Anyone had ACL reconstruction ??

[Scotland the brave]

HI guys,

Had an ACL injury bout a year and half ago and its giving me a bit of jip.

Its not that bad but get a twinge every now and then, was wondering if anyone on here has had ACL surgery ??

I had disscussions back in Scotland before moving over but would be good to get a Canadian perspective on recovery time and side effects etc...

Cheers guys :)

[crazypete13]

Not personally, but I know of a friend who had ACL reconstruction (I strained my MCL instead). If I remember correctly, the problem with the ACL is it's location in the knee, and lack of blood to the tissue in general, which hinders healing.

You're looking at better part of a year for full recovery, and at least 6 months before you'd think about playing footy.

There's a good description of the process on wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACL_reconstruction

And if your curious - animation of the surgery on YouTube:

YouTube - Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction Animation

[Scotland the brave]

Cheers man,

I know my mate from back home actually said his friend was playin footy in 3 months

Just dont know if i should bother with all the hassle to be honest.

Anyone actually gone under the knife ???

[acman]

Cheers man,

I know my mate from back home actually said his friend was playin footy in 3 months

Just dont know if i should bother with all the hassle to be honest.

Anyone actually gone under the knife ???

I did about 15 years ago and have had 2 since then to try to repair the f*ck up of the first one. My advice is to get it right the first time, so the rehab properly, dont take short cuts, listen to everything the doctor says, dont try to come back too early. the second and 3rd surgeries have weakened my knee forever to the point where i can no longer run more than 1km.

[BearcatSA]

HI guys,

Had an ACL injury bout a year and half ago and its giving me a bit of jip.

Its not that bad but get a twinge every now and then, was wondering if anyone on here has had ACL surgery ??

I had disscussions back in Scotland before moving over but would be good to get a Canadian perspective on recovery time and side effects etc...

Cheers guys :)

I had an ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon 10 years ago. As much as you hope that you get a quality orthopedic surgeon doing the job, you must make sure to do a diligent and sensible job of rehab.

Does it feel sometimes like that twinge you get is as if your joint is "catching" on something? Well my understanding of what is happening is that something called your femoral groove is not allowing free movement, or tracking properly. That's because some particular muscles (such as imbalanced quadriceps and hammies) have remained underdeveloped since your surgery and possibly since your injury and you need them strong to get your full range of movement again. There are some very specific strength and balance exercises which well help you in that area.

In the first few years following my surgery, my knee seem to twinge or catch on occasion during the middle of a shuffle but would not give out like a ruptured ACL would and I would continue playing without swelling or pain. Later, a really good physio gave me some attention (and the above explanation), and I haven't had a problem in two years. And I'm still playing in the masters division!

For more information search the internet for sites dealing with "patellofemoral problems."

Everybody's experience is different, so maybe your situation may be a symptom of something more serious. Hopefully it isn't and you can keep on playing!

[Scotland the brave]

Cheers guys,

I have not had surgery yet as i did not have time to have surgery before i came to Canada. My knee will 'go' every now and again when i swivel or put allot of pressure on my weak knee (left). Their is NO way i could play footy and have not for the past year and a half :-(

I am looking into knee surgeons in Toronto, luckily my lady is a nurse so she can do some investigating, so hopefully i can at least have a chat with someone and see if its viable.

What kind of rehab times are we talking ?? As far as i have been told from mates in the UK i should be walking the next day and riding a bike within 2 weeks to make sure i have full movement as fast as possible. Obviously no massive training for at least a few months and no footy for 6-9 months

[acman]

Cheers guys,

I have not had surgery yet as i did not have time to have surgery before i came to Canada. My knee will 'go' every now and again when i swivel or put allot of pressure on my weak knee (left). Their is NO way i could play footy and have not for the past year and a half :-(

I am looking into knee surgeons in Toronto, luckily my lady is a nurse so she can do some investigating, so hopefully i can at least have a chat with someone and see if its viable.

What kind of rehab times are we talking ?? As far as i have been told from mates in the UK i should be walking the next day and riding a bike within 2 weeks to make sure i have full movement as fast as possible. Obviously no massive training for at least a few months and no footy for 6-9 months
they say a few weeks then cycling after 3 weeks, but I was really sore for about 2 months and could barely walk. Its good to get mobile early but you have to balance it with the pain. basically, if it really hurts then stop, cos you are prob causing more damage. just think, professional footballers come back in about a year after doing rehab 7 days a week for a few hours a day. you will prob do about a tenth of that amount of rehab, so plan for at least a year IMO.

[speker]

I had my acl done way back in 1979 when this type of surgery was in its infancy. The reconstructed acl has been good since then. I worked as a letter carrier on it for 30 years tho I did have to pack in playing competitive footy coz of damage to the cartilige.

Back then it was 5 weeks in a cast following surgery but now with keyhole surgery your up and going almost immediately. Just make sure your doctor has a good track record doing the operation and you'll be okay. Good luck.

[Scotland the brave]

I had my acl done way back in 1979 when this type of surgery was in its infancy. The reconstructed acl has been good since then. I worked as a letter carrier on it for 30 years tho I did have to pack in playing competitive footy coz of damage to the cartilige.

Back then it was 5 weeks in a cast following surgery but now with keyhole surgery your up and going almost immediately. Just make sure your doctor has a good track record doing the operation and you'll be okay. Good luck.

Cheers man, think ill go see my doc and get referred.

Who knows how long that will take tho !!!