Cruciate ligaments :
How has tearing your ACL affected you? - - Posted by Wookster (Wookster), 24 January 2005
Think the title says it all, how did the injury affect you? How did you feel after the news? How are you feeling about the future now?
Posted by Gab (Gab), 24 January 2005
Let's see...I blew it in last April and there hasn't been a single day since in which I haven't had to think to care for that knee. I fell off social circles because I just couldn't follow anymore. Now I just went through a second surgery and I still have hope that it'll be the last one and that I'll be able to do some sports again one day..
Posted by Wookster (Wookster), 24 January 2005
I've felt like half a person since June last year when I did mine.
Its had a huge effect on me - its felt like that last 8 months I've been trying to protect myself from falling over or being knocked into or doing more damage to my knee. Its been the forefront of my existance for an eternity. I don't think people can understand what long term injury means unless they have experienced it for themselves. Its quite life changing and brings home a sense of fragility quite sharply.
All that aside, the last 3 weeks have been good and I feel for the first time that I might have a stable knee in a few months.
Posted by libertynm (libertynm), 24 January 2005
The injury (last April) took away my main releases from an otherwise ordinarily stressful life. Those were yoga and dance at the time. Dance was usually more of a social thing and yoga was a time for introspection and personal challenge. I never felt as at peace and relaxed as after a good Astanga class. Along with the injury went the less frequent long walks and hikes.
So I guess what remained was the stress that I couldn't really get out of my system along with a deep sadness and longing for the things I could no longer do (at some point, they had become more than just stress release mechanisms and more integral to my life).
I suppose, I have felt more mortal, truly realized that the opportunities we have daily will not be around forever, and that small things can make a big difference. Taking things for granted is a no-no.
Now going on 7 weeks post-op. . .well, things feel largely the same, except that I have been touched by the kindness and beauty shown to me by my boyfriend, closest friends, and family. I am hoping to lose the sadness when I am truly recovered and return to both yoga and dance.
Posted by jbluestein (jbluestein), 24 January 2005
I feel like a major part of my life has been suspended.
Since I can't ski, mountain bike, hike in the high country or play baseball, all my friends are having a great time without me, kind of sucks really.
I'm now in the stage of gathering the courage to go ahead with damn surgery to get it behind me.....
Trouble is the f*ing surgery is just the beginning.
Yea, I'm pissed off. Thanks for asking 
Posted by Gab (Gab), 25 January 2005
Yeah, unfortunately jbluestein has got it correct: surgery is just the beginning, since you can't do anything other than to get yourself 'ready' for surgery beforehand. The period between the moment I learned my ACL was completely torn and the surgery itself was the most depressing for me.
Posted by thkaa (thkaa), 25 January 2005
I think the most important thing is that you should follow the advice give by your physician. I quite regret that I didn't do that. I was told that I only could do the exercise that the leg must touch the ground. My surgery was done by using the hamstring so I had no feeling of pain after the surgery. I can walk around several days after the reconstruction in July last year. I still went swimming right after one month. I think this kind of exercise delay my recovery. Dr said the patient could do some sports 6 months after the recon but I'm still sitting on a chair and walk with limping.
I hope to recover soon. I don't expect to go back to the soccor pitch again but at least I hope to walk as normal, do some swimming and running.
I also learnt that how the great difficulties the disable face and how lucky we are. What we have now is a hope, at least we had the surgery. We just need to wait for healthy to come back. I will treasure the rest of my life and the people all around me.
Posted by FunkyWalker (FunkyWalker), 25 January 2005
Injuring my knee was a huge blow to my life. I love sports and thrive on being active. I'm one of those people who can't lay on the beach for more than 10 minutes without getting an itch to do physical activity. Now that I've torn my ACL, everything that I used to do has been put on the shelf. Frustration is definitely one term that sums it up. Although it has made me much more aware of my body, which is good and bad. Good in that I will forever be building up all the muscles that support my joints to prevent future injury. But bad, in that I think it will effect my confidence when I return to the sports I love. I just hope I can overlook the tear and continue to push myself to improve. The last thing I want is to be held back mentally when the physical aspect is good to go.
Posted by nick157 (nick157), 25 January 2005
agree with many of the points above. Especially about friends not fully understanding what it's like mentally. How many of you are sick and tired of being asked when you'll be back to sports? Yeah, me too.
Another frustrating thing I find that hasn't been mentioned above is the frustration of the speed of the whole process. Now I've had private treatment in the UK, and it's still been 7 months between injury and reconstruction. Numerous consultations, X-rays, MRI's, physio - the whole process gets extremely frustrating. I would hate to think how long it all takes on the NHS.
At least now I've had the surgery (although, as people say it is only the beginning) that should be the end of it in that the knee is now repaired, and all things going well I should at least be more active come the summer.
Updated Sat Sep 6 2008