Hey Joe,

I tore my ACL in 2006 and had surgery that summer. It was terrible spending the 6 months post op doing rehab, but totally worth it IMHO. My knee is way stronger than it ever was. I also had an incredible surgeon: Dr Franklin

http://www.orthopedicspecialistsofseattle.com/jonathan-franklin-md/

Let me know if you have any questions!

Cheers,
Jay

I have had two knee surgeries including ACL reconstruction and meniscus removal. In regards to instability, you are 5 months since injury. It will take the ligament about a year to heal and be as tight as it is going to be. Extrapolate your improvement to date out over a year and that is about how stable the knee will be. In regards to the meniscus, if your knee isn't locking up because the meniscus is impeding movement in the joint then removal probably isn't a necessity but you may be having some swelling because the meniscus is getting mashed up a little bit because it isn't in the right place.

I use Swedish Ortho and am happy with them. One of my employees used the PolyClinic for knee replacement and is happy with the results.

i pursued non-surgery for about 3 months but i kept regressing after pushing it too far, it wasnt until a friend told me that the recovery from reconstruction surgery "wasn't that bad" that i just decided to go for it.

everyone is different on the recovery.  doing that 3 months of aggressive physical therapy before surgery definitely helped speed the recovery.  i was back to mountain biking and whitewater kayaking not long after surgery.   i had some pretty darn good physical therapists too who treated me like a professional athlete, it was dope. I learned a lot and worked hard at recovery (i take preventive training pretty seriously now, turns out i didnt have the correct workout formula for avoid injuries before)

the first couple days after surgery are the worst, but it only gets better. when you think about the small amount of downtime compared to the long term health of having a good knee.

i got multiple opinions on the correct course of action, and i read a ton about it. I met with multiple doctors and found that most doctors are like robots and are better just left to do their jobs in the operating room and might as well not even meet with the patient.  where i learned the most and had the best attention was with my physical therapists.  they knew me and my knee pretty well, and ultimately were the ones that i consulted with about going through with the surgery (and got the recommendation for a surgeon from them since they are the ones dealing with the patient after the surgery and may know which doctors have had issues before)

so my advice is find a good physical therapist.  one with a doctorate in PT (DPT). I went to olympic sports and spine (they have offices in the south sound region near tacoma,  olympia and puyallup) 

best of luck to you joe. 



Edited by not-very-clever - 12 Feb 2014 at 10:31am

I have had two ACL surgeries; one in early 2000's, and my second last August. My first surgery went well, but I can't say the same for my second. There is a lot to consider, and I don't believe any of the other posts mentioned what I am dealing with, and this is why I am giving you my 2 cents worth. About a month after my surgery, my incision became infected. I am still battling the infection even after being on antibiotics (both oral and IV) since September and having two additional surgeries to clean the wound, and eventually to remove my hardware. I am hoping after I come off of antibiotics soon, the infection will stay away. If it comes back, then I am facing a 4th surgery. Aside from the additional pain and recovery from the surgeries, what you may not realize about the medical industry, is doctors do not take responsibility when things go wrong. My insurance pays, and so do I every time they have to continue to take action against this infection. I guess in the grander scheme of things I am still more fortunate than others who have paid with their limbs and or their lives due to medical infections. Surgery is risky, and the risks should be weighed carefully.

In response to your question, your acl doesn't have much blood flow so it takes a long time to heal. My acl was completely torn so surgery was mandatory but my other ligaments were also injured and even at age 17 it took at least a year for me to heal up. You can wait and see how it is after a year or so and then make a decision on surgery. I know it isn't what you want to hear but you are being pretty active on a bad knee. If you want to avoid surgery you should let it heal up, at least limit the activities that put stress on the acl.

FWIW I had a partial ACL/partial-MCL tear ~13-14 years ago (man - time flies!) and opted not to have surgery since neither tear was complete.

It took at least a year for the knee to feel close to normal (with regular workouts - more on that below) and I used a brace for any activity likely to put a significant strain on my knee during that time.  The main change I made to my routine involved switching from skiing to snowboarding (with the brace) and I stuck with that for three seasons and then made my way back to full-bore alpine-skiing. I used a brace for part of the first season back, and haven't used one since.

I'm sure you'll get all kinds of feedback regarding workouts (most of if on internet forums worth what you paid for it), but adding straight leg deadlifts to the squat and lunges really seemed to help stabilize the joint. Nothing I'd tried before targeted hamstrings anywhere close to as effectively (I could hardly walk after doing the first set with just the bar) and I've keep those as part of my routine ever since. YMMV may very, but mixing those in at a PT's suggestion sort of marks the point where I started to feel way more confident in my knee and return to all of my pre-injury activities, sans brace.

No malice at all intended toward you, paddling brother, I hope that your situation improves soon and your feeling 100% again soon.  To be any type of athlete, and not be able to rely on your body, for lack of a better word....SUCKS.  Your insurance is not doing you a service by making you pay for this unfortunate complication.  I would press them harder or even ask for help from the doctors practice to help explain your need for additional medical claims.  There is an definite issue with  medical reimbursement, the insurance tells the doctor and you what a procedure is worth, the doctor takes a loss and you pay the difference...to the insurance company. What do they provide?, no INSURANCE..just bills to you. It's a pretty lucrative business, all profit with no real service. The mechanic issue is a good point, many states have a "lemon law" for cars that have hidden issues, and mechanics are required to no longer charge after you have paid for "reasonable" attempts. I believe that the human body deserves such legislation at well. Well, it looks like the train of thought on ACL repair has derailed...my apologies. I truly wish your speedy recovery.  Blessings and love to you my friend.

I had a ski accident November 2012 resulting in grade 3 damage to my medial femoral condoyle cartilage. I also had grade 3 damage to my patella. My meniscus was also shredded. My knee was completely locked and I was rushed into immediate surgery. Unfortunately, the damage was so severe that They were unable to repair it and told me I needed a full knee replacement. I told the surgeon I wanted a second opinion. He was not pleased and his parting words to me were "The next time I see you - you will be begging me for that knee replacement". I went on a waiting list to see a top sports surgeon and got in August 2013. He said he could do a partial knee replacement, but by that point I was walking un-aided and biking a bit. He encouraged me to wait as long as I could before making the decision. I have improved more than anyone ever believed possible. I am now climbing, paddling, biking (lots) hiking...I even skied over Xmas. I will never run again but I now believe cartilage can re-grow. It just takes a very long time. I am feeling very grateful. Last year was a very dark time for me. Good luck to you in whatever avenue you choose.