<p>Regarding cadaver re-rupturing… What we were told is that the likelihood of failure is higher in the first 6 months but after that, all three are equal in that regard.</p>
<p>BTW, on the second injury, Dd had patellar tendon debridement surgery, essentially an overuse injury in both knees, and it was a teeny tiny incision, maybe an inch and a half, but she took a good six months to recover, was probably only 85-90% in the next sport season (took some flack from a coach on insisting on being in only half the game for the first few matches, to work up to things) and her thigh was noticeably atrophied compared to the other one. She had trouble getting one of the quads to fire properly and really had to work it, was a bt scared, but ended up playing her sport again and doing fine- not sure if she is 100% yet, as she has not had another season to test it.</p>
<p>She is NOT doing the other knee after that experience, she will live with the pain in her other knee ;)</p>
<p>Jazzymom, I’m so sorry to hear of your injury.</p>
<p>My son completely tore both ACLs within a three-year time span. We elected to surgically replace them with his own patellar tendons because of the reason cited by Great Lakes Mom. (At the time, the news was full of reports that several young people had recently died from infection that resulted from ACL cadaver tissue. It was later found to be an issue with one specific company providing tissue.)</p>
<p>During recovery, my son experienced the most pain at the sites where his patellar tendons were harvested. His quads also bothered him, but the sites of the ACL replacements were relatively pain-free. Today, both knees are fine except for a little stiffness when he first gets up in the morning. He runs, skis, golfs, and plays contact sports without any pain.</p>
<p>That said, I know of several college kids (varsity athletes) who had ACL repair surgery during the past couple of years. All elected to use cadaver tissue. Their recovery time was much shorter and less painful than my son’s because they didn’t have to deal with the patellar tendon site. Their scars are also much smaller. All of them were able to resume playing their respective varsity sports within a year of surgery.</p>
<p>If I were in your shoes, the question I would ask myself is this: Will this injury impact my life negatively in the future if I choose not to have the surgery?</p>
<p>It’s a tough decision, but best of luck whatever you decide to do.</p>
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<p>I can’t remember the details now but I know I had some damage to other ligaments like the meniscus. The pain I had after the accident wasn’t from the torn ACL (which isn’t painful) but from the other ligaments. I can’t recall how long PT lasted either…likely several months. You asked if my knee ever gives out now…no, I haven’t noticed that. It may have early on after the accident but defniitely not in recent years. I have never used a brace. I don’t ski much anymore but that is completely unrelated to the accident and my knee. I could ski if I wanted to and I have skied since the accident. I was out that season of the accident…it happened on my first ski day of the year over Thanksgiving. But I have been able to ski since then. I practically have forgotten about not having an ACL!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies and advice. I realize that everyone’s injury is different, but hearing some stories gives me new insight and additional questions to ask my doctor.</p>
<p>My first PT appointment is not until Jan. 22 (we’re in an HMO and you have to go to their provider). </p>
<pre><code>Until then, I plan to slowly stretch the degree of bending the knee that I can tolerate, and also walk as much as possible with a knee brace on. Or maybe I’m supposed to not rely on the brace as much.
For those who went through physical therapy on the knee due to ligament tears, what did the exercises involve?
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<p>I had a freak non-sports related injury resulting in torn ACL’s in both knees 15 years ago, when I was 43. For the first 6 months, I was advised to swim 3 to 4 times a week as required exercise, and the only permitted exercise. For the next 6 months, I worked with a physical therapist doing various strengthening exercises to the surrounding musculature. Since then I have worked out regularly 3 to 5 times per week doing cardio, core and strengthening exercises. I enjoy hiking in mountainous areas and always use hiking poles, which takes a lot of strain off my knees.</p>
<p>I recently saw a top sports orthopedic surgeon in my city to see if there was any cutting edge surgery that might enhance my knee health whiile I’m (relatively!) young and in good shape.</p>
<p>He advised me that I had done a great job in re-conditioning myself, that surgery was not warranted, and that I could in fact ski (something I gave up after the injury) if I stuck to the greens primarily and wore the type of knee braces that you can buy at the drugstore with the splints in the sides.</p>
<p>I also was initially warned about increased risk of arthritis, but 15 years and lots of activity later, I still haven’t developed it.</p>
<p>My ACL’s have long since disappeared entirely, and I have no plans for surgery. Good luck.</p>
<p>Hi. I am a physical therapist although not working much with sports injuries these days. Lots to consider including your age (I won’t ask), degree of tear, goals in the long-run (some of which you have mentioned), etc. Most important thing…having an evaluation with a doctor you really trust; someone who sees LOTS of ACL injuries eg. sports orthopedist. You aren’t going to be able to make a decision from conversation on cc, the internet or your friends horror stories. That is why a professional you can really work this through with is most critical. There is no hurry on surgery even if you decide to have it; they usually like to have swelling down, etc. so take a deep breath and good luck! PS. …do you mind saying where you live or you can pm me. Perhaps I can help you with a recommendation. Also, in the meantime ICE, not heat.</p>
<p>Jazzymom - I tore my ACL several years ago (downhill skiing, of course, when I hit the icy patch) and went through a similar search and inquiry process, trying to make a decision about surgery. I remember being in terrific pain, and asking the first doctor I saw whether I would ever ski again. He smiled and told me that with PT and a brace, I’d be back on the slope in no time.</p>
<p>Of course, I had my doubts. So I went for a second opinion. We live an hour away from one of the best medical facilities in the country, so I made an appt with the orthopedist there.</p>
<p>He was older and more experienced than the first dr and actually spent quite a bit of time with me. He asked me about my physical activities and evaluated my physical fitness level. He informed me that I fit in the “mildly active” category. I was surprised - I swam, hiked, cycled and skiied. But to be classified “highly active” you need to be very active on a daily basis, not a weekend warrior. A marathoner or an athlete…</p>
<p>Anyway - he told me that many, many people tear their ACL’s and don;t even know it. It’s possible to recover with PT and still be active. He also told me that the surgery is meant for serious athletes, or people who are debilitated and have their knees constantly buckle and give out. In addition, he said he wouldn’t have the surgery unless it was absolutely necessary, as the knee is one of the most complicated joints in the body.</p>
<p>I decided against the surgery, and went to a very good physical therapist. It was very painful and I thought I would never straighten my leg or walk without a limp. But within 3 months of the injury, I was relatively pain free and walking normally. I found the ultrasound and whirlpool baths very soothing and relaxing. I also found that using our x-country ski machine at home alleviated a lot of the pain. </p>
<p>I continue to be active and have substituted x-c skiing for the downhill, mostly because I was never a strong downhill skier. The knee rarely gives me pain, although it does feel a little weaker at times.</p>
<p>The more professionals you consult with, the better your decision will be for your personal lifestyle. Hope this helps. Good luck!</p>
<p>Well, I’m not much help but I just wanted to add that several years ago, our St. Bernard tore his ACL and couldn’t walk at all on it. We opted for surgery, which, after and weeks weeks of setbacks due to him tearing out stitches over and over, despite the world’s largest plastic cone around his head (but you won’t be tearing your stitches out 
), he recovered completely and is able to walk, jog and loll about just fine. It worked for him!</p>
<p>Good luck with your therapy, research and decision!</p>
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<p>You’re right — I know this is true. The different experiences and the lack of consensus on the best strategy just highlight what an individual decision this is. I liked the HMO orthopedic surgeon I spoke to — he was neither anxious to rush into surgery, nor trying to remove it as an option. He instructed me to go through four weeks of PT and then come back for another consultation. It might be more reassuring if I was able to pick out the doctor of my choice — some knee specialist or someone recommended by a surgeon friend of mine, but that isn’t the way our health plan works. </p>
<p>I take comfort in the stories of people who have torn ACLs, and after PT, see no real difference in their mobility, but I have no way to compare that situation to mine, since all I know from reading the MRI report is that I have a complete tear in the ACL and some partial tears — doesn’t indicate the severity — in two other ligaments. Perhaps those partial tears are a complication for the success of taking the nonsurgical route. I know I need to do a lot more research.</p>
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<p>This is really something to think about. Thanks, anymom. A second opinion is a great idea.</p>
<p>dg: Wow, I can’t imagine going through this with both knees affected. Must have been brutal. </p>
<p>momof2inca: I’ll bet your St. Bernard’s knees are bigger than mine! You’re a good soul for getting him the surgery.</p>
<p>crzymom: I’ll PM you.</p>
<p>My husband and I both had ACL surgery within a year of each other about 3-4 years ago. (Our orthopedic surgeon’s first husband-wife patients!) For him, there was no question about whether or not to have the surgery. We are both 50-ish and he still plays soccer and hockey. I am not particularly active–actually mine was partially torn first, then completely torn about 15 months later just making a misstep on some stairs. I also didn’t seriously consider not doing the surgery after that. My knee did not feel stable going side to side (no duh!), and I didn’t want to be nervous about it buckling. I’d also be concerned about further damage to that knee if you don’t make it as stable as you can now.</p>
<p>We both opted for allografts (cadaver). While patellar tendon is the gold standard, it’s more indicated for younger athletes. We both did <em>lots</em> of research before deciding against the autograft. I didn’t see the point in harvesting my own body parts if I could use someone else’s. There hadn’t been a single case of resulting infection in ~10 years using the cadaver graft, and I also read up on the specific lab our doctor got his grafts from. (Ask your doctor and do some e-reading–the cleansing techniques are amazing.)</p>
<p>My knee and its stability were at the back of my mind any time I moved for several years there. At this point I’m happy to say I don’t think about it much anymore–certainly the optimal outcome.</p>
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<p>I agree with you there. Friends of ours chose the donor graft for their 16-year-old son when he recently had ACL surgery (and he has recovered quickly the way teenagers tend to do). Since the H is a surgeon, I figured they’d pick the state of the art for their son, so the allograft is looking like a good option to me.</p>
<p>My S tore his ACL 6 years ago playing soccer while in 8th grade. We decided to have him wait a few months as his growth plates were not completely closed. I believe he had the patellar tendon surgery. He is able to do most sports but has reinjured his knee but the orthopedist believes this is due to the extensive meniscus damage he incurred and not to the ACL. He is a risk taker and pushes himself so this is an issue as well.</p>
<p>Did he damage the meniscus in the first injury or in the second? Will he need to have surgery again?</p>
<pre><code>“Lucky” for me, the one thing I managed to not tear in my right knee is the meniscus. I’m not in any pain when I walk as long as I keep the brace on and avoid sudden moves that irritate the ligaments.
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<p>3boysnjmom- Do we have the same son?</p>
<p>jazzymom - not sure if you ran into the “Tiger Woods” article in your research - it presents some interesting information. Good luck to you whatever you decide!
[Tiger</a> Woods ACL Surgery](<a href=“http://www.arthritis.org/tiger-woods-acl-surgery.php]Tiger”>http://www.arthritis.org/tiger-woods-acl-surgery.php)</p>
<p>Thanks for posting the article, toneranger. It was interesting to me, since it seems to contradict the info I read on the orthopedic surgeon website — that not getting the surgery can lead to higher risk for arthritis in the knee. My list of questions for the next doctor visit grows longer.</p>
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<p>DS is away at school and was advised by an ortho surgeon there to have ACL surgery. I had a 40-minute telephone consult with the surgeon today and he also said that not doing the surgery increases the likelihood of arthritis. Don’t know who or what to believe. He wants to use DS’s hamstring. Is that the same or different from the patellar tendon? I am overwhelmed at the moment, hearing about 9mm drill bits and incidence of fracture of the femur or tibia during its post-graft convalescence, etc. Don’t mean to imply that this surgeon was insensitive or flooding me with worst case scenarios. It was I who questioned him on everything and anything that could occur afterward.</p>
<p>For those whose college-aged children have had ACL surgery, how are they now? Have they had a complete recovery? Are their activities limited in any way? Or have they resumed sports or working out? </p>
<p>Yours truly,
(NOW MORE THAN EVER) worrywart</p>
<p>My son is still playing basketball and volleyball 5 or so years post surgery. Not much mention of it in years. Some local women my age have had the surgery, and have been happy with the result. The ones that haven’t-seem to struggle a bit, wear braces, have limitations. I see this, and think they should have had the surgery perhaps, though the rehab is a commitment. </p>
<p>Would think your S would want the surgery in your home town area, in summer. The aftermath took up a good deal of the summer between soph and junior year. But as mentioned above, he had extra immobilizer time due to repaired meniscus.</p>
<p>Goo Best of luck to you, jazzy. This is a difficult decision. I had a knee injury in HS (though they never clearly decided that it was a ligament tear). I did end up with some joint issues, and although I was told I would probably have to have surgery at some point, so far I have not. I ski with support knee braces (those elastic ones with small wires on the sides, that velcro on) and other than becoming slower and more cautious with age, no other major consequences so far…
Good luck!</p>