ACL- any good news or options??? find me something!!!

[Macky]

ACL a couple days ago
(lovely sunny day in Vail. Thank you for free Epic pass visiting ticket- useless now)
(and I will be probably new skis for now (Brahma 88 and some 110mm?? orange new- forgot the name, unable to walk to garage)

Reading about ACL and I KNOW, not fun.

But can somebody can give me some GOOD news??? Some HOPE to ski in a few months (May?) not in a year??? Any good NEW, fast(er) treatments???

I miss skiing!
(was just starting to fly like in the old good years for a moment. Over 50, believed I was 20 again for a brief happy moment before the loud crack) (angry with myself now)(can men get smarter with age?)

 

[Chip]

@Macky
Sorry to hear this- I blew my left knee out in 86 at Copper- torn ACL. Back then surgery was not a very good option and at my point in life really not doable for various reasons. The rest of my knee was very stable and my doctor at the time was also a skier so he knew what I was looking at moving forward. This happened early December and I had exploratory surgery a few days before Xmas. I was fitted for a knee brace and did go skiing a few months later. Very slow and cautious for sure. Fast forward many years and the surgery has become better, so I went to see the Ortho surgeon for UNC sport teams and he asked me multiple questions about my life and what I can and cannot do. In the end he recommended just leaving it alone as I was doing well and not experiencing any issue with my knee. So today I really don't zipper line moguls like I used to, but still ski them. I will rip groomers and ski just about anywhere I want. Still wear the brace when skiing (on my third one now- DonJoy)- I think it's more of a reminder not to do anything stupid, but some of that might come with age as well...

Find a good doctor and see how the knee is. Replacement surgery is very straight forward now and out patient, but the older you are the harder the rehab is. My son had this done when he was 20 and his recovery still took 6 months plus. I blew my knee out when I was 25 (ok I'm 60 now) so not sure how much that had to do with my recovery, but being younger is probably beneficial.

Stay positive!!

 

[Prosper]

Bummer. It's hard to know without a lot more information (how much over 50 are you, how does our knee x-ray look, how was the ACL tear diagnosed, have you had a MRI, what can and can't you do since the injury). There are lots of variables in determining when you can ski again and the best treatment recommendation.

 

[Jwrags]

Surgery works well. Find an experienced surgeon who specializes in sports medicine/knees. You will ski again if you put in the work. Won’t happen this season. Sorry about your injury. Best of luck.

 

[Seldomski]

My wife tore her ACL about 7 yrs ago. Doc thought she may have damaged it earlier in life since there was good stabilization around the joint otherwise. Lateral moves and sometimes hiking will cause her some pain there. If you are playing other sports where lateral is a big component, make sure to bring that up.

She was not recommended surgery (desk job and no sport/recreation other than skiing that would load it laterally). She does ski with a Don Joy brace on that knee now to protect it and keep it stable so it doesn't collapse under lateral load.

 

[skibum4ever]

I tore my ACL. No surgery. It happened on April 1 (yes, April Fool's Day!) and I had no problem in November. Many years later when they X-rayed me for a knee replacement I was told that I didn't have an ACL. Oh well.

Good luck to you.

 

[martyg]

Well… provided that you live in the I70 corridor you have the best knee people in the country there. Ring The Steadman Clinic.

You can’t rush or cheat cell division. So time is essential. You can, however, create the ideal environment for cell division and growth, and check every box, every day with regards to those protocols.

Re skis…. I’d go narrower. Peer reviewed scientific journals indicate that <80mm places the least amount of strain on knees. CO just doesn’t consistently see enough snow to justify a wider ski. See Mike Porter at Vail for a few half days of private lessons.

Best to you.

 

[Macky]

Thank you all?
@Prosper (MD ?) asked for age? My age is 52. Turning 53 in several days and treated myself for two weeks skiing in Lake Tahoe in a coupe of weeks- ironically! Colorado trip was to get in shape ...
MY x-ray looks perfect. Nothing wrong with bones and visible tendons. But ACL is not visible via X ray - I was told by in Vail hospital ( I assume they know ski business very well!).
@martyg- I am in Portland Or.
I have regular health insurance and cannot pay for private clinic per sure. I will see "regular orthopedist" on tuesday and will ask to do MRI (sometimes you have to fight to get service especially if your insurance provider is also medical provider at the same time!!!! - case of Keiser Permanrte. Radiculous in my opinion but it is another topic. At least conflict of interest and they just keep you alive at best/ "reactive medicine philosophy" . To be honest I am now preparing mental for the ortho visit so I will not be told "no more skiing for you. you do not need to. your job does not reqiere full functionality of your legs. SKIING IS ELECTIVE LUXURY" Will see...
Not afraid of surgieres and stuff as long as it works.

Any chance it is not ACL? Little ACL type 1? Type 0.5.. Type .25???
Funny thing I was not in pain. Classic fall with legsplit and a leg with attached ski helicoptering over my head in slow motion like a fan in Coppola's "Apocalipsa Now". (Yes, of course my bindings settings was to high for early season and I was to lazy to loosen it a number..; I am not saying I am smart!!!) I knew/heard something cracked. Something was wrong but I could not define it. After a quick break, I checked myself for bone fracture and leg movement. I was OK, I thought. No pain. I even stood up and click myself back into skis. But as soon as I put weight on my right leg I felt like a bag of potatoes and decided to take a trip in toboggan...(well, I knew I had no other choices)

( BTW: Pain came in the night..I still do not know how I was able to sleep a little in the hotel, get dressed by myself, pack by myslef (OK I gave away unlucky skis to loose baggage), use stairs... I drove a tiny rental car for three hours in snow storm on 70E, dorped the car, got shuttle to airport, fly to get home...--- Power of adrenaline or power of family love?)

(English is not my first language/be open minded)

 

[Moose32]

I tore mine on 12/13/14. Lost the season. Got surgery on 01/27/15.
Good News: If you are in the US, you should be able to get the ACL surgery quickly - so don't wait.
Find the best ACL guy in the city (who works with the sports team). Get a hamstring graph and rehab with old "SKIING" magazines.
Insist on a Don Joy brace . You will be ready to go in 2022-23.

 

[Brad J]

My story is similar to Chips, My knee was pretty stable , I did have a rupture not a tear and did ski a few weeks later (Very carefully) Rehabed over the summer and skied the following fall. I was 44 and did wear a brace ( still do). The operation has its own problems . Talk to your Dr. and listen to your body. That will tell you what to do.

 

[martyg]

Contact Anne Healzer at MTI PT in Issaquah, WA. Ask her for a referral to a surgeon in Portland.

 

[Jwrags]

Kaiser will have general ortho docs but likely will have dedicated sports medicine ortho docs. Insist on seeing one of them. They tend to compartmentalize that kind of thing because it leads to better results which leads to less long term expense. They will order an MRI because it is the only way to truly know what is going on.

 

[Chip]

Funny thing I was not in pain. Classic fall with legsplit and a leg with attached ski helicoptering over my head in slow motion like a fan in Coppola's "Apocalipsa Now".

So we need video of this....

In the end you’ll remember this forever. Find the best doctor you can and stick up for yourself the entire way!

You will be skiing next year!!

 

[eok]

Thank you all?
@Prosper (MD ?) asked for age? My age is 52. Turning 53 in several days and treated myself for two weeks skiing in Lake Tahoe in a coupe of weeks- ironically! Colorado trip was to get in shape ...
MY x-ray looks perfect. Nothing wrong with bones and visible tendons. But ACL is not visible via X ray - I was told by in Vail hospital ( I assume they know ski business very well!).
@martyg- I am in Portland Or.
I have regular health insurance and cannot pay for private clinic per sure. I will see "regular orthopedist" on tuesday and will ask to do MRI (sometimes you have to fight to get service especially if your insurance provider is also medical provider at the same time!!!! - case of Keiser Permanrte. Radiculous in my opinion but it is another topic. At least conflict of interest and they just keep you alive at best/ "reactive medicine philosophy" . To be honest I am now preparing mental for the ortho visit so I will not be told "no more skiing for you. you do not need to. your job does not reqiere full functionality of your legs. SKIING IS ELECTIVE LUXURY" Will see...
Not afraid of surgieres and stuff as long as it works.

Any chance it is not ACL? Little ACL type 1? Type 0.5.. Type .25???
Funny thing I was not in pain. Classic fall with legsplit and a leg with attached ski helicoptering over my head in slow motion like a fan in Coppola's "Apocalipsa Now". (Yes, of course my bindings settings was to high for early season and I was to lazy to loosen it a number..; I am not saying I am smart!!!) I knew/heard something cracked. Something was wrong but I could not define it. After a quick break, I checked myself for bone fracture and leg movement. I was OK, I thought. No pain. I even stood up and click myself back into skis. But as soon as I put weight on my right leg I felt like a bag of potatoes and decided to take a trip in toboggan...(well, I knew I had no other choices)

( BTW: Pain came in the night..I still do not know how I was able to sleep a little in the hotel, get dressed by myself, pack by myslef (OK I gave away unlucky skis to loose baggage), use stairs... I drove a tiny rental car for three hours in snow storm on 70E, dorped the car, got shuttle to airport, fly to get home...--- Power of adrenaline or power of family love?)

(English is not my first language/be open minded)

A tibia plateu fracture often accompanies an ACL rupture. Sounds like you didn't have the fracture as the X-Ray would likely have shown it.

See a real orthopedic 'doc. They'll evaluate the knee joint. If they think ACL/MCL injury is likely they (usually) will order an MRI to confirm and determine next steps.

Like others here I blew out an ACL many years ago - before surgery was a reasonable option. I compensated with building-up my leg & core muscles. It took me a couple years of work to get to a point where I didn't even have to think about the knee anymore. But that was me. You need to see an 'ortho 'doc to know what the outlook and treatment plan will be for you.

 

[Macky]

@Chip: "my" classic ACL movie clip:
you are welcome

 

[cosmoliu]

A good friend of mine tore her ACL in March, 2020. Age 44. Very high level skier. Excellent fitness level, which was surely a factor in her recovery. Not undergoing surgical repair probably never crossed her mind. Surgery was delayed until July by COVID. Hiking Santa Monica mountain trails by late fall. Her orthopod explained that the (cadaver) ACL would not achieve full strength for about a year and told her to stick with greens last season, which she did for about the first day. Each day she was a little more adventuresome, until by day 5 she was pretty much all over the mountain, but definitely skiing carefully. Stayed active through off season, including running the LA Marathon. She was up at Mammoth last month and says her knee is 100%. Her result likely is at least in the 90th percentile, but indicates what's possible.

 

[Chuck danache]

I tore mine on 12/13/14. Lost the season. Got surgery on 01/27/15.
Good News: If you are in the US, you should be able to get the ACL surgery quickly - so don't wait.
Find the best ACL guy in the city (who works with the sports team). Get a hamstring graph and rehab with old "SKIING" magazines.
Insist on a Don Joy brace . You will be ready to go in 2022-23.

Ask for the short version…they come in two lengths.

 

[Prosper]

Kaiser will have general ortho docs but likely will have dedicated sports medicine ortho docs. Insist on seeing one of them. They tend to compartmentalize that kind of thing because it leads to better results which leads to less long term expense. They will order an MRI because it is the only way to truly know what is going on.

Just about all the Kaiser ortho surgeons in CO are fellowship trained, mostly sports medicine. It’s a pretty competitive environment for ortho in CO. A general orthopod often won’t get a 2nd look. Now sure about PNW Kaiser though.

 

[Truberski]

Been there, done that and feel for you! I tore my ACL many years ago but was in January and really didn’t want to lose out on the rest of the season. My Doctor and Physical Therapists were supportive of bracing and PT to get me through the season and I had ACL replacement surgery late March. I was good to go for the following ski season and PT and one of those pricey (Insurance?) custom braces let me ski rest of season. I was younger, stronger and didn’t have other knee damage and you may not have similar options. I think my legs were the strongest they had/have ever been going into my surgery and that and the brace were the key to skiing without an ACL. You’ll get through it regardless and the harder you work at PT the better the outcome (including skiing).

 

[Moose32]

Ask for the short version…they come in two lengths.

100% correct. Short version (needed to fit on leg with ski boot). Here is a link of what you want (short calf length, forcepoint hinge is preferred also).
I think if you shop around you can get them for ~ $450 (insurance should cover brace also).

DonJoy Armor Knee Brace with Fourcepoint Hinge

The new Armor FourcePoint delivers an indestructible shield of proven protection and uncompromised strength giving athletes the confidence to go all out, guaranteed. Indestructible Protection! Athletes involved with contact and extreme sports demand a knee brace that provides uncompromised...

barrieorthoticslab.com