I had a ACL Reconstruction
Well ive been through it all. I tore my ACL on a stupid wheelie on my first dirtbike at 21 yrs young in the asphalt street on the Friday night before a three day weekend. The pain and agony that went with my first arthroscopic surgery went on forever. I fought with my insurance company Aetna for what seemed like a lifetime until they finally agreed to pay for an MRI which proved why i had been having such problems with my knee even after they found a bucket handle tear in my meniscus and a torn ACL. After 8 weeks of rehab and missed work and lots of time to think, i knew that riding bikes was something worth it for me to continue doing.
Im now 32 and just underwent another arthroscopic knee surgery on my same left knee. I just bought a brand new 2005 KTM 450 EXC and had our first child, a little girl in August of 2004. After just spending a week off work, i returned to work today, having had yet more time off to think long a hard about returning to a sport i love. Despite the my wife and family, i know i will ride again. Since my ACL in 1996 reconstruction i bought a pair of Asterisk braces for left and right. I wear them religously. I tighten them up and set the degrees to a nearly bent position. They give me the confidence i need when im out there taking a beating on some rocky, gnarly riverbed or a cliffside singletrack. I know my knee will never be the same, but i ride alot smarter know and always push the limmits ,but with much more caution than before.