ACL, 1 year ago today...

Kawisrok
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Kawisrok
Edited Date/Time 8/20/2015 11:00am
Today is the anniversary of me tearing the acl in my left knee plus miniscus damage. For the last 9 months I've been doing 5 days a week of intense physical therapy and yet I still only have about 40-50% of my knee strength back and roughly 60% flexibility. Let's not even get into the severe back pains from limping around, plus my other knee and hip pain from carrying all the weight. How the hell do these guys return to full racing after only 7 months or so? I got back on my bike about 3 months ago but every time I ride I am so nervous of blowing that knee out again. Oh, and yes I was wearing braces.
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overthebars39 8/18/2015 12:33pm
8/18/2015 12:33pm Edited Date/Time 8/18/2015 12:36pm
I suffered a work related knee injury 6 months ago with cartilage damage on the kneecap and minor miniscus damage. On top of that my other knee also gave out because it was carrying most of my weight. Now both my knees are hurting and my back is starting to give up as well.... I don't get how they can be on a bike racing that quick either. I hardly dare to ride offroad because i'm afraid my knee is gonna give out when i have to put my leg down. It just doesn't feel solid.

Looks like i'm still better of then you tho, an ACL injury is not a joke.
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 12:36pm
8/18/2015 12:36pm
Do you think that the Dr's that teams use do that much better of work on their patients than say you or I with standard or no health insurance?
overthebars39 8/18/2015 12:39pm
8/18/2015 12:39pm Edited Date/Time 8/18/2015 12:44pm
Yeah i'm rather sure of that. Altough my doctor is a head of his department, i'm gonna go to another one if things don't work out like i want. It took 3 weeks to even get an operation done.... And that fuck even send me back to work after 2 weeks after my operation. :/ I could hardly walk properly. I'm fully insured due to work related accident + our social security coverage. And i can re-open the 'case' within 3 years so i don't lose out financially. Unless i seriously blow my knee out when riding ofcourse, insurance company whithdrawls then. That's why i'm afraid to ride.

I kinda gave up on this year. Killing time with cycling and fishing until i'm confident in my knees again.
1stSSPZ
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1stSSPZ 8/18/2015 12:40pm
8/18/2015 12:40pm
It took me almost 4 years to start riding again after the same injury to the same knee you mentioned. That was 26 years ago...Never had it repaired.

The Shop

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Spode
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Spode 8/18/2015 12:43pm
8/18/2015 12:43pm
My son about 3 years ago who at the time was 21 or 22 tore his acl with servere meniscus tear. The meniscus rolled over and locked his knee. This happened one week before his university finals. the doctors in the ER tried to release the folded meniscus but weren't able to he toughed it out for two weeks with a lot of pain and a locked knee took his finals then flew home and a week later had surgery (3 weeks total).

After one year he was about 90% were he was before the injury.

His therapy was more difficult at first due the locked knee but he over came most with hard work. He is young so that also plays into it.

keep it up
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 12:48pm
8/18/2015 12:48pm
Spode wrote:
My son about 3 years ago who at the time was 21 or 22 tore his acl with servere meniscus tear. The meniscus rolled over and...
My son about 3 years ago who at the time was 21 or 22 tore his acl with servere meniscus tear. The meniscus rolled over and locked his knee. This happened one week before his university finals. the doctors in the ER tried to release the folded meniscus but weren't able to he toughed it out for two weeks with a lot of pain and a locked knee took his finals then flew home and a week later had surgery (3 weeks total).

After one year he was about 90% were he was before the injury.

His therapy was more difficult at first due the locked knee but he over came most with hard work. He is young so that also plays into it.

keep it up
Holy crap that had to hurt toughing through that rolled miniscus!
WhipMeister
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WhipMeister 8/18/2015 12:49pm
8/18/2015 12:49pm
What type of surgery (Donor or patella)?

I was back at it pretty good after 3 1/2 months after patella in my mid-30s. I had no meniscus involvement, though. As I understand it (since I now need to get my right knee done), donor is a longer recovery.

Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 12:58pm
8/18/2015 12:58pm
WhipMeister wrote:
What type of surgery (Donor or patella)? I was back at it pretty good after 3 1/2 months after patella in my mid-30s. I had no...
What type of surgery (Donor or patella)?

I was back at it pretty good after 3 1/2 months after patella in my mid-30s. I had no meniscus involvement, though. As I understand it (since I now need to get my right knee done), donor is a longer recovery.

No donor, it was a graft from my hamstring.
HackMan162
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HackMan162 8/18/2015 1:08pm
8/18/2015 1:08pm
Best technique for quick and strong return is using the opposite knee patella tendon. 3 months back on the bike.
Hudd_421
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Hudd_421 8/18/2015 2:20pm
8/18/2015 2:20pm
6 weeks out of my ACl reconstruction and minor meniscus tear. Feel great, I moved a few weeks ago (a lot of heavy lifitng up stairs) and really dont bother me much. Now Im back on my Physical Therapy schedule, and cycling/working out.

Crazy how great I feel, considering the graft hasn't healed yet. Id imagine a few months from now when I feel 100% (but not fully healed) ill be banging my head against the wall to ride!
brimx153
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brimx153 8/18/2015 4:36pm
8/18/2015 4:36pm
Kawisrok wrote:
Today is the anniversary of me tearing the acl in my left knee plus miniscus damage. For the last 9 months I've been doing 5 days...
Today is the anniversary of me tearing the acl in my left knee plus miniscus damage. For the last 9 months I've been doing 5 days a week of intense physical therapy and yet I still only have about 40-50% of my knee strength back and roughly 60% flexibility. Let's not even get into the severe back pains from limping around, plus my other knee and hip pain from carrying all the weight. How the hell do these guys return to full racing after only 7 months or so? I got back on my bike about 3 months ago but every time I ride I am so nervous of blowing that knee out again. Oh, and yes I was wearing braces.
ive had 4 acl s . first time did my acl ,pcl,mcl, meiniscus,broken kneecap and bone in my knee. was back riding in 6 month s after opp . the second opp was just an acl. and could of rode no bother after 5 months but waited 6, this jan i did the miniscus in my bad knee , which i can get an opp on anymore . so its been 9 months of phyiso .only have 50 % flexibility , but at least 95 % strenght . did you get a ACL repair ?? because if you did there is something not right ,you should be flying after 4 months ,if you did the work . getting your knee strong enough to have no acl it takes alot longer .
NV825
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NV825 8/18/2015 4:50pm
8/18/2015 4:50pm
Granted I tore my ACL when I was still in high school and had a young healing body, I had the hamstring graft done as well and rode 3 months after my surgery (just riding around not racing). They say it won't heal to 100% for 9 to 12 months, but I got the go ahead to race again at 6 months. How old are you? Did they give you a traction machine to keep your leg moving while resting after surgery?
VintageRacer 8/18/2015 5:09pm
8/18/2015 5:09pm
My Acl replacement and meniscus repair was last June 20th. I had a cadaver graft and doc stated 9-12 months before it started feeling "normal". I had one month no weight then 8 weeks physical therapy 3 times a week once He told me to "try" walking. Progress was slow at first for range of motion but soon huge gains were made. I would say I'm 90-95% back to normal with good range and muscle tone.

With that said I'm riding again with knee braces and don't notice any pain or discomfort while riding. I do worry about having to catch myself or stabbing it in the ground to prevent a tip over. I am riding more cautious, keep my distance from other riders as much as possible (vintage only now) and limit the big jumps.

Every morning when waking up or after say a long car ride, I limp considerably until things stretch out and loosen up. After that it feels great for the day. Activity and rest seem to be playing a huge role in the comfort/discomfort of my knee.

Get well soon guys.
neverwas
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neverwas 8/18/2015 5:15pm
8/18/2015 5:15pm
I have had three acl operations and now am at day 112 after my total knee replacement.Seems I have been rehabbing this knee most of my life.
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 6:30pm
8/18/2015 6:30pm
Kawisrok wrote:
Today is the anniversary of me tearing the acl in my left knee plus miniscus damage. For the last 9 months I've been doing 5 days...
Today is the anniversary of me tearing the acl in my left knee plus miniscus damage. For the last 9 months I've been doing 5 days a week of intense physical therapy and yet I still only have about 40-50% of my knee strength back and roughly 60% flexibility. Let's not even get into the severe back pains from limping around, plus my other knee and hip pain from carrying all the weight. How the hell do these guys return to full racing after only 7 months or so? I got back on my bike about 3 months ago but every time I ride I am so nervous of blowing that knee out again. Oh, and yes I was wearing braces.
brimx153 wrote:
ive had 4 acl s . first time did my acl ,pcl,mcl, meiniscus,broken kneecap and bone in my knee. was back riding in 6 month s...
ive had 4 acl s . first time did my acl ,pcl,mcl, meiniscus,broken kneecap and bone in my knee. was back riding in 6 month s after opp . the second opp was just an acl. and could of rode no bother after 5 months but waited 6, this jan i did the miniscus in my bad knee , which i can get an opp on anymore . so its been 9 months of phyiso .only have 50 % flexibility , but at least 95 % strenght . did you get a ACL repair ?? because if you did there is something not right ,you should be flying after 4 months ,if you did the work . getting your knee strong enough to have no acl it takes alot longer .
Well, the fact that i'm 42 and about 40 lbs overweight hasn't helped the recovery in any way lol... When I raced superbikes in my 20's and early 30's I typically raced in either a soft cast or brace of some sort and healing was no problem. Now healing takes forever!
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 6:32pm
8/18/2015 6:32pm
neverwas wrote:
I have had three acl operations and now am at day 112 after my total knee replacement.Seems I have been rehabbing this knee most of my...
I have had three acl operations and now am at day 112 after my total knee replacement.Seems I have been rehabbing this knee most of my life.
Ugh, that"s exactly what I am hoping to avoid.
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 6:34pm
8/18/2015 6:34pm
NV825 wrote:
Granted I tore my ACL when I was still in high school and had a young healing body, I had the hamstring graft done as well...
Granted I tore my ACL when I was still in high school and had a young healing body, I had the hamstring graft done as well and rode 3 months after my surgery (just riding around not racing). They say it won't heal to 100% for 9 to 12 months, but I got the go ahead to race again at 6 months. How old are you? Did they give you a traction machine to keep your leg moving while resting after surgery?
No I didn't get any machine, I even had to file a formal letter just to get surgery as they wanted to let it heal naturally. Of course that would have required me missing work for 6 months and that wasn't going to happen.
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motoman0 8/18/2015 6:53pm
8/18/2015 6:53pm Edited Date/Time 8/18/2015 6:54pm
1 year and 3 months here. The only problem I am having in running and that is coming around. I went with the allograft ,at 42 I needed all the help I could get. I think it really boils down to your PT. I had a great therapist with a motorcycle background. It amazed me to see ppl talk about how PT wasn't working while they just sat there and didn't do the work. Once she told me I could do more at home I was doing all I could to get back. Will say bicycle has been the best for mobility.

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smoothies862
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smoothies862 8/18/2015 7:19pm
8/18/2015 7:19pm
acl popped out of the bone. had bone hanging on it,plus some other damages to tendons,i forget the list.it was huge the next day,i mean watermelon,lol. they stuck a needle in it and sucked out the blood. ahhhhhSilly . i went with same knee ptl. did it in october and ran 5ks in the spring. it for sure is how strong before surgery and how hard you hit pt. if its like the ones ive seen,its not enough. i would do more than they gave me . after every session of pt,usually 3 a day. ice and sleepy time. the first 2 weeks out of surgery were the lowest. sitting on the floor and bending it towards your ass was brutal,lol. it always felt better after though. i was off bike for 6 months some of it weather and some of it was i didnt even crash. just a flat 3rd gear sweeper. really work on your range of motion and like anything else,stick with it.

side notes-43 yrs old--when i got out of surgery,something clicked. i realized i was getting tubby,lol. i lost 33lbs and just kept going. i think it wouldnt be as strong or feel as good if i didnt lose weight and really pick up my training and total diet habits. maybe it was a good thing?

also it did take awhile to not have stickman left leg(atrophy). i still add 5 more reps to that leg even though its the same now. habit i guess.
smoothies862
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smoothies862 8/18/2015 7:28pm
8/18/2015 7:28pm
sorry for the book,just going thru it for ya to compare. have you had it scanned again?
if all is right and the pt is on track. i agree with brimx,you should be cruising now. maybe some discomfort after a long car ride etc.
good luck.
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 8:17pm
8/18/2015 8:17pm
smoothies862 wrote:
sorry for the book,just going thru it for ya to compare. have you had it scanned again? if all is right and the pt is on...
sorry for the book,just going thru it for ya to compare. have you had it scanned again?
if all is right and the pt is on track. i agree with brimx,you should be cruising now. maybe some discomfort after a long car ride etc.
good luck.
Haha, no worries I like hearing how everyone else is doing with this, that's why I posted it LOL.... Yes I have had it scanned, and all is doing good. I honestly am doing ok, I was just hoping/expecting to have better strength by now. I don't have any pain except when I jog and when I first wake up if I slept in the same position all night. The beginiing of this month we started pushing real hard on the pt, right into and thru the pain. I can honestly say that most my hesitations are in my head and that my knee is feeling solid when I ride,
d394
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d394 8/18/2015 8:26pm
8/18/2015 8:26pm
A friend of mine tore his ACL at the Ohio arenacross round. He then raced Metlife sx with no ACL, and had it repaired shortly after. He started riding again shortly after that and attempted to qualify for Unadilla. I don't know how his injury healed so fast (i don't know the exact duration) but i was shocked when i heard Dean Wilsons recovery was 7 months. I've also met other athletes that have had attented PT for close to a year for an ACL tear. Is it true that Villo raced with no ACL for quite some time?
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 8/18/2015 8:33pm
8/18/2015 8:33pm
d394 wrote:
A friend of mine tore his ACL at the Ohio arenacross round. He then raced Metlife sx with no ACL, and had it repaired shortly after...
A friend of mine tore his ACL at the Ohio arenacross round. He then raced Metlife sx with no ACL, and had it repaired shortly after. He started riding again shortly after that and attempted to qualify for Unadilla. I don't know how his injury healed so fast (i don't know the exact duration) but i was shocked when i heard Dean Wilsons recovery was 7 months. I've also met other athletes that have had attented PT for close to a year for an ACL tear. Is it true that Villo raced with no ACL for quite some time?
I'm no expert but I think you can have a tear in your acl or a torn acl. I think the tear in the acl is where the acl doesn't come away from the bone but is kind of like a tear in the muscle. The torn acl actually seperates from the bone.
brimx153
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brimx153 8/18/2015 9:38pm
8/18/2015 9:38pm
Kawisrok wrote:
Today is the anniversary of me tearing the acl in my left knee plus miniscus damage. For the last 9 months I've been doing 5 days...
Today is the anniversary of me tearing the acl in my left knee plus miniscus damage. For the last 9 months I've been doing 5 days a week of intense physical therapy and yet I still only have about 40-50% of my knee strength back and roughly 60% flexibility. Let's not even get into the severe back pains from limping around, plus my other knee and hip pain from carrying all the weight. How the hell do these guys return to full racing after only 7 months or so? I got back on my bike about 3 months ago but every time I ride I am so nervous of blowing that knee out again. Oh, and yes I was wearing braces.
brimx153 wrote:
ive had 4 acl s . first time did my acl ,pcl,mcl, meiniscus,broken kneecap and bone in my knee. was back riding in 6 month s...
ive had 4 acl s . first time did my acl ,pcl,mcl, meiniscus,broken kneecap and bone in my knee. was back riding in 6 month s after opp . the second opp was just an acl. and could of rode no bother after 5 months but waited 6, this jan i did the miniscus in my bad knee , which i can get an opp on anymore . so its been 9 months of phyiso .only have 50 % flexibility , but at least 95 % strenght . did you get a ACL repair ?? because if you did there is something not right ,you should be flying after 4 months ,if you did the work . getting your knee strong enough to have no acl it takes alot longer .
Kawisrok wrote:
Well, the fact that i'm 42 and about 40 lbs overweight hasn't helped the recovery in any way lol... When I raced superbikes in my 20's...
Well, the fact that i'm 42 and about 40 lbs overweight hasn't helped the recovery in any way lol... When I raced superbikes in my 20's and early 30's I typically raced in either a soft cast or brace of some sort and healing was no problem. Now healing takes forever!
aw man ,it s tuff when ur 42, iam only 32 and you def get back quicker when ur your i was only 16 ,when it happened . get well soon man . i would nt wish that injury on my worse emeny .keep up the work ull be good in time
sumdood
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sumdood 8/18/2015 11:17pm
8/18/2015 11:17pm
My son had acl reconstruction (from hamstring) and his torn meniscus sewn up 2 weeks ago. They waited 8 weeks for the swelling to go down and the mcl and bone bruising to heal before surgery. So far he's gotten it almost locked straight and bent 115 degrees. Taking him to the pt guy again tomorrow then staples out on Thursday. I'm hoping and praying they got it right. Knee injuries suck. He's 23 and surfs, skates, skimboards, rides bmx, rides in the desert and races mx. So far the skateboard has caused more damage than all the other sports combined (knock on wood, knock knock)
Hope you start making more progress, 60% r.o.m. and 40-50% strength after a year has to be frustrating, good luck to you !
EddieC
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EddieC 8/18/2015 11:26pm
8/18/2015 11:26pm
This picture is from one of my patients professional motocross racer Travis Freistat. He showed up to the clinic with no brace and a prescription to begin therapy.


">

EddieC
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EddieC 8/18/2015 11:41pm
8/18/2015 11:41pm Edited Date/Time 8/18/2015 11:43pm
Same rider a couple weeks later. I am a big believer in the HOP and STOP test in determining an athletes ability to return to riding. It doesn't matter how strong or how many balls you can juggle while doing a single leg squat a on bosu ball, you don't pass the HOP and STOP you don't start riding. Travis had the HOP and STOP on lock in three months. There was no rush to get back on the bike and so we continued to focus on improving his ability to move under a load. Now approaching 7 months post op, the plan is to start riding again in the next few weeks.
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EddieC 8/18/2015 11:44pm
8/18/2015 11:44pm
">
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689 8/18/2015 11:56pm
8/18/2015 11:56pm
EddieC wrote:
This picture is from one of my patients professional motocross racer Travis Freistat. He showed up to the clinic with no brace and a prescription to...
This picture is from one of my patients professional motocross racer Travis Freistat. He showed up to the clinic with no brace and a prescription to begin therapy.


">

129 degrees at 1-1/2 weeks seems really good. I am 5-1/2 weeks out and only at 120 degrees (had hamstring graft).
cjmx
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cjmx 8/19/2015 6:23am
8/19/2015 6:23am
Kawisrok wrote:
Well, the fact that i'm 42 and about 40 lbs overweight hasn't helped the recovery in any way lol... When I raced superbikes in my 20's...
Well, the fact that i'm 42 and about 40 lbs overweight hasn't helped the recovery in any way lol... When I raced superbikes in my 20's and early 30's I typically raced in either a soft cast or brace of some sort and healing was no problem. Now healing takes forever!
diet plays a big part in your recovery. Also, 5x a week intense physical therapy could be too much, especially if you're riding as well. I had ACL surgery last November, knee is almost 100% at 9months, gets a little sore after running. Range of motion is 100%. Listen to your body and keep at it.

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