Anyone have ACL and miniscus surgery?! Update

coin chaser

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Had the meeting with the specialist yesterday. Worse then I thought... ACL is trashed and a frayed mess. It’s gonna have to be replaced so it’s either open me up and use part of my hamstring or cadaver tendons. His recommendation for best longterm and strongest repair was cadaver so that’s what I’m doing. One miniscus tear is right by the blood supply so he will only be able to stitch so much of it up but said it will hold up. The other he isn’t sure on how he is going to repair it yet because it’s a weird tear almost like a parrot beak. He will need to evaluate while he is in there and repair it accordingly. There is what looks to be like a piece of tendon that may have a tear by that miniscus as well that may need to be trimmed. The cartilage lining on the ball of my thigh bone also appears to be missing some cartilage from the impact. They will need to do micro fracturing on that spot. They drill little holes in the bone which allows blood to fill the void then in time that will turn to scar tissue and bond to the cartilage filling the void. Surgery is set for the 27th and I will be off work for two to three months. 6 months + for a full recovery. I wish I had a fast forward button for life right now! :laughing:


Long story short I did my knee in pretty good the weekend before last on a dirt bike. ACL is virtually a complete tear bunched up and hanging by a few threads. Also tore both miniscus as well. I have to get surgery and have a appointment with the surgeon Tuesday morning to go over it all. I’m doing good now ditched the crutches about 5 days ago and just use a hinged knee brace to hold it all in position. Pain comes and goes along with the cramping but no big deal I can live with it. My question is has anyone had similar issues and what was the long term outcome with your knee? Just curious if it’s gonna be jacked up and a issue for life now and I’m gonna have to baby it or will it get back to almost normal all said and done.
And no I’m not getting rid of the dirt bikes! But yes I will be getting good hinged knee braces for out on the trails. Lol
 
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Fortunately I've never had it myself but it seems really common in the NFL these days. Typically knocks those guys out for the season but most of them come back the following year and are doing just fine with 300 plus pound guys trying to take them out. Hopefully your not in a position to get clobbered by some huge dude so I'm sure with proper rest and rehab you'll be fine.
 
Fortunately I've never had it myself but it seems really common in the NFL these days. Typically knocks those guys out for the season but most of them come back the following year and are doing just fine with 300 plus pound guys trying to take them out. Hopefully your not in a position to get clobbered by some huge dude so I'm sure with proper rest and rehab you'll be fine.

That is a very good point. I’m not into watching sports but your right it is pretty common and they are back at it afterwards. Rehab I will do for sure not so sure I can do the rest part though! Lol. Thanks for the reply that’s a weight off my mind.
 
Long story short I did my knee in pretty good the weekend before last on a dirt bike. ACL is virtually a complete tear bunched up and hanging by a few threads. Also tore both miniscus as well. I have to get surgery and have a appointment with the surgeon Tuesday morning to go over it all. I’m doing good now ditched the crutches about 5 days ago and just use a hinged knee brace to hold it all in position. Pain comes and goes along with the cramping but no big deal I can live with it. My question is has anyone had similar issues and what was the long term outcome with your knee? Just curious if it’s gonna be jacked up and a issue for life now and I’m gonna have to baby it or will it get back to almost normal all said and done.
And no I’m not getting rid of the dirt bikes! But yes I will be getting good hinged knee braces for out on the trails. Lol


I had one 20 years ago and still going strong. These guys now do wonders with them. As long as you have a top quality surgeon, you'll be better than before. DO RESEARCH and find the best in the area. The guy who did my knee was the surgeon for the local university's football team.

BCD
 
I have had a 1/2 knee replacement. It took a bit of time to get full motion. But it took just fine. Only thing is I can't rest my weight on my knee. The doc told me that some can and some are never able to.
 
Coin Chaser. I have had my medial meniscus repaired 4 different times. First time was almost 10 years ago 36/ 37 yrs old, then about every 18 months after...My Doc kinda got upset with me because I kept tearing it. Only have about 30% of it left now. Was an avid runner and didn't let myself heal correctly and fully before getting back to 100%. After my last surgery I called it quits on the long distance and hard training. I'd rather be able to walk when I retire than run now...LOL. I'm doing fine with it now, just had to get it through my head I wasn't a teenager....:laughing: My advice to you, from experience, is to do EXACTLY what your ortho doc tells you to do. Also, physical therapy is very very important. It will get you back to where you need to be. Just remember you can be a bit more susceptible to further injuries if you don't let yourself heal 100% before doing anything crazy. Can't give any info on the ACL, but again do exactly what your doc says to the letter.
 
Years ago I screwed up my right knee very badly, it was pretty common in skiing and snowboarding. I did not have insurance so i did not get the surgery, but a friend had the surgery at the same time. She recovered very quickly and fully where as I had problems for years after. I could just step slightly wrong and my knee would swell up and be painful again.
I would say if you can afford the surgery by all means do it!
 
Get well soon bud and hope to see ya on the turf sometime soon. Hope to see and hear from you and good luck with your surgery
 
Hope all goes well, I haven't ever had knee surgery so can't comment on that. I messed up my knee overdoing my speed walking and think I might have "Patellar Tendonitis", which usually does not require surgery unless it is very extreme. My insurance deductibles are so high I couldn't afford surgery anyhow, so hopefully mine heals over time on it's own.

I plan on seeing about getting a hinged knee brace after my Medicare starts Dec 1st to see if it will help with my "Patellar Tendonitis" knee.

Anyhow others have given good and very encouraging advice so please let us know how it goes !
 
My father destroyed the cartilage in his knee before I was born (this is over 30 years ago). I remember he tore his meniscus and ACL so badly he had to medically retire from the armed forces. It also made one leg shorter than the other. Growing up, he complained about it off and on and started having to use a cane at times when I was in college. About 4 years later he got a knee replacement and I haven't heard of any problems since. Before, there was a lot he couldn't do and a lot of that abated with the knee surgery. He had multiple surgeries on it in the 1980's but I don't think it was salvageable and he had no cartilage left there so a lot of the pain was from bone rubbing on bone. He should have gotten a knee replacement a long time ago, but he waited as long as he could.

From my understanding, if you destroy cartilage, it never grows back but the meniscus can repair itself. However, even if you don't have cartilage in a joint, you may only get sporatic pain and feel normal most of the time (e.g. TMJ)

Later, my husband tore his ACL. With a week or two of rest, it got better. The swelling in those situations (from the ACL and the meniscus) is the worse part. Once that goes down, it will feel better. Prednisone sometimes helps with that (for me, it was way better than taking a pain pill when I had tendinitis - jumper's knee).

Just listen to the docs and stay off of it until surgery.

I have a coworker right now who has a torn meniscus from a car accident and keeps hobbling on it - totally not advised. Use crutches, get a scooter, just don't try to be a tough guy because it makes it worse and you are setting yourself up for issues later.

No, most likely you are not "jacked-up" for life. The worset is they can give you a knee replacement after trying to fix it and you have to modify your activities, but no one will know you have a replacement unless you tell them. If you are still young (I'm assuming from the dirt bike thing), then you have even a better chance of a better outcome.

Just my experience.




Long story short I did my knee in pretty good the weekend before last on a dirt bike. ACL is virtually a complete tear bunched up and hanging by a few threads. Also tore both miniscus as well. I have to get surgery and have a appointment with the surgeon Tuesday morning to go over it all. I’m doing good now ditched the crutches about 5 days ago and just use a hinged knee brace to hold it all in position. Pain comes and goes along with the cramping but no big deal I can live with it. My question is has anyone had similar issues and what was the long term outcome with your knee? Just curious if it’s gonna be jacked up and a issue for life now and I’m gonna have to baby it or will it get back to almost normal all said and done.
And no I’m not getting rid of the dirt bikes! But yes I will be getting good hinged knee braces for out on the trails. Lol
 
I had a total knee replacement last year - took a bit to get the leg back in shape but i can do whatever i was able to do before. work, walk, ladders etc..

now i dont ride dirt bikes, or anything extreme, i can and do ride a regular bike. but i dont see why it would slow you down any. the only thing i am not supposed to do on it is run - but i didnt run before so no biggie :D
 
I had one 20 years ago and still going strong. These guys now do wonders with them. As long as you have a top quality surgeon, you'll be better than before. DO RESEARCH and find the best in the area. The guy who did my knee was the surgeon for the local university's football team.

BCD

The guy I have is supposed to be very good so fingers crossed. Glad to hear yours went so well this is what I wanna hear! Thanks

I have had a 1/2 knee replacement. It took a bit of time to get full motion. But it took just fine. Only thing is I can't rest my weight on my knee. The doc told me that some can and some are never able to.

It’s good to hear after something that major you have full motion. Thanks glad your doing well now.

Coin Chaser. I have had my medial meniscus repaired 4 different times. First time was almost 10 years ago 36/ 37 yrs old, then about every 18 months after...My Doc kinda got upset with me because I kept tearing it. Only have about 30% of it left now. Was an avid runner and didn't let myself heal correctly and fully before getting back to 100%. After my last surgery I called it quits on the long distance and hard training. I'd rather be able to walk when I retire than run now...LOL. I'm doing fine with it now, just had to get it through my head I wasn't a teenager....:laughing: My advice to you, from experience, is to do EXACTLY what your ortho doc tells you to do. Also, physical therapy is very very important. It will get you back to where you need to be. Just remember you can be a bit more susceptible to further injuries if you don't let yourself heal 100% before doing anything crazy. Can't give any info on the ACL, but again do exactly what your doc says to the letter.

For some reason you just sound like me. There isn’t anything holding you back from what you love not even your own body parts! Lol I will follow what they say we are getting into the winter months and I want to get this to be as good as possible all said and done. Thanks for the advise.

Years ago I screwed up my right knee very badly, it was pretty common in skiing and snowboarding. I did not have insurance so i did not get the surgery, but a friend had the surgery at the same time. She recovered very quickly and fully where as I had problems for years after. I could just step slightly wrong and my knee would swell up and be painful again.
I would say if you can afford the surgery by all means do it!

Yeah I have insurance through Work so I’m going to do whatever it takes to correct it permanently. Being off work is gonna be rough but I will make it happen. Hope yours is doing well now.

Get well soon bud and hope to see ya on the turf sometime soon. Hope to see and hear from you and good luck with your surgery

Thanks bud I will keep in touch and let you know for sure.

Hope all goes well, I haven't ever had knee surgery so can't comment on that. I messed up my knee overdoing my speed walking and think I might have "Patellar Tendonitis", which usually does not require surgery unless it is very extreme. My insurance deductibles are so high I couldn't afford surgery anyhow, so hopefully mine heals over time on it's own.

I plan on seeing about getting a hinged knee brace after my Medicare starts Dec 1st to see if it will help with my "Patellar Tendonitis" knee.

Anyhow others have given good and very encouraging advice so please let us know how it goes !

Man I hope yours gets better and the brace helps. You should get it checked out so you know what your facing and how to treat it. I will let everyone know how it goes. Thanks

My father destroyed the cartilage in his knee before I was born (this is over 30 years ago). I remember he tore his meniscus and ACL so badly he had to medically retire from the armed forces. It also made one leg shorter than the other. Growing up, he complained about it off and on and started having to use a cane at times when I was in college. About 4 years later he got a knee replacement and I haven't heard of any problems since. Before, there was a lot he couldn't do and a lot of that abated with the knee surgery. He had multiple surgeries on it in the 1980's but I don't think it was salvageable and he had no cartilage left there so a lot of the pain was from bone rubbing on bone. He should have gotten a knee replacement a long time ago, but he waited as long as he could.

From my understanding, if you destroy cartilage, it never grows back but the meniscus can repair itself. However, even if you don't have cartilage in a joint, you may only get sporatic pain and feel normal most of the time (e.g. TMJ)

Later, my husband tore his ACL. With a week or two of rest, it got better. The swelling in those situations (from the ACL and the meniscus) is the worse part. Once that goes down, it will feel better. Prednisone sometimes helps with that (for me, it was way better than taking a pain pill when I had tendinitis - jumper's knee).

Just listen to the docs and stay off of it until surgery.

I have a coworker right now who has a torn meniscus from a car accident and keeps hobbling on it - totally not advised. Use crutches, get a scooter, just don't try to be a tough guy because it makes it worse and you are setting yourself up for issues later.

No, most likely you are not "jacked-up" for life. The worset is they can give you a knee replacement after trying to fix it and you have to modify your activities, but no one will know you have a replacement unless you tell them. If you are still young (I'm assuming from the dirt bike thing), then you have even a better chance of a better outcome.

Just my experience.

Thanks for all the info. I’m 37 and starting to not feel like a teenager anymore lol. Yeah I refused pain killers because I didn’t want to mess it up more. Just anti inflammatorys here and there with ice. I’m taking it easy for sure and babying it. Got my appointment this morning to see what his game plan is but I will do what he says and what ever it takes to get it back to normal as fast as possible.

I had a total knee replacement last year - took a bit to get the leg back in shape but i can do whatever i was able to do before. work, walk, ladders etc..

now i dont ride dirt bikes, or anything extreme, i can and do ride a regular bike. but i dont see why it would slow you down any. the only thing i am not supposed to do on it is run - but i didnt run before so no biggie :D

Wow that’s amazing after a full replacement. I have a 7 year (boy) old and a 3 year old (girl) to chase around so hopefully all will go well being it’s just repairs and I can still run and catch them! Lol. Thanks
 
Long story short I did my knee in pretty good the weekend before last on a dirt bike. ACL is virtually a complete tear bunched up and hanging by a few threads. Also tore both miniscus as well. I have to get surgery and have a appointment with the surgeon Tuesday morning to go over it all. I’m doing good now ditched the crutches about 5 days ago and just use a hinged knee brace to hold it all in position. Pain comes and goes along with the cramping but no big deal I can live with it. My question is has anyone had similar issues and what was the long term outcome with your knee? Just curious if it’s gonna be jacked up and a issue for life now and I’m gonna have to baby it or will it get back to almost normal all said and done.
And no I’m not getting rid of the dirt bikes! But yes I will be getting good hinged knee braces for out on the trails. Lol

Yes I had completely torn through my ACL and both menisci in my left knee. They stole part of another tendon and jammed it in there to be an acl and sewed the menisci back together the best they could. Was layed up for months, leg was emaciated and had to relearn how to walk again. It has never been 100 percent like it used to, but for the most part it does everything I need. Just is a bit painful once in a while(like with big pressure changes from storms or over use). Also I now and shorter on one side than the other, so it screws with my hips and back. Really take the physical therapy seriously, learning how to properly walk again will prevent it from messing with the rest of your body.
 
Yes I had completely torn through my ACL and both menisci in my left knee. They stole part of another tendon and jammed it in there to be an acl and sewed the menisci back together the best they could. Was layed up for months, leg was emaciated and had to relearn how to walk again. It has never been 100 percent like it used to, but for the most part it does everything I need. Just is a bit painful once in a while(like with big pressure changes from storms or over use). Also I now and shorter on one side than the other, so it screws with my hips and back. Really take the physical therapy seriously, learning how to properly walk again will prevent it from messing with the rest of your body.

This is exactly what they have to do to me. It also looks like I messed up the cartilage lining on the ball of my thigh bone so they have to do a microfracture procedure where they drill little holes in the bone to create scare tissue to fill the void. Physical therapy will start almost immediately after he said. How long ago did you have yours done?
 
Oh Man! Thanks for the update...was wondering about that...Hope it all goes well and you get back to tearing up the trails!

Hey, word of caution though....they will most likely prescribe you opioids after the surgery and during your recovery to deal with the pain....My old Man got a massive jar full at age 87 for his knee replacement....a guy would not want to EVEN try to take them...Not even have them around the house...unless its for End Of Life, cause from the looks of it, it probably will be if you get on those pills, or some kid gets a hold of them...All the Best Buddy!
 
This is exactly what they have to do to me. It also looks like I messed up the cartilage lining on the ball of my thigh bone so they have to do a microfracture procedure where they drill little holes in the bone to create scare tissue to fill the void. Physical therapy will start almost immediately after he said. How long ago did you have yours done?

It has been maybe 5 or 6 years I think? Therapy starts quickly, but I wasn't able to put real weight on it for like 4 months. I am a master of crutches hahaha. But in all seriousness, mine was in really really bad shape, not all of it could be done orthoscopic, so I was opened up pretty well. DO NOT TAKE THERAPY LIGHTLY, its super important. It's the difference of being normal again or forever messed up.
 
Oh Man! Thanks for the update...was wondering about that...Hope it all goes well and you get back to tearing up the trails!

Hey, word of caution though....they will most likely prescribe you opioids after the surgery and during your recovery to deal with the pain....My old Man got a massive jar full at age 87 for his knee replacement....a guy would not want to EVEN try to take them...Not even have them around the house...unless its for End Of Life, cause from the looks of it, it probably will be if you get on those pills, or some kid gets a hold of them...All the Best Buddy!

Yes they gave me 150 vikadine with a refill. I took 3 of them, then smoked pot the rest of the time to manage pain. Those vikadine are dangerous and addictive. Plus when I took them I would just stare at a wall for hours drooling on myself. They also slowed my brain down where it would take me 10 seconds to process and respond to a question.
 
Oh Man! Thanks for the update...was wondering about that...Hope it all goes well and you get back to tearing up the trails!

Hey, word of caution though....they will most likely prescribe you opioids after the surgery and during your recovery to deal with the pain....My old Man got a massive jar full at age 87 for his knee replacement....a guy would not want to EVEN try to take them...Not even have them around the house...unless its for End Of Life, cause from the looks of it, it probably will be if you get on those pills, or some kid gets a hold of them...All the Best Buddy!

Thanks man! Yeah for sure I usually don’t use pain meds and if I do it’s sparingly. Not just for addiction reasons but because they allow you to do more then you should. I am familiar though and won’t get addicted for sure.

It has been maybe 5 or 6 years I think? Therapy starts quickly, but I wasn't able to put real weight on it for like 4 months. I am a master of crutches hahaha. But in all seriousness, mine was in really really bad shape, not all of it could be done orthoscopic, so I was opened up pretty well. DO NOT TAKE THERAPY LIGHTLY, its super important. It's the difference of being normal again or forever messed up.

I will for sure thanks! I will be doing everything possible to get the best possible outcome. I’m way to outdoorsy to be getting held back the rest of my life so what ever it takes I will do.

Yes they gave me 150 vikadine with a refill. I took 3 of them, then smoked pot the rest of the time to manage pain. Those vikadine are dangerous and addictive. Plus when I took them I would just stare at a wall for hours drooling on myself. They also slowed my brain down where it would take me 10 seconds to process and respond to a question.

:laughing: you make the Vicodin sound attractive!:laughing:
 
I had a total knee replacement last year - took a bit to get the leg back in shape but i can do whatever i was able to do before. work, walk, ladders etc..

now i dont ride dirt bikes, or anything extreme, i can and do ride a regular bike. but i dont see why it would slow you down any. the only thing i am not supposed to do on it is run - but i didnt run before so no biggie :D

Catching up on old posts. Why no running? Curious !
 
Catching up on old posts. Why no running? Curious !

when i said running - i meant things like marathons, sprinting - that type of thing. Casual tennis and jogging are ok

running is considered a high impact activity -- it puts too much stress on the replacement -- the joint itself and the plastic spacer between the joints and the plastic button on the kneecap. this could cause premature failure of the replacement.
 
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