Partially torn ACL

Hey I did the same thing, exept for it being a PCL (opposite of your ACL) I felt good and tried to play softball. Turned on the pitch and the knee just exploded. Searing pain and it filled with liquid.

Now initally my Dr. said it was fine (didn't know it was a PCL then) Had I known and stayed off of it. I'd probably be fine (or close to it) now.

Instead I tried to play on it and am paying the price.

Be careful cuz IF you do play/ride you may rip it enough to warrant the surgery and ask Thump, that sucks.

RZ

I would definately not ride or play until you see the Ortho. I am guessing you went to go see your Family Doctor first. I totally severed my ACL from where it connects to the shin. It pulled totally off the bone. My family doctor said 'yeah, you tore something, go see Dr. so and so, he's a Orthopedic, listen to him" It wasn't in those exact words, but that's what I heard. The knee is a serious joint, if you don't take care of it, it will definately come back to haunt you. Listen to what the Ortho says, he is your best bet. Definately do all the exercises he tells you to do religously. Take your vitamins and drink your milk. Every little bit helps. My next step is to order a set of Asterisk knee braces once it feels strong enough to ride again.

It will be 13 weeks tomorrow since I injured my knee, and I am about 70%. My ortho said I am about a month ahead of his schedule and that is due to just plain old hard work at those little exercises that they tell you to do. They sure feel dumb when I am doing them, but it seems to be working. Good luck!:cool:

The ACL's ability to repair is debated, but appears to be limited and dependent on the "intact" nature of the ligament and surrounding tissue itself. The decision for surgical treatment should therefore be determined by other means: 1) Is the injury isolated to your ACL or does it involve other structures, is it indeed a partial or complete tear (MRI or arthroscope), 2) how old and active are you and what are your goals, the ACL is only subjected to about 20% of its failure capacity in everyday activities, however this percent increases significantly in sports 3) is the knee unstable?

If I were you I would have the knee scoped under anesthesia to confirm diagnosis. You should wait till you have full range of motion with little swelling. At this time the decision could be made to either reconstruct or not based on the findings. If only a partial tear with no other pathology a conservative rehab approach would be indicated to strengthen and retrain. You may want to consider a brace. If instabilty became a problem down the rode or the rehab didn't help you could always opt for surgery later.
I can tell you chronically unstable knees can lead to problems down the rode with osteoarthritis, although not a blanket statement. Find a good ortho doc, preferably sports medicine. BTW, if you decide to have surgery and have the time, some presurgical rehab can greatly speed up recovery and rehab time.
Average surgical outcomes are range from 75-90% of return to previous activity (complete tears mind you). I have actually lived this one from your side as well, I partially tore my ACL in 1987, elected not to have surgery after scope and have not had any problems (knock on wood). It is not a good idea to compare though as these injuries vary greatly between individuals.
Good luck, Keith

Im not sure I would ask the Dr. about it.My friend 2 weeks ago tore his ACL and MCl.He has surgery this coming thurs.They will stitch the MCl back together and take a tendon from his calf to stitch the ACL back together...?This is what he told me so I'm not sure.:think

I thought I'd jump into this since I have too much experience with ACL's. I severed my left one completely 5 years ago (stupid motorcycle accident) and had a pattela tendon graft. I was able to return to normal activity, though it will never feel the same as an unreconstructed knee. Last month I severed the other, right knee ACL completely (stupid walking accident) and am going to have a hamstring graft on that one next month. The patella tendon graft has it's disadvantages. I'll let you know about the other one in a few months.

Playing roulette with your knees or second guessing your doctor isn't worth it. Like the others said, do what your doctor tells you -- EVEN IF the knee feels better. Do whatever physical therapy they recommend. The physical therapists I go to told me that in general men are much more reluctant than women to follow through with physical therapy and doctor's instructions -- and therefore have far more problems down the road. tsk tsk guys ;)
Kim Orndorff

ACL

Had a partial ACL tear that I left alone for several years. Knee instability and joint pain gradually increased over time. Finally hyperextended the knee the last time to the point where my knee was pretty loose. Dr. thought I had completely torn the ACL but during arthoscopic found that it was still partial and was stretched pretty bad. Used a laser to tighten the ACL and removed some cartilage buildup in the joint where the medial meniscus was torn etc.
Went to rehab for 4 weeks after waiting 4 weeks to heal after surgery and my knee feels 90 to 95% improved. Instability is 100% improved.
Don't let it go too long, the longer you wait the more wear and tear you will put on the knee.
Scott

I don’t see how you all can live with “loose” knees. I tore my ACL Aug. 5 and since have twisted it 2 more times, once by simply attempting to swing my leg over the seat. Every day I experience minor tweaks from simply trying to pivot, turn, walk and lift using my knee the way I am used to. It will pop, grate, start to give or just plain hurt. I cannot imagine living that way constantly, regardless of rehab involving strengthening the muscles.

From all I hear the ACL will not repair itself. Skmcbride sounds like more of an expert than me however. One thing to remember is that the ACL keeps your knee stable and prevents side to side motion. If that stability is impaired, your knee will move in directions it was not intended to go, causing damage to the ligaments on the side and the meniscus also. That cartilage is what pads the bones and if it’s torn, you will get terrible arthritis later on.

I go in for ACL surgery 10/30. I tore mine completely, not all at once but in steps. I’ve twisted it badly 3 times now. So I am almost looking forward to the surgery since then everything will be fine and fixed and I can heal and not worry about it anymore.

Firecracker, i dont know how u could say u look forward to the op. I have had my ACL done and its the kinda thing u wouldnt want to happen to anyone. I didnt have proper rehab, though i did take it easy and more time off the bike, but i am no-where near the speed i was before i tore the ACL. My brothers friend had a praital tear, and he tore it a bit more again and then got it reconsructed, dont know how he is doing now, but he sold his trials bike and got another racing quad . yzguy hope all is well, but if ya can get some knee braces.

Get a MRI and the doc will let you know exactly what is going on in there. Mri's are fast and easy with no pain, I had an MRI to determine that my acl was torn completely and was given the choice of surgery or physical therapy to strengthen my quads and live with the sloppy knee. I opted for the surgery which I had august 24th and still recovering at about 65%. It is a slow recovery as my doc restricted me off the bike till February, I recently bought a new cr500 and could not resist a little ride and set my recovery back about 2 weeks. The the day after the ride I was sore and swelled a little, but all is fine now and the bikes are put away till spring. One thing for sure if your active especially dirt bikes, you will eventually tear your acl completely. As for knee braces right now they will help but will not prevent any further injuries as I was wearing an evs rs5 top of the line brace and still popped my knee out bad enough to tear my acl. The brace I would say prevented more damage than if I was not wearing it but only gave me limited protection. Also if you get the surgery GO TO THE PHYSICAL THERAPY! It works and helps greatly in the recovery process. ? Good luck....

Feeling your pain!

Everyone is different. I tore my ACL 13 years ago in high school football which was 1988 and they never found it until 1994 due to my knee not being unstable. Even the MRI didn't show it. But due to the fact that it had been so long and my legs were very strong especially in the hamstrings, they removed the ligament and to this day I have never had it replaced. Even without the ACL, I have no instability (although I still wear a CTi2) and very little pain every now and again. The Ortho said that I was a rare case, but it weas due to the strength of my legs making up for the loss. On the flip side, I have an 11 year old son who was the starting QB on his 6th grade football team, starting pitcher in baseball, and a starter in basketball, and a very good MX rider. Back in August 2001, during the first football scrimmage of the year, he was hit in the knee while running a QB sweep and we found out that he has torn his ACL, and MCL completely in two as well as cartilage damage. And because of his age, no surgeon will touch him! They say that his growth plates are still active and having surgery now could stop his leg from growing any further!!:scream: He wears a CTi2 and continues to ride and jump and all of that, although the doctors have said that he may never play football, basketball or baseball for at least 5 to 6 years if ever!:ugg: He has a tough time dealing with this as well as I do because he is a very gifted athlete who lost something very special to him as the result of one hit! He will have to have surgery eventually in about 5 or 6 years, although the 4 surgeons he has already seen have said that if we wait that long, he will continue to damage his cartilage and bone in the knee until then if he continues to be very active. Needless to say, trying to keep an athlete from being very active, is almost impossible!! I am sorry for rambling on about my son, but I am very depressed for him and don't know what else to do or where else to turn.:(
Good luck with your knee and Godspeed!