I see my surgeon tomorrow for my 2nd post-op visit, so until I get my own ACL news, here’s some recent ACLs in the news:
-”Growing New Knees”? Did you recently tear your ACL? There might be some new hope for you in this video from the local ABC affliate in New York
-76er’s center, Jason Smith tore his ACL last July and is now clear to play in the NBA (Source: @76ers__News via Twitter)
-Seattle Seahawk’s RB, Tyler Roehl had ACL reconstruction surgery performed by Dr. Ed Khalfayan on 6/11.Rehab is 6-8 months. (Source: @seahawksSpin via Twitter
-Dolphins’ reciever Greg Camarillo returns to camp just six months off his ACL surgery. His thoughts on rehab from sun-sentinel.com:
“It’s just a slow process,” he said. “You’ve got to [regain] confidence in your leg. You’ve got to get confidence in your abilities. You’ve got to heal mentally and physically. It’s just a matter of time.”
-Minnesota Wild’s (NHL) Andrew Brunette, who works his knee for more than 2.5 hrs. a day, sums up his ACL rehab in a recent article in the Star Tribune:
“It’s not fun. You’re every day in here. You’re like in a dungeon. You don’t know what’s going on outside. Driving in, it’s 75 degrees, sunny. You just want to go hit golf balls or fish, and you have to come in here instead. There’s certain days, I’m not going to lie, where it’s like, ‘This stinks.’ But I’ve got a lot to give and am very motivated because I still feel like I’ve got a lot of hockey left.”
And now for some reconstructed hope…Tiger Woods. It was this time last year that Tiger played through a tournament on a torn ACL. Now, according to the Connecticut Post, “He’s back at Bethpage Black, where he won the 2002 Open, and more importantly, he’s back to being the most dominant force in golf.”
Getting an ACL reconstructed to return to life better than ever? Yes knee can!
Thanks to these guys and all of you who contribute your stories of hope. Some days are better than others, and we could all use encouragement.
today i was given the news that i partially tore my acl.. but it was enough to where i need surgery if i want to continue to compete at the level i compete at. i’ll admit.. i’m super bummed. trying to plan out how i can be back for season (april) and this really gave me a boost. thanks.
i understand where all of yall are coming from. i tore my acl and meniscus at the end of my freshman year in high school. i replaced it with my patella tendon. i was the first freshman ever to make varsity basketball and one of the few freshman to ever make jv volleyball. i couldnt play volleyball my sophomore year and my first game back to varsity basketball i tore it again. my doctor said i tore my meniscus again so i thought ok no big deal ill be back in a month tops nope i was wrong! my doctor saw that i had completely torn my acl again and that i was never going to be able to play sports again. that just wasn’t acceptable so i changed doctors he told me that it is possible to play again so i had the surgery replacing it with my hamstring tendon. i havent had problems with my acl since but i did tear my meniscus again my junior year so ive had a totaly of 4 surgeries. my dad didnt let me try playing my senior. so i know how bad all of yall want to play!! but we need to realize that God gave us our knees to take us our whole lives not just in playing sports.
what graft did you use to replace your acl?
I recently tore my ACL for the third time, and both minusci Im only 16 years old and am a very competitive soccer player. This website is great. People don’t really understand how losing a part of your life like this can suck. And the timing can suck to the most important year for recruiting, this has to happen! Thanks for giving me hope and brightening my day. yes, knee can!
what dude ur third time. how is that even possible. im 3.5 months post op and had reconstruction wit hamstring done. any tips cause im 16 and i got exact problem wit recruting too
hey, i no exactly how you feel. I tore my ACL three times, the first time in 2009, the second 2010, and the third time in 2011 I learned to never give up because after every surgery i came back stronger and better. I hope everything went well with you and soccer.
atleast you all get the pain… im 14 years old and my dram is to become a profeshional soccer player one day for this dream wa brutally shattered the day my life went black. i dont know what my odds are now. if i cant get a scholarship.or if i have anychances. ive gone threw soccer withdraw. and now i know what it feals like. my addicton to the adreninine in soccer has not only ruined my life. butya….. i feal i have no hope
I know what its like to go threw soccer withdraw also. I’ve torn my acl twice and the second time my meniscus tore with it. I now am scared to play soccer my favorite thing in the world..I’m scared to reinjure myself and not be the same player I was before. tryouts are in a month and im so lost but Best of luck to you.
Christopher Romeo, Captian of the Serra Football team, had a torn ACL and healed in 5 mouths, including a torn meniscus, in time to lead the team in sack, tackles for a loss, and tackles. Christopher Romeo is a good friend of mine, and gives us all hope that one day we can heal…physicaly and mentaly. God Bless Christopher Romeo, a True American Hero.
Christopher Romeo has also inspiered me with his work ethics and perserverience through difficult times, once again God Bless Christopher Romeo, the Italian Stallion.
About a year ago I tore my acl in my right knee. I did it during a soccer game but I didn’t hear a pop. When I got the news I was in complete shock and was bummed. I had a very good freshman year of highschool soccer and was upset I had to miss the whole season. Sitting out for a whole season was awful knowing that you could have helped your team. Around 6 or 7 months I was able to play with my club team. A year later I was getting back to my skill level and became excited for state approaching and high school season to begin. Bit the unthinkable happened when I was guest playing for a team and took a hard hit. I got knocked by a defneder and landed awkwardly causing me to hear two pops. I knew instantly I tore my acl. Except this tine it was on my left knee. When my doctor told me the news I wasn’t shocked, I knew I tore it. I’m about a month (4 weeks) out of surgery and it looks good. However I am feeling more pain this time. I do get sad knowing I have to go through this process of rehabbing again but also my highschool season is taken from me once again. The doctors said I’ll be back mid September which will be about 5 months from surgery. I won’t be 100 percent but I hope to co
e back stronger than ever. Going through this process does change your life, but it makes you stronger. I still have dreams of playing d1 soccer in college and I’m not going to let these injuries stay in my way. The only way to get through this is to be strong even at times when you can’t handle it. I hope everyone who is goin through this process becomes stronger and get back to what they love doing.
I tore my acl playing soccer in the summer of 2008. I’m from a small town and my hospital insisted that nothing was wrong with my knee and that I did not need an mri. Sports and fitness are my life and I knew I had a torn acl. Finally a year and a half later I was able to get an mri to show that I had a high grade acl tear. I got accepted to university for Physical and Health Education but was worried I would not be able to get through with my knee. I got the acl knee brace and managed to make it through my first year. I had my knee surgery and I am now one month into recovery. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Websites like these are wonderful and reading everyones stories gives me the hope I sometimes can’t find on my own. I plan to try out for the varsity soccer team in my third year and to eventually become a gym teacher/personal trainer. I hope my story helps someone else like everyone elses stories have helped me!
Guys dnt get bummed out I tore my acl and mcl durning my senior yr and I was alse being recruited I missed the rest of basketball season and I made it back in just three months after surgery to play in the state baseball playoffs my doc didnt clear me to play the field but I was the DH and I just ran to one base at a time and I get my full realese on july the 28 and my surgery was on febuary 9
Hi all. I am a 30 yo, so Im a bit older than most of you. I just received news that I tore my ACL. It happend in a freak accident at a concert last Tuesday. My Ortho Dr said he is 99% positive my ACL is tore…I go in for an MRI this saturday to confirm. This is my first major injury, as well as it will be my first surgery…so needless to say I am a bit scared. I am a father of 2 and I work full time as a produce microbiologist. I was wondering if any of you had any idea on what I should expect as a “return to work” time frame. I would like to thank all of you who have posted on this site, I have found all of your insights and stories helpful and motivational. Thanks. Please keep me posted on your progress’s, and again I would appreciate it if someone would give me some recovery time frame information, considering Im not plaing sports etc.
Jerry
I tore my acl during my senior year of football (2 games into the season). I was on a role leading my team and conference in receiving and tackles. Then recruiting stopped after I tore it. Now, after walking on the football team at Lehigh University, I tore my other ACL. Contemplating stopping because I have never been the same confident athlete that I was before. Although, my love for the game is pulling me the other way. ACL injuries are tough and they make you value the time you got on the field.
@ Jerry – I tore my ACL when I was 32 playing hockey. I was on the couch for a few days after surgery and then on crutches for 2 to 3 weeks. After that, I was ok to walk around (with a limp and a knee brace) and depending on your work, you should be able to get back within a week or two. I actually work a desk job so I was able to come to work with crutches. It was not that bad and you will be fine…
I first tore my ACL my freshman year of soccer but not only did i tear my ACL I happend to tear my MCL and mensicus all at the same time. Luckily my MCL was able to heal but i had to get a recontruction for my ACL and repair my meniscus. That year i was unable to play basketball which is my favorite sport. Three months just after my surgery i started playing basketball again. This past spring i was playing basketball and tore my ACL and meniscus again. My ACL graft did not appear intact, i had surgery in july and now i am trying out for basketball in my junior year. It only takes hard work and dedication for a sport. I still feel scared about tearing something again but if i do ill tear it doing something i love to do.
Hello! Gosh I can relate to all of you. Here is my story. My sophomore year I tore my ACL doing a tumbling run while practicing for state competition in cheerleading. I did not get to compete at finals. I had my ACL reconstruction during Christmas break…a bummer, I know! My doctor used an allograft to repair my ACL tear. I recovered well physically, but it nearly killed me to miss out on soccer season. I was a starter and made all district my freshmen year. I was so excited when I was released after six months. I just knew that I could work my way back to my past level as an athlete in cheer as well as soccer. I did plan to cheer or play soccer at a college level. Well, just two weeks into soccer season I fell and tore my ACL again…same knee!!! This time I chose to play on it until time for my next Christmas break surgery! I have read that a second surgery is harder to come back from. Will any college give me a chance with two ACL repairs on my record? Even if I work hard to recover fully…will a coach take a chance on an injury in the future???
I just tore my ACL Monday. I am a college sophomore and a cheerleader. My boyfriend and I were stunting on our team together getting ready to go to Nationals in four days from today. It was a freak accident. He didn’t drop me but we popped down and my weight shifted too much to the left and tore…this site is really encouraging thanks for sharing your stories
YES Knee CAN lol
Im a softmore in high school. I tore my acl and mcl December 1st during a wrestling match. Wrestling was my passion. It was all I thought about and it was all taken from me. I had surgery on acl january 21, 2011. I’m going to comback bigger badder and stronger. Going through this defiantly made me headstrong. God bless you guys and I’ll keep you in my prayers.
I had my surgery also on January 21st, 2011. I feel your pain I tore my ACl and meniscus. I’m a sophmore in college. I use to cheer competively and in one swoop it was all gone.I did it Jan. 3rd 2011.
I tore my acl and meniscus in november at a volleyball tryout for my junior season of JO. I was bummed and mad and couldn’t understand why this happened to me. My froends andfamily supported me and helped me develop a positive attitude and the motivation to push through the pain and work hard. i waited 5weeks for surgery. the next 5 weeks of therapy were great, i was walkinf in just one week due to no meniscal repair. After my brace was unlocked to 120 degrees, I slipped in my school parkig lot on some slushing snow. It so happened that I broke my knee cap in half. Much more painful than the ACL. So now I will be starting my therapy progress all over again. Although I am losing a volleyball and softball season, I am striving towards success during my senior year. For anyone else going through tge same thing, good luck and never give up.
Jacky I’m sooo sorry to hear that. Keep strong, u can get through it. I’m right with ya. I had a meniscal repair and acl repair the bending is killing me..
Wow! All these stories are really touching so i figured i would share mine as well. My name is Amber Calvin, right now im 19 years old and no stranger to acl injuries. I play for North Carolina A&T State University and in my sophomore year in college. In high school, my junior year, i tore my left acl. I didnt think that i would continue to play because in high school you never think that you will get hurt. I was so upset considering the fact we just won a 4A state championship and now everybody was shocked that the mvp of the state game had went out with a torn acl and would not play the following season. I went to rehab faithfully and my senior year i came back, first game out and broke a record that game. I was so relieved, so many people think its impossible but it isnt if you believe in yourself. All the top schools stopped recruiting me because they didnt want to take a “chance” on me, in fear that i would get hurt again. That was your
ld dominion, west carolina, depaul, oklahoma, duke…. all torn from my dreams. I committed to North carolina A&t almost immediately after they showed interest. They were the only school who believed i could do it. Freshman year, started in the point guard position after just a few weeks. In the playoffs we put out a team that nobody believed and all black college team could beat and that was wake forest demon deacons. We also put out another top team out of charlotte north carolina. Then in a game against miami i came down hard and tore my rigth acl. I knew it was tore when i came out the game. We lost that game against miami by 5. That year (2010) our team we down in history. I finished that season with rookie of the year and most outstanding female athlete. This year (2011) i was released to play again and hopefully to make another run like i did the previous years. Started a layup drill and immediatley my right acl tore again for the 2nd time. I just finished having my 3rd acl surgery and im currently in rehab again to try and beat the odds! stay focus! it happens to us all! Sometimes god puts obstacles in the way to humble us and make us thankful for the things we have even if we cant do the things we love there is things we can do to pick each other up! Any one of you can come back to your sport and play! BE humble and BE blessed. God has your back 100%! Thank you to whoever read my story.
Very inspirational, Just wanted to wish you luck. I think you already beat most the odds – so no point in stopping now!
Thanks for the story – hope to see you winning all the championships in the near future!
Hello to everyone!
2 days from today will mark 1 year from my ACL injury but due to a delay in receiving surgery I am just about 4 months post-op. For those who just had surgery or are about to, you will be amazed at how fast you recover ‘daily’ activity level and pain is greatly reduced after about 4 weeks. This is my first experience with an ACL injury and stories like the ones here are very motivational for me to return to hockey and basketball at a competitive level, thanks for sharing! One year away from the sport you love – for me its def. hockey – has been extremely tough because, as I can tell most of you can relate, it goes beyond the sport to more a way of life. I have worked hard and trainer/ ortho doc. seem impressed – I feel the best times are still ahead for me. Thanks and good luck to all! As a proud UF student, I would be remiss without a “Go Gators!”
See the great Andrew Brunette quote above, he is professional NHL player who has played in every single game since ACl reconstruction and maintained good production.
Hey everyone hopefully someone here can help me …i tore my ACL January 29 and got surgery February 24. I just got cleared to do sports specific work outs and have many questions that idk who to ask…
1. I am 17 and play in the Eastern junior hockey league will i be able to play at that level again?
2. When i return to sports will i be a weaker player than i was before…
3. is any one here discouraged in the gym and unsure of the weight they can lift with their legs
4 Have any of you experienced a small clicking in your knee…
5 and i have skated since. my knee just doesn’t feel right could something still be wrong with it???
Please if anyone can answer any of these questions, it would be greatly appreciated
hey matt… names philip and im all the way from malaysia… when it comes to the clicking noise… its normally associated with menisci tears… or the stump of your acl is probably getting between you bone. but, its nothing to worry about. If i were you, i wont return to sports for another 9 months… because your body and knee must get accustomed to the graft. Yes. when you return to sports u will be weaker… for a while… but by going to the gym and lifting weights and strengthening your quads and hams which is very important… ull gain back your muscular function soon enough and that will strengthen your body. You should not be skating for a while… going back to physical activity is about 6-8 months. Never be discouraged by the weight. Consult a physiotherapist… and he or she might be able to give u exercises to strenghten the muscles with an adequate weight. U might not wanna go too heavy… cause your putting stress on practically new knee… i personally wont go too heavy on the squats. But when it comes to quad extensions and leg presses… i would go relatively heavy. CONSULT A PHYSIO. Ill be honest… once u tear your acl… you knee will never be 100%. it will always be 3-5% less powerful. so you might feel weird when skating… also, its a mindset… so build a stronger mindset. To boost confidence, reconstruction with allo or auto graft is stronger then your original acl… surgeons might make the bone cavity that your acl runs through bigger to allow it more space to move. hence, decreasing the possibility of a tear. i had a partial tear on my acl on april 2nd… im a vivid football (soccer) player… didnt do surgery and on my 4th or 5th game back… i tore it again… this time completely. scheduled for reconstruction soon. play hard… but always know your limits… cheers
what i meant by stating that it might be menisci tear… is that sometimes remnants of the meniscus get in between your bone and hence produce a click. but if u had no meniscal injury in the first place, u need not worry. when you dont get an acl fixed… and u go for vigrous sporting activities. yes, your meniscus can get torn easily. so the click noises are nothing to worry about i think. consult your surgeon though. that would be best
Im a breakdancer and found out I tore my miniscus and possibly my acl. I won’t know until I get an MRI. Im currently uninsured (like most dancers are). I’ve had to leave my job and am moving back home to decide what I need to do. I keep hearing about recovery times and am wondering if I can really get back to normal. First I have to find a way make this all affordable for me. Hopefully things work out. I don’t know what will happen. Right now Im walking ok but my knee won’t straighten out all the way. This is my first serious injury ever and so Im scared to go under the knife. Im also afraid that I won’t be able to dance again.
Any words of encouragement or advice would be great from anyone who is willing to give some.
Thank You.
I was planning to go Division 1 for soccer and perhaps professional. i was good, it was all going the way i wanted it too. freshman year i made varsity and played in a league, in December of that year. unfortunately i got horribly tacked and tore my ACl. it sucked, but after getting surgery and and going through rehab for 9 months, i was good to go. i passed the biodex test and i was all excited. the second day back to playing again, i got tackled again right on my reconstructed knee, my doctor said i tore my ACl again. now i face a dilemma of giving up or following my dream. the feeling of playing my last game is painful, its such an abstract emotion. i have now wasted 2 years of my life. although i am getting surgery again, but don’t know if im returning to soccer, im thinking of changing sports. anyways for everyone else whose gone through this , i have some some stuff to tell you , stuff that helped me mentally too . one thing that helped me was thinking, that its God’s plan , and like always hes just protecting you from something worse that’s about to come. you know he works in mysterious ways. and the other thing is to accept the fact, that now its time to let go and that really helps you deal with it emotionally. it takes time but be positive and pick another sport. you have no clue how much i love this sport , i eat ,play ,breathe and dream this. i haven’t missed i 1 of Barcelonas game this season. i even skipped school to watch. but now i am learning to except the fact. also think about the fact the people go through thing so much worse, such as cancer and so much other stuff that’s WORSE than the problem we are facing with our knee. anyways it takes time to get over it, talk to people and write about it, i promise it helps a lot. as im writing this, its helping me fell better emotionally. also if you choose to play no matter what, remember your doing this for a sport you love, so don’t regret it if you get hurt. that thought is always going to help you. always be POSITIVE NOE MATTER WHAT
I was planning to go Division 1 for soccer and perhaps professional. i was good, it was all going the way i wanted it too. freshman year i made varsity and played in a league, in December of that year. unfortunately i got horribly tacked and tore my ACl. it sucked, but after getting surgery and and going through rehab for 9 months, i was good to go. i passed the biodex test and i was all excited. the second day back to playing again, i got tackled again right on my reconstructed knee, my doctor said i tore my ACl again. now i face a dilemma of giving up or following my dream. the feeling of playing my last game is painful, its such an abstract emotion. i have now wasted 2 years of my life. although i am getting surgery again, but don’t know if im returning to soccer, im thinking of changing sports. anyways for everyone else whose gone through this , i have some some stuff to tell you , stuff that helped me mentally too . one thing that helped me was thinking, that its God’s plan , and like always hes just protecting you from something worse that’s about to come. you know he works in mysterious ways. and the other thing is to accept the fact, that now its time to let go and that really helps you deal with it emotionally. it takes time but be positive and pick another sport. you have no clue how much i love this sport , i eat ,play ,breathe and dream this. i haven’t missed i 1 of Barcelonas game this season. i even skipped school to watch. but now i am learning to except the fact. also think about the fact the people go through thing so much worse, such as cancer and so much other stuff that’s WORSE than the problem we are facing with our knee. anyways it takes time to get over it, talk to people and write about it, i promise it helps a lot. as im writing this, its helping me fell better emotionally. also if you choose to play no matter what, remember your doing this for a sport you love, so don’t regret it if you get hurt. that thought is always going to help you. always be POSITIVE NOE MATTER WHAT
Hi all, Im tore my ACL playing social soccer and have had surgery with my hamstring graph. I play hockey so I was extremely dissapointed when I had to miss out on a whole season of hockey as Im at a high performance level. However Im only 19 and have many years of hockey to come. My advice to all you young people is to be patient. Im 3 months post op and Im at the gym strengthening my quads, hamstring and gastrocnemius (which is an important muscle to strengthen). I have had no problems with my knee so far and it is feeling really good at the gym. Its important that you take the time to strengthen your muscles before you get back into sport where you need to change direction. Stay positive and stay involved with the sport, you need to be psychologically ready and motivated to return to your sport. You will have many years to come, dont panic.
Lisa, NZL
soccer is basically most of my life and just recently this past june i injured my knee at a cup soccer game, i went to the ortho and found out i had torn my miniscus awhile ago but have been playing with it. i was allowed to play but i eventualy have to get it repaired. i came back to continue playing and at a game the next following week i went after somone and completely tore my ACL, i just had surgery 2 weeks ago and recovery is going great so far. Im out for my whole highschool season where i wouldve been starting varsity. But my biggest fear is how my game is gonna be when i come back and doing anything else to my knees. im just gonna keep up with therapy and recover, and then prepare for another surgery.. but im determined to return at lest 98% and continue playing
Hi everyone,
Thanks for sharing your stories, it’s really nice to get feedback from those who have already experienced this setback. I tore my ACL 4 years ago but never really got it checked until recently. I’ve been playing basketball with a torn ACL for 4 years, but of course at a much, much lower level, knowing that my knee was not fully stable. Anyhow, now I have the surgery coming up in a couple of months and I would like to ask you guys for your opinion on what graft to take. Basically I have 2 options: the hamstring tendon (autograft) or a cadaver graft (allograft). I’ve done some research on the two options and found this: The autograft is a stronger material and hence results in a stronger ACL, but the drawback is that you lose one of your hamstring tendons! This is known to leave you with a slightly weaker hamstring muscle. With the allograft you keep all your peaces intact, but the graft itself needs to be carefully treated (sterilized, irradiated etc) to kill all bacteria and potential viruses which weakens the graft and hence your new ACL is weaker. So this is quite a predicament; take a stronger ACL but a weaker hamstring or a strong hamstring but a weaker ACL? If you guys can provide me with some feedback I would greatly appreciate it. I’m more leaning towards the allograft, but I’ll have to keep you posted..
Thanks.
I tore my ACL and a bit of miniscus in a freak accident pole vaulting last April. I had surgery in May so that puts me about 4 1/2 months post op. I’m a freshman and could have won state high jump so obviously I was sad to learn about it and this was my first surgery, but to anyone who hurts themselves, all I can say is that it’s all a mental game. You have to be positive from the moment you learn to the minute you go back to the court, field, or track. Also, wait the whole 6 months or so. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen who have gone back because they missed the sport and just torn it again and end up losing another whole season. I know a guy who tore it 6 times. He missed his whole high school career because he was too impatient. Just wait it out and don’t lose the hope that you can make a comeback and be stronger than you were. I’ve already improved my strength to the point that I’m squating more than I was prior to my injury. Just don’t do anything stupid to reinjure it during therapy.
I am 29 and about to have my third knee surgery on my right knee. My first acl tear was in 2004. After playing 4 years d-1 soccer I had a trip planned to go play pro in Germany. 2 weeks prior to leaving the USA I tore my acl and meniacus training. After what I thought was a successful pettela graft i was playing again years later and my knee popped. I was hoping for meniscus damage but my second knee surgery an arthroscopic found that my first acl surgery was done wrong so joy I get to have a total acl replacement and cartilagedge implant in my femur in 2 weeks. No pain no gain. Research your surgeons before your surgery and take therehab serious!
Lots of stories here. Mine is similar. I have torn my ACL in my left knee twice. I did it both times playing on synthetic field turf. Both times playing soccer. Luckily it happened on the same knee so I have a good knee to go by.
I can tell my right knee is stressing from carrying the load of two acl surgeries on my left knee in a 20 month period. But it is also a sign that I am past my chance of playing pro (I was 22 the first time it happened). I think it was a sign that I need to move on from playing college intramurals, outdoor, and two mens league indoor teams all at once.
Now I coach a soccer team who is going to a county championship and practicing with a bunch of 8 year olds helps me rehab and enjoy the game. I encourage everyone to find an alternative team activity, like gaming, hiking, etc. Something to fill your energy void yet allow you to stay active and healthy.
It is a smart assumption that you will never be the same again. So go ahead and thnk of your future. It is sad to know that I take better care of my body after surgery than before.
I just recently tore my ACL. It’s nothing new to me because this is the thrid time. I’m 18 years old who was always active in sports. I tore my ACL the first time in 2009 playing soccer. I had to give it up and play a sport with less stress to my knees so i started to run track.I had surgery a month later and had a cadaver put in as my new ACL. in 2010 when track started and i was in good shape I became really good at pole vaulting and hurdling, till few days shy of a whole year since my last torn ACL I did it again to the same left knee but it was worse. I ended up tearing my ACL, PCL, MCL, lateral and medial Meniscus and ripping all my screws out from my last surgery from competeing in the 100meter hurldes. They again put anothing cadaver in for my ACL and the other ligaments. But in my left knee I have everything but a lateral and medial meniscus. After sugery I was ready to go back to pole vaulting and just stick to pole vaulting, but the doctors said no more sports, dont risk it. they said if I want to walk normal when im older and play with my kids then I have to give up sports. They saw a knee replacment in my future. Of course I was upset this is the second sport I was really good at and I have to give it up. Well giving up wasnt an option. So after rehab I went back to pole vaulting. And I’m so glad that I did. I jumped myself all the way to states for pole vaulting breaking all sorts of records. Which led me to a full ride to a division one college for pole vaulting. Who knew a division one college wanted someone with two previous knee surgerys. So I’m a freshman at that division one college, St. Peters College in Jersey City, New Jersey and as soon as I got there the team started training. After a few months I felt great! Strong and no pain. So in November 2011 I go to pick up my uniform for our Princeton and Yale track and field meet and on the way back to my dorm I was running because it was raining and as I jumped over a puddle and landed on my strong right knee I fell to the ground hearing three loud pops! I knew what it was. I just got up and rain across the street. I couldnt believe it. I just kept telling myself its not my ACL it s not my ACL. But deep inside I knew it was. I seriously wanted to wake up from this nightmare. I told my coach, he was pissed, but it was uncontrollable. I was never so upset with myself. Now I sit here a little happier knowing I get to keep my full ride and just redshirt for this year. I just need to focus on getting better. Two weeks ago I had surgery in one of the best hospitals in the country, Hospital for Special Surgerys in Manhattan New York and i was very pleased with everything. This time my doctor didnt believe in cadavers so he took my petella tendon for my ACL. I have a lot more pain than before but i heard having your own ligament is better. Now I’m on my road to recovery and couldnt be any more excited to reach my goals as a pole vaulter!
Hi everyone, I guess Im next…
This time two weeks ago, I was finishing my usual late shift at work and looking forward to a few beers the next night on the Friday. Last Tuesday I was playing football, slow jog, when I suddenly just felt this pop and I fell to the ground. I couldn’t feel my leg or my foot. It was numb. I couldnt move, and I was pretty shaken up. Paramedics took me to hospital, and I had an x-ray at A+E. There they told me I had a small chip in my tibia, and the muscle was badly swollen, and it all should be OK. They were wrong…
I was referred to an orthopedic as a matter of protocol, where I was examined the next day and advised that what I had done was actually a very serious injury. It went from me jovially telling all on Facebook I had broke my first every bone, thinking it would be 4 weeks or so recovery, to (and Im not being dramatic) my entire life crashing around me. My job, social life, sports, band, everything just crumbled as I was told what I was to face. They advised I had practically destroyed my ACL and would need a minimum of 2 ops to resolve it. Ligament reconstruction surgery. They also suspected I had either severed or stretched my peroneal nerve, hence the no feeling, leaving me with this awful thing called foot drop / drop foot, where I cant raise my foot, just bend it forwards.
Before I could even take in to account what was happening, I got an emergency MRI last Thursday, where it was all confirmed, and an emergency surgery for Saturday just gone. It all went ahead, and I had my knee ligaments reconstructed with parts of other tendons, which I amzingly watched them do as I was under a spinal injection until the last 30 mins where they had to gas me as it was wearing off. The result – a severe injury and complex surgery. And all I did was fall over whilst at a slow jog of 2mph. I wasnt even running or challenging for the ball.
Anyway, Im here now, leg up in a splint at 0 degree for the next 3 weeks, and it will likely be Increased to bend more over a period of 12 weeks. After that, physio lasting around 6 – 8 months for expected recovery. I have to drive a 60 mile trip to work, and I cant drive for 3 months. Im lucky that Ive managed to secure working from home, but (and Im sorry this sounds weak) I am literally just dreading the next few months of recovery. Im housebound using a wheelchair and a zimmer frame to get about, and I have to use a commode and medical bottles to relieve myself. Its literally just upsetting.
the never damage may never heal, and I may be permanently disabled. The “not knowing” part of all this is too scary. Im less than 2 weeks in to this and just dont know what to do, how to act, or how anything. If that makes sense.
Ive rambled a bit. Sorry for that. I seem to have one of the best knee surgeons in my area, who caters for professional football and rugby teams, and Ive started getting pains, but no movement, in the foot – which is apparently a very good sign already. But theres just too many “???” on the whole thing.
My girlfriend is having to do pretty much everything for me as well. I dont like the stress I know Im going to end up causing her.
Matt