Third ACL tear(?)

**hemas** · 09-11-2007, 02:53 AM

If you truly want to ski, I'd say get the meniscus fixed ASAP and brace up. If they just remove the damaged parts, the recovery is pretty fast. But if they try to fix the meniscus, you're looking at ~4 to 8 weeks of no weight bearing on that leg... A nice way to watch your quad disappear.

Though with a bad or no ACL, I'm guessing no hard skiing and no hockey.

Sucks man.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 09-11-2007, 04:23 AM

Originally Posted by iceman

Fuuuuuuuck.

That's about all I got.

There's gotta be a pattern to what you are doing to yourself. Find the pattern and: DON'T DO THAT.

easy to say, I know.

I hear you, but in a way I did do that. I basically stopped hitting table-top jumps, which was what did the first two for me, and then this one happened on a totally normal play in hockey. I didn't even fall or anything.

Originally Posted by weibo

What about bracing it for the season and getting it fixed in the spring?

Supposedly a brace doesn't really do anything for a non-functional ACL. The movement the ACL restricts is too small for a brace to work. I did once try to skate with my first destroyed ACL, while wearing my brace, and the first time I turned moderately hard I was down instantly--could feel the bones slipping across each other, not fun. Can't imagine I'd get away with it skiing, but maybe there's enough still there to keep it stable.

Originally Posted by Raps

Dex, sorry to hear man - hope you can decide on an option that will at enable you to enjoy part of the season or to let you ski with the fam. Can you get other opinions? Whats the next step?

Pretty sure I could ski with the family OK without an ACL (as long as I delay surgery to the spring). Did it with my wife one day before I had the second recon. Next step is PT for the meniscus and then more surgery, not sure any other opinions would yield other options if there are really just a few strands still connecting the graft to the femur. I've heard that there's this method of sort of cauterizing a partially intact ACL to strengthen and tighten what's still there, but I believe that only works with >50% of it intact. Not too sure. I'd love there to be some other option than prolonged hell of reconstruction and missing basically a whole season.

Originally Posted by amyzilla

Is the graft completely torn yet? You might as well ski on it (with brace) if it's still sort of intact. If you've already been doing stuff and didn't notice that the ACL was going, then I wonder if you could get away with more activity before it tears completely. I would ask your doc for advice about skiing & hockey.

I sort of assume the ACL happened at the same time as the meniscus, so I don't think I was playing with a torn ACL before. But if that's not true I would probably give it a shot--I think that's my surgeon's plan anyway, PT from this thing right now and at the end of that see what I've got. If I could actually be reasonably active I'd definitely wait until the end of spring for surgery, and I may even wait just to get in some skiing with the kids/wife, although that may be very frustrating at times (and I'm not sure how much restraint I could impose on myself being out on the hill for multiple days).

**Dexter Rutecki** · 09-11-2007, 04:36 AM

Originally Posted by hemas

If you truly want to ski, I'd say get the meniscus fixed ASAP and brace up. If they just remove the damaged parts, the recovery is pretty fast. But if they try to fix the meniscus, you're looking at ~4 to 8 weeks of no weight bearing on that leg... A nice way to watch your quad disappear.

Meniscus was fixed yesterday, that's how they know about the ACL. And I was full weight bearing (somewhat gingerly) on the way out of the hospital, they want me putting weight on it. Now I can gimp around w/o crutches, no problem. Starting bike today and PT tonight, so no worries about too much atrophy.

Though with a bad or no ACL, I'm guessing no hard skiing and no hockey.

Sucks man.

Yeah, I think you're right.

As always, thanks mags. For some reason I guess misery does love company.

**SkiEvil** · 09-11-2007, 05:39 AM

That sucks. It still amazes me that Hines Ward, a wide receiver on the Steelers, plays in the NFL without an ACL in his right leg.

**Big E** · 09-11-2007, 06:36 AM

Man Dex, that sucks. Hope you can come up w/ a plan that doesn't hose the season and your knee up.

**elevens** · 09-11-2007, 07:48 AM

get a second and then a third opinion........

my left knee is kind of a wreck and the 1st doctor I went to recommended going under the knife right away. The 2nd doc said I should be ok without knife with PT and careful care (no more hitting table tops and thinking I'm 26 instead of 37)

I have MCL & meniscus issues but for the most part I'm still all good beside the after skiing pains. But it sounds like your knee is more wrecked than mine...

best of luck

elevens

**Buster Highmen** · 09-11-2007, 11:03 AM

Fuck Dex, that blows moldy donuts.

My maxim is fix it right away and maybe you'll be up for some spring turns. I tried skiing w/o an acl and it was not pleasant, that bone grinding gratch.