Completley torn ACL

[stick9 891]

I recently tore my ACL and I'm faced with ACL reconstruction surgery. The Dr. said if I choose not to have the surgery (some choose not to) there is still a chance I will be able to play ice hockey. I was wondering if anyone here is playing with a completely torn ACL?

I'm spending the next few days thinking about whether or not to have the surgery.

thanks in advance

[SirJW 207]

My G/F lived w/ a torn ACL for a few years, it sucked. She could do things but every so often the knee would give out and in effect she was really in effective as a player because of it. She had surgery in December and got back on her skates a few weeks ago, she couldn't be happier about her new knee.

[shotty 7]

acl reconstruction isn't absolutely necessary, but it's certainly nice to have it ;)

i played hockey with an guy in his mid 40s the other day who has gone almost three years with a non functioning acl.

make sure you take the appropriate steps to recovery (lots of ice, elevation to get the swelling down) and see a physiotherapist. once that is done, see if you can find some specialized workouts to get confidence in mobility.

[chrisg19 5]

I tore my first ACL when I was 18 playing football. I did not get surgery on it, and played every sport from football to basketball to hockey without it for the next 22 years. Then I tore my other one playing hockey, and decided to get them both fixed. That was a little over two years ago. So yes you can play effectively with a completely torn ACL, BUT it leads to other internal damage, I have almost no meniscus left in the first knee, and my Dr. says I now have worse looking knees than someone in their 70's. I have since had them both redone, and if I could do it over I would have done the surgerys right from the beginning. The only thing you have to remember is to COMPLETELY follow up with your PT. You will be shocked at how much strength you lose after surgery, and if you rush back to sports, pains can linger for a long time, but that's another story...

[Fletch 219]

How important is hockey vs. having a fully functional knee for everyday tasks?

I'm a 33 year old beer leaguer and I had to take virtually all of 2008 off to have 2 reconstructive foot surgeries and 1 SLAP tear shoulder surgery. It sucked, but I don't play for a living and with 2 kids and a Wife, I decided a year off of hockey to improve my overall quality of life was well worth it.

And for the record, I started playing again in January and my skating has never been stronger.

If I were you, I would have the surgery.

[jrhky36 1]

toremy acl in nov of '97, had surgery in dec 97. was playing again in less than 6 months. fo me it was ano brainer. i wanted to have a functional knee 20,30,40 years from then. so far no problems with it. did have a scare recently, turned out to be a deep bone bruse.

you'll be happy 1,2,4,5 years from now. one thing that has not been brought up is your age. the body heals faster at younger ages. my dad tore his (in 97 also), had surgery and it just did not heal right, he has since stopped playing all sports.

bottom line do it now while your young. good luck

[Jordan 13]

Steve Yzerman

[armada 0]

Blew my knee out when I was 18, didn't get surgery till 21. I could still do sport activities but I would always favor the knee and could feel the lack of support at all times. After surgery it took me about year and a half before I had 100% confidence in my knee. Just get it over with and work hard during rehab and you'll be back in no time.

[stick9 891]

Thanks for the replies. At this point (39) I play for the love of the game, and would like to keep on playing for many years.

To those who've had the surgery. Do you guys need a brace to play...or it just something you wear to ease your minds?

[jps39 0]

I find playing Hockey is easier on my knees than sports such as football or basketball. I tore my left acl 20 yrs ago, tore the right acl 2 years later. Had both reconstructed and re-tore the left one 5 years later. Never had it fixed again. I'm a 40 yr old rec. player and at this age can play with 99% confidence in the knee. I work in the medial field, and i think what is most important in the kind of procedure the Dr. will use. Will he use the central third of your patellar tendon?, or a cadaver graft? As for knee braces, functional ACL braces are bulky and your knee can still buckle with them on. They may offer a little more psychological peace of mind, but increasing strenghth in the leg is probably more important than anything.

[stick9 891]

I work in the medial field, and i think what is most important in the kind of procedure the Dr. will use. Will he use the central third of your patellar tendon?, or a cadaver graft?

The two doctors I am seeing would take from the hamstring, not sure if that's the same tendon you are referring to. There is the option of using a cadaver graft and one actually recommended that route.

[jps39 0]

From all i have learned about ACl reconstructions both personally, and professionally, the hamstring, cadaver, and the central third of your patellar tendon all have good strength and restore stability. In my case the central third of the patellar tendon was, and may still be, the Gold Standard in ACL repair. Since that's what my ortho was trained in, that's what i had done. 18 years later, and knowing what i know now, if this happened to me now, i would opt for the cadaver graft first, then maybe the hamstring second. The reason being there is a lot less trauma to the knee using the cadaver graft. I'm 40 now and there is significant arthritis in my knees at this point. Who knows if arthritis would have developed like this anyway even if i never damaged my knees. Some of us just have bad knees. Hope this helps.

[LegoDoom 0]

Desjardins did it for a while.

I find playing Hockey is easier on my knees than sports such as football or basketball.

I had knee problems from basketball when I was young. Football is horrible on my ankles/feet. Volleyball is bad on both. People usually think I hurt my knees/ankles from playing hockey, but it's much easier on them than any of the other sports I play. As physical as it is, it's not bad on my knees.

[K9 Unit 1]

Desjardins did it for a while.

I find playing Hockey is easier on my knees than sports such as football or basketball.

I had knee problems from basketball when I was young. Football is horrible on my ankles/feet. Volleyball is bad on both. People usually think I hurt my knees/ankles from playing hockey, but it's much easier on them than any of the other sports I play. As physical as it is, it's not bad on my knees.

definately +1 on the basketball...i'm 17 and my knees feel like its 40...

just how stiff a hockey skate really helps...but it can also be a bitch, case point crosby last year

[PIASMurph 0]

Not trying to resurect a few month old thread but.... :D

I tore my right ACL on Father's Day. I had surgery last Monday, and they used my patella tendon for the procedure. I am planning on playing when I come back. Anymore input on people who've come back from this would be great. It would be nice to have something to look forward to haha.

[fatwabbit 93]

Sep 96 - Suspected torn ACL during military exercise, continued to play soon after with knee giving way every once in a while (missed numerous breakaways due to knee giving way)

Feb 97 - knee blew out, orthorscopy showed torn meniscus and 90% torn ACL

Jun 97 - reconstruction of knee

Oct 97 - back on skates, playing competitive hockey and soccer

Apr 02 - grade 2 MCL Strain

Oct 02 - back on skates

Jun 09 - busted knee again, will know extent this Thu.

[W.Heinle 0]

Not trying to resurect a few month old thread but.... :D

I tore my right ACL on Father's Day. I had surgery last Monday, and they used my patella tendon for the procedure. I am planning on playing when I come back. Anymore input on people who've come back from this would be great. It would be nice to have something to look forward to haha.

Exactly the same surgery I had done 12 years ago (man time flies when I think about it ). Recovery took about 6 months. But remember the more therapy and exercises you do the better the final result will be.

Just one word of caution, I developed a little bit of patella tendinitis since now there was less tendon. But in the long run I am very happy and my knee is solid. I don't wear any braces.

Good luck.

[PIASMurph 0]

Cool! I've been feeling better and better after doing my PT exercises and going to PT. I can comfortably sit without the brace if I'm in a recliner or sitting on a bed. I can also put almost full weight on it while walking with my crutches which is the part I'm most excited about. I basically just wanted some reassurance from someone who had gone through it because I have a lot of time to sit and think about it haha. Thanks!

[fifthlinegoon 0]

I had a knee injury a few months ago, I felt some instability so I got an MRI. The MRI report stated that I had a complete tear. The Doctor's kept telling me my ACL felt intact using the Lachman's test. I had surgery 3 weeks ago and my ACL was intact they just had to clean up the meniscus. You won't know what's wrong with your knee till they open it up.

[Rocketking 0]

My first ACL tear was sort of slow. Partially tore then finally gave way all at once. I tried to skate but as it progressive loosened the joint my knee became more and more sloppy. When that happens bad things come with it. First off I had a harder time controlling my direction on the ice and then it was wearing on my cartilage. Had I not had the operation there is no way I could have continued to play, as it went my knee cam back very strong and the joint very tight. I still have great cartilage in that knee and its been nearly 30 years since I had it repaired.

Get it fixed, do your time in PT, you'll get back to what you love and your body will be stronger with less risk of future injury.

[stick9 891]

Update:

My orthopedist recommended I do a month's worth of PT (twice a week) before even talking about surgery. The PT went very well, it was a huge help. My knee is still suspect, but at least now I am pain and limp free.

I see my doctor next week, at which time I'll be scheduling my surgery. I can't wait. I want to get the surgery over with so I can start the rehab phase.

[PIASMurph 0]

Get it done quick. I'm only a week and a half out of my surgery and I'm starting to feel normal again....except for the area of the knee. Beware though, the first 2-4 days after surgery were awful for me. Not saying that it'll be that way for you ,but by the Friday after my surgery (had it on monday) I was starting to see improvement in every aspcet. Moral, pain was decreasing, it was easier to get around on the crutches, and I was finally sleeping all the way through the night. I'm actually starting to walk with only 1 crutch now. It's exciting to get better!

[stick9 891]

Get it done quick. I'm only a week and a half out of my surgery and I'm starting to feel normal again....except for the area of the knee. Beware though, the first 2-4 days after surgery were awful for me. Not saying that it'll be that way for you ,but by the Friday after my surgery (had it on monday) I was starting to see improvement in every aspcet. Moral, pain was decreasing, it was easier to get around on the crutches, and I was finally sleeping all the way through the night. I'm actually starting to walk with only 1 crutch now. It's exciting to get better!

Great to hear your recovering. This is taking a bit longer than I wished because my wife was 7 months pregnant when the injury occurred. We now have a 3 week old daughter and even though she's doing a great job she can't take care of both me and the baby just yet.

[PIASMurph 0]

I see. Congrats on the baby! You will probably need someone with your for atleast the first few days post-op since you literally can almost do nothing for yourself. I would have to call someone to turn a light switch on haha. It always gets worse before it gets better, and I've been telling myself that and "today is the hardest day" to help myself get through this because it's somewhere between 6-9months to return to full activity. I should be jogging by the 2nd or 3rd week of September, so I'm getting excited for that, and I HATE running haha. Good luck on the surgery when you have it.

[stick9 891]

Hey thanks, and good luck with the rehab. Let me know how it goes. I'd especially like to hear how things went your firs time back out on the ice.