Good God, the arches of my feet have been partially cramping off and on for the last three days.
Stopped today; the previous three days had the most and hardest PT since injury day; 4/7.
Today I feel tall and strong.
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Good God, the arches of my feet have been partially cramping off and on for the last three days.
Stopped today; the previous three days had the most and hardest PT since injury day; 4/7.
Today I feel tall and strong.
7.5 months….quad is about 75% of good quad. I’ve started doing some jumping and such, super scary but it’s progress. PT is brutal right now. She knows I’m gonna ski when it starts so she’s trying to get me as strong as possible.
My “good” knee has been worked for 7.5 months now and the arthritis in that bad boy is more of an issue than my repaired knee. Getting old sucks. I’m ready to ski but I’m real nervous too.
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Same and different. About 8 months and I’m feeling good. I’ve been bouldering for a few months, dropping and falling from up high (granted on to padded floors). I feel ready to ski but I’m still nervous… PT has said I’ll be good to go, but not officially cleared me. Have my last scheduled appointment with him end of month, so hoping to hear the words. Have another appointment with the surgeon on Thursday, will be interesting to hear what he says too…Quote:
Originally Posted by montanaskier
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I may be joining this class. Have a partial tear ID’ed during an MRI sept 2022 when I was stalled during rehab after a diagnosed partial MCL tear. MCL tear was in April 2022. Some meniscus issues also ID’ed in the MRI. Apparently, no other indications of the ACL or meniscus injuries were previously ID’ed by PT or my understanding physiatrist. several minor reinjuries (always when booster for a small air/landing) occurred during the beginning of the ski season. Then a larger reinjury landing a jump late April. New PT assessment was laxity in the MCL. More rigorous focus of knee stability via the new PT. Had a video tele-med session with a sports med doctor last month who thought that the acl could be ultimate causes for the reinjuries and occasional stability problems, and he recommended going to top tier nearish sports med doctor for in person second opinion and treatment plan. Saw UCD physiatrist (athlete but not a skier) who wants new MRI (makes sense) and currently defers to PT regarding skiing. Physiatrist detected slight swelling, possible meniscus popping, and slight laxity in one of his acl tests.
I’m going over the doctor report with my PT tomorrow. I’m looking for advise before next appt with that new physiatrist. That appt will probably be in early/mid-November.
What sort of brace designs would help keep my acl stable and be able to make tele turns? If surgery is needed, I’d prefer to defer to the end of season.
I have a patrol-ish gig - OFC. It’s fun and a great deal for my family (it’s the way we’re able to afford to ski). I usually patrol blues and greens. On light days, I hotlap bell to bell. Day one, I basically hit the ground running.
i went with a OAdjuster from Donjoy for sport brace. I dont wear it daily other than workouts, hiking and disc. I like it but had it fitted so it really fits well. +10 months post surgery and still scared I will do something stupid to screw it up.Quote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
Had PT today and have 2 next week and I’m DONE. Insurance rolls over on Nov 1. Been 8 months next week. I’ll do strength testing next week and I’ll keep doing my exercises but my PT knows I’m skiing as soon as we open and I can. Said she didn’t think I’d be “cleared” officially until mid Dec but she knows I’m gonna ski. Just gotta take it slow and easy for a couple months, keep getting stronger, etc….I’m nervous about stepping back in but I’m ready, been a long recovery.
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The pro's will tell you it is officially considered to take 9 months to heal from ACL surgeryQuote:
Originally Posted by montanaskier
and 3 yrs to completely recover
but only if you don't kid yourself
Same, same. I’m most likely gonna end up kicking the acl replacement can into next year, so any skiing will be pretty chill and definitely w a brace (if at all).Quote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
Mainly , I think I’m still in denial and don’t want to face the reality of the recovery time needed.
With my first ACL 12 years ago….I “skied” (made 4 turns) at A-Basin on Molly Hogan at 4 months and skied off the top of peak 10 at Breck at 6 months. Wore a big brace for both and both were incredibly dumb in hindsight but I was younger and dumber! I skied that entire next season but it was 2 years before I was back to where I was before the injury. I expect the same this time. I’ll ski slower and not as aggressive and avoid bad condition days, but I’ll be skiing and that makes me happy. Still really nervous, I’m too old to do this again.Quote:
Originally Posted by XXX-er
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I say " if you don't kid yourself " cuz I have heard all kinds of stories about people getting back too early, it like a badge of stupidity to tell how dumb your were, some stories ended good some bad but I am just repeating what my PT said
he led me to believe you really don't wana do much of anything for the 9 months post-op but let it heal, like don't lever your shoe off with the other foot behind the heel cuz it could blow the repair and he gave me the one-out- X -cases in which people blow their surgery up just taking off a shoe
I got back skiing the next year but not well cuz its still weakand i almost gave up twice, I've done 140 days in the gym and the operated on knee is not as good as the good leg so i might be too old to make it back to where I was
the surgeon said I shouldn't need a brace if he did it right so I skipped the brace and no problem
On Feb 2021, I tore my ACL skiing, had surgery that March. I skied in January 2022 for the first time, and a bunch of times after that to finish out the year, sometimes with a brace, sometimes without, never felt great. It wasn't until 2023 ski season that I felt recovered skiing, although I get aches in my surgical knee in cold temperatures, but skiing is pretty much good to go now.
All of this talk about timing...
It's incredibly subjective.
Depending on so many things: how good was the surgery, the doctor, the PT, your overall health, how lazy you are, yada yada.
MTSkier sounds like he's working harder than I did. I skied 7 months to the day and for the next 100+ days.
It's about being smart. Not waiting for dates to pass.
Being tentative is wise but assuming you're not ready, when maybe you are, is a long row to hoe.
Tiptoe in, get stronger and more supple. Try your darndest to not overdo it physically but try to expand the possibilities too.
I took a few thumps that season but bounced pretty well.
Got shoved off the loading deck first run, first day to a 2 foot drop then had to squat to get the moving chair over my head without getting conked.
New lifty was off doing some shit and missed the chair with the seat up. Had I set in it, I woulda had to leap out after stopping or ride the distance with my ass hanging through the frame with my knees draped over the front seat support.
Not gonna happen.
And the scary idea of reinjuring due to pushing your shoes off is funny, almost ridic.
But we've heard that in here a dozen times, at least.
If you do that, you or your Doctor sucks.
well thats ^^ everyone then isn't it ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Djongo Unchained
No.
Actually I've never once heard of anyone reinjuring their new acl because they pushed a shoe off. Only from you, relating the info from your source.
And it's just a load of crap that gives people pause.
an actual pt told me this and then someone i was talking to corroberated it happened
a surgeon and/or a PT will give you expected outcomes and timelines based on well accepted medical knowledge
if you do something else and it works out you are a hero if it backfires you are the dumbass not the pro who told you what to not do, pretty simple
and I don't care either way
Thanks for pointing to the donjoy bracesQuote:
Originally Posted by hawkgt
Anybody skied with no acl and wearing one of those high stability braces? How’d that go?
ski coach at the hill kacked her ACL same time as me, good skier long time skier/ racer/ ski shop owner, she chose not to get the ACL surgery but is just wearing a Donjoy so I asked how it is and she sez it works good and doesnt hurt, sez she doesnt like pain
Thanks for the response. It’s very helpful. Did she change how and what she skied at the hill?
I've done it twice, donjoy and cti2. Well shit 3x but that third one I slapped a neoprene sleeve on and only missed 1 run during a euro trip.Quote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
Skiing wise I was at 90-95% of normal but no airs, and stayed ofd the icy bumps. I had the ACL fixed in May each time at the end of the season because simple walking felt like my gait was off. Tri-U is tele and he has both missing for many yrs and skis with braces.
No reason one can't be back skiing at 9mos and should be 100% by 12mos unless you slack on the rehab. Even after tearing 5 over 4 decades I'm still able to get 100 days/season, but no more running for me these days.
I see her running gates shepherding ski racers and coaching same as ever so I couldn't really tell, the only reason I know she blew the ACL was I asked her about the Don Joy on the outside of a race suit, apparently we have the same surgeon, he has her file so she could get it done but I think she is just pain adverseQuote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
but every skier, every knee every knee injury is different
Thanks all.
I’ll ping tri-u.
Skied 2 days this weekend. Crazy nervous on Friday. Knee felt ok. Certainly not as strong as I’d like but it was ok. I didn’t stand on the outside edge and I was slow and cautious but I was out and skiing! FKNA!
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Hell yeah man! Slow and steady wins the race.Quote:
Originally Posted by montanaskier
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15 days and 200k vert. Gaining confidence and strength but still not close to where I was. Stoked to out. Bumps are hard and I don’t have the stamina. Still don’t have the mental part back yet either. Patience!
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That will all take a while.. not scrolling back, did you do a back to sport test?Quote:
Originally Posted by montanaskier
I found the workouts for final ACL recovery on youtube to be very difficult and great for actually feeling athletic again.
If you are on snow, you can probably start with phase 4:Quote:
Originally Posted by montanaskier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zv-tPGjXqY
Phase 5:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaFv0qNjSs0&t=4s
Phase 6:
https://youtu.be/ZWu9MSC6WMw?si=ptvdnK5MM9nnJq_s
I did testing before I stopped PT….I wasn’t at a spot where they would clear me to ski, but I started skiing. I realize it’s a danger to ski before it’s ready but I wasn’t far and I needed to ski. I’ve been taking it easy and still working out at home. It’s getting there.Quote:
Originally Posted by grskier
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Not sure this is the right place but, it does involve an ACL injury. About 10 years ago my knee inexplicably blew up, swelled right under the patella so bad until I couldn’t bend it for a week plus. No injury.
3-4 times over the past 10 years a very similar thing has happened. Usually for no known reason, but recently because I stupidly front squatted 225 full depth in lifting shoes after not front squatting for years (obviously dumb and yes I do other lifting).
Back in October I banged my knee on a rock wall and the next day I woke up with a sore knee. It then blew up, almost 3 weeks of not bending it, then I went for a bike ride and it blew up again, then I hit it on a post before Christmas and it was another 8 days….
I finally got a MRI and this is the result:
Normal patellar tendon. Mild distal quadriceps tendinosis with mild focal partial intrasubstance tear of its distal anteriormost fibers measuring 1 cm with underlying mild reactive bone marrow edema in the superior aspect of the patella and with mild adjacent prepatellar bursitis. Moderate chronic partial ACL tear with attenuated appearance, otherwise normal ligaments. Normal lateral meniscus. Normal medial meniscus. Normal medial compartment cartilage and underlying osseous structures. Normal lateral compartment. Normal patellofemoral joint. Normal popliteus. No knee joint effusion. Small Baker's cyst.
Haven’t seen the ortho or any doctor yet. Anyone had similar or otherwise care to share some knowledge of what that likely means?
I did ski today, with mild discomfort, no blow up yet at least.
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Dang. I don’t have too much info to offer about those results. I can share the orthos recommended by my PT to me that are up the hill and a physiatrist that I do not recommend. And that my custom donjoy brace continues to work well and I gain confidence with the support that it provides while skiing.
I’m considering getting a donjoy custom for my other knee (aka my “good” knee) when skiing as a protective item. That knee likely has some undiagnosed acl damage. Anybody done that with good outcomes? Out of pocket, it’s WAY less than deductible cost for the combo of doctor visit, X-ray, mri, doctor follow-up.
The test is all about balance of strength, etc.... I'd talk to your PT about it if you still have appointments on the script.Quote:
Originally Posted by montanaskier
I will reiterate a good leg workout regiment as I posted above.
I need to do some of those as well. I feel balanced after last years whoopsy, but not strong yet.
Whomp,
You probably already said, but did Ins cover your current Donjoy?
Yes. It was covered by insurance. Needed fairly specific detail from a recent doctor exam. The donjoy rep, who lives in SLT, coached me about content of the exam notes, and my doctor easily obliged (it wasn’t too much of a stretch). Pre-negotiation, was like $1800 to my insurance. Post-negotiation, it was a little over a grand. I paid a co-pay amount. But out of pocket w/o insurance, I was quoted for less. I started the process by contacting donjoy through their website about their custom braces. Good luck!Quote:
Originally Posted by mcski
Wife just got a fitted Breg fusion brace right before the end of the year. I think they're generally covered if the ortho "prescribes" it.
Over the past few years I've had a similar thing happen, though much less severe. I seem to hyperextend my knee occasionally while biking. which causes some swelling under the patella leading to knee pain during rides. Pain usually doesn't flare up until 15 miles or so into a ride, but has gotten so bad a couple times I could barely pedal or walk until I can rest for a while. it usually takes a few weeks of reduced activity for the pain to stop recurring, which I assume is the time it takes for the swelling to go away. The swelling itself isn't very noticeable.Quote:
Originally Posted by neufox47
I had ACL repairs on this same knee in 2005 and 2018. Pain during rides started in 2015 or 16. I talked to my surgeon about it when I had the second repair, so he scoped around during the surgery but didn't find anything obvious that might be causing it. He said the most likely cause is that I didn't rehab thoroughly enough following my first surgery leaving the muscles in my leg slightly imbalanced, which can cause friction between moving parts during movement leading to inflammation in the tissue and pain. I rehabbed harder after the second surgery and have had fewer issues with this since, though it still happens occasionally.
I can't translate the medical jargon but it sounds suspiciously like things aren't working so smoothly in your knee and something similar to mine might be happening, but with more sudden and severe symptoms. Best of luck getting it sorted!
Thanks for the input. I’m starting to wonder if this comes down to my tight quads.
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It sounds like you have a few things going on with the patella area. The impacts that results in large swelling seems like an odd trigger for the resultant. I suggest shopping around for the PT that you will likely end up seeing. Want: skier (ideally) and overall athlete (requirement). I have a local friend/athlete that swears by their PT who practices somewhere near you. she’s willing to drive for a few hours round trip for her visits to that PT. I can get that PTs contact info if you want.
How many here had surgery right away vs delayed , and of those in the delay group, could you keep skiing. Wife got tangled up between myself and my kid getting off the lift of all places , backwards twisting fall at zero speed, but felt a pop and pain. Took a few minutes to regroup and then skiiied down from the peak of Highlands to the base with some discomfort but no major issues. Sat for a bit in the lodge and then took a lap with the 6 year old without too much pain. Swelled up that night so took the next 2 days off but skied easy groomers with a brace with the little kid after.
Swelling and mobility almost all better now 1.5 weeks out , but got her an MRI (benefits of having an MD husband) before we had a chance to see an Ortho (saw a GP at the snowmass clinic but indeterminate findings)
MRI (I looked also) shows a high grade partial tear of the ACL. Ligament looks mostly gone. No other knee injuries luckily with this.
She's kinda gobsmacked by this because the symptoms are minimal, she just figured a sprain. Obv need to get into see a good sports ortho now, but for those of you who delayed surgery and didn't have instability symptoms, did you still ski while waiting ? Braced or not?
I blew mine back in the dark days before the ACA and without insurance. So I waited 3 years to have it reconstructed....Quote:
Originally Posted by Duffman
My initial recovery was pretty quick, and I was back at work like a week later (construction). In the ensuing years I did a lot of cycling and running, some alpine climbing, and a lot of hiking. I didn't really have much trouble during that period, except that the knee would occasionally lock, which I now know was bc the meniscus was also pretty wrecked, and I probably made it worse by waiting so long.
This period also corresponded to several drought years here. But, ultimately, I tried to ski and couldn't. Even the slightest backseat shift would create that sickening feeling of instability in the knee. So, thanks to the ACA and the removal of the "pre-existing" bullshit, I finally got insured and had it reconstructed. I was skiing again with no issues the next season.
I vote get it fixed if she wants to live without limits.
One of the local ski coaches/ good skier/ former racer/ former ski shop owner blew her ACL but just used a Donjoy brace for the last 3 yrs instead of getting it fixed cuz she doesnt like pain, she said the brace worked and no pain. Now she is loving the Stoko.com product, sez it works just as well and doesnt get in the way
I never did try skiing with a completly blown ACL but the mtn biking hurt
I think the ultimate plan if deemed the best course of action is to have it repaired, its just the timing thats tricky with life , kids, plans. etc. Being her driving leg is an additional problematic wrinkle (longish commute with no transit options to work 3 days a week). I also think from a mental health standpoint bagging the season after 4 days will be devastating for her, thats the first thing she asked me after I looked at the MRI today. Even if its just throttling back and skiing with the kids braced and having the surgery in a couple months , that may be a preferable option if it is doable and wont do additional damage. Will need to see what the ortho says, but just wanted to get some real world feedback from people who have done similar.Quote:
Originally Posted by climberevan
Obviously this is all contingent on if she can still be active without instability or pain even short term. So far that's how it looks but who knows.