Torn ACL / Snowboarding / No Surgery

[surfingbodi]

I just tore my ACL snowboarding AND I am a new instructor and love my job and just don't want to toss the entire season. I do not have insurance (had cancer and work independently = no one will insure me) so no surgery is going to happen any time soon. I want to get back on asap for work and just because I love it but can't find much info on people's success and return times w/out surgery. My knee is already doing a million times better 3 days after and I started exercises right away. I have a DonJoy Defiance brace, looking for a PT to help me rehabilitate as the knee is still weak and unpredictable when I straighten or twist. It is my back leg. Do any of you have some folks and/or resources you can direct me to where folks are further along on this journey than me? I was riding a Tesla (143 mm) 9+/9- which is on the shorter side for me but seems good for this injury. I just want to be able to teach never evers on the magic carpet 'stuff' and get down blues and greens low key for now. Is it possible? It is not hurting so much at all now (3 days later) BUT it is not reliable and I have to walk on the ball of my foot so it doesn't tweak.

sb

Thank you and happy riding!
sb

[bendtheski]

I wouldn't if I were you. You run the risk of further cartilage damage from all the laxity in the joint=more shit to clean up when you do go for sugery.

[hutash]

Sounds like you have meniscal tear. Have you had an MRI or is this an intertubes diagnosis?

[senior researcher]

Bike,swim,ice.

[surfingbodi]

Sounds like you have meniscal tear. Have you had an MRI or is this an intertubes diagnosis?

I have not had an MRI because I do not have the several thousand dollars it requires to get one. I have been diagnosed by two MDs, one who has seen literally thousands of ACL tears + other knee injuries (he is the dr. up at Taos Ski Valley and has been for 25 years). I got 2 x-ray shots just to make sure that I did not get a bone fragment with the injury. Basically my leg will is not stable ONLY when my leg is completely straight but otherwise I seem fine (except soreness when totally bent in). What he has suggested (based on the fact that surgery is happening no time soon) is that I use a good high end brace and begin with 4 weeks of physical therapy BUT he seems thus far willing to release me to try snowboarding (and hence go back to work) as soon as I regain most of my flexibility which is still a bit limited 4 days after the incident.

It sounds good to me, I am just trying to get more info from anyone who has not had the surgery to see what their recovery time was like and what they did. And I am a 'girl' so anything from some women folks would be a great addition as well as I see that stats show us 7x more likely to tear our ACL.

mucho gracias!
sb

[bigdude2468]

The extent of the injury determines if you can rehab or require surgery. BTW, ACL's do not spontaneously reattach. If the injury did no damage other than the ACL it may be possible to train your quads to compensate. I have skied ACL deficient for 15 years with no problems. I do use a Don Joy Rx brace but I have to say I have never had any instability in the knee, sounds like you do. When I injured it the fall was slow straight back and I had almost zero swelling which led my Sports MD to suggest giving it a try. The rehab is six weeks so that is the time you lose if it does not work, six weeks - nine months, worth a shot.

[CupoDamus]

Water is cheapest rehab and best IMO,

[SJP]

I skied an ACL deficient knee at a high level for 9 years.... I wouldn't recomend it. I was back to feeling fit after 6 - 8 weeks with ice & rest, then yoga helping to restore a pain-free full range of motion. Occasional minor pivot-shifts and hyper extensions over the years played with my mind but didn't do further damage. It was all good until last March when I pivot-shifted while landing a jump. This injury was more severe with swelling and further instability. A private MRI revealed what I already knew - the original Grade 3 ACL paired with the new posterior lateral meniscus tear.

The moral of my story... It is possible to cope without an ACL - the Donjoy that I am using now helps alot - but eventually you will damage your menicus. I only wish that I had had my ACL reconstructed before this most recent injury.

Feeling fortunate in that I'm Canadian and off to see Dr Heard in Banff on February 5th. Better start looking for that ACL Class of 2013 thread.

[bigdude2468]

I am not trying to pick a fight..., after nine years can you be sure that the recent meniscus tear is the result of not having the ACL repaired originally?. We're you using a brace before this latest incident?

As I said the amount of stability or instability is key.

[BC13]

Big dude is right IMHO. It comes down room stability.

A lot of euro docs avoid ACL repairs unless absolutely needed. There are NFL players playing pro football wiout ACLs. Thurman Thomas, HOF running back played about 10 yrs with no ACL.

When I tore mine I tried to avoid surgery. But due to instability I finally got It replaced.

I would ask if the same female physiology that increases the rate of ACL Injuries correlates to a reduced opportunity to achieve stability post injury without repair.

I would not have wanted to cruise blues while my knee was unstable as I probably would have pushed it and had it buckle when I needed it most.

Good luck.



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[hutash]

Get an MRI. I don't care how many knees your MD has seen. As mentioned above, a lot of people do fine with out an ACL, the problem is more often a meniscal injury. Pay cash, and an MRI is probably $800 or less, mine was. Or come to southern California to get it.

I will find the website for you that has a lot of good info from one of the leading arthroscopic knee surgeons around.

edit: Here is the website with several articles on knee issues. I hope it has something relevant for you problems. This guy is beyond good when it comes to knees. He has done my knee, my daughter's knee, and a few friends as well. He is the real deal when it comes to arthroscopic knee surgery, but more importantly his website is full of information you can trust, and his book is useful for keeping knees healthy before and after surgery. What I like best about him is that his is not a "surgery fixes all" type surgeon. He is very down to earth about what can be done, why, and what the out come will be with various options. When he first say my knee he simply said "you don't need surgery, but you probably will want it eventually." We did some medical treatments, but sure enough one year later I decided surgery was the better option at that time, which it wasn't the prior year. I was in and out in a couple hours, and back to normal in a few weeks.

[surfingbodi]

thanks you hutash! somehow i am blitzing on seeing the link though. can you clarify for me por favor? so when you actually had your surgery, do you have to go all the way under or were you able to stay conscious? does anyone know if obama care will provide for me to get this fixed once i can get on an affordable insurance plan?

sb

Get an MRI. I don't care how many knees your MD has seen. As mentioned above, a lot of people do fine with out an ACL, the problem is more often a meniscal injury. Pay cash, and an MRI is probably $800 or less, mine was. Or come to southern California to get it.

I will find the website for you that has a lot of good info from one of the leading arthroscopic knee surgeons around.

edit: Here is the website with several articles on knee issues. I hope it has something relevant for you problems. This guy is beyond good when it comes to knees. He has done my knee, my daughter's knee, and a few friends as well. He is the real deal when it comes to arthroscopic knee surgery, but more importantly his website is full of information you can trust, and his book is useful for keeping knees healthy before and after surgery. What I like best about him is that his is not a "surgery fixes all" type surgeon. He is very down to earth about what can be done, why, and what the out come will be with various options. When he first say my knee he simply said "you don't need surgery, but you probably will want it eventually." We did some medical treatments, but sure enough one year later I decided surgery was the better option at that time, which it wasn't the prior year. I was in and out in a couple hours, and back to normal in a few weeks.

[surfingbodi]

thx for sharing this SJP. i am interested as well in if you were using your brace the 9 years following and were you using it when you were injured?

sb

[SJP]

No brace before the March 2012 injury, just an engaged knee, precise technique, and never falling. I started skiing with the brace two weeks after the March injury. I now have 100% strength, but don't have the confidence to ski hard. Right now it is all about spending the rest of this short season skiing with the kids while still hammering as much vertical on my Ski-mo gear with easy downs before surgery. For the next 5 weeks, my skiing is all about the fitness.

[hutash]

http://www.jamesmfoxmd.com/knee.htm

All depends on the MD and procedure. I was out for it, but with propofol that is the way to go. It can be done with nerve blocks epidurals, but that is actually more of a hassle. My surgery was great...hardly any pain or swelling, but it was to trim a meniscal tear, not an ACL.

Theoretically it should get covered under Obamacare, but with all the confusion around it who knows, especially if republicans get more control.