ACL/Meniscus Surgery...this sucks

[elkyinzer]

Tough go of it, dude. Last May I partially tore my MCL also playing softball and was so relieved it wasn't the big A and I just had a few months of rehab. Have had several friends tear ACL's and have noticed big differences getting back to 100% based on how well they followed PT and rehabbing it. There's a reason it's a 9-12 month recovery for athletes even in low impact sports.

 

[warrior80]

Tough go of it, dude. Last May I partially tore my MCL also playing softball and was so relieved it wasn't the big A and I just had a few months of rehab. Have had several friends tear ACL's and have noticed big differences getting back to 100% based on how well they followed PT and rehabbing it. There's a reason it's a 9-12 month recovery for athletes even in low impact sports.

Yeah I was hoping mine was going to be just something like that. Still sucks but at least a much shorter recovery. It was pretty depressing to read the mri report.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

 

[kodiakfly]

Thanks for the tips. That's too bad about the re-tear. This quote is what I'm worried about. But I will miss the entire season if that's what it takes. We can hunt through mid-December here in Utah for elk...so maybe?

Man, I dunno. Don't rush it. Your ACL will get weaker before it gets stronger, and that's when you tear it. I re-tore mine just by freak accident falling down a flight of stairs. I wasn't even pushing it or testing my bounds...just wet stairs and she tore. If you want to hunt in December, I suggest hunting from a four wheeler or I mean literally walking logging roads and having someone carry your kill out. Rushing it faster than what your doctor or PT says is a sure way to mess it up. And do that PT. Mine was pretty easy I guess. Everyone warned me about the pain and the torment, but like others have said, I was in good shape with good musculature before my initial injury, so I was set up pretty good for PT and it went smoothly. But ignoring your PT or rushing to hunt is what will have your knee bothering you when you're 50.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Sorry to hear that bro. Im in the same boat right now. I had a really bad wreck on my dirt bike on april 2nd. Acl, meniscus, mcl, lcl and partial patella tear. Major bone brusing. Only thing that was full tear was acl. I had bone-patella-bone acl reconstruction a week before my 34th birthday on 4/21.

I am now 9 weeks post op. I am in that zone where im getting around real good but my graft is still weak. I pushed my PT to get me a don-joy brace after a 3 weeks so I would have protection while at weddings, floating the river on a raft, walking the archery range or being in crowded places. This has been a life saver, that not many people get initially. We measured the custom brace to be a little big on my quad so I could grow into it.

This is my second ACL reconstruction. 1st one was 13 years ago. Tore is ski racing in college. My knee wasn't quite right for about a year but since then it has been realativly good as long as I stay in top shape. I continue to ski and race at a very high level, pack 100lb loads in the mountains, race dirtbikes, mountain bike, hike just as hard and far as most, huck cliffs on skis. I think you get the point... I like to get after it and I have never let my 1st acl reconstruction hold me back one bit. If you are one determined Mother- FU$ker you may come out of this stronger and more in touch with your body than before you were hurt. Make sure your physical therapist understands your goals.

This current knee is my 6th orthopedic surgery in the last 13 years so unfortunatly I am a pro at this shit. The doctor could not repair my meniscus so they had to cut 50% of my laterial out. Because of that I was weight bearing right away. In the beginning I did all the little exercises and worked on my range of motion constantly all day. Now that I am pushing heavier weights I need recovery days. Its important to listen to your body and not over do things because it will set you back. This is a very fine line because you need to push it a bit each time to get stronger but not too much.

I am focusing on eating healthy and taking in lots of protein to help muscle recovery, I am also taking creatine to help with the strength. This stuff all seems to help my recovery time, so that I can get back to training. I never miss a day of training even if its just spinning on the bike, stretching, and doing a few hip exercises and working on range of motion. Every day you miss adds up and screws ya down the road.

I will be bow hunting for elk here in Montana in mid sept. I will be 5 months post op. While I wont be packing heavy loads and will be using trekking poles at all times I don't think I am going to be hindered a ton. The nice thing about sept is there will not be any snow to contend with. You will need to be very carful in December snow and slipping around on buried sticks and shit can be sketchy.

Keep your head up man! Everything happens for a reason.... Train like its your job and you will be stronger than ever!

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

6 months full recovery is being pretty liberal IMO unless you're Adrian Peterson.
I had the same 2 surgeries when I was 16 with the ACL being replaced with a cadaver tendon and meniscus needing to be stitched.
I was strict with my therapy and recovery and even 9 mos out, I wasn't that confident. I played a season of football 10 months after without re-injuring it, but it definitely wasn't 100%.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[warrior80]

6 months full recovery is being pretty liberal IMO unless you're Adrian Peterson.
I had the same 2 surgeries when I was 16 with the ACL being replaced with a cadaver tendon and meniscus needing to be stitched.
I was strict with my therapy and recovery and even 9 mos out, I wasn't that confident. I played a season of football 10 months after without re-injuring it, but it definitely wasn't 100%.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I stated that wrong. He told me 6 months minimum before I could start to play sports again. But that's best case if my recovery goes excellent. So could be longer and that's also not necessarily full recovery.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

 

[warrior80]

Sorry to hear that bro. Im in the same boat right now. I had a really bad wreck on my dirt bike on april 2nd. Acl, meniscus, mcl, lcl and partial patella tear. Major bone brusing. Only thing that was full tear was acl. I had bone-patella-bone acl reconstruction a week before my 34th birthday on 4/21.

Man you have had a lot of operations. It's amazing what doctors can do now days though. Best of luck with your recovery too.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

I stated that wrong. He told me 6 months minimum before I could start to play sports again. But that's best case if my recovery goes excellent. So could be longer and that's also not necessarily full recovery.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

Work hard in therapy would be my best advice as well as being patient.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Everyone recovers differently and each surgery Ive had has gone differently. Try not to compare yourself to others going thru the same thing. Each man has his own recovery journey and its a marathon not a race.

 

[kstatemallards]

I've torn my acl/meniscus twice in the same knee. My second surgery was in July and I went elk hunting in October. Riding a horse really bothered my knee. My knee handled the experience overall pretty well all things considered.

However, after the surgery I had a couple years prior my knee was much slower to recover. I think it depends on how flexible your knee is going into the surgery...the more you can bend it prior to surgery the quicker you'll recover.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ipw20]

we've all been there man. Hang in there. Maybe we can all agree to pass on the first shooter so he is waiting for you next year?

 

[Takem]

Yesterday was three months since my ACL replacement with 50% meniscus removal so I know what you're feeling. The recovery to this point has went much better than I expected. I had an appointment with my doctor this week and he cleared me to do whatever I can hiking wise as long as I stay in a straight line, stay on good trails and pay attention to any soreness. I have no problem going up hill on hikes but down hill is real, real slow going or I get sore. These last two weeks I've been able to get a good cardio and muscle workout riding a bike and I'll be continuing with that being my primary workout for at least the next month because I have little to no discomfort. I have a 2nd season backpack hunt in Colorado which I discussed at length with my doctor and we both anticipate that I'll be ready for it.

Be patient with the recovery and you'll get there. It's easy to get excited after feeling good for a few days and push it a little too much. As mentioned keep up with your PT and follow their instructions. I would highly recommend using a bike to help get the strength back. The fact that you're going to be on crutches for at least a month is going to mean you'll have a lot of strength to get back. With the ACL replacement and partial meniscus removal I was only on crutches for five days and my leg was jello.

I don't know about August with just getting off the crutches but December would probably work. I spent a day trout fishing on a reasonably rugged section of river at 7 weeks. I took it very slow and didn't do any wading but I did manage a 600' elevation change down and up from the river while wearing my brace without any problems.

Good luck with the recovery.