What did you guys do when you tore your knee ligament?

[erikiksaz]

About a month ago, i sustained a football injury. I didn't figure that it could be anything major, so i thought i had just twisted my knee, maybe pulled a muscle or something. So i went to the doctor, and lo and behold, he says i have a torn ligament. He said it (ACL) wasn't totally torn, just ripped in a few places. The only problem was that my knee was smelled like a M0fo, so he couldn't examine it. He told me to come back to him in two weeks after taking his anti-swelling medicine. And now i'm thinking, this really sucks. I can't sit Indian style, and i can't do lots of things, or my knee will hurt. I'm also wondering, should i try to stretch it out? My doctor said that i will have to go through physical therapy. what can i expect there? As of now, i'm able to walk around, although i have a slight limp, but there's no pain. I still can't extend my left leg, since it would hurt if i tried. And i'm just hoping that i'll be able to run track once again. Hell, i just want to be able to RUN, but i do love to sprint. Is there going to be any bad news in that department?

 

[heat23]

im no medical expert, but if u strain it too much it will tear totally....
maybe you need surgery?? but that probably means no running for several months

 

[Ryan]

You're lucky it wasn't completly torn. Ligaments are one of the slowest growing/healing tissues in the whole body. So Healing takes a long time. If you would have torn it all the way, it would have to be stapeled (sp?) back into position for MONTHS! You're pretty lucky.

 

[cyclistca]

Do a search of the net for you injury. You'll probably find more information then you'll ever need. I tore some ligaments in my shoulder this past spring. The information I found on the net helped a great deal. When I met with my doctor and physiotherapist I really had a good understanding of what they where talking about.

My physio was not to bad but then again my injury was not as severe or in the same place as yours.

 

[Doggiedog]

Just one warning if you decide to have ACL surgery.

My ex-boss, who was 41, died right after an ACL repair which he got it done at Stanford Medical. He was running on a treadmill the next day and died of an embolism because the doctors neglected to tell him he needed a pressure bandage on his knee.

 

[erikiksaz]

well from what the doctor told me, it wasn't a major rip or anything. hell, i was able to walk around a week after the incident. my teacher told me that had the ACL been completely torn, i would not be able to put *any* pressure on that knee whatsoever.

 

[Gatorbait]

They had to totally replace my ACL, then afterwards rehab schedule of 18 months just to get my knee to around 90% of what it used to be.

 

[rudder]

I tore mine as well. Only I could not get it operated on since the only orthapedic surgeons within 7000 miles were some air force idiots who did not want to do anything but let it heal on its own. Finally I got to go through with minor surgery after wlaking around with it torn for nearly a year and all was well again. It did keep me out of the military though.

The surgery is minor as it is usually outpatient surgery. Afterwards, just be serious about the rehabilitation excercised they have you do. You can walk on it the same day of surgery and with following the excercises you will be running track again in no time.

 

[GasX]

The ACL is used to stabilize your knee. If you are a sprinter, you may not have any ill effects. If you like to play sports that have a lot of lateral movement (i.e. tension accross joint) you may have a harder time recovering. Such sports are tennis, basketball, football and rugby. Sprinting in a straight line and bicycling are easy on the knees. In fact, most knee rehab involves extensive biking to build up the muscles without hurting the ACL.

Good Luck!