I, on the other hand, opted for ACL
surgery 6 years ago after 7 years of no ACL and it was like having a new body
again (I was 40 at the time). The surgery was done by one of the best in Seattle, WA.
Completely arthroscopic, although I opted to use a piece of my patella
tendon as the replacement and so had a small scar in the front of my knee for a
couple years.
The surgery isn’t that painful –
I took pain pills for 2 days only. I was on crutches for 2 weeks because
they also repaired my meniscus (cartilage), then a special knee brace for 3
months. The physical therapy was a piece of cake and is THE key in a
successful outcome. I did the exercises exactly as prescribed, and pushed
as hard as I could. Very soon (at about 4 weeks), I started cycling
exercises. At 6 months, was doing everything but avoiding high risk
activities (horses wasn’t one of them – more like soccer).
The healing process is complete at 1.5 years – the tendon is at 100%
strength. Between 6 months and 1.5 years, you continually increase activities
and stress on the knee, to ensure proper healing.
I got 100% return of flexibility and
strength, played soccer again, could hike without fear of my knee buckling.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who
leads an active life style. I really felt like I had a new lease on life
after the surgery – no ACL made me physically insecure on that leg and
that affected a LOT of my activities.
Mike Sofen
From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chris Paus Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005
8:11 PM To: InlineMom3@xxxxxxx;
ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] Blown ACL
I've lived without an ACL for about 15 years! The problem with not
having one is that your knee will become more prone to arthritis. The ACL and
MCL criss cross to help stabilize your knee from side to side movement.
At age 53, I'm now feeling the effects of not having the ACL surgery
when I hurt my knee years ago. But I'm still riding. Glucosamine supplements
and other therapies help keep me going.
You don't say how old you are. Several orthopedists have told me that
they rarely to ACL surgery on someone over 35. I guess they figure we aren't
really active enough after that age, bah humbug!
ACL surgery is major and requires a lot of intensive physical therapy
afterwards. You can expect to lose several months of time to PT before you can
ride again.
I've learned that the PT is the same whether you do or don't do the
surgery, so I opted for PT and have trained my knee to work pretty well.
chris
InlineMom3@xxxxxxx
wrote:
Has anyone out there tore their ACL? My Dr is trying to tell me I
don't need surgery. I'm just worried I won't be able to ride or work my
horses with any stability. Any input would be helpful. You can mail
me privetly. Thanks in advance
