This is the true story of how a life-long, competitive athlete endured her first-ever sports injury playing recreational indoor soccer in Jan. ‘09.
Join me as I document all the pains, gains and baby steps I’ll be taking on my road to a hopeful recovery.
The right knee arthroscopy and ACL reconstruction surgery is May 20, 2009.
Get all your questions answered about ACL surgery as I share my stories, my photos and videos–and I invite you to share your stories and upload your scar photos in the YesKneeCan Flickr group
Copyright YES KNEE CAN © 2009/2010
Thinking of you today and hoping your surgery went well. What type of graft did you decide to go with?
I had a complete rupture/tear to my ACL in March while skiing. I am about 7 weeks out from the accident and have decided to wait on surgery until the fall. My knee is feeling pretty good right now, sometimes unstable. I have been doing strengthening exercises for my quad daily and even took a slow jog yesterday. How long did you wait to get surgery, and did you do much pre-op conditioning on your legs? Did you jog at all prior to surgery?
Look forward to hearing your story.
Hi Nicole! Thanks for stopping by. I went with the patella tendon graft from my own knee. I waited four months until I got my surgery. Shortly after the tear (mine completely split too), I started PT. My surgeon told me to get a pre-op evaluation, that lead to me doing PT 3x a week, which was miraculous. I was back on my feet doing cardio machines, pilates, etc. Everything but jogging. I tried jogging, but knee buckled a bit. I’ve heard people can do it, though. It sounds like you are doing all you can, and that’s great! The biggest fault you can be making right now is NOT moving your knee. If you haven’t gone to PT yet, I would check in for a pre-op evaluation. Just be careful about your insurance money, because you will need it more after your surgery. Just do the excercises as much as you can. I will let you know how it works out for me. Keep in touch–it’d be great to hear your story, too!
Where were you skiing in March?! I love to ski.
Thanks for your reply. I was skiing in some extreme powder at Crystal Mountain. I tore it on my first run (just purchased new boots and ski’s). I have not talked with a PT yet, but I know I should.
How are you feeling now after surgery? I hope good. It sounds like you have kept yourself in great shape, so I am sure your recovery will well. Keep me posted.
Take care. Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I hope all goes well for you. There’s a chance if you start PT, you might not have to go through surgery. A good amount of people just rehab their ACL back into shape. Not saying that it’s true for everyone, but could be a possibility depending on the severity of your tear.
As of now I feel fine. Just trying to do all I can in hopes of getting back on my feet as soon as I can.
Hey there…thinking of you! Looking at the picture of your wound make my legs hurt for you. You are making amazing progress though – 90 degree bend! Nothing less of incredible!
Don’t get too hung up on the not working out. You’d be surprised at how forgiving the body can be. You’ll be back in the mix soon.
Hang in there.
xo
Amy,
You continue to make me feel so much better about everything! You’re right, now is not the time to sweat the small stuff, but more so to focus on the bigger picture items, like decreasing pain. Thansk for all your support
My name is Lauren and I tore my ACL, along with a number of other things in my left knee last week. I had an ACL replacement in ’06 in my right knee, so now I will have matching scars. While my right knee has never been what it once was, it is supporting me on my crutches through this rough patch. I just wanted to give you some support, I know how hard it can be. People always tell me that “they know how I feel” even though they have never had knee problems. I am very happy that I have found a site that connects me with others who are going through similar situations. Thanks!
Hi, Lauren, and welcome! I’m so glad you found this blog, too. You certainly know how it feels and I’m sure you have a lot of inspiration to share. I hope your knee is currently doing the best that it can. Are you going to rehab? Do you plan on having surgery? Keep us all posted and let us know about your progress! Stay hopeful, stay positive. You know you can get through this because you have been there before
Hello! I had ACL reconstruction surgery to repair my completely severed ACL and trim the meniscus on May 19, 2009. I injured my right knee while racing my husband down Snowbird in March. I did Pre-op rehab for 7 weeks prior to the surgery and found it extremely helpful. Now I am rehabbing 3x per week and am at 140 degrees of flexion at week 9, was at 139 at week 7. My muscle strength continues to increase from the PT and thereby giving me much more mobility. Have been given the “ok” to wear 1.5 ” heels to a wedding this weekend! Yeah! Not so sure I will be doing more than slow dances at the wedding; a disappointment, but the heels make the possibility of spraining the knee an ugly result and unwelcome setback to my progress so far! How did you feel after dancing at the wedding in June?
Hello! Sounds like you are progressing very quickly! I haven’t tried heels yet and I miss them! I wore flats to the wedding and the couple provided flip flops for the dance floor. In terms of dancing, I would say play it a little safer. I’m not a good dancer by any means, but I tend to get caught up in the music and bust out some 80′s dance moves for laughs. Just don’t bend too low on the dance floor and you’ll be fine. Be prepared to ice the next day. A little sore for me.
I recently found out that I had torn my ACL for the third time. Two times on the left, and the newest addition is an ACL on the right and both menisci. I am only 16 years old and an extremly competitive soccer player. Playing division one college soccer has always been part of my plan in life but now due to the timing of my injury I may not get to go to a top school. I wish that I would’ve had knwn this website existed the last two times. It takes real determination to go through an injury like this, but since I love soccer so much I am more than willing. Even though my doctor advised against it I will be going back to soccer and I will work so hard to get back to where I was. I just had surgery 2 weeks ago, and plan to visit this website whenever I need that extra push of encouragement thank you so much, and yes knee can!
This is an article that was written about me after coming back after the 2nd ACL:
http://adisneyworldsports.disney.go.com/media/dwws_v0220/en_US/pdf/08ShowcaseNewsDec30.pdf
Hi, i recently had an acl tear and a medial manicus tear in the end of june.i went through pre op till the 27th of july … which my surgery was on. im a big sports girl and it kills me !!!! not being able to play any until im perfectly fine…
i play field hockey, which is how the tore was resulted in .. it was at one of our tournaments in the begining of summer league:/
i also do softball and ride horses.
one of my questions is though should i be good by march?
and the only think im nervous about is tearing again!!! ughh it was so hard the first time and its still hard i cant do it again.i dont wanna ahah
but im 15 and its my sophmore year in highschool , i mean its not a bad thing and luckily im not a junior or a senior when the colleges are looking.
im going to therapy now and im doing great.. my bending is around 140 to 150 which is the overall bending.
the only problem ive had so far is one day at therapy my knee cap wasnt in the right place at the right time and i pinched some tissue between my knee:/ like im doing better and its decreased but there still some pinched which acts up :/.
if you have anymore questions or whatever ill be replying!
but i would right so much more to explain to you guys but im super tired so goodnight
Hi there
I had patellar graft on June 19th from my left knee and i am back jogging in straight line this week(week15) twice a week.I am in the gym 3 nites a week as well which starts with 20 mins intense on bike and think continuous work on my quads and hamstrings.My left quad is till very light compared to my good lef so my physio suggested i push more now with my left leg.I have slight pain after jogging now but its not too bad.
Has anybody got any good tips on how to increase quad and hamstring muscle bar the usual leg press and leg curl machines.
Thanks
Kieran
Squatting helps, and if you go to therapy at all ask your therapist bout getting electric stem with the quad tighten/strengthen because thats what I’m using to increase my quad muscle.
doing side steps and squatting should also help.
I’ll try to think of more and I’ll let you know.
i wish i could tell all of you some inspiring words…but im at loss of them at this moment too..
i tore my acl,mcl,and my meniscus in 2 places last year while playing soccer (the love of my life) i recovered better then i ever thought i could. i just ended my season and i was a 1st team all star , and i was the MVP of my team…i was playing another game for my club team and i just tore my acl again…on the same leg.:( im devastated i dont know why this is happening to me. why me? …why us?…im sorry to everyone going through this awful patch in life
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for sharing your story. We all can feel your pain in some way. I can’t imagine the frustration you’ve been going through. I’m not quite the all-star like yourself, but I’ve spent many days thinking why ACL injuries don’t happen to the less active folk. Why does it have to happen to people who enjoy being active the most? Because we put ourselves out there. No pain, no gain. It’s all part of the risk of falling in love with sports. When in doubt, just remember, it could be worse. Be thankful for the recovery and the support you have. You know you will be back to it in no time! Best of luck!
Hi,
I had knee surgery a week ago for some torn ligaments and a broken disloacted peice of cartilage, I stumbled upon your blog and I happened to read your comment, and I just had to say, knee injuries do happen to the ‘less active folk’, it happened to me, and I think its the worst thing that ever happened to me just for the fact that I was completely not expecting it because I don’t play a lot of sport, the recovery is tough when you dont have a lot of muscle strength in the first place. I can hardly imagine how frustrating it must be as an athelete to deal with an injury like this, and so I guess I should be grateful.
Hi Sara,
I hope you are on your way to a speedy recovery. You’re right–knee injuries can happen to anyone. The same time I tore my knee, my mom, who is not very active, tore hers. All she did was merely slip on some ice. Nothing bad, but enough to do the damage. The recovery will be tough, but just know that everyone losses a lot of strength during the recovery process. But strength aside, how strong your determination is will be a bigger factor in recovery. Mind over muscles. Best of luck to you. And keep us all posted on how recovery progress!
Hey Sarah, I do have one question, what type of procedure did you get and use for your acl replacement?
i used a graft. im just jogging now and its been 3 months almost for,… and i play hockey.. love of my life! are season is over and everything but it really did suck! and it still kinda does:/
but good luck to everyone and we will all get through it and everything will be a-okay!!!:)
Hi, I wish I found this site earlier but its nice to see everyone share their experiences with ACL surgery. I’m 9 weeks post-op (right knee, hamstring graft) and things are going as well as I could have imagined. I’m starting to jog and ROM is quite good. I was very active even after tearing the ACL and I suspect that is playing a part in speeding up recovery. Active meaning touch football (including intense playoff games), softball, biking, running (including a 1/2 marathon). Currently what is working for me are lots of lunges, wall squats, stationary bike, squat walks from side to side (essentially side steps while squatting), one legged calf raises and most importantly, LOTS of stretching! Good luck!
Hi. I completely tore my right acl on august 14, 2009. I was trying to catch a bat that was in my kitchen. Yes, the flying kind. The conditions must have been just right because when I jumped up to catch is, POP. I had a lot of pain for the first couple minutes, then none. No swelling, no bruising. The diagnosis took about a month and a half. I ended up having surgery on Oct. 29, 2009. He used some on my own hamstring ligament and some cadaver because mine was not wide enough by itself. Recovery had gone well, I am 8 weeks out. I am beginning to get frustrated that things are not progressing faster. Websites like this help me keep things in perspective. Thanks for this.
I’m on my third knee surgery (2 on left knee and 1 right knee) and all were ACL reconstruction w/ MCL tear. I’m 6 days post-op from my right knee surgery and things seem to be as expected compared to first two. Used crutches for first 4 days after surgery and haven’t used them since. I used hamstring and part of cadaver, because surgeon said my hamstring graft was too short. I would like to hear feedback from those who have a combination of hamstring and cadaver for ACL reconstruction.
Easily, the post is really the greatest on this precious topic. I fit in with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your future updates. Saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the fantasti c lucidity in your writing. I will at once grab your rss feed to stay abreast of any updates.Good work and much success in your business dealings!Thanks.
Wow, this blog made my day! I had my ACL surgery on March 29, 2010 and am a very athletic, competitve individual. Of course, during PT now (11wks post-op) I often wonder how much more I should be doing as compared to the non-athletes at the facility. Thanks for calming my fears and holding me back!
I tore my ACL my last day (thankfully) of skiing at Whistler, Dec 9, 2010. No pain luckily (after the initial “shock”) and even stable enough to do some extreme snowmobiling the next day (although after making 2 carves on the mtn while skiing indicated that I had no lateral stability).
I had a non-aggressive orthopod (before I changed MD’s) and had extensive PT and aggressive regular training until I decided to get it repaired. Without an ACL I was able to bounce laterally on/off Bosu balls, treadmill speedwork, side lunges up a treadmill, decent lifting and plyo for lower body… but still something was not right when running on a gym floor and doing lateral hurdles. I believe that the hard core PT and conditioning prior to the surgery has really helped so far, especially in immediate post-op time. The time lapse b/t injury and surgery were based on career paths at the time, but it turned out for the better. My quad strength is of course less than the non-surgical leg, but is still really strong compared to “normal” folks. BTW- I had a patellar graft.
Anyways, please keep up your blog updates! It is a bummer about not returning to skiing so quickly but is is better to bust balls on the slopes than to bunny hill it all day! Good luck!
Hey all,
I recently tore my ACL in my left knee, it was a complete tear and a partial one in my medial meniscus. the doctors put me in a cast for 5 days after my fall (100m sprint!! ugly!!) as they only thought it was a dislocation, cuz it dislocated when they helped me off the track i slipped back on my knee and it popped back in and you could hear the tear!!
during those 5 days in a cast i lost nearly 60% of muscle in my left leg (which btw i my good knee :s). had my surgery on may 19th and finding this blog could help me alot. i opted for a patella tendon graft from my own muscle so the scar is pretty horrible, but hey i can walk!
wanted to ask for help on a few things; have just gone into week 6 of my PT and nearly at full range of motion, but still cant full flex, and i have hyper flextion in my other leg so bummer when trying to compare.
when can i actually start swimming as in a small gentle kick or two to the other side of the pool?
and when will the cold shooting pain stop?
and finally when can i wear heels!?!?!!?
Please help!! and thanks for this blog!! a much needed reassurance that you arent the only one out there..
Thanks and good luck to everyone
Hey Ayah,
You’ve come to the right place! Sounds like you are making good progress, so congrats! If you are 6 weeks out, I would think you could start swimming–at least gentle pool excercises–very soon. Ask your PT. The water is so encouraging for getting back to activities.
As for the cold shooting pain, where are you experiencing this, and when do you experience it? Remember that pains in various forms will continue to come and go for awhile. I found the more active I became, the less pains I had overall.
High heels–how funny! I was in your same position! I got so sick of wearing flats when everyone else was in cute summer heels and wedges. I did a post on this too, with a video demo on how to properly walk in heels, if you are interested. I remember I wore mine too soon. (I got anxious!) While it was nice to feel a part of the “real world” again, I paid for it the next day with pain, but it was just my muscles getting used to my “high heel” muscles again. Do what you feel best; your knee will tell you if you need to switch back to flats.
Hi All -
I had ACL reconstruction on my left knee about 2 & 1/2 weeks ago. Doing PT, working on strength and range of motion of stuff. Still using the crutches, but getting better.
I still have some nagging pain that is kind of an aching feeling in the knee. It makes it difficult to sleep. I was wondering if anyone else has this type of pain and about when I can expect it to subside. Anybody have experience with this? GRACIAS!
- Healing Knee
Hey All,
I was on a boat the other day and slipped the same way i slipped when i busted my knee and tore my ACL and Meniscus, But no pain like before and it feels quite fine actually, its just when i come to do full extension that I feel some pain.. Kind of worried.. Please help!!!
A..
I am now 2.5 weeks post op with my ACL reconstruction (hami graft). My question is in regards to rehab- how do you know if you are pushing the envelope of PT enough vs too much?
My extension and flex is pretty good and my mobility without crutches is getting better. Although I have found it to be a bumpy road; one day I need no crutches and feel decent about it and the next day out of bed I feel like I two crutches to cross the house!
I’m still in a post-op brace (until 6 weeks minimum per my othro) but I hate watching my quad dissapear. Is this due to wearing the brace or just the surgery in general? I’m doing the PT exercises religously and continuing to up my reps as much as I can until the pain tells me to stop. What can I do to help power back my quad? It seems the only exercise I cannot excell at thus far is the “firing” of my quad (or quad sets). Elec. stimulus helps at PT but 2-3 times per week does not seem to be enough to stop the deterioration of my quad… Ideas? Advice?
KgM -
I am also at 2.5 weeks of recovery. My quads are just starting to get their strength back. Quad sets and leg raises have been key in getting strong. My understanding is this…as the swelling continues to wane, the quad comes back. All the fluid and swelling around the knee makes the brain shut down or decrease the impulse it sends to the muscle. As the swelling fades, the muscle control improves. This is what my phys therapist told me. Keep at it!
-Healing Knee
Hey Healing Knee-
Thanks for the reply. That a good explanation from you PT about the quad stuff. I had my surgery July 1st, looks like you may have been close to that date as well?
I am already anxiously fighting two urges… 1.) to be patient with my PT and 2.) lose this post op brace.
Even though its only been three weeks since surgery I am already fighting boredum with this recovery. Not good since we have not even scratched the surface of this long road to full recovery.
Also, I keep reading about people who have not been required to stay in a post-op brace after surgery. Does your doctor have you wearing one? My brace and I are NOT friends. It drives me crazy. I’m wondering if I would be screwing myself by discarding it… what do you think? Has anyone been able to down-size to a smaller brace that is not so bulky and HUGE?
Hey KgM -
My surgery was on 6/30 and I still need at least one crutch to walk, but it’s getting better. Yeah, I’m bored as hell and frustrated but I know this experience won’t last forever. The brace is awful. I only wear it on trips out of the house in the car; I never wear it in the house, just an ACE wrap. The brace is there to help prevent reinjury such as a slip or fall which could cause the knee to buckle. I definitely don’t want to reinjure my knee, so I’m real carefu. But frankly, I don’t think the brace is all that helpful. I break the rules on that one a bit.
One day at a time.
-Healing Knee
I agree, the post op brace is awful. I went down to one crutch about 1 week post op and dropped the second crutch just inside two weeks post op. There have been times around the house when I have gone back to one crutch due to fatigue but other than that I’ve been getting around okay.
How many times are you doing PT per week? I am currently doing 2 per week and trying my best to work at it everynight at home too. But admittedly, when it hurt real bad I am pretty quick to say “screw it” for the night.
My ROM was measured at three weeks: I had a 100 ext and 118 flex (after stretching). Where are you at?
I am doing PT about twice a week. Today my flexion was at 110 degrees, improved from 98 degrees just 4 days earlier. Step by step…little by little.
I ran into a problem yesterday. My hamstring just dehind my knee got very tender and swollen. Also everytime I extedned my leg or “energised” it I would feel a horrible burning sensation, very painful. It stopped me in my tracks each time it happened.
I happen to have PT last night and they could easily see it was inflammed and very tight. They seemed a little concerned abuot it actually, especially since I was going very well prior. They worked on it during the entire PT. Still very painful… hopefully its nothing to worry about.
Anyone experienced this before? It does not help mentally that I had a hamstring autograft…