Cruciate ligaments :

reconstructed acl - - Posted by dominatnthagame (dominatnthagame), 28 December 2004

I tore my ACL and MCL during a basketball tournament. In one of the games I kinda twisted it but it was in the last few seconds of the game so I just kinda walked it off and the trainer looked at it and I iced it between games. The same day in the next game I twisted it pretty much the same way and also had another player fall on it. After laying on the court for a few minutes I got up and shot my free throws then was helped to the bench and I iced it for the remainder of the game. Then I went out to dinner with the team, then went to Urgent Care and they took x-rays and said they didnt see anything and since it wasnt considered an "orthopedic emergency" I had to wait 4 days to see an OS. This was late September/ early October. I was told the MCL would heal on its own and I had an ACL reconstruction 3 weeks ago this Thursday. This is a slow thing as Im discovering. It makes me mad more than anything else. Is there anything else I can do at this point to speed this process up? When I talked to the OS about returning to sports and how long it would be he just said he didnt make any promises.
Thanks
Brandon
Posted by Aubz87 (Aubz87), 28 December 2004

Brandon,

Indeed acl/meniscus repair is a lengthly process. It'll fly by quickly though. I had mine fixed about 6 months ago, and i'm still working on it...

But dont let that discourage you, because everyone is different. Some people return to sports within 4 months, it just all depends on you, your body and how much time and effort your willing to put into this.

Just remember not to rush things, because you dont want to get injured again. I'd advise you to keep on the exercises, and do them as frequently as possible.

BEST OF LUCK!

Aubrie

PS. I'm sure some people on here could help you out with some exercises or techniques that worked for them.

Posted by dominatnthagame (dominatnthagame), 29 December 2004

Im willing to put as much time and effort into it as it takes. I want to be back. Im looking to be sidelined for the minimum period of time. I want to rush things, but not to the point where it happens again. I just want things to go quickly (or faster than they are now). I run track and if at all possible, I want to run this spring. Im not very good at sitting around doing nothing, I have to be doing something. And this isnt exactly the way I want to be spending Christmas break.  I know I wont be able to play basketball till at the minimum spring/summer AAU season. I am doing the excersizes I was instructed to do and then some. I  just get so frustrated and mad about not being able to do things.
Posted by Aubz87 (Aubz87), 29 December 2004

Having an unstable knee does make it really hard to stay in shape. I was running three months after surgery, with no pain.

I think you should expect the best though. You seem really dedicated, so I'm sure you'll get through this with flying colors!

PS. one of my favorite ways to stay in shape before and after surgery was to bike ride. sometimes it sounds kind of lame, but when it's all you got you can make the best of it!

Best wishes
Aubrie
Posted by jbluestein (jbluestein), 29 December 2004

hey what's wrong with bike riding? try a spinning class, then get on a decent mountain bike and a grueling trail. you've never had a better workout!  mountain biking will be my sport of choice after my surgery, which has been pushed out until March 31.....
Posted by dominatnthagame (dominatnthagame), 30 December 2004

hey,
Nothings wrong with biking, its just a big change from what I've been doing. I'll try it farther down the line though. I'll try anything.
Brandon

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