acl reconstruction
dCowboyPJ
Posts: 479
i was wondering if anyone here has had their acl reconstructed? if you have, how long has it been and how does your knee feel now?
i had my acl reconstructed a little over 2 years ago. i don't want to say its painful still, but it still doesn't feel right. i can't tell if its 100% stable or not. i'm just to afraid to use it the way i did before i tore it and it makes it feel like its not stable i guess.
i found lately i feel alot of stiffness. my hamstring feels tight almost all the time. i feel like im always stretching out my leg. and when i strech out my leg that is when i can feel some pain in my knee. after my surgery the doctor told me i had some arthritis in my knee. so that could be causing that pain. does anyone else have these problems?
i know, i know, i should go see the surgeon and see what he says. but i'm afraid to go and find out that i need something else done. and he is also an asshole, so i'd rather avoid him if i can.
i had my acl reconstructed a little over 2 years ago. i don't want to say its painful still, but it still doesn't feel right. i can't tell if its 100% stable or not. i'm just to afraid to use it the way i did before i tore it and it makes it feel like its not stable i guess.
i found lately i feel alot of stiffness. my hamstring feels tight almost all the time. i feel like im always stretching out my leg. and when i strech out my leg that is when i can feel some pain in my knee. after my surgery the doctor told me i had some arthritis in my knee. so that could be causing that pain. does anyone else have these problems?
i know, i know, i should go see the surgeon and see what he says. but i'm afraid to go and find out that i need something else done. and he is also an asshole, so i'd rather avoid him if i can.
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go see a doctor.
:P
Tres Mts. Gramercy Theatre 3/26/11
*formerly manutd3581
it is very rare to have an isolated acl tear. there is usually always some other pathology, mainly bony bruising, which can become a problem because those can lead to bony/cartilage defects.
did you have any other issues like a meniscus tear or posterior lateral corner injury or osteochondral defect?
was it done open or with a scope?
what type of graft did you have? allograft or autograft?
if autograft, what was the donor site? patellar tendon, hamstring, or gracillis?
without this info i can not definitively answer your questions.
i can give you some ideas, but you should definitely see your surgeon. especially if you still note instability. your surgeon knows your knee and what was done surgically better than anybody so they should be able to tell you what to do.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
yep. i have that big brace. i hate wearing it, but i do everyday.
yeah, i had a meniscus tear. he fixed that during the first surgery.
meniscus was a scope.
acl i was cut open
i'm not 100% sure what you're asking here. i know my hamstring was used to repair it though.
since you had 2 suegeries things are a bit more complicated. the meniscus helps to give the knee joint stability and helps absord shock. if you have a large portion of meniscus removed that can contribute to your instability issues, unless you felt stable initially after the acl was reconstructed.
an allograft is a graft taken from a cadaver and an autograft is from your own body. there are many ways to use autografts. the gold standard used to be to use the middle 1/3 of the patellar tendon with part of the patella and tibial tubercle were used as bone grafts. this is a good technique but people were having stiffness and reduced knee flexion. the hamstring graft is what a lot of surgeons are using these days. it is a less invasive procedure and allows for faster recovery and retun to activity, but i have read studies that state that it is possible for those grafts to stretch and become slightly unstable over time. i am not saying that that happened in your case, but it is entirely possible, especially if you have had a subsequent injury since the reconstruction.
i would continue to work hard on your range of motion and quad and hamstring stretching and progress back into your strengthening rehab program a few days a week. but i would suggest following up with your surgeon before you do anything because he/she is the authority and they know what was done to your knee in surgery.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
i have a pretty physically demanding job (commercial plumber), so that is why i wear it everyday. i was told that i would only need to wear it for 2 years which has now passed. but its like a security blanket for me now, and it feels weird not wearing it at work.
and as much as i hate wearing it there are times at work i'm happy that i had it on.
my range of motion is great. after my surgery the physiotherapist was really suprised how well i could move my knee.
i'm not saying its bad all the time. i'm currently sitting on my couch with my legs cross and i have zero pain right now. but other days if i do this it hurts like hell. i have good days and bad days.
thanks for all of your input
Unfortunately, it really sounds like you need to go see your doctor. I know the feeling of not wanting to. I had my knee scoped prior to the ACL reconstruction and I knew once I went back to the doctor that it wasn't going to be good news. Good luck to you.
Its pretty scary feeling when you plant and you get a trick knee.
that's an allograft as mentioned by gimmesometruth.
I'm no doc, but I heard/read that those don't hold up as well as an autograft.
im young & large so i don't get new knees for awhile. i don't even want the new knees until i cannot walk a single inch. so i swim & walk & lift light weights to stay flexible & burn calories.
in the last 3 months i been into forced weaning off of pain killers. that was one of the worst times of my life as i didn't sleep for quite some time & if i did sleep it was short sleeps & a lot of tossing & turning & the whole sickness of coming off opiates.
my knees actually feel better these days than they have in several years this doesn't mean much because as you know knee pain will drive a person nuts with all the agony.
on a side note... my knees pop & grind when i drive... when i brake the knee grinds & pops & feels funny. this is with every single brake applying application
good luck to you & your acl. did you take pain killers?
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
sounds miserable. :(
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
i would not make that trade. mine ache as the weather changes from fall to winter and back to spring. that is more than enough for me. i would not want to deal with what you are dealing with.
They have an autograft from the hammy for the acl.
The allograft is to stabilise the lateral aspect of the knee.
Completely torn ACL, partially torn MCL. Fuck!
Spoke to a guy who has High Level D1 scholarship athlete kids, one just had an ACL reconstruct.... He did all the research and said that the Cadaver was the worst option.
Shit. Sorry to hear that. When are you having the surgery?
I had the patellar tendon graft when I had mine back in 2000. It feels great. The only time it ever really bothers me is when I am kneeling down. Just can't get comfortable.
I dunno when the surgery is, I have a consultation coming up. I think I may want to switch Orthopedists though. Im not sure how to do that.
I think I am going to ratchet down baseball and play more hockey. Been getting killed with injuries the past few years in baseball, and it was just a matter of time before 'the big one'.
Good luck to you. I'm sure the surgery is so much better now than it was when I had it. I have a gigantic scar on my knee...like 5 inches. My doctor was a butcher.