ACL operation

[DaveW_42]

Hey all,

Looking for a bit of info on ACL ligaments and if anyone on here has had the surgery before. It all happenned in a Thruxton crash a couple of years ago - the pictures of which were on here for a bit. (They were the one's with the bike upside down mid-air if anyone remembers!)
I knew I'd hurt my knee afterwards and it kept 'going' for a few days - but within a week it was fine and I just ignored it.

So, MRI results tell me that I've badly torn my ACL ligament, but not snapped it completely. I've booked to see a consultant soon and have been looking at info and recovery diaries all over the net so I know a bit about it - but just wondered if anyone on here had any personal experiences of it. Apparently, the surgery (if I was to have it) is the same whether or not its snapped or torn.

Problem is, new baby due in Jan, a 19month old tearing around now and moving house (hopefully) before then! May all be irrelavent if the op's not for another year or so (NHS) but timing is never going to be ideal is it? Guess the question really is - how long will I be off my feet for?

Cheers,
D

[Bluepete]

I had a full ACL rupture chasing in Salford a few years ago.

I was lucky because I was at work, the job insurance paid for treatment.

I had the reconstruction surgery and was back on full duties exactly six months afterwards - job won't allow any faster.

I was in a cast for a week, then pretty immobile for a few more. The worst is the fact that they drill a hole through the knee, harvest a hamstring and thread that through the new hole, pinning it to the bones with titanium nails. That causes a lot of swelling and pain. Your hamstrings will suffer as they learn to cope with less ligament. I also got a cyst on my other achilles tendon as it was stressed coping with the imbalance.

I was quite able to run and work with the rupture before the surgery, some poeple never have it fixed, it just depends of how much hyper-extension your knee allows. Mine was "a lot" which would cause me to fall down in ammusing ways whilst standing still!

If you can cope and it doesn't affect you work or general well being, I'd put it off so you'll be in a better state for the newborn. Your Missus will not appreciate you hobbling and moaning whilst she has a screaming eating and pooing machine to deal with!

Best case if you go for the op?

No walking for a week or two, no driving for a good month or two (you won't be able to brake hard enough) and if your Dr. tells you not to and you have a crash, you're fecked.

Once you get mobile, it'll still be stiff and painfull for about three months all told.

But that's just me.

If you need anything else, let me know.

Pete.

Pete, you didn't catch him then?

[Bluepete]

I didn't, the dog did!

I was lying down on the job again, having fun rolling around in a church yard!

Pete

[DaveW_42]

Great stuff Pete. Cheers for that - exactly the sort of thing I need. At the moment, I'm completely mobile and pain free - this whole thing only turned up because of a visit to a sports massage thing, so I'm a bit undecided. I get a bit achy kneeling down for any length of time and after anything more than an hour on the bike, but it seems manageable right now.
The GP did say that there's evidence of scarring or nodules on the underside of the knee cap or something, presumably where I've slightly altered the way I carry myself on that knee and the bones rub, maybe that could cause problems in the future... Anyone know what the chances of arthritis are if I did or didn't have the op?
Either way, I'm thinking later rather than sooner with the kids needing to be carried all the time. Not sure the wife would want a third big kid just lying around and moaning all day!

I've had a number of ops (oesophagus & gall stones) and I've never been given the full story by the doctor/surgeon beforehand so I've suffered from unexpected (to me) long-term side-effects which have had an impact on my life. And things can go wrong, even on the most routine of ops.
With that in mind, I'd put off any operation unless I had no choice (as per our resident copper above).

I would wait until you've seen a specialist tbh, preferably a sports injury one, they will know a lot more than the GP and answer any concerns more accurately.


My knees give me loads of grief as I'm always kneeling down in my job on hard surfaces like concrete etc, I wear knee pads but they aren't always in the right position.
Some days walking down stairs or standing up after kneeling or sitting down I get sharp pains for a second or two.

I'm defo gonna get worse problems later on.

Keep us posted on what goes on.

I bet Douglas Bader never had these problems.

[Bluepete]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

I bet Douglas Bader never had these problems.

Three in one is waaaaaay quicker than the NHS!

Pete

[DaveW_42]

Yeah, must admit - the whole thought of drilling through a knee cap for something which, at the moment at least, is giving me very few problems is making me a bit wary of an op just yet. Will have to wait and see what a specialist says I suppose.
I'm just looking up knee braces and supports that might fit under a set of race leathers. There seem to be 2 low profile ones that might squeeze under and they've got pretty good reviews - the McDavid and DonJoy. Don't suppose anyone's tried either of them?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...A2GNA5OPBE8A52