ACL tears

[edtn08]

Dr. Kurt Spindler @ Vanderbilt is the best!!!

[edtn08]

I tore my ACL my eigth grade year and it is a very hard thing to go through. My surgeon was Dr. Kurt Spindler from Vanderbilt and i had my rehab there as well. It will be very hard to grasp at first that she is out and it will be very hard for her to sit and watch her team play knowing that she can't. Just definetly make sure you are there for her and let her know that she will be back as soon as she can but DON'T RUSH IT!!!! that will only make it worse. The rehab will be difficult and she will have rehab the day after her surgery which is not pleasant. It is a long and slow process but once she is healed she will be just as strong as she was before. In rehab she will also be very sore starting out because she has lost muscle tone in her leg and she will have to work twice as hard to build it up again. If you have any more questions you can email me at NCSHulan25@yahoo.com /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

 

 

 

He also did my ACL repair. I think he is the best around.

[tcamom]

thank you. my school does not have a ATC, so i gues im in the same boat she is.

i'm not sure if having torn my lateral meniscus, cracked my kneecap and bruised my femur added on that will have any effect on my healing time.

i may wear a brace just for the mental part, but i guess ill cross that bridge when i come to it. that is interesting info about the elastics and non elastics of the graft.

i hope my therapist will stay up to date with my coach as you have with hers, that would be great.

ok i have another question. my first week of therapy, generally what will i be doing? (seeing that it starts 1 month after surgery)

[/quote

I agree with Worden. Full range of motion (depending on what was done with your lateral meniscus, you may be limited to 90degrees flexion at first). Then get your quads and hams going. The sooner you can weight bear (MD orders), the quicker your quads figure out what their job is. Have fun!!! Approach your PT like you do a game: work hard, sweat, push through discomfort, pay attention to pain, and worry only about making progress. How fast you progress is not the issue. If every 2 weeks you can look back and say your knee is better than it was 2 weeks before, you are doing fine. Hang in there!!!

[lilc3]

I agree with Worden. Full range of motion (depending on what was done with your lateral meniscus, you may be limited to 90degrees flexion at first). Then get your quads and hams going. The sooner you can weight bear (MD orders), the quicker your quads figure out what their job is. Have fun!!! Approach your PT like you do a game: work hard, sweat, push through discomfort, pay attention to pain, and worry only about making progress. How fast you progress is not the issue. If every 2 weeks you can look back and say your knee is better than it was 2 weeks before, you are doing fine. Hang in there!!!

they stitched up my meniscus, and from my home exercises over the past 2 weeks, im getting over 90 degrees, so i feel i am making progress somewhat already. =)

sorry to ask so many questions, but how long into therapy will i go before i can shoot again?

[worden55]

Resist the temptation to do any basketball too early. My daughter learned the hard way. After her first ACL reconstruction, she helped an old coach with his camp two months post surgery, messed around shooting and reinjured the knee. It takes 4 months just for the acl to heal, and a meniscus repair is very fragile for four months. The therapist will not want you to do any kind of cutting or jumping ( non-supervised) for at least 6 months. You will get time to get your shot back, be patient and listen to your doctor and therapist, they will get you to the point where you can resume your game.

[lilc3]

Resist the temptation to do any basketball too early. My daughter learned the hard way. After her first ACL reconstruction, she helped an old coach with his camp two months post surgery, messed around shooting and reinjured the knee. It takes 4 months just for the acl to heal, and a meniscus repair is very fragile for four months. The therapist will not want you to do any kind of cutting or jumping ( non-supervised) for at least 6 months. You will get time to get your shot back, be patient and listen to your doctor and therapist, they will get you to the point where you can resume your game.

 

ok thanks... i needed that one answered=) i definatly do not wanna mess it up any worse like your daughter did, i'll try and learn from her mistake. i think the real test is going to come when im walking, and feeling stronger, cuz right now i physically cant play so its not temping, but later my mind will definatly be temped to "mess around" shooting in a couple months. does your daughter have any problems with her knees now?

[worden55]

The danger is when you start feeling better, but you sound like a real sensible young lady. my daughter is most of the time, but she got impatient. After 4 knee surgeries, she learned to listen to the doctor.

 

She does not have any trouble with the right knee, first surgery, but the left, she has some issues, they think it may be scar tissue. They may have to go in after the season to clean it out. She is just now starting to do some things she used to do, she missed almost two years, and dealing with the mental aspect, but I see her picking up confidence each game. Most people don't have that many surgeries though, one and done, and hope that is the case with you.

[lilc3]

The danger is when you start feeling better, but you sound like a real sensible young lady. my daughter is most of the time, but she got impatient. After 4 knee surgeries, she learned to listen to the doctor.

 

She does not have any trouble with the right knee, first surgery, but the left, she has some issues, they think it may be scar tissue. They may have to go in after the season to clean it out. She is just now starting to do some things she used to do, she missed almost two years, and dealing with the mental aspect, but I see her picking up confidence each game. Most people don't have that many surgeries though, one and done, and hope that is the case with you.

 

yes, that is when the danger comes. patience is the key.

wow 4 surgeries? thats awful. confidence is something i worry about after, but im sure things will fall into place when the time comes. does she have tendonitus or anything like that?

[worden55]

She got tendenitus once, but it did not last long. I think once you get rehabilitated, the confidence will come back quick, as well as your skills. They do a great job reconstructing knees, and Physical Therapist work with the doctor to do the right things, and they will guide you back to the floor. My Uncle tore his ACL in the 50's and they would give him a shot, put him in a air brace and send him back out there. He would play until the knee gave out, and the next day his knee would kill him. They kept doing it! He had surgery in the 80's and the scar was about 6 inches long. It is amazing now what they can do. The fact that my daughter had 4 knee surgeries and still has the ability to go play is amazing to me.

[lilc3]

She got tendenitus once, but it did not last long. I think once you get rehabilitated, the confidence will come back quick, as well as your skills. They do a great job reconstructing knees, and Physical Therapist work with the doctor to do the right things, and they will guide you back to the floor. My Uncle tore his ACL in the 50's and they would give him a shot, put him in a air brace and send him back out there. He would play until the knee gave out, and the next day his knee would kill him. They kept doing it! He had surgery in the 80's and the scar was about 6 inches long. It is amazing now what they can do. The fact that my daughter had 4 knee surgeries and still has the ability to go play is amazing to me.

 

My grandpa has a similar story to your uncle, and now is facing a full knee replacement in his early 50's.

The fact that anyone can have 4 reconstructions, and still play is absolutly amazing. having to get all the tunnels in line, and grafts place perfectly.... orthopaedics is an amazing concept. so is physical therapy at that.

best wishes to your daughter. i'm glad to hear of another sucsess story, every little bit encourages me.

[worden55]

The fact that you are educating yourself tells me alot about you. I think you are going to come out of this and finish a really great High school career, best a luck to you. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[lilc3]

I agree with Worden. Full range of motion (depending on what was done with your lateral meniscus, you may be limited to 90degrees flexion at first). Then get your quads and hams going. The sooner you can weight bear (MD orders), the quicker your quads figure out what their job is. Have fun!!! Approach your PT like you do a game: work hard, sweat, push through discomfort, pay attention to pain, and worry only about making progress. How fast you progress is not the issue. If every 2 weeks you can look back and say your knee is better than it was 2 weeks before, you are doing fine. Hang in there!!!

sometimes while doing bending exercises i expirience hang ups in my patellar area as it seems, is that normal? it just gets hung up and is very painful.