This Has NOT Been My Year for Medical Health!

[melchia]

Alrighty, so I've had a few injuries this year. I'm not going to list them all, but I've gotten to know my orthopaedist(s) very well. My most recent injury takes the cake, though.

About a month and a half ago, I had another mountain biking accident (for those of you who remember, I fractured my shoulder on my last accident). Me and a couple other people had just finished about ten miles (not much) of trail riding and had begun riding back to the cars. The ride from the dirt trails to our cars is a paved trail (a little more than a mile long). Well, it's not uncommon for both cyclists and joggers/walkers to use the paved trail, and usually, cyclists alert joggers/walkers of the need for them to move (or just as a courtesy) by loudly saying "On your left/right!"

On this day, I was in front of the cyclists, and we came upon a few people out for a stroll. I gave the notifier, letting them know we were coming up on their left, so they could move in time. Heh, they didn't budge. I wound up swerving to avoid them, which caused me to wreck just off of the trail. I landed on my knee (hyper extended) and in a bunch of thorns and poison ivy.

The people saw this and didn't bother to stop or say anything. Some jogger who didn't even see the accident offered assistance, helping us to pull the bike out of the poison ivy and thorn bushes.

Well, that same day and the next week, I saw two different doctors. Both said my knee had been sprained and to take it easy. Heh...at least one of the doctors helped my poison ivy rash to heal.

After a month of my knee not really feeling right/stable and locking sporadically, I decided to see another doctor (who specialized in sports medicine orthopaedics). He didn't even have to do an MRI. He simply moved the joint around, and diagnosed the problem...I had torn my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).

My options: 1. Modify my lifestyle and stop playing any sports that require pivoting. This would also mean no more mountain biking or hiking (both of which I LOVE). Basically, I wouldn't be able to LIVE! 2. I could have a couple of specialty braces made, though the chance of furhter injury is extremely high and would likely require me to completely replace my knee around the age of fifty. 3. Or I could have ACL reconstructive surgery and deal with intensive rehabilitation for 6-8 months, with max healing attained by 1 year.

Obviously, I'm having surgery. Hell, I'm going in for my pre-op in twenty minutes. But, I was curious if any of you guys had ever torn one or both of your ACLs. Experiences?

 

[aria]

I have a conservative opinion on surgery, particularly orthopedic surgery since my dad's a conservative (i.e. prefers not to cut) orthopedic surgeon. He thinks a lot of doctors push surgery when its not necessary, and after working a summer for a PI law firm, I have seen it and completely agree (esp. if insurance pays for it).

I assume your 3rd doc still went ahead and had an MRI done, since the diagnosis is so serious it would be foolish to rush forward with surgery without it. Also keep in mind that anyone with the sports surgery angle is going to be more aggressive towards surgery (and getting athletes back into competition).

Assuming that's the correct diagnoses, I know what my dad would say: you fucked up your leg, since you're not making your career off of it, you should do (1) or (2) --but not going so overboard with (2) that you hasten something like reconstruction (your knee is never going to be the same). He would say that because, if you're moving forward with (3), know the success rate isn't as great as you think, and that even with all of the rehabilitation your knee will still be not what it used to be, rather better than what it would be given (1) or (2) --and there's still a very small chance it could be worse.

Unless my day-to-day was unbearable, I would probably go with (1) or (2). I know you've made your decision, but that's just my input.

 

[not sonic]

i wanted to make some kind of joke about sexual healing, but it just wasnt coming to me.

anyway.

good luck with surgery. i dont really like orthopedic surgery as your muscles take a shit while the bones recover. but some mobility is better than none at all.

 

[wizkid007]

I suggest strength training it back to health. Unless it is badly torn..

Surgical producure doesnt fully heal but alot of stimulation to the area might very well work better in the long run.

 

[Lastblade]

Sorry to hear all the medical problems. Just take a year off from your crazy ESPN Xtreme sports lifestyle and you can resume when you are 100%.

 

[ki_atsushi]

Been there Melchia... I tore my ACL (among other things) back in November 2000. It's a pain in the ass because your leg will be in a machine that keeps flexing your leg constantly, even wen you're trying to sleep.

My recovery was very slow, not only did I tear the ACL, but I had damaged the top of the tibia which resulted in that part of the bone dying, and it required a bone graft from another part of the bone. I also broke my ankle, which took the longest to heal - 6 friggin' months. The ACL only took about 2 months to get better.

 

[talks2wall]

An ex-gf of mine tore her ACL and she was a professional dancer. She went ahead with the surgery and after healing and rehab, she's back dancing again. If your lifestyle and happiness is that dependent on being active, then surgery is probably the best route for you. Just give it time to heal before you push yourself too hard.

 

[FormlessOne]

I'd rather bust my shit open then the nothing I've been doing all year. At least I'd be living life an all that. Nobody likes to get hurt too much though. Hope you do alright.

 

[Domino-chan]

Yikes. The closest brush I've had with any kind of surgery have all been throat-related. Get better soon!

 

[melchia]

I have a conservative opinion on surgery, particularly orthopedic surgery since my dad's a conservative (i.e. prefers not to cut) orthopedic surgeon. He thinks a lot of doctors push surgery when its not necessary, and after working a summer for a PI law firm, I have seen it and completely agree (esp. if insurance pays for it).

To be honest, my doctor didn't push any of the options. He told me that since I wasn't a professional athlete that I could probably go with option 2 and be perfectly happy, unless day-to-day life was too interrupted.

The fact of the matter is that I've always been pretty active and the idea of not being able to be very aggressive (which is what you'd wind up with in option 2)while playing tennis, biking, etc. just irritates the hell out of me. Add to that the fact that my leg 'locks' whenever it damn well pleases now and is debilitating when it does. Plus, I get quite a bit of knee pain when I jog/run, and I'm pretty worried about meniscal tearing. Urrrgh!

I've read tons of different clinical studies with regard to people who've had these procedures, those who haven't, and the various different kinds of grafts and rehab methods. I'm sure this is the course of action for me to take. I am just a bit curious about individual experiences with the procedure or the decision not to have it done.

@ wizkid: ACLs do not typically tear partially. It's usually all or nothing. In this case, it's completely severed. Strength training wont do anything to bring it back. Hell, as it stands right now, I can't even do leg curls.

@ki_atsushi: two months? was that just for swelling or what? As I understand it, it's pretty difficult to run that soon. did you have accelerated rehab?

 

[aria]

To be honest, my doctor didn't push any of the options. He told me that since I wasn't a professional athlete that I could probably go with option 2 and be perfectly happy, unless day-to-day life was too interrupted.

The fact of the matter is that I've always been pretty active and the idea of not being able to be very aggressive (which is what you'd wind up with in option 2)while playing tennis, biking, etc. just irritates the hell out of me. Add to that the fact that my leg 'locks' whenever it damn well pleases now and is debilitating when it does. Plus, I get quite a bit of knee pain when I jog/run, and I'm pretty worried about meniscal tearing. Urrrgh!

I've read tons of different clinical studies with regard to people who've had these procedures, those who haven't, and the various different kinds of grafts and rehab methods. I'm sure this is the course of action for me to take. I am just a bit curious about individual experiences with the procedure or the decision not to have it done.

Just keep in mind doctors get patients who say: "I need ____ surgery" all the time --assuming they're going to have successful results. Take a good look at the success ratio for these cases (the nasty areas are back, knee, shoulder, elbow --any major joint).

A common occurrence might be a person who asks for a surgery, finds the results either aren't what they expected and/or has to have follow-up surgeries to correct and/or complete what was done in the first one. A number of doctors don't touch patients of other doctors who need surgery after the initial surgery due to concerns over liability. Generally speaking, unless the doctor did something completely stupid, there's little room for scoring malpractice --but the next doctor doesn't want to accidentally get blamed for what the first one did.

 

[ki_atsushi]

@ki_atsushi: two months? was that just for swelling or what? As I understand it, it's pretty difficult to run that soon. did you have accelerated rehab?

Oh no, sorry, I'm just talking about the healing time itself. I'd say everything was as good as it was going to get around the 5 month mark after being in therapy the whole time. And when I say as good as it gets, remember that I had the bone damage and also a huge wedge-shaped tear in the meniscus that I forgot to mention. I really still can't run full pace, I can jog... that's about it. I really screwed my leg up.

 

[Lastblade]

To be honest, my doctor didn't push any of the options. He told me that since I wasn't a professional athlete that I could probably go with option 2 and be perfectly happy, unless day-to-day life was too interrupted.

The fact of the matter is that I've always been pretty active and the idea of not being able to be very aggressive (which is what you'd wind up with in option 2)while playing tennis, biking, etc. just irritates the hell out of me. Add to that the fact that my leg 'locks' whenever it damn well pleases now and is debilitating when it does. Plus, I get quite a bit of knee pain when I jog/run, and I'm pretty worried about meniscal tearing. Urrrgh!

I think you should try to let it heal, even if it means changing your life style abit and do more "boring" activities in the short term.

Why? When you get older, your knees, joints are going to get worse, and partially healed injuries will serious debilitate your ability to do every day things. You don't want to have to live with pain every day/night when you are 45+...

 

[melchia]

I think you should try to let it heal, even if it means changing your life style abit and do more "boring" activities in the short term.

That's just it. It's as healed as it's going to get on its own. The ACL (ligament) is completely severed and CANNOT grow back. Lifestyle changes would have to be permanent. FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I cannot do anything that requires my knee to pivot (things like basketball, tennis, hell, even dancing is out of the question). To do so would cause further irreparable damage, and I would almost certainly have arthritis in my knee and require knee replacement later on in life. Basically, if I don't have surgery, I'm only allowed to run in straight lines. If I go through with the surgery, there's a good chance it'll reverse most of the damage. I understand the chances of an unsuccessful surgery, but in all honesty, it's worth it to me (even the chance of death, which is associated with any surgery).

 

[Lastblade]

Well then, surgery is really the only option. Best of luck and heal fast

 

[Cylotron]

i have torn cartilage & ligaments in both of my knees(1 thanks to a power lifting injury & the other from a kung fu mishap) & have had orthoscopic surgery(where they drill the 3 holes) in both knees to.

the first surgery(on my right knee) was back in 95 & the 2nd(on my left) was back in 03. i can pretty much do things normally, although if i squat down too much it really bothers both of my knees & i also enjoy mountain biking & i notice that after about 10min or so my knees get really sore & it gets hard to pedal.

what i've been doing is getting this stuff called "Kool 'N Fit"(a pain relieving spray) from Big 5 Sporting Goods. it's kinda pricey($12.99 a bottle) but it's the only stuff that works really well for me & now anytime i am going to go on a bike ride i'll just spray that stuff on both knees & then i'm good to go.

 

[Arthas]

Wow Melchia, that's a pretty severe injury.

I have had so many injuries in my life, I could post for hours on end, but never something of that degree, that sucks bad.

Closest thing, I could relate to you was a time when I fell off a cliff and fucked up both my ankles at the same time. One had a severe sprain and the other one broke.

I was a in a wheelchair for a few months, and then in crutches after my sprained ankle was strong enough.

The whole thing must have taken a year or a bit more to recuperate, this was a few years back. I'm back to 100% of my ability now, thankfully.


I'd go for the surgery as well. I would not want to be limited to a life of no physical activities, fuck that. It's worth it, and I'm glad you're so decided. Be strong, and best of luck to ya.

Oh, and next time, just run the people over

 

[ki_atsushi]

Wow Melchia, that's a pretty severe injury.

I have had so many injuries in my life, I could post for hours on end, but never something of that degree, that sucks bad.

Closest thing, I could relate to you was a time when I fell off a cliff and fucked up both my ankles at the same time. One had a severe sprain and the other one broke.

I was a in a wheelchair for a few months, and then in crutches after my sprained ankle was strong enough.

The whole thing must have taken a year or a bit more to recuperate, this was a few years back. I'm back to 100% of my ability now, thankfully.


I'd go for the surgery as well. I would not want to be limited to a life of no physical activities, fuck that. It's worth it, and I'm glad you're so decided. Be strong, and best of luck to ya.

Oh, and next time, just run the people over

Ankles are about the worst thing you could break. It took mine 6 months to heal, and it was a clean (although angled) break. Did that the same time as my knee, it was real fun.

 

[Arthas]

Ankles are about the worst thing you could break. It took mine 6 months to heal, and it was a clean (although angled) break. Did that the same time as my knee, it was real fun.

I can relate to ya man. Both my ankles at the same time

The immediate pain I suffered seconds after I landed was the maximum pain I've ever felt too. I was screaming for like 5 minutes nonstop.

 

[aria]

Sounds like you've thought it out well enough then, good luck!

Do everything the doctors and therapists say, but also let them know if any issues start to arise afterwards.

 

[melchia]

Update - After Surgery and Two Months of Therapy

Woo hoo for physical therapy and painkillers that make you depressed...well, alright, I hated having to take painkillers because they made me tired and depressed. Physical therapy was DAMN hard (and pretty painful at times) and the worst part imo.

BUT I'm happy to report that the surgery and physical therapy went extremely well otherwise. I have two screws (one in my tibia and the other in my femur) holding my new ACL in place. Since the screws are bioabsorbable, they will be absorbed/replaced by bone over the next year or so. The big thing: my knee now has full range of motion and strength is almost at 100% of what the other knee is. Hell, I can already run a couple of miles at 3/4 speed.

I don't get to do any pivoting for a little while, but I'm pretty psyched about my progress so far.

 

[Lastblade]

Glad to read that you are doing well. Painkillers suck. Most drugs suck.

 

[kernow]

this thread hurt my eyes, get well soon

 

[Lets Gekiga In]

Glad to hear everything is getting better! You'll be 100% in no time!

 

[neobuyer]

I was confused for a sec there, I didn't realise the thread started in August, and I was like wtf. Looks like I missed this one first time around.

Anyways Melchia, if you end up having to be less active my suggestion is to start obsessively collecting rare books. That is my plan should I become inactive due to injury due to liver failure, snowmobile accident, vintage zeppelin explosion, etc.

.....the other from a kung fu mishap

Ok, this is a funny quote. I need the backstory on this one.