When human ligaments tear...

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

>>This past week skiing I tore my right anterior cruciate ligament 
>(ACL--the>>ligament going over the knee and attaching the tibia to the
femur).>Doctors>>prognosis is three weeks on crutches, two months before
any light >riding.>>I'm beginning rehab, which if I am aggressive with
it, should put me >in the>>saddle sooner.  Surgery is in my future as
this isnon-regenerative

In 1979 my horse reared over backwards and tore my ACL.  I wore a brace
for 9 weeks (they didn't repair them much back then).  When it was taken
off it took a couple of weeks before I could bend it.  It was sort of
frozen in the slightly bent position of the brace and I had to slowly
stretch it back out.  I rode the day I got the brace off but couldn't
have posted.  The doctor said no more sports that cut quickly side to
side, so I gave up softball which I'd played all my life.

 I'd practically forgotten about the injury when in 1990 while 8 wks.
pregnant, I was running, leading a Shetland pony over a jump (since I
wouldn't get on him) and when I planted that foot to jump the knee just
WENT.  That's apparently when I tore the meniscus (the pad between the
bones).  The torn meniscus is what makes the knee lock.  A tiny piece of
it flips back and gets caught in the joint.  If anyone ever saw me
leading a horse into a vet check, suddenly stop, hop, then get down on my
knees, lean way back until my shoulders touch the ground (I've really
done this, looks very strange to onlookers) I'd had the knee lock up and
was opening the joint so the meniscus would get back out.  Last year, a
week after a ride it locked up for good.  The meniscus wasn't repairable
so they removed it.  I miss the meniscus A LOT more than the ACL.  I was
able to run, etc. with the torn ACL.  Can't do any of that now.

If they'd had the sort of options for repair then (1979) that you have
now, my meniscus would be intact and I'd be able to jog without looking
100 years old.  I'd just ask the Dr. about the time thing.  

Angie

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