Anyone else busted their ACL

[Hilly]

Cheers Zip, that's interesting. Although it's far and away from being over here, it's good to see that things are happening in this field.

I don't think my private medical insurance will allow me to have this!

 

[oneilldo]

Well I bust my cruciate in Apr 2008, had my op around May 2008. Think I posted a pic earlier in the thread.
Before my op I was on crutches for a good 3-4 weeks and as such had quite severe muscle wastage prior to the operation.
This delayed the recovery.

It took me a while to get back properly to football and squash but I did at the turn of the year. Got back to playing footy twice a week and squash once a week. The knee didnt feel 100% but it was very close. Unfortunately I went over on my ankle (other leg) when playing footy and bodged my ligaments so I am out for a few more weeks. Then its back to football and squash.


Biggest bit of advice is to get one of those cryo cuff things, the swelling after the op was fairly bad for me and having one of them meant I didnt need to hobble around every 30 mins for a new icepack.
If you've got any questions or want advice then just ask.

Thanks,

 

[Zip]

Cheers Zip, that's interesting. Although it's far and away from being over here, it's good to see that things are happening in this field.

I don't think my private medical insurance will allow me to have this!

No harm in asking! Who knows they might surprise you and say yes

 

[Hilly]

thanks oneilldo - I read through your posts when I found this thread (read every post on this topic).

How long did it take you to start playing football again post op? I'm not sure if I want to play again if I'm honest, but I'm sure I'll get the bug again.

Haha very true Zip, I have my stage 2 pre-op assessment in two weeks time, so I might ask then

 

[oneilldo]

3 mths slight jogging on treadmill/cycling/lunging etc
3-6mths more jogging cycling, weights to build strength up (bad leg is about 40% strength)
6-9mths running/cycling/lunging (perhaps up to 60% strength)
9-12mths start playing badminton against the missus + exercises as above (65%)
14mths start playing squash - not very competitively (70% strength)
15mths start playing football - just work so not competively (70% strength)
18mths start playing in the local 7 a side league (where it happened originally). (75% strength)


My recovery was longer than most but overall I think time from initial injury to playing again wasn't much longer. I just wanted to get the op out of the way.a lot of people wait to have the op and ensure that the leg is strong. I had my op early but because of my injury this meant I had fairly severe muscle wastage pre-op. Couple this with 2 weeks of not much movement post-op and the strength of my bad leg was roughly 25% of my good leg.
I also went over on my ankle (on my good leg) twice which sort of delayed things.

If you bad leg is ok strength wise pre-op then it puts you in good standing. You will want to play again. You will probably have a scare post op as well. I went sailing about 4-5mths after the op, slipped down the jetty and my leg bent arse to heel. Luckily it was on the 2nd to last day and I saw the surgeon when I got back for a check up and all was fine. I was crapping it though.
It didn't feel 100% but after a few weeks I did forget about it for the odd game.

I've said to myself that I'll stop playing footy if the knee goes again.

Some more bits of advice for you, if you want them or not.
Take your painkillers (at least the paracetamol and ibruprofen) for the first week or so even if your not in loads of pain.
They take a while to work and you don't want to be waiting for them to kick in. Don't think this is really medical advice but will delete if needed.

Get a hot water flask and get the missus to sort out your tea supply for the day.

Get proper extension of your leg as soon as.

To help reduce swelling use a cryo cuff and also sleep with your leg up on a pillow if you can.

 

[Hilly]

Thats been a massive help thank you.

I did my ACL around 3 weeks ago today. I'm really itching ot get back to playing football again as I play to an OK standard, but I'm worried that it just won't be the same, or that I just won't be able to play again. More mental than physical I guess. I have my op in 20 days. Luckily I haven't done the cartilage yet, but the knee keeps blowing out when I slightly twist it, so I keep having to strap it up!

Unfortunately the missus will be away from Telford during this time period as she's taking her final exams for the year, so I will have to fend for my self! Interesting times.

Will look into getting a cryo cuff, as you've recommended them a couple of times during this thread.

Thanks again for the advice, it's much appreciated. It's long lonely injury, that's for sure and if I'm honest, it was getting to me a bit.

 

[oneilldo]

Yeah keep your head up. It sure makes you appreciate a walk to the pub afterwards.

I agree that its more mental than physical but after you come away unscathed from the first hard tackle you'll be fine.

Some people afterwards actually find that they can do 10k etc faster as they strengthen the leg so much during rehab etc.

 

[Hilly]

Fingers crossed eh?

I'll try to keep the thread updated.

Went out last night for a few with work. Hit the dance floor, literally. Knee went from underneath me and I ended up in a heap

 

[Walkerie]

snip.

Is there not a huge waiting list? I done my ACL in about 5 years ago and still need an OP just never bothered as i thought it would take years for an oppurturtunity. Thats definately not the correct spelling

 

[Hilly]

Is there not a huge waiting list? I done my ACL in about 5 years ago and still need an OP just never bothered as i thought it would take years for an oppurturtunity. Thats definately not the correct spelling

Haha

I'm on private medical through work, so things go a lot quicker.

I busted it on Thursday, the following Wednesday I had a consultation and MRI. The following Wednesday I had the results and booked into surgery. I have it done in just over two weeks. can't come soon enough as my knee is dead swollen and the anti-inflamitaries I'm taking and the cocodamol are knocking me about.

 

[Walkerie]

Anyone with experience of non private then?

 

[Murney]

I badly twisted my knee at football around 6 weeks ago. I went hospital unable to walk they looked at the knee, said I had done my MCL and that was it. I had no X-Ray or anything, they didn't even do any test on my leg to prove it was ACL/MCL etc.

3 weeks later I decided to go to a private sports injury clinic for someone who knows what there doing to have a look. Guess what? I have not done any damage to my MCL at all. ACL is fine too. I had done something to my quads in which they have gave me stretches and they have helped a lot. BUT I feel that there is something else not right, I just can't bend my fully and get a sharp pain in the back left hand side of the knee.

Anyway I'm back in on monday for them to have a look, just hope it's something that's not serious and it's been 6 weeks now away from football and I can't take much more.

 

[oneilldo]

Get yourself an mri done as that will show soft tissue damage, an x-ray wouldnt really show a torn ACL. If its your ACP and its fully torn you can do a test where you try and pull the shin towards you (think its called the lachmans test), check youtube out. Compare this to your other leg and it will be obvious (mine came forward a good inch and the other didnt move). You could have damaged your miniscus (the covering of the bone).

 

[Murney]

It's defo not my ACL or MCL as I've had the tests done by the physio.

I fear it may be my miniscus but my knee don't lock and it never gives way either. Hopefully on Monday they will arrange a scan for me so I can find out whats what.

 

[telewebby]

i ruptured mine doing football and had a bout of physio and i gave way again. im now due for the op in 2-3 months and about to start doing more training to get the muscle built up.

my question is how long after the op was it before you could drive a car again?

alex

 

[oneilldo]

Mine was left leg and about 2 weeks, if its your right leg then I suppose it depends on how heavy your foot break is as you need to be able to perform an emergency stop. At a guess 2 weeks for left leg and 3 weeks if its your right

 

[OCDStevo]

Yup, get an MRI done, only real way to confirm what damage you've done.

Driving a car after the operation is down to the Doc I think you'll find, if you go against thier advice, you may not be insured.

I ruptured my left leg ACL 7 years ago playing rugby, took a year to get an MRI scan then a further 10 months to get the operation, from what i'm told waiting times are far less now.

My only advice is to listen to the surgeon and physio, they know best AND do the physio exercises, you'll be amazed at the muscle wastage post operation. The exercises are VERY important to get the muscles all working again and to strengthen the knee area, i was a bit slack myself, ended up taking far longer than I should have getting back to being fit

 

[Hilly]

3 weeks for the right leg. my mate has his rght knee reconstructed around 6 weeks ago and was told this.

It's time for my op on Wednesday. Time has flown Only been around 5-6 weeks since I did it.

 

[Azza]

Good luck with the op mate. Are you staying in over night or going straight home after it's done?


I fell over while I was running a couple of days ago, well I fell off a curb no idea how that happened. But part of my knee is properly bruised up, like really black. Very strange seen as I never bruise or anything, and the bruise isn't where my knee is all scrapped up from hitting the tarmac.

It's fine though, carried on running afterwards and it feels fine, just seemed a bit odd with all the bruising.

 

[Azza]

Post up when you can hilly. Let us all know how you've got on.