ACL surgery.... Who's had it?

Ti28

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So I've been dealing with a lot of pain in my right knee lately. It's gotten to the point where I finally couldn't take it any more. Not to be moncho or anything, but I have a pretty high pain threshold. Monday my knee was killing me at work. I figured it would go away.

I've been dealing with knee pain since I played football when I was a Senior.

I woke up Monday night, Tuesday morning at 3am, dead out of a sleep to the point that I was almost in tears.

Tuesday I made a appointment to have my knee looked at.

Going back to football days I had a slight tear in my Meniscus, which was never a real issue. Pain would come and go. So I dealt with it.

Come back around to today, They want to open me up. I have tears in my ACL, Meniscus, MCL and Patellar.

Basically, I am FUCKED! They are telling me a 8 hour surgery and 15 weeks minimum of out of work. Plus another 15 weeks of PT. I'm trying to figure out what I am in for.

Any of you guys have any experience with a knee issues? Please tell me what I am in for!
 

OffshoreDrilling

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I've had surgery on my meniscus for tears, but you've got a lot of shit going on. Could have avoided a lot of it by getting to the Doctor A LOT sooner. It's not being macho, it's taking care of yourself. You pay for health insurance, use it. You work with your hands and body and are just fucking yourself up for the future. End rant.

Meniscus surgery was orthoscopic and lasted a couple hours. Couldn't walk for a couple days without crutches, could hobble around the house after that, took about 6 weeks of PT to get back to 80%.
 

Blownbyyou

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I had it around 14 months ago...

I'll tell you this much make sure your dr is good! I got lucky as my wife is in the medical field and asked around and found my guy..

The reason I say he was good is that I am already playing basketball at about 90% of what I used to. I was jogging outside after 3 months, and haven't had any issues!

I am shocked you have pain, I really only had lack of confidence in running....

Where are you located?
 

10sec

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Just make sure you take the PT seriously, you can lose mobility in your knee if you don't do it right. Also, when you have pain somewhere in the future, go to the GD doctor, the damage you have done to your knee is going to haunt you so bad in the future.
 

SMRTSS1

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I've been scoped before and have had a minor surgery to remove floating cartilage, currently have a torn ACL and MCL is shredding. The weather recently has all but crippled me and getting out of bed and walking my dog almost brings me to tears. Rehab sucks and is painful but if you power thru the first 2 weeks the rest gets significantly easier and less painful and it's not uncommon to be back doing "normal" things in half the time they say you're going to be out. By normal I mean you're not going to be climbing/carrying a ladder, playing football or basketball or squatting 300lbs. If you have light duty at your job you can be back doing that in 2-3 weeks.

If you get it done and need help with anything Tim I'm a mile and a phone call away.
 

Gav'sPurpleZ

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I would 2nd the motion for making sure your DR / surgeon is GREAT.

i work for a flooring contractor... the installers are on their knees all day.
1 foreman had a torn meniscus, they trimmed it... after the surgery and the PT... if he bent his knee a certain way it would lock up.

He went to a 2nd Dr who said the 1st Dr made a poor decision by just trimming it.
His 2nd surgery was to remove the meniscus. He is no longer a flooring installer...but a superintendant for a HUGE GC now.

Good luck man !
 

SirMarco

of Pingree Grove
May 11, 2009
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When I was 20/21 I had my ACL, MCL, PCL, cartilage and a bone crack repaired. I had the surgery in December and made it back to opening day of racing the first week in April. I was cleared to ride by mid-march.
It's lots of therapy and pre-therapy.
Make sure you get a good doctor though. I had a sports specialist that worked on all the Bears players at that time.
 

FESTER665

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I used Dr. Kevan Ketterling for my ACL replacement.... Went with an allograft (cadaver ACL) instead of them pulling it out of my body.

They sent me home with a constant ice machine for the knee, and a machine that you lay in that forces the knee to bend to keep range of motion.

As already mentioned, PT is the key to getting strength back and range of motion.

My doctor works with a ton of athletes (Cinncinnati Bengals, Reds, and is now the doctor of the Kane County Cougars if memory serves), and the whole thing was easy except for the rehab at first. It starts quickly but is well worth it. I actually have better range of motion in my repaired knee.

https://www.fvortho.com/doctors/dr-kevan-ketterling/
 

boostedguy05

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hurt my knee at my last job. ended up needing surgery and my Patellar was inflamed and causing tissue and bone damage. they removed the Patellar band and cut out the cut tissue and drilled 6 holes in my shin to allow the marrow to resurface the bone that was damaged. due to the holes they drilled i was 100% non weight bearing in that leg for 8 weeks, then 8 weeks light pt, then 8 weeks work hardening.
 

SleeperLS

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So I've been dealing with a lot of pain in my right knee lately. It's gotten to the point where I finally couldn't take it any more. Not to be moncho or anything, but I have a pretty high pain threshold. Monday my knee was killing me at work. I figured it would go away.

I've been dealing with knee pain since I played football when I was a Senior.

I woke up Monday night, Tuesday morning at 3am, dead out of a sleep to the point that I was almost in tears.

Tuesday I made a appointment to have my knee looked at.

Going back to football days I had a slight tear in my Meniscus, which was never a real issue. Pain would come and go. So I dealt with it.

Come back around to today, They want to open me up. I have tears in my ACL, Meniscus, MCL and Patellar.

Basically, I am FUCKED! They are telling me a 8 hour surgery and 15 weeks minimum of out of work. Plus another 15 weeks of PT. I'm trying to figure out what I am in for.

Any of you guys have any experience with a knee issues? Please tell me what I am in for!

The only advice I can offer is find a good Dr. And follow what he or she says closely. Don't push it and take rehab very seriously. Even with a repair you knee is more likely to get messed up again.
 

guspech750

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I never had ACL problems. But 2-3 years ago I finally had both knees operated on for quite a bit of meniscus tears. The pain became unbearable. It simply controlled my life.

My dr (Dr Grosskopf in St Charles) told me we'd fix one knee, therapy and come back and do the other knee. I told him no way in hell im doing this twice! . Do them both at the same time. I did not want to go through all that twice plus miss more work.

So my dr complied with my wish and operated on both knees that day. It was unbelievably rough since I did not have a leg to favor. Slept downstairs for over a month, plus physical therapy. In the end I was so happy I had both knees fixed at the same time. I can't imagine going back for a second surgery and missing double the amount of time off of work.

On a side note. Before I did all that. I did file for disability benefits so I would be paid for the two months off of work. I operate a drill rig so it not like I could sit in an office at work and go to physical therapy.

Good luck and get you knee repaired ASAP!! I regret waiting as long as I did.
 

CMNTMXR57

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Sep 12, 2008
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I have torn the ACL in both knees. Not at the same time, but...

Right knee I tore wiping out on ice after I plowed the driveway and didn't see it walking back to the garage after taking the plow off the truck.

This one I had fixed. Again, make sure you have a great surgeon. Mine was one that worked on several Chicago Bulls players.

Before even giving me an MRI for confirmation, He held my leg at the ankle and proceeded to move it at the knee in every direction BUT just the normal rotation and proper stopping point that a normal functioning knee would. Think of it like a U-Joint. That was the way my knee was...

Surgery was arthroscopic, He sourced my new ACL from my Patella tendon. He wanted this because it was organic to my body and he felt would heal quicker than anything else. I also did a shit load of damage to the meniscus and he had to remove a lot of it to remove all the damaged parts of it. Your meniscus is like a bushing with cups on each side that each end of the leg bones rotate in, effectively cushioning it. So now I get a ton of "clicking" and "clunking" from it, simply because there is no material there to cushion the movement of the two bone ends as they flex. It's basically bone on bone and he has told me I will have arthritis in that joint as I age. I can also feel the "discomfort" on cool, damp days. You will be subject to this too if you have to have a lot of that removed.

Surgery was a breeze, in and out in a couple hours (Central DuPage Hospital), Didn't need any of the pain meds they prescribed, and was on an automated leg flexing machine later that day, and then every day for two weeks, progressively increasing the speed and angle of bending as it heeled. My kids loved it because they grabbed the controller and went to town... A week or so after surgery, I had to go back and get the staples out from where he sourced my Patella tendon for the new ACL. After that, it was 6 months or so of rehab.

A year and a half later I tore my left one in karate with my son. I have yet to get it repaired. primarily two reasons, our shit insurance at work, we actually downgraded to Aetna earlier in the year, from BCBS the year prior because BCBS premiums had up 52% YoY. The point being, Aetna was a bunch of fuckheads when I was getting it diagnosed. They wouldn't authorize an MRI to verify and suggested "strength training". My surgeon countered that I already had plenty of strength in the leg as I was walking within minutes of tearing it and that he did the U-joint test again and it was a forgone conclusion. Aetna told us to get bent. Second reason, I really don't want another 6 months of rehab. I had to leave work during the day to go to my rehab and it was just a PITA.

Anyway, yea, make sure you have a great surgeon and a great post-op support network. CDH (now Northwestern Medicine) was a pretty top notch group with a great orthopaedic program. A great surgeon will possible shorten your rehab and help you get through it better and exceed all their tests/milestones.

I have a sexy pic of my knee and the fresh staples in it later that day. The women at work wanted to see it...
 
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