ACL injury and riding

I just checked out your brace online and you should be ok. It's pretty similar to the one I've got. The only difference is that on mine, the brace wraps around my shin instead of the calf like yours. The only issue I'd have is the knee protection. Mine came w/a crappy knee cup, so I had to jimmy rig something w/the old cups from my old EVS braces. Doesn't look all that great, but it works. As for how competitive you can be, I raced for the first time last year (Hare Scrambles) and had no problems. It's gotten to the point where I feel more comfortable when I've got them on though. It's a good thing, unless you've got to send them back in to get fixed for something.

Dirt bike or ATV. I’ve ridden them both (own a CRF 450) and I’m no expert on either but here are my
suggestions. The type of terrain would be a deciding factor, it was for me. I decided the CRF mainly
because of the trail access in my area. I'm in the mid 40's with perfect knees, and this bike does challenge my knees, of course that depends on how hard you ride. One last thing, I'm probably wear more gear than the average hockey or football player. My friends give me a hard time but I don't care, I've been broadsided twice while riding on the trails with only a few bumps & bruises thanks to all that gear that I wear. A few of my friends don't seem to mine surgery route.

ATV
- Sand dunes or sandy areas
- Need wide trails, specially in the woods
- Can easily tip if riding on a trail while riding up a large hill side ways,
unless you the trail is safe enough to open the throttle.
- Riding straight up and down hills is stable.
- Hard to turn around if riding on single track trails
- The available trail widths may limit your riding options
- Crashes can be hazards if the bike rolls on top of you
- Don't use your knees as much

Dirtbike
- Will challenge you in sandy areas, specially with bad knees
- Motocross tracks
- Single track will keep you away from the ATV's
- All dirt trails
- Crashes are less hazard if the bike falls on you
- Going to be using your knees a lot more when you drop the bike
- Don't ever put your foot to the ground when riding unless you have to,
I've always been told by other riders to only remove your foot from the pegs
and stick them out for balance, if you put that foot down your knee is going to twist.

Hope this helps, I would go with the ATV based only on the shape of your knees,
but I love my dirtbike.

Hey old men, I have a very bad knee (result from a head-on collision with a TTR 600 8 years ago. Had all ACL, MCL, tendon, meniscus ripped. 2 surgery and very bad rehab later, I can't bend my knoee more than 90 degree - I am riding in the stand-up position mostly which I prefer anyway - and I have a monster of a knee due to the lack of meniscus. I have been using the Asterisk in the last 3 years, and did my last race ( a 2 hours H/S) with them in Nov 03. I am pretty confortable with them.
I am also on my way to get a CRF250 and will try to go play at the MX tracks around my place, teaching my boys.
I believe that if you really work on your leg muscle, strengthen them to fight the instability, you could have a lot of fun, and why not even race at a good amateur level with the modern knee braces (Asterisk, CTI, Don Joy, EVS)

With a torn ACL you're going to continue to destroy the meniscus (cartilage) which will cause it to swell after each ride and gradually degrade the joint (arthritis). The brace will give you lateral stability but it's still going to move some. I originally tore both my ACLs playing football, too, a few years before I started riding, and if I had it to do all over I would have gotten my knees fixed first. If you have good insurance or the money to do it, I'd recommend getting it fixed first regardless of which toy you choose. Get a patella tendon graft to fix the ACL, get the medial and/or lateral meniscus cleaned up (it's undoubtedly torn), be diligent about your rehab and you'll be roosting in 4 months - confidently.

GO with how you feel first:

I have never torn my ACL, but have severed it and still ride without a reconstruction. Of course, I wear a brace. My luxury is alot of scar tissue which actually stabilizes the joint. I am sure a torn ACL is different, in that the tear will irratate,swell, and affect more parts. Good luck.

How the heck did you sever it????

Good question - I hit the front/top of my knee real ( and I mean really ) hard and instead of breaking the top of the tib, I broke the condials off the femur and severed the acl and most of the patellar.

But that explains the extra scar tissue which keeps me from having the reconstruction ( so far, knock on wood)

I know a a couple of people with torn ACL's and I have very little pain, discomfort, compared to them and never experience any swelling or fluid build up. ( so far, knock on wood )