Ruptured Acl & torn Mcl.Help,advice & reassurance needed please!

[debs555]

Hi all, 9 weeks ago,one of my Greyhounds decided to run full pelt into my knees,resulting in a ruptured acl & badly torn mcl.
After being taken to hospital & given an xray, which i was told was ok,i was just sent home with a pair of crutches & nothing else,not even any advice!! I spoke to my doctor the next day & 2 weeks later,i had an Mri scan which not only showed up the acl & mcl,but also 2 clean fractures.
I was referred immediately to a specialist who put me into a leg brace which i have been wearing now for 4 weeks & have another 2 weeks to go until i see the specialist again. I did have an ultra sound scan on the mcl a couple of weeks ago which showed that it is starting to heal.
What i would like advice on is, will i eventually get back to normal? If so,how long?  What can i expect from physio? I haven't really had much pain but will it start to hurt once physio begins? The specailst thinks i won't need an op ( i sure hope i don't! )
I am a 60 year old female who was, up until this,pretty active as in did a lot of walking with my dogs.
I'm feeling pretty scared right now & could do with some reassurance & advice.
Thankyou in advance of your replies 

[debs555]

Anyone,please???

[Audice]

I, too, have been slammed in the knee by one of my running greyhounds but it was an "unplanned" exit from my horse that resulted in all the damage to my knee. Because I was 67 at the time my OS told me emphatically that reconstruction was not to be considered. But by this time I was two weeks beyond the accident & was already walking quite well (although not quite ready to walk my dogs).

I'm now 11 years to the day beyond the accident & my knee is holding up well despite having had no surgery. But of course I didn't have the fractures you had. Keep the leg muscles as strong as you can & hopefully you'll do as well as I feel I've done. Wishing you well.

[debs555]

Hi Audice, thankyou so much for getting back to me
it's very reassuring that you made such a wonderful recovery especially as you were in the same sort of age group as me.Can you tell me just how long it took you to fully recover?
My leg has been braced for a while now,and when i take it off,my leg feels so weak & wobbly.I know that physio will improve this but i'm wondering how long?

[Audice]

Because I had no fractures, I was given a neoprene brace (because my knee would simply collapse on me initially) & was told it'd be a good idea to have a custom brace made as well. So I did...a Townsend Premier which now gathers dust in the closet. I never had any PT because only a matter of a few days beyond the injury I started walking, very slowly at first & on level ground. Then I graduated myself to doing hills. So by the time I saw the OS I was walking well & the doctor determined that whatever I was doing was working & to continue doing it. A month after the injury I was back to riding my horse.

The first year after the accident I wore either the Townsend or the neoprene brace just for support. My knee neither bent completely nor straightened completely but with time that improved. Last thing I did before getting on my horse was to remove the brace & after dismounting I immediately put it back on.

My injury was in the Spring so as I recall I wore one brace or the other pretty much thru that winter while I was doing chores at the farm. But come the next Spring I retired the braces except for when I felt a need to wear one. Now, I'd say it's been years since I've worn one.

My knee is not shaped properly any longer but it works well enough. I will no longer test it to squat but otherwise have few problems with it.

Interestingly at age 77 I need a cane to walk because back issues resulted in lots of left leg pain. Thus I now bear most of my weight on my injured right knee. And it's still holding up well. I wish you the same success.

[debs555]

My specialist wasn't overly concerned about the fractures as luckily,they are on the other side of my knee from the mcl & the bone hadn't moved.To be honest,they haven't really caused me any problems.
You obviously did so well on your recovery which i'm sure is down to your fitness with horse riding.i'm not as fit as you so hope i can do as well as you did!
i've been wearing a cumbersome Donjoy knee brace for a while now but do admit to leaving it off now in the evening & just putting a light weight knee support on & my knee seems to be holding ok as long as i'm careful.
I'm hoping to get a smaller & lighter knee brace to use once physio starts,& hope i won't have to wear it too much other than for more arduous exercise!
Sorry that your back is now an issue & hope you don't get much pain?
I have been using homeopathy very successfully & to be honest,i haven't really had any pain other than the odd twinge
I will let you know what my specialist has to say once i see him again on 20th April
Thanks so much for your input & i wish you well x

[Audice]

Thank you & the very same to you. I look forward to hearing how your appointment on the 20th goes. Perhaps it's time to get yourself fit. Now that I'm no longer working at the farm - yes, cleaning stalls for exercise - I'm doing reformer pilates which I love & which has brought a whole new dimension to my world. I find it a wonderful workout.

[debs555]

Yes,time to get fit agan indeed! I'm a bit limited at the moment until i see the specialist, as i don't want to do anything that could damage my knee,but i'm thinking up a lot of plans  i've already started to search for  local pilates & Yoga  classses,so fingers crossed.
Oh to walk my dogs again..sighs!

[Audice]

"Oh to walk my dogs again..sighs!"

I hear you & hope for the same. But in my case, I doubt it. There's all sorts of hope for you. I'd be very surprised if indeed you weren't walking your dogs in a short time.

[debs555]

I sure hope (& now think so ) 
I've been looking how to send you a private message but can't find how to do it.Do you have an email address?

[vickster]

You need 20 posts to PM. Can get post count up in the to know/games sections

[debs555]

Thanks Vickster