How long before I ski? (ACL post-op)

**FiveLarge** · 08-19-2008, 10:38 AM

Apparently I couldn't figure out the right search query - either way too many results or none at all...

So, I had ACL surgery 7/23/08 - patellar tendon autograft. Of course, I've been given the standard 6-9 month timeframe for return to strenuous athletic activity. To give myself something to work toward, I've got Jan 1 on my mind for a return to skiing, which would be 5 months/1 week. Is this realistic? Is that risky to push ahead of the 6 month timeframe? How long before you were back skiing post ACL op?

**Woodlandclown** · 08-19-2008, 11:09 AM

I had surgery on 4/7/08. I'm just about 5 months. By the time i CAN ski, i'll be about 8 months. I feel right now that I would not quite be ready, but I also have been slacking on certain rehab exercises in the last month. I have mainly been riding my bike, doing lots of hills and stuff. Just this week I have gotten back into squats, lunges etc. My surgery leg is tiny compared to my other leg--I dont think I would want to ski with my repaired leg so much smaller than my good one. If you dont slack at all and really push it, you could probably be ready by Jan 1. I think I can pretty much do anything right now, I just think I would be sore afterwards. I am wondering if i'll be able to ski two days in a row, or if that will take a while.

**Noonan** · 08-19-2008, 11:26 AM

I had a hamstring graft March 11th - as of September 11th Doc has cut me free for return to all sports with no restrictions.

Even though I'm cleared for side to side rehab activities and strength wise the leg feels about 90%, every once in while if I move laterally I feel a twinge in the knee still - not sure I'd be ready to jump right in on skis right next month.

The Mrs. went through the same thing last year (surgery end of January) and all through last season she still got pretty sore in the joint pretty quickly skiing.

As for risk doing skiing before the reconstruction heals - listen to your Dr and PT - the last thing you want is for them to have to fix the knee a second time just for the chance to get out a few weeks earlier.

**gorms** · 08-19-2008, 11:43 AM

Jan 1 should be plenty of time.
Obviously rehab is key...and a nice brace can help get you over any mental hurdles you may have

**Woodlandclown** · 08-19-2008, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by Noonan

The Mrs. went through the same thing last year (surgery end of January) and all through last season she still got pretty sore in the joint pretty quickly skiing.

yuck - this is what I am afraid of. i have a feeling the people saying it takes more like a year to feel normal are probably correct.

**Mofro261** · 08-19-2008, 01:44 PM

I'd say it depends on whether you want to ski or to really ski. I feel like I could go and slide around groomers right now at 3 months, but I'm hoping to be able to really ski without having to think about the knee somewhere around 9 months with the patellar auto.

It'll be closer to 7 months before I'm out this year, but I'm going to really try to take it easy (yeah, easier said than done). After blowing up the graft 8 months post-op last year with the brace on there is no fucking way I'm going to go through this a third time.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 08-19-2008, 02:08 PM

1st ACL recon: I probably skied on the day it was six months post-op. By the second day it felt just about completely normal.
2nd ACL recon: more than six months after, but it was an early spring surgery so I didn't really have a choice.
3rd (current): I feel like I could ski now, just over 3 months post-op. Already playing hockey, tennis (that's more difficult than hockey, actually), and doing everything else. Only running still feels slightly unnatural, but I haven't done much work toward that. I see my surgeon for what I assume to be the last time this week, and unless something is wrong I think he'll tell me I can ski when I want. Since hockey is 100% normal (although I'm still slightly slower than I was) I assume skiing won't be any different.

**Steven S. Dallas** · 08-19-2008, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki

I'm still slightly slower than I was

Good lord, I can't even imagine.

OP- I was given the same six-month timeframe as Noonan, which I guess is standard. Still haven't done any running or jumping and my surgery was almost exactly five months ago, but the hinge feels pretty capable at this point. I'm planning on taking it easy when the snow gets grabby or wet, but other than that I have no real concerns.

**altagirl** · 08-19-2008, 02:55 PM

Yeah, it probably depends on what you mean by "ski".

With my last ACL recon, I was on skis like 5 1/2 months later. Like - cruising bunny slopes. At probably 6 1/2 months I was skiing off piste terrain more like I'd normally ski but still being cautious and not pushing anything. And then the season was over.

**Noonan** · 08-19-2008, 03:17 PM

I'm sure I'll slide around on the White Ribbon of Death sometime in October, I'm a bit curious to see how the knee reacts. It feels pretty good beating on it at the gym and on the bike, but it's a bit cranky after running. Figure I'll ease into things.

**telepariah** · 08-19-2008, 04:11 PM

4 1/2 months from patellar tendon autograft with 70% menisectomy plus the dreaded microfracture at age 47. It's all about how aggressively you pursue your physical therapy. I was skiing fine right from the get-go. YMMV of course, but I know you are young, athletic, and a hell of a skier already. So get strong and don't look back.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 08-19-2008, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by Steven S. Dallas

Good lord, I can't even imagine.

Heh, first game back the guys said I hadn't lost a step. I was more than a little horrified to learn I'd always been that slow...

**ikkin** · 08-19-2008, 07:44 PM

i tele skied easy groomers 5 months after allograft surgery with no problems at all. i snowboarded chopped up powder through the trees at about 80% as well. take it easy, start slow and only do what you're comfy with and you'll be fine.

i'm 10 months out right now and doing almost everything with confidence. thinking about the knee less and less every day.

**RedWolf** · 08-19-2008, 08:42 PM

This thread is depressing the hell out of me. I tore my ACL two weeks ago, the day before my birthday and the same morning that new boots hit my doorstep. I had to return them to pay for the MRI, and now I won't ski at all this season thanks to a December surgery date.

**gatorboy** · 08-19-2008, 09:16 PM

spthompson, I would recommend thinking longer away for one reason. If you can't in January you'll be depressed. If you can next year at all, you be stoked.
Keep the mind right and good luck.

**SponsoredByDuctTape** · 08-19-2008, 09:19 PM

A full 6 months isn't so bad. It could always be worse, and next season will probably suck anyway. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

**FiveLarge** · 08-19-2008, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki

1st ACL recon: I probably skied on the day it was six months post-op. By the second day it felt just about completely normal.
2nd ACL recon: more than six months after, but it was an early spring surgery so I didn't really have a choice.
3rd (current): I feel like I could ski now, just over 3 months post-op. Already playing hockey, tennis (that's more difficult than hockey, actually), and doing everything else. Only running still feels slightly unnatural, but I haven't done much work toward that. I see my surgeon for what I assume to be the last time this week, and unless something is wrong I think he'll tell me I can ski when I want. Since hockey is 100% normal (although I'm still slightly slower than I was) I assume skiing won't be any different.

. 3 times? Same knee all 3 or split 2-1? Anything you feel like you could have/should have done differently to prevent the re-do? Timing aside on the 2nd, why do you think you're ready so much faster this time around?

Originally Posted by telepariah

4 1/2 months from patellar tendon autograft with 70% menisectomy plus the dreaded microfracture at age 47. It's all about how aggressively you pursue your physical therapy. I was skiing fine right from the get-go. YMMV of course, but I know you are young, athletic, and a hell of a skier already. So get strong and don't look back.

Thanks for the complimentary words.

I never did get those radiobeacon photos to you.

I'll see if I have them - not sure if you care at this point. Hopefully I can test out the new knee with you sometime this upcoming season.

**FiveLarge** · 08-19-2008, 10:16 PM

Thanks for all the feedback.

I did this playing ultimate frisbee - pretty freak situation. What's the main way to screw it up skiing? Falling? Backwards twisting fall, right? So - as long as I can stay upright, I should be ok? Or is arcing hard turns through crud enough to cause a re-do?

**Steven S. Dallas** · 08-19-2008, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by spthomson

Or is arcing hard turns through crud enough to cause a re-do?

Well, it's enough to cause an initial injury, so... Based on my experience so far that would definitely be uncomfortable, and if it wasn't sore while you were doing it, it would be very sore the next day.

Honestly, you don't know if you don't go, but there's a lot of skiing to be done after January 1. It's good to set goals, obviously, but if your knee is still tweaky on December 31 then it's probably not worth it.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 08-20-2008, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by spthomson

. 3 times? Same knee all 3 or split 2-1? Anything you feel like you could have/should have done differently to prevent the re-do? Timing aside on the 2nd, why do you think you're ready so much faster this time around?

Honestly, I think the key is practice. If you want to come back fast from ACL surgery, you should have two practice rounds first...
Seriously, just knowing what to expect and how you can safely push your exercise is key. The second one was definitely faster and easier (still not fun) than the first because I knew what pain was 'normal' and how to push through it. I probably would've felt comfortable skiing at five months with that one. I also learned not to keep doing specific exercises if they caused pain--I foolishly tried that with the last one and got set back at least one week at one point during PT.
It may also be that since I'm out of patella tendon I went with the allograft this time, and not having the extra wound site sped things up.
Oh yeah, not all the same knee. Second time for the current knee.

Do as much exercise as they'll let you do as long as it doesn't cause pain, and I think that speeds things up. I always recommend skating as soon as you're allowed, too, as for me that really seems to get a lot of skiing related muscles going at the same time.

edit: oh yeah, as far as doing something to prevent this injury, I don't think there was anything to do. It was a pretty freakish thing and I didn't know/didn't believe I'd torn the ACL. I thought it was just meniscus until they scoped me (MRI didn't show the tear). I didn't even fall or anything, just a very standard turn made while skating and pushing hard...weird, but I guess the meniscus was ready to go and sometimes it takes the ACL with it.

**Mofro261** · 08-20-2008, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by spthomson

Thanks for all the feedback.

I did this playing ultimate frisbee - pretty freak situation. What's the main way to screw it up skiing? Falling? Backwards twisting fall, right? So - as long as I can stay upright, I should be ok? Or is arcing hard turns through crud enough to cause a re-do?

None of the 3 on my left knee have involved a fall..... the initial one was an over aggressive hop turn on some heavy 207's years ago. The hammy graft tore 12+yrs later arching high speed on wing blown crust. The allograft tore at 8 months hopping off a 8-10fter to a solid, square landing with a cti brace on. 20th day of the season and I was starting to not think about the knee. Nothing on those previous 19 days (mostly pow) gave an indication of any weakness.

The leg was seriously strong- the graft just wasn't yet. Maybe I just got a bad graft- i don't think the auto BPB will fail under the same circumstances, as revascularization is supposed to occur much faster, 3-6 months. But everyone responds a little different so that time frame isn't concrete.

I'd encourage you to try for 5 1/2 months as long as it's feeling good and you take it easy, and hold off pushing yourself until toward the end of the season.

**The SMP** · 08-20-2008, 02:48 PM

I'm 10 weeks post-op ACL and have started to get the trip planning calls for the season... great advice from some experienced gimps!

**Vinman** · 08-21-2008, 04:04 PM

You could be on skis ~5-6 mo but for cruisers only. Aggressive skiing should wait a bit longer 9 mo to 1 yr. In short don't rush it.

Btw I posted this from my itouch....sweet.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 08-21-2008, 04:57 PM

Vin, is that true? The past two times I've had the pleasure of an ACL recon, when the docs released me at around six months they didn't tell me to avoid anything--so I didn't.

Is that dumb? I basically went right out and skied bumps, raced, and even aired it out more or less as I had been doing before the injury. Was I just lucky?

**Tyrone Shoelaces** · 08-21-2008, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki

Is that dumb? I basically went right out and skied bumps, raced, and even aired it out more or less as I had been doing before the injury. Was I just lucky?

Same here. 3 years ago when I tore my ACL, I returned to skiing 4.5 months post-op. First 2 runs were groomers and really slow and mellow to test it out, but then I ran into skier666 and the rest of the KW crew regulars and I began chasing them around off-piste...ended up skiing a bit harder than I intended that day, but it was fine. I was wearing a brace at least.

Looking back at it...probably pretty damn risky and dumb. But at the time, I just couldn't take being on the sidelines anymore.