ACL Surgery (Moto Crash :p)

swizcore
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12/6/2009 6:31pm
I doubt it was 167.. normal is 140 167 is pretty much your heel at your butt and even past that. Just pointing that out ;)...
I doubt it was 167.. normal is 140 167 is pretty much your heel at your butt and even past that. Just pointing that out Wink

Glad to see your doing better though man, that skin reaction looked nasty!

I went back for my followup last wed -- dr said everything was good. I even drove my car (standard) 2 1/2 hours down there. I'm 2 1/2 weeks out. 0-135 on my acl repair side and 0-145 on the donor knee... 10 more degrees to go and I can start running again! He said once I'm able to run a lil then I can progress into sprinting.. Then after that follows the getting back into riding.. So its gonna be sooner than I thought I'm pretty stoked. I haven't had any pain other than trying to keep my leg straight. I'm real stiff when I wake up from sleeping with my knees bent so its a pain in the ass working them back to straight.
You were right about my number being wrong. He measured again last session and it was 137. Smile
bchristy613
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12/7/2009 5:23pm
thats really good .. I would definitely say your ahead of the game.. what was your full flexion before surgery?
swizcore
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12/7/2009 6:08pm
thats really good .. I would definitely say your ahead of the game.. what was your full flexion before surgery?
Before it was probably range from -10 to 180; I had one knobby ass knee!
yzrider09
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12/8/2009 1:21pm
180 degrees? My heal is touching my butt at 145 degrees.

The Shop

bchristy613
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12/8/2009 2:06pm
Not sure where you got those numbers from lol.. -10 would be extremely painful hyperextension, usually a person only has -3.. Flexion is typically 135-150 depending on the person... 180 would be a straight line
swizcore
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12/8/2009 4:59pm
I was just being a smartass. Smile
Clutch
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12/8/2009 6:28pm
I had ACL surgery about 13 weeks ago. I've been at 100% strength since week 10 and full flexion and extension since like week 4 or 5. Doc won't let me get back on the bike until week 16! I've been riding my mountain bike on some easy trails. But I'm going nuts not riding my dirt scooter!
12/9/2009 10:10pm
I have had two of these surgeries and they do not always stick in a catheter during the surgery especially due to how fast the surgery is. However on occasion they do or after the surgery depending upon how your autonomic nervous system reacted with the anesthesia you may have difficulty urinating. At that moment you will most likely have to get one. After my first ACL I had to get one post surgery which was unpleasant (I think I got a beginning nurse). The second time I told them I had difficulty urinating after the surgery and they gave me some different anesthesia to ameliorate the bladder issues although it was still difficult....I had hernia surgeries as well and those are mandatory....

I will say though if they insert one when you are under you would realize it the first time you urinated on your own (it will burn).

swizcore
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12/12/2009 9:58am
Just adding to my little journal I have going here.

I had my skin grafting surgery on thursday. Im assuming it went well because I havent had any new pain since the surgery. I havent seen the graft yet since my leg is in an ACE wrap and a straight brace, which it has to remain in until I see the doc again on monday.

I havent stood up other than going to the bathroom and I dont want to speak too soon but the pressure I was feeling in my knee when I would stand still APPEARS to have lessened greatly since the grafting. That would be AWESOME because the pain from the blood flow pressure to my knee was pretty much my last bitch about this whole cluster-F of a surgical experience.

I'll update with some pics after the doc visit on monday. You'll be very surprised at how much better it will look because it was already looking much better (other than the black dead area) before the grafts.
bchristy613
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12/17/2009 4:42pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 7:31pm
Any pics man??

(5 weeks post op on 12/18)
Just wanted to post a lil update.. my strength is getting a lot better in the donor knee, the step ups have paid off for sure. I went on my first run today. The dr said start easy at a mile then work up, every other day. My garmin wasnt working so I did a route I thought I would know where the half mile was then return back. I mapped the run afterwards and it ended up being 1.5 miles lol. I felt really good though aside from the 3 tacos I had an hour prior to my run. The donor knee was sore when my right foot struck the ground with each stride but it was manageable. I didn't really swell up -- I still threw the cryocuffs on each knee for an hour though to be safe. My acl side still has quite a bit of fluid, mainly on the lateral aspect of the knee. It's really pronounced when I'm in flexion, it feels tight obviously where the pocket of fluid is but i still have full range.


Edit: Added a picture.. There was another incision on my L leg about 2 in long but its not visible in the pic.
swizcore
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12/17/2009 6:29pm
LOL, the taco's comment got me laughing.

I wish my knee would look like that but Im pretty certain it never will. I go to the doc tomorrow at 9:30 to get all the wrap removed from my skin grafts so I'll have pics then. It is healing everywhere finally but its gonna look gnarly still. I lost full tissue thickness on that black area and just have a thin graft starting to heal there now, its really like a hole in my leg. The skin graft put me back on PT delay for like 3 weeks :-\. It was a bummer to be doing so well with PT then stop for the graft and have a straight leg for 4 days again. Im walking now more normally than I have since before my surgery but the graft keeps me from any progress on flexion. I actually "trotted" around the house chasing my 1 year old yesterday, It feels pretty strong but Im not falling into that trap.Pics and docs thoughts tomorrow.
swizcore
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12/18/2009 9:42am Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 7:31pm
Ok, Here are the pics I just took.

Doc says its looking just as it should and I start up PT again today at 2:30.

I cant take NORMAL(bagless) showers finally! It's gonna be months before it looks "normal" but right now Im just excited to be fully recovering. I have to keep this "mesh" on them and still have it wrapped but thats no biggie.



dirthead1
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12/18/2009 10:01am
Definitely looks better. Keep on pushing!
bchristy613
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12/18/2009 10:12am
awesome man.. looks alot better

are you free to do however much flexion you want or does he still want you limited?
prozach
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12/18/2009 10:28am
Any pics man?? (5 weeks post op on 12/18) Just wanted to post a lil update.. my strength is getting a lot better in the donor...
Any pics man??

(5 weeks post op on 12/18)
Just wanted to post a lil update.. my strength is getting a lot better in the donor knee, the step ups have paid off for sure. I went on my first run today. The dr said start easy at a mile then work up, every other day. My garmin wasnt working so I did a route I thought I would know where the half mile was then return back. I mapped the run afterwards and it ended up being 1.5 miles lol. I felt really good though aside from the 3 tacos I had an hour prior to my run. The donor knee was sore when my right foot struck the ground with each stride but it was manageable. I didn't really swell up -- I still threw the cryocuffs on each knee for an hour though to be safe. My acl side still has quite a bit of fluid, mainly on the lateral aspect of the knee. It's really pronounced when I'm in flexion, it feels tight obviously where the pocket of fluid is but i still have full range.


Edit: Added a picture.. There was another incision on my L leg about 2 in long but its not visible in the pic.
Just got a donor graph on wed.. No brace or anything, just crutches. Dr. Told me to put weight on it as long as it doesn't hurt and not to bend it beyond 60 degrees. What did your doc tell you to do for the first week with the knee that had the donor acl? He also fixed both meniscus on the same knee.

Oh and no catheter or anything. Was in decent pain at hospital, but almost all my pain was gone after 24 hours. I would say down to a 2-3. I still can't left my leg on my own without a lot of pain however.
bchristy613
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12/18/2009 1:28pm
I didn't have my meniscus repaired but on my donor side it was just quad sets, heel slides, straight leg raises(when there is no quad lag) .. It will be sore as hell but you have to work through it. Who did your surgery? Not sure why you can only do 0-60 that seems kinda weird..
feeble
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12/18/2009 3:47pm
i have to get my acl done soon; its a full rupture, but the meniscus is perfect and everythi ng else is fine. heres my thing; my most recent injury seems to have completed a tear that i started 7 years ago skiing, meaning that i've been skiing and riding for 7 years with a partial tear. my knee feels ok, if i didnt know i didnt have an acl for 4 months, i didnt even think about it. i told my doc today that i was gonna ski on it and see if it works for me and then get it fixed in fall after mx season ends. he told me that the only variable is that i have a healthy meniscus and if i damage that, im alot worse off. i guess i've been living ok with at least a torn acl, so whats another 10 months? can anybody post any negative effects of their acl repairs (if any). currently, no issues running, cycling, squats (minor pain the next day) or any regular exercize. tennis is a pain at times. thanks for any imput.
CamP
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12/18/2009 3:56pm
feeble wrote:
i have to get my acl done soon; its a full rupture, but the meniscus is perfect and everythi ng else is fine. heres my thing...
i have to get my acl done soon; its a full rupture, but the meniscus is perfect and everythi ng else is fine. heres my thing; my most recent injury seems to have completed a tear that i started 7 years ago skiing, meaning that i've been skiing and riding for 7 years with a partial tear. my knee feels ok, if i didnt know i didnt have an acl for 4 months, i didnt even think about it. i told my doc today that i was gonna ski on it and see if it works for me and then get it fixed in fall after mx season ends. he told me that the only variable is that i have a healthy meniscus and if i damage that, im alot worse off. i guess i've been living ok with at least a torn acl, so whats another 10 months? can anybody post any negative effects of their acl repairs (if any). currently, no issues running, cycling, squats (minor pain the next day) or any regular exercize. tennis is a pain at times. thanks for any imput.
I lived with a 100% ACL tear for 15 years. In retrospect, I should have repaired it sooner because the loose knee was hard on my cartilage and cause permanent, unrepairable damage.
ocscottie
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12/18/2009 4:12pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 7:32pm
Looks way better Kev, man seeing those staples in there give me bad memories...


About a month or so after my back surgery (i was still in the hospital doing rehab) the surgeon came in and wanted to just check out how the incision was doing, all the staples had been removed..or so they thought. He is checking out the incision and says..hmm it appears we missed a couple staples, they were all grown over and embedded under the skin and he had to dig them out with a scalpel. Would of been no biggie if they were below my feeling/injury level, but they werent...i cried like a little girl as he dug those fuckers out.
feeble
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12/18/2009 4:15pm
i hear ya camp. living 6 1/2 years with a grade II tear then 4 months with a complete, i'm having a hard time coming to grips with foregoing ski season and riding time in summer. its honestly a hard decision that i kow i'll regret if i do further damage incurred by either activities. realistically, i'm talking myself out of surgery, at least for the time being and not getting any further ahead. no i just didnt answer my own question. i just want a pass for 10 months, haha.
bchristy613
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12/18/2009 5:12pm
Get it repaired asap and avoid running on it... You're just damaging your knees even more. Those ligaments are meant to hold your knee in place. If its sliding all around even with a partial tear its going to damage your cartilage.. Its more worth it to hold off the activity now and get it done, rather than pay for it down the road with arthritis.
swizcore
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12/18/2009 5:37pm
Oh my God Scottie!! That makes me cringe just thinking about it, I dont blame ya for crying.

Me and you Cam on the 15 years, I dont think mine caused irreparable damage though, just irreparable ugliness from the "complications".

PT went great today. Having been in a straight brace from thursday last week till monday and then only being allowed to walk till today(no more flexion) I knew my flexion had taken a step back. Got to PT, measured my flexion at 124(at my last PT session last wed it was at 137). After my session, they measured my flexion again and it was back to 132 so Im pretty pumped. Knee feels great and I am happy to be focusing on PT now.
feeble
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12/18/2009 5:40pm
i've actually been running alot too. not just in the past 2 months, but over tha last 7 years. even tho, the mri shows no cartilage damage, mcl fine, pcl a bit buckled (no acl), no meniscus damage at all, no tendon damage, no bone damage or bruising. overall, i feel lucky; however this is my dilema? i have been acting aas tho i had a functional acl for a while and had no issues, whats another 10 months? as luck will have it, i will sustain a major knee injury within that time, its just my luck. i'm really torn.
swizcore
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12/18/2009 5:46pm
feeble wrote:
i've actually been running alot too. not just in the past 2 months, but over tha last 7 years. even tho, the mri shows no cartilage...
i've actually been running alot too. not just in the past 2 months, but over tha last 7 years. even tho, the mri shows no cartilage damage, mcl fine, pcl a bit buckled (no acl), no meniscus damage at all, no tendon damage, no bone damage or bruising. overall, i feel lucky; however this is my dilema? i have been acting aas tho i had a functional acl for a while and had no issues, whats another 10 months? as luck will have it, i will sustain a major knee injury within that time, its just my luck. i'm really torn.
Yeah thats a catch 22. Personally, I'd prolly wait for a time of the year you least care about being out of commission for. Your going to do it anyhow so, just be careful till you get it done. Famous last words right! LOL
CamP
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12/18/2009 6:48pm
Hopefully you have a good brace like a CTi if you do anything. I relied on a very tight brace when I rode but I still had 3-4 good dislocations while riding after I initially tore my ACL and that's where I really did a number on my knee.
chase187
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12/18/2009 7:11pm
CamP wrote:
Hopefully you have a good brace like a CTi if you do anything. I relied on a very tight brace when I rode but I still...
Hopefully you have a good brace like a CTi if you do anything. I relied on a very tight brace when I rode but I still had 3-4 good dislocations while riding after I initially tore my ACL and that's where I really did a number on my knee.
I also have been riding with a torn ACL and slightly torn meniscus for 21 years. I had my knee scoped after the initial injury and had everthing cleaned up leaving a torn ACL. I had no major problems until this season. I had my knee dislocate twice in one moto inside the brace. I ended up totally destroying both meniscus, and a severe bone contusion. It has been 3 months since the incident and I am still not healed enough to get my ACL surgery. I would recommend getting it done as soon as you can.
feeble
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12/18/2009 7:12pm
oh. yeah, i have new podmx k700 braces. my doc did say that braces wont help much if your acl is already torn tho. after i decided to wait on surgery, i'm gonna just give it a day on the slopes and if it doesnt work, i'll schedule surgery. if i can ski, i can ride, thats the way i see it.
12/18/2009 9:23pm
LOL having your knee pop out while in braces really sucks. Funny how the brace that keeps your leg in place also keeps from going back in place when it pops out. For me it seemed to happen on jump take offs when I needed those few extra feet or height out of the jump and tried to spring and lunge hard off the face. Many of times I was 10' plus in the air with a poped out knee looking at a hard landing on the other leg that was also ACL deficient. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Feeble, if I've learned anything it is to get something fixed while you can get it fixed. I was in a similar situation and it took me 13 years to have the opportunity to get it fixed. But that is my lesson, not yours.

I will add one more downfall to not having it fixed that you might ask your Dr. about. When you have something like an ACL who's job is to keep your knee in place and it is not working properly, other groups responsible for keeping your knee in place and tracking correctly (muscles, ligaments ect.) will grow and develop in ways they are not designed to in order to compensate. Your body tries to fix itself. There are a number of ways this can effect you from your tracking of the knee, tracking of the petella, alter your stride, range of motion and increase the chance of complications during recovery (aches, pains, catches, swelling, increased stiffness, increased scar tissue) or just increase the time of recovery in general. There are other concerns as well such as arthritis but you get the picture and all this is if you don't damage it further. Something to speak over with your Dr. while making your decision.
7GP
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12/23/2009 8:19am
Hey guys, going in this morning to have my ACL surgery!

I tore it 4 months ago at a local race. Thought it was just a bad sprain. Went to PT for a month and we thought it was pretty much near the end of it. Had an MRI just for ducks, turns out its a torn ACL and tears in both meniscus. Bummer.

I have been doing some easy riding for the last three months and I've had it go out twice so far so I'm excited to get that fixed. Got my CPM machine, brace and polar pack ready to go when I get home tonight.

I'll try and update when I can.

--Swizcore, that's nasty man! I hope your feeling better!

swizcore
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12/23/2009 8:32am
Thanks, yup Im doing much better. I started resistance and weights at PT the other day and due to my month and a half of pretty much lying down with my knee elevated while they figured what the hell was up with my skin, it killed me. I am so sore today and I have to go back to PT at 1:30. Its gonna be hell but I dont skimp so looks like XMas morning is gonna be a bit rough.

I just want to reiterate to you 7GP and anyone else who looks at my pics and has any concerns about getting their knees fixed. My case was the only one that any of the 5 docs I saw had ever heard of, let alone seen (in over 1,000 ACL surgeries). It was a fluke involving a tainted Linocaine injection. Don't let what happened related to my surgery influence your action to get fixed up in any way.

Good luck! And lets see some pics and progress updates when your feeling up to it!

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