My ACL re-do has failed :(

[turts88]

Hello all, just joined these forums having followed some of the threads for some time.

Having returned from the hospital this evening I was distraught to find that my second op failed (which I had back in July) and I am looking for people who may have had some similar experiences.

I first injured my ACL back in September 07 playing football and had my first operation using the hamstring tendon in Dec that year using the same surgeon my brother did a few years earlier. My post op exierances were extremely painful like many, with numerous complications and sciatic nerve problems I had no sensation in my entire shin down to my foot as well as excessive swelling.

With intensive rehab with the physios got me back to playing sport in May 2009 and I felt, or so I though, 100%. However, despite the go ahead from the physios, it took my first cricket net session to re injure my ACL, running in off five yards it gave way again and I immediately knew it had happened again. The same surgeon who operated on my back in Dec 07 diagnosed that the graft was loose and told me I needed further surgery and was this time to use a "prosthetic" ligament, using two washed polyester screws. He stated this would make the ACL far stronger and would be using the toughest screws available due to my build being 6ft 2. The prosthetic ligament, I believe is frowned upon by man surgeons but he reassured me the positives heavily outweighed the negatives and I procedded.

Although the rehab was less intense, and far less painful following the op, it never felt right, swelling up more often than it should and preventing me from participating in full physio sessions with. I was fast becoming Iron Man..getting swarmed by five foreign policemen as I was getting beeped every time I walked though airport security!

What was furthermore frustrating that my surgeon said I would have been back playing sport within 6 weeks, which I was never going to dream of doing, but it reassured me the procedure was

I attended a knee class one a week, and my physios insisted I kept my exercises to a minimum, and I was soon to have a follow up with my surgeon in Dec 09, he sent me for an xray and stated my lateral meniscus was not sturdy, but said it was nothing to worry about and that I could expect some swelling, but he was adamant it was something that would settle down in time.

My concerns continued at the beginnings of this year with the knee giving way a couple of times, and I decided it was time for a second opinion. I got to see a second orthopedic surgeon on 1st April and he could immediately tell something was not right- and MRI the following week reinforced that the second op had not been a success with the results coming through today

Following a lengthy discussion we came to a conclusion to leave me with no effective ACL for the time being with a high risk of arthritis and other implications with a 3rd op- he stated the negatives may outweigh the positives and being a 3rd try, absolute no guarantee of success.

He advised me to make my muscles as strong as possible with lots of cycling and swimming but not much else, and being 22, this made me so depressed and angry having played a wide range of sports through the years at a competitive school and university level.

Unfortunately going to change my life forever. Lets hope they bring out some form of new technology within 5 years where maybe they can grow ligament or something through genetics or something absurd like that! 

Would love to hears some responses of people who have been under the knife more than once and had to endure complications just so I no I am not the only one out there!

Regards

Alex

[Bazzak]

Sorry to hear this alex . A real bummer for you at only 22 years old

I could imagine have restrictive your problems are at your age , I can appreciate the frustration having ruptured my acl & mcl fighting

However I am 37 not an old man however I retire for my job in 16 yrs  so can moderate my lifestyle

Personally your a young man you have to try and fix it , possibily with another surgeon

however if it doesn't work you will just have to moderate your activity and change your sports and accept there might be some occupations you can't do in the future

On the up I worked for months without an acl in a very physical job where you are hands on with violent individuals and my leg was ok

I can't do some sports now but I can still keep fit

best of luck in the future 

[2bobbit]

Hi turts88,

I posted this in october, since then I have been told that my second op has failed on my right knee.
You are not alone in this, I too think that at your age you must consult another surgeon i'm sure that there is someone out there that can offer you stability in your knee,keep trying until someone does.
As for myself I am going to another surgeon on 30th of June and hope that he can do something for me.
All the best I hope things work out for you.

Hello guys, new to the board so be gentle with me!
I'm going to start my story 16 years ago, age 22, tore my acl in my left knee playing football, and had the recon using the patella tendon.
As it turned out it was a success ; D.
Fast-forward 12 years and bang! acl in the right knee goes playing football had the recon using the hamstring graft.
As it turned out it failed 8 months post op.
6 months after it failed I had some bone removed from my hip and put into the drilled hole in my knee from the recon.
4 months later had the recon done again using the patella tendon graft, and I am now 5 weeks post op.
My real problem is that when the surgeon done the recon he also removed two thirds of my medial meniscus due to the damage done with the acl injuries.
I now have what seems to me to be an imbalance in my knee and when I am walking my knee now clicks a lot on the medial side, these clicks are not small clicks , they are unavoidable and very sore, can anyone help or advise me ! Pretty downbeat right now.

[paule23]

Hi Alex and guys

Sorry to hear about your tales of woe, that really sucks.  I mentioned in another post how it's funny that all OS say any work they do is the best they've seen, bit go to someone else and it's a crock of dung...

It's not all over at 22, do loads of work on those leg muscles and you'll be surprised what you can do.  I spent 10 years avoiding contact sport then got back into rugby a couple of years ago.  Ok, I then buggered my knee up again, but surgery has moved on and I'm 3 days post PCL/MCL repair with hopes to run again in less that 6 months.

I'm with the other guys, there is no harm in getting a further opinion.

Keep us updated.

Paul

[turts88]

Thanks for the responses, going to try and get on here a bit more regularily now. I have still decided to leave it and not seen a surgeon since late April.

The summer has been difficult, being a keen cricketer, the cloest I have got to it has been watching on the television. The knee is feeling Ok, has its good days and bad days like I am sure you will all no. There is rarely any swelling in my knee any more because of this, the main concerns I have atm are the nerve problems, my entire shin is still completely numb despite it being over a year ago, and when lying down, I tense my legs together at 90 degrees, lying on my side, I feel the nerve trapped, and it gives a severe tingling/burning sensation which seems really biazarre, it feels like it may be on the verge of releasing and becoming untrapped

I have been cycling every day, as well as rowing and swimming. My quads, hamstrings & calfs have strenghted greatly which have helped prevent as much popping/giving way, although occasionly I feel it, like walking downstairs I can feel it floating around.

Every time I see an awkward fall/injury in a sports game now I cringe. 

Think I am going to try and get my knee fixed on the NHS over the coming months. The first two times I had it private, which obviosuly havent worked. So going to give the NHS a shot, knowing the waiting list will be longer, but that just gives me more time to strenghen it significantly. Praying it will be 3rd time lucky