Posts
43
Joined
9/16/2008
Location
Washington, UT, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/27/2012 9:16am
I hurt my knee a week ago and after an MRI my doc told me I need a acl replacement where they take a graft from the hamstring. I just wanted some opinions from other members that may have had this done. Should I get it over with and have surgery? Or do I try to wait it out? I can walk ok and have decent range of motion still. Any info would be appreciated.
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100 %, but still improving. I'm sure your age makes a difference. I'm a Vet racer so I guess at my age the recovery may be longer. I can run now with some stiffness but very little pain. Up to 2 miles, 3 days a week. I waited two months after my injury to have the surgery, I recomend having it asap, the sooner it's done the sooner you can ride. Good luck and if you don't have them, look into knee braces, I did.
Whichever graft you decide make sure they use the calcium or glucosamine screws to fixate the graft. They are absorbed by the body and will not cause pain later on.
Good luck and listen to your PT!
1. Never used the crutches; authorized for load bearing out of surgery
2. Was on the bike just under 6 months later (did mine in late fall through winter)
3. Visted rehab 1 time/week and did "self study" due to travel schedule
4. Was traveling (via airline) 9 days after surgery EVERY week during recovery
Nothing special other than "by the book" and I had great luck with a CPM device and a electro stimulator (don't remember the name). I followed the advice of the rehab coaches and made rapid progress.
Knee is better than new - no problems. Get the self-graft - opinions vary but my doctor convinced me (and my other research) that mine will last forever but the cadaver might not hold up for the long haul.
I researched mine a fair bit before having it done; some things I found or were recommended:
- my doctor waited for about 6 weeks to let the swelling go down. In this time I started rehab on the knee (this time isn't lost as it will speed up rehab post surgery).
- patella or hamstring grafts seemed to be the most popular. Seems in Australia at least cadaver grafts are not that common these days.
- seemed to be equal evidence on both types of grafts, and each doctor will most likely recommend one over the other based on what their experience/expertise is.
- did a LOT of research on braces and decided that they didn't seem to offer much protection for ACL injuries so I didn't buy a set (my own opinion is that for ACL injuries a good set of knee guards is probably just as good). BTW I didn't do the injury on a bike.
- DO THE REHAB!! Don't skimp or procrastinate. Slack rehab can result in loss of flexibility and movement range that can be very hard to recover.
If you don't get it done, what will most likely happen is this - because the ACL stabilises the knee joint, over time no matter how careful you are, from time to time the joint will collapse. Each time this happens the knee cartilage will be damaged a bit. Eventually you will have little or no cartilage left and there is a good chance you will require a full knee replacement.
I took nine months before I got back on a bike, I was probably cautious but I've ridden a lot since then with no issues.
My ACL repair back in 2005 used the hamstring and I have zero issues with the repair. My wife had an ACL repair the same year and the patellar graft was used, at times, she still has issues with kneeling on the ground.
Based on my wife and I's experience, I'd never think that means hamstring grafts are good and patella grafts are bad.
I personally think the hot setup is to find a very reputable doc who's done a LOT of ACLs and has been doing them for a long time rather than sweating whether a doc uses a hamstring or patella graft.
Agree with what Mooch said his wife is having issues with. Kneeling causes the weirdest pain/sensation ever with the patella scar.
For her they grabbed a 10mm wide center strip from her patella tendon and anchored the ends.
Better than stock! She wears a Cti-style brace on the newest side, but only until her mind tells her it is fully healed.
Pit Row
That said, I *know* what my own bod has been through. Some other poor schmuck? Not so much. Tough choice.
i'm doing ok, not really on the pain meds, just motrin and can hobble, but use my crutches still. i'm on a rehab program that started this morning and its kind of painful right now, but i already am able to straighten my leg and can bend my knee till my foot is flat on the floor in a chair. my doc and therapist hav me running at 3 months and on a bike within 4. hope this helps. oh, i hope you like being constipated
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