put up...
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Maybe won't be able to put legs behind your head a while

I would imagine the meniscus tears were more recent.

get it fixed. If you are in good condition, you will be around in a few days and good in a few weeks

I posted this before.

My story: At track practice for my JH team. Jumped a high hurdle-leg went one way, body went the other. Torn ACL and meniscus. (stupidest thing I have EVER done)

Taught the next 8 weeks. (Pain does not affect me much)

Had surgery Aug 24. Took patella tendon for my ACL repair.
Walked three days later by doctors orders.
Started teaching again Sept 4.

Never did major rehab because the doc said I would be fine.

Just did heel spur removal on the same leg. 5 weeks without walking on it.

Surgery July 6-teaching started Sept 3.

The doc told me today I'd be no weight on leg for 2-4 weeks, depending on how bad tears are..then rehab for months

It is different.

Because women have wider hips, the femurs are at a greater angle.

There's a lot of pressure that a knee takes throughout the day by just walking, stopping and turning.

I'd get the surgery (if money/insurance isn't an issue of course). Because you do those things naturally without thinking and should you end up stressing it, it could get worse.

athlete or not...these kinds of things bite you in the ass later on if not taken care of.

Right. It's different. Maybe Dartgods wife can answer that.

:doh!:
I am stunned.

I hope it all goes well for you.

How painful was the surgery/recovery? I hate pain pills

ACL-Barely any pain. Again- I don't feel much pain.

took myself off pills because they made me stupid.-and the wife said I was mean.

can they do that Arthroscopic?

Speaking of pain....anyone ever have pain on the top/side of their foot

This isn't a pic of my foot, but the arrow is pointing exactly where it hurts....feels likes it's badly bruised and i can barely put any weight on it at all...I'm limping really bad.
http://freeradical.me/wp-content/upl...-foot-pain.png

I woke up this way....have no god damn idea how this happened? Only thing I can think of is that i sit all day at work and I cross my ankles under my desk with the "sore" anke pressed onto the ground by the other ankle. Hell I dunno. Anyone else ever have this pain? It's awful.

ACL? All arthroscopic except for the patella removal


Heel spurs-big ol' scar.

It's karma. Shouldn't have talked shit about Eric Legrande
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Damn the whole kneecap has to come off?

Jesus punishing you for using his name in vain?

cut a section of patella to repair the acl
patella then repaired.

I hope this is not the point I have to say-duh.

DO IT! DO IT! NIIKE BEGS YOU JUST DO IT! My daughter blew out her ACL playing high school soccer and completely tore the medial meniscus as well. She rehabbed it full bore and is playing collegiate soccer now. I have no articular cartilage myself in my left knee so all I can tell you is I wish to god there was a fix for me. No more running sucks so please do it.... ( You do have insurance right?)

lol no, ligaments don't heal back together.

Gee I don't know, but I'll give it a shot if you want.

I'm going to take it from my hamstring or a cadaver.they say patella is more painful

Yes I do. The whole idea sucks...

Yep, been there, done that... Lots and lots and lots of hamstring. You're looking for 80% ham-to-quad strength ratio. Perhaps it's not all that simple, but suffice it to say, it's going to be a LOT of hamstring work if you want to go the non-surgical route.

And how's are you doing with no surgery?

30 years later and I'm still walking. I don't like sports with hard cuts like soccer and tennis, be if I can keep things otherwise it's generally OK. I always have a few times each wrestling season when ot "pops out" and is tender for a few days, but it always pops back in. Had I let them do the surgery some 30 years back, I'd be in worse shape I think... If I had todays technology at my disposal, I'd be tempted.

My son was born with no ACL (Google it, you'll surprised who had that revelation later in life!!!) and wrestled at the state level three different years, and that's amazing. He started in the gym (because of the condition) a few years early, but it was under close supervision from me and very well regimented towards a kid who was 10 when he found out. Honestly, condition or not, one of the best things ever. Wake up at 4:00am and lift with your son and you build one hell of a bond! He has yet to have any surgery and does play a LOT of tennis these days. So I'm pretty big on letting the hammies go a long way to being the solution until surgery is the better option.

If it doesn't work for you, then you have many options, one will obviously suit your goals.

ROFL ROFL ROFL

So is all about the Hammie's more than the quads and obviously knee strength?

All true. Every ****ing word of it. LMAO
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Well there aren't really any muscles "in" the knee, mostly connective tissue. and the quads are naturally stronger than the quads - if for no other reason than the quad's pure size (largest in the body actually). So yes, the normal hammie-to-quad differential is quite a lot from a number perspective, what you'd be trying to do of cut into that differential. It's not an easy muscle to work out - Russians on the wall or a ham-curl machine are what I think ar ethe simplest option, but it's going to take focus. But a good workout regiment seems to allow for all these things to go the right way...

Damn now I have ****ed with my knee enough it's kinda sore.

**** you for making me think about it.
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Sorry dude.o:-)

Thanks for the info:)

John Elway played his whole career without an ACL.

Hines Ward as well.

Really? That's surprising.

I have no advice just well wishes. Give 'em hell you sexy beast!

Why wouldn't someone get a torn ligament repaired... ???

What type of workout?

You won't be able to run without having pains shortly after, especially on a treadmill.

No stationary bike. Maybe some stretching that does not involve a lot of pressure on your knee.

The only real workout that I am able to do currently is swimming.

ACL surgeries have vastly improved in the last decade. It's a one day surgery. Perhaps a week at home then you are good to go (that is, walk on crutches) but you will have (no, you must) stick to your 2 month rehab following the surgery and you are good to go.

Just do it and get done with it.

Money
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As has been said... do you have insurance that covers this? I could have complete knee reconstruction for $500 out of pocket.

Yeah, I have pretty good insurance thru work. I'm going to see if I can get in with a sports injury guy and see what his thoughts as far as surgery is concerned. Meaning, how many incisions, how quickly...my doc said 6 incisions and 2 hours..plus, I hear the sports doc does really good work.

I just had ACL surgery a year ago shy of 3 days. My doctor is the doctor for the US Olympic Team. He said "definitely" do surgery, because you'll not realize the things it'll limit you to do. After the surgery which is described as "the most patient outpatient procedure you can have", I was bed-ridden for about 2-3 weeks, and then I went through almost 7 months of rehab.

ACL surgery is pretty common place, and most have full recoveries. I'd be more concerned about the damage to your meniscus. I destroyed my right knee about 20 years ago, and ended up having a complete meniscectomy. That pretty much ended all sports for me.

Going through the same thing atm. ACL is completely gone, torn meniscus, and fractured femur. I am having the surgery.

What do you mean patella gets repaired? If you opt for patella graft they take the middle third. Thats it.. Its gone. There no repairing it unless you harvest tendon from somewhere else.

I heard the patella does not get repaiared, and while the patella is the strongest for your ACL repair, it can weaken the knee overall. I understand the hamstring is the way to go if you chose from your own body.

If you dont plan on playing sports again, then yes go hammy. If wanna play again go patella. It doesnt weaken the knee, been playing football on a repaired one for 4 years now.

Thanks for the info