ACL Surgery

[cougarscaptain87 11]

Unfortunatly I am going under the knife on August 21st to have surgery on my ACL in my left knee. The doc told me a whole bunch of technical terms and all that jazz but i want real life experience on what I am to exspect. im sure there are plenty of hockey players on here that have had the surgery so what should i be "looking forward" to? the only thing that i really retained was no hockey for 6-9 months, after i heard that everything kidna just went in and out.

thanks for the help

[LkptTiger 1]

Be prepared to never fully trust that knee again.

[Jeff 0]

As someone who has had two ACL surgeries,I can tell you that if you ever want to have full confidence in the knee,you better rehab it properly. I blew out my knee the second time rehabbing it from the first surgery.

Are they getting the tendon from a cadaver or from your patellar tendon? If it is not one of these two methods, I would re-evaluate your current situation. I would try to go for the donor tendon, as the recovery is less painful than if they take a portion out of your patellar tendon to make you a new ACL. (However, these was a recent article in the L.A. Times examing the effectiveness of donor tendons vs. your own tissue.

Good luck, dude. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions. My second surgery was the day before 9/11. Out of curiousity, did you screw up your meniscus as well?

[cougarscaptain87 11]

i opted for the cadaver, just because of the simple fact that i dont want to have to take care of two seperate entry spots and stitches and all that, as for the miniscuis they are going to check that with the scope. i got an mri in may but have been stalling becasue i have been playing in alot of tournaments and i wanted to make it to TORHS nations in buffalo before i got tore up by the doc. he told me everything about how it could be either a full tear of one bundle of fibers or a partial tear of both bundles, he said it was hard to say what exactly it will be and how damaged the miniscuis is until he does the scope. either way im not exactly looking forward to it.

[team50 20]

I have a complete ACL and meniscus tear. One year ago I had surgery (my third) to repair the meniscus only. I chose to leave the ACL at my age and wear a knee brace for the rest of my life. The surgery and rehab sounded too invasive and I didn't like the idea of my drivers license being suspended for six weeks while I recovered.

Good luck...

[fatwabbit 93]

done it about 10 years ago, 6 months rehab and back to soccer and hockey. Almost blew out my MCL 5 years later, which is why I dont play sports without a knee brace on either knee now.

You can opt for the hamstring graft, but if a cadaver is available, well, he/she is not goign to need it so you might as well go that way. I was 21 at the time, didnt know much about it, doc just said he was doing the same surgery as they did on Paul Gascoine who a few years before was one of the top players in english football... he kinda went downhill from there, from drunked brawling to falling down a flight of stairs ...

best of luck... do give up on your rehab. I had a physio who kept giving me shit so much that I almostpunched him

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Poor Gazza.

[mcgwillie 0]

Blew out my ACL, MCL and did a whole lot of cartilage damage a few years ago. I was past 40 so the rehab/recovery probably took me longer than the younger members of the board who have had the surgery. Let me second those who say don't be lazy about your rehab. I still do some excercise bike to keep the knee loose.

If there is a silver lining, I've really not been able to go back to sports with a lot of "impact" from the pounding you get from running on a hard surface but the skating motion has not been hard on my bad knee at all. But you probably will have some trust issues when you need to be on your outside edge on that side, at least for a while.

[jrhky36 1]

had mine done in 97, hamstring graft. had some confidence issuses at first but none since. the doc who did it did not belive in braces, so i never had one. if you get one take you shin pad with you for your fitting. will help you find the lowest profile.

couple of things to know.

1 you will hit the wall at some point during rehab, you have to find a way to fight through it.

2 don't push yourself too hard. i got chewwed out by by trainer b/c i was running as fst and as hard as i could on an inclinded treadmill b4 16 weeks. i could have retorn it.

3 keep a positive attitude. it goes a long way.

4 do it now and you'll be able to play with your grandkids when your old and grey.

one thing i found out a the patellar tendon graft will weaken the knee cap. as far as the scar mine is only 3" from were they went up to get teh hamstring. the other 3 spots are less than 1" each.

if you can get into rehab now do it before sugery it will help out.

which hosp? beaumount or crittenton?

best of luck to you. any other question just as of pm me.

[joshy207 15]

I've had both of mine done. First one was June '99, patellar graft. The second was June '02, cadaver graft.

The patellar was especially hard on me because I got the injury in October of '98, so for 9 months I was favoring my leg and the muscles were atrophied. My recovery was slow and painful, I had very limited range of motion because of the loss of tendon and I had lost a lot of strength in the muscles. If I was laying down, I couldn't even lift my leg up for the first 2-3 weeks. But there were times during rehab where I could see the improvements in strength and mobility, which encouraged me to keep going.

The second time around, I had almost full range of motion within a week or two. I was walking without crutches in my second week after surgery. There were days I almost forgot I even had the surgery. I still had to be careful walking and take things slow, but even at rehab I felt like I could do anything. I too was told to slow down sometimes. I didn't have that feeling of real progress. I stuck with my rehab because I wanted to get back on the ice, but there were days it was tough to follow through because I felt like I didn't need it. The other risk you run, besides reinjury, is that your body could reject the donor graft.

Jrhky's advice is dead on. Follow it and you're golden. Good luck with the surgery and recovery!

[cougarscaptain87 11]

thanks for the advice, im getting it now becasue im looking at getting on a better roller team and if i do it now then i will beable to play with them for nationals next summer, if all goes well. i know the rehab is going to be rough on me but when i want something done i generally push to get it. another concearn i have is my son, hes only 17 months so he doesnt like to walk all the time. will i beable to carry him when im off crutches or is that going to be an issue? also did you guys do anything differently when you slept? im a pretty violent sleeper and end up in a completly different spot then when i started, any advice so i dont do any damage the first few days? any other advice is appreciated.

which hosp? beaumount or crittenton?

im actually doing it at an outpatient surgery center in waterford, thats where my dr (dr. samoni) wanted to do it. he was the team trainer for the minnesota twins a while ago so i trust him

[sabby47 2]

I never really had any pain with my ACL surgeries (cadavar grafts)... not sure if it's standard practice but I'd talk to your surgeon about a nerve block that will completely numb your leg for 24-36 hours. You might want to invest a pair of tet hose (they're kind of like panty hose socks) I remember the only pain I had was two days after my first surgery waking up and my feet absolutely KILLED ME. All the fluid had drained to my feet and they were soooo swollen I felt like I had just ran a marathon in heels. Typically the day after surgery you meet with your physical therapist to remove the drain they leave in your knee. Keep the polar pack on and listen to your PT! Somethings will hurt a hell of a lot more than others but it's worth it in the end. It gets frustrating at times not being able to do something that seems as simple as walk properly but it will come with time and persistance. Once your PT releases you to ride a bike do it as often as he says you can. I got my full range of motion back pretty quickly. Being 3 months out from my second ACL surgery I can say that I still have a little bit of numbness in my knee, shin right below my knee and my thigh. (I guess they sometimes snag a nerve) With the weather changes it can feel stiff and kneeling/putting pressure on my knee still isnt possible without pain. That may not be true for everyone, but that's just my personal experience. And yes, like others have stated, it's hard to ever trust that knee again.

[jrhky36 1]

thanks for the advice, im getting it now becasue im looking at getting on a better roller team and if i do it now then i will beable to play with them for nationals next summer, if all goes well. i know the rehab is going to be rough on me but when i want something done i generally push to get it. another concearn i have is my son, hes only 17 months so he doesnt like to walk all the time. will i beable to carry him when im off crutches or is that going to be an issue? also did you guys do anything differently when you slept? im a pretty violent sleeper and end up in a completly different spot then when i started, any advice so i dont do any damage the first few days? any other advice is appreciated.

which hosp? beaumount or crittenton?

im actually doing it at an outpatient surgery center in waterford, thats where my dr (dr. samoni) wanted to do it. he was the team trainer for the minnesota twins a while ago so i trust him

you should have no problem carring your son onceyou get off crutches. btw ditch them asap, it will help. i lost mine after 3 days. didn't do anything different other than my wife sleeping on the cough the first nite, she didn't want t obang my knee while she slept.

[joshy207 15]

As far as sleeping... the first night or two, I slept on my back (which I rarely do normally) and didn't move around much. After that, I was able to find comfortable positions on my sides, and I'd put a pillow between my legs. You'll probably have a soft brace (foam & velcro) with some stabilizers and a catch in the knee hinge so you don't overextend your knee. The brace can be uncomfortable for your other leg if you're sleeping on your side, that's why I used the pillow.

[cougarscaptain87 11]

well its my second day of recovery and all i can say is i hope i never have to do this again. i have a full tear of BOTH bundles of fibers. i have been doped up on vicodin since yesterday and i have vitrually no control of my leg. i got the nerve block for my leg and that made everything feel great until it wore off around 11pm last night, now every move i make sends a burning shooting pain through my entire leg. did anyone else have a problem with sleeping? i got 1 hour of sleep the night before the surgery, then i slept for 3 hours during the surgery, and since that i have had 1.5 hours of sleep. 6.5 hours of sleep in 3 days isnt normal at all, and im not even THAT tired. just curious if that was normal, and if anyone had anymore tips to ease the pain.

[Spreedizzle 1]

I am a stomach sleeper and I could virtually ONLY fall asleep on my stomach, so post op for me was very difficult at first due to both the pain and not being able to lay down in my typical fashion. I found relief finally by laying down on my back with a firm pillow (I used one of those firm 24x24 study/reading pillows) under my bad leg to keep it just a touch elevated and it would keep the throbbing and pain down and allow me to finally fall asleep. I can't stress enough, the first few days are the most critical in recovery, keep your leg elevated as much and as often as possible.

Best of luck with a restful evening.

[sabby47 2]

Did they give you a PolarPack to use? I second what Spree said, keep your knee elevated as much as possible and try to stay ahead of the pain, take pain pills before you think you will need them instead of waiting until it hurts. If it's still bothering you, talk to your Dr about switching pain pills. I was on Percoset and Oxycoden (sp?)and it was everything I could do not to pass out.

[cougarscaptain87 11]

this acl surgery has turned into a goddamn nightmare. i am currently bed ridden in the hospial since tuesday becasue i have developed a very large blood clot from my mid calf all the way up to my mid thigh. i have been very weak and very intoxicated from all the painkillers. has anyone else developed a blood clot after surgery and what is the average recovery time on the blood clot? thanks alot

[Wolverine 0]

.... just curious

Did you start physical therapy right away after your procedure. I mean within 24 hrs?

Did you start (within 24 hrs):

- 50 ankle pumps every hour

3-5 x day.....

- 3x15 heel slides to bend your knee

- 3x15 quad sets

- 3x15 straight leg raises

- 3x15 supported range of motion over edge of bed

- patella mobilizations

- hamstring stretches

- gastroc stretches

- quad stimulation (very high intensity)

- icing for 20 minutes 5-8 times a day

*** I mean the FULL above routine 3-5 times a day right from the get go! As soon as your post-operative dressing were removed the next day????? If done appropriately 3-5 times a day, basically it takes up the whole day.

Or, did you just lie around and rest with you leg elevated? Who knows, maybe you were instructed to do so?

The first two weeks (especially the first week) after surgery MAKE OR BREAK YOU! Period.

Please reply. I'm curious about your course of treatment.

[cougarscaptain87 11]

i was ordered to have no weight on the leg for 3 weeks. the surgery was on the 21st, and my first physical therapy session was scheduled for the 26th. but in the mean time i was told to do the ankle pumps on a daily basis just to keep the blood flowing. i followed the strict icing instructons and the ankle pumps but i was told to absolutly do nothing more until i got to therapy on tuesday, and this is where the clot scare was materialized and then i had it checked out at a hospital near by via ultrasound (i pulled out the "atleast my leg isnt pregnant") joke to the technician. extremley unamused by that. im more concearned that since my acl healing is on the back burner what it will do to my recovery and my full return to hockey and golf.

[jrhky36 1]

it takes time to recover from the surgery. it is major tramua to the body. try to keep your sprits up. don't try to rush back to soon, it will only make it worse in the end.

[cougarscaptain87 11]

bumping an older topic, its been four weeks since my surgery and i am working on getting rid of the crutches and to start walking. i am allowed to have all my weight on the leg when it can take it. as of now my leg just buckels when i attempt to place all my weight on it. for people who have had this surgery, do you currently wear a brace while participating in sports? my doc said i didnt have to but i think i want to for piece of mind... or am i being too cautious? if you wear one could you recomend on that isnt too bukly or restrictive?

thanks alot

[RadioGaGa 162]

I don't know if you ever told the whole story...did you injure this on one major incident or had there been damage that you didn't know about that was aggrivated?

I slid into 2nd last weekend and when I saw the knee buckle, and then couldn't put any weight on it when I went to stand up...this thread flashed through my mind. Thankfully, it's just a sprain/strain...a littel physio and rest, adn I shoudl be fine...but after 3-4 days of limping, I feel for anyone who has had to undergo major knee work, and has month or rehab to go through.

Best of luck in your recovery.

[cougarscaptain87 11]

i dont think i ever got in depth. basically what happened is i was playing in a torhs qualifier in late april early may, went down akward and felt a pop. i didnt go down real hard or anything insane so i wasnt all the concearned and it only burned, didnt really hurt all that bad. i finished that tournament out, then play an AAU qualifier the next week. That week i got pined waist down and gravity took my upperbody down first making my body all sorts of weird shapes, after i got up after that i knew there was something seriously wrong. finished the game out, went to the er on my break, dr said it was a sprain, finished out the tournament. never hurt all that bad while playing, just when i got home i could feel it. played in all 4 of my leagues every week, went to torhs nationals, played a shit house tourney in indiana, and on aug 21st, after 4 months of playing on a shredded acl finally got the surgery. Doc was hoping for a partial tear of a singular bundle, but he got a 100% tear of both bundles. Full replacement and now i am where i am, misrable on crutches itching to walk. Ive been swinging a golf club in my living room on one leg and just looking at all my hockey equipment even tho i cant use it until march!

[RadioGaGa 162]

i dont think i ever got in depth. basically what happened is i was playing in a torhs qualifier in late april early may, went down akward and felt a pop. i didnt go down real hard or anything insane so i wasnt all the concearned and it only burned, didnt really hurt all that bad. i finished that tournament out, then play an AAU qualifier the next week. That week i got pined waist down and gravity took my upperbody down first making my body all sorts of weird shapes, after i got up after that i knew there was something seriously wrong. finished the game out, went to the er on my break, dr said it was a sprain, finished out the tournament. never hurt all that bad while playing, just when i got home i could feel it. played in all 4 of my leagues every week, went to torhs nationals, played a shit house tourney in indiana, and on aug 21st, after 4 months of playing on a shredded acl finally got the surgery. Doc was hoping for a partial tear of a singular bundle, but he got a 100% tear of both bundles. Full replacement and now i am where i am, misrable on crutches itching to walk. Ive been swinging a golf club in my living room on one leg and just looking at all my hockey equipment even tho i cant use it until march!

Wow...How the hell did you play on a shredded knee? I tried to skate Sunday (after twisting my knee Sat) and there was no way...

Dr. told me it's just a sprain too...now ya got me scared again...I never heard/felt the "pop" though...so I guess that is a good thing.