acl destroyed 25 years ago-should I have it fixed or not?

[grams]

Has anyone out there had an old acl reattached? And attendant meniscus damage fixed?

Mine is 25 years old, and I appear to have compensated for it over time. I had to stop hiking long distances, most backpacking, and hard cycling after it happened. I get around fine though, and can turn ina respectable erg time. I can tell my efficiency on the erg isn't perfect though.

I cruised the web and found that it will likely take me 6 months-1 year to recover completely, and that the surgery could aggravate the arthritis I already have.

So, have any other old geezers gone through the reconstructive surgery? What happened?

Thanks, grams

[tjod]

Hi Grams;

I had an ACL done after 10 years. Major improvements, but still not 100%. I wish that I had the erg (or even knew what one was!) when I was in the rehab afterwards - I think it would have been far better than the ancient dilapidated upright bikes they had me riding.

If there are no other factors, then you're probably only going to see a net improvement. I still can't leap tall buildings, but it doesn't hurt quite so much when I try to do that! 8-)

Tim O

[grams]

Thanks for the encouragement. The main reason to have it done is that I believe it is putting additional strain on my rebuilt left ankle, and I definitely don't want to go through more fixes on the ankle due to the knee.

RE rehab: I had right ankle tendon reconstruction surgery 6 weeks before I got married. Talk about getting lots of exercise during the first few weeks. It has been wonderful for 20 years, which I owe in part to having houseguests from England, etc etc.

For you young whippersnappers-body parts can get overworked when you do sports when you are over 35. Mine were climbing, soccer, and backpacking. Cortizone shots are definitely not the answer, but often part of ensuing problem.


Not really complaining though. There is always another sport-in my case erging.

grams

[3weight]

Hi Grams~
This may or may not be of help to you, but I'll share my recent ACL replacement experience.
I tore my ACL skiing at the beginning of March and I had surgery on April 3. The doctor highly recommended having the surgery because of my age (34) and my active lifestyle. I had my ACL replaced with a cadaver (SP?) ligament which shortens the recovery time. I did not have to use crutches; in fact, I was walking with a brace four hours after the surgery.
Overall, I haven't been in a lot of pain, though my knee does ache sometimes. I'm working on getting my ROM back and I start physical therapy on Monday.
A few observations.......
Choose your surgeon very carefully! Find an orthopedic surgeon that does A LOT of this type of surgery.
You already have an erg, but for those that don't, have the surgeon write a prescription for one. I spoke to the surgeon about using the erg for rehab and he thought an erg would be highly beneficial and he gave me a prescription for an erg. I now have my own erg which I intend to use A LOT during (and after) my rehab.
Overall, I've been very pleased thus far with my ACL replacement results and would easily do it again.
Some of this may or may not pertain to your particulart situation, Grams.
Let me know if you have any other questions I might be able to answer.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do!
Teresa

[RowtheRockies]

Grams,

I don't have any ACL injuries at 37 but hope whatever you decide to do works well for you. Your sporting background matches mine (backpacking and soccer). I played soccer as a youth, in HS and then for 5 years in an adult league decided to get out of soccer at 30 after seeing to many friends blow out ACL's due to bad slide tackling by hacks. Good Luck!

[Joedoc]

In general the results of reconstructing old ACL injuries is not as good as for acute injuries. Often the symptoms you may be experiencing can be due to meniscal problems or arthritis. The rate of meniscal tears is higher in ACL deficient knees, and often the solution for that is an arthroscopic mensicectomy without an ACL reconstruction. Talk to your local orthopaedic doctor regarding you knee and your symptoms and they can better guide you as to the most appropriate course of treatment for your knee.
Joseph Alhadeff, MD

[grams]

Thanks JoeDoc,

The reason I would have it done is because I have had posterior tibial tendon reconstruction on both ankles, plus more stuff on the left foot. Its my left knee that has the blown acl and the left ankle and hip are giving me problems now.

I figure its the old 'ankle bone connected to the knee bone connected to the hip bone' relationship. If fixing the knee will help keep the other stuff from failing then I'm all for it.

I had an assessment from a surgeon I really liked, and I will go with what he recommends.

grams

[dazzlindino]

I know this is a bery old thread but.......
I have had 3 acl replacements!
would I do it again...yes
1st time was in the late 79 when they didnt do it as well as now, and my R knee was always still a little loose and had to watch what I did.
2nd time , was after injuring my R knee in 98, and had it fixed with patela method, long recovery, somewhat painful, but my knee is still great.
3rd time left knee in 04, used a cadaver and walked out 4 hours later.
Much less pain, much faster recovery.
It keeps your joints tighter, lessening the chance of arthritis.

[grams]

Funny you should put upa new comment on my old post. I am finally back to rowing. The ACL surgery was a resounding success, although it took about a year for me to gain full stability (probably age-related longer recovery). I would readily do it again.

Unfortunately, the rigorous physical therapy associated with the replacement (I was in such good shape from rowing we really pushed it) caused me to develop sciatica in the replacement leg. It turns out I have degenerative spinal stenosis (read collapsing spine) I didn't know I had it until I got an MRI during the PT. It is pinching my sciatic nerve. Throw in the spinal arthritis and I was afraid to erg for a year.

No real cure except exercise, everyone said. Back surgery is not very successful.

Rowing is actually the cure for part of my problem, as it strengthens the core muscles which hold me up and reduce the pressure on my spine. The arthritis stiffness is a lot less too. I'll get another cortizone shot this month for the pinched nerve.

I'm not attempting any speed records on the erg any more, however I believe I can get back to my marathoning in time.

Bottom line-rowing is good for one's back problems, provided one keeps good form (ab muscles tight all the time) and one doesn't push way too hard.

I'm so glad to be back on the machine with my tunes. As I get older I have learned to be patient with my body and really listen to what is says. Also, modern medicine is really good at glueing me back together with my own'spare' parts.

Keep on rowing,

grams

[dazzlindino]

Good to hear about your knee being a success...
Most people I come across are terified to have their knees fixed, but I know they will regret it later.

[grams]

If I had know my acl was gone sooner I would have had it done sooner.(bad diagnosis years ago aftera skiing accident) The fix is simply a matter of taking a piece from here and putting it there and waiting till it all grows together. Nature in her wisdom gave us our own 'spare parts' for most things.

If you don't get it done you can end up like me, with back and ankle problems too. Our leg parts are all joined together, and weakening the knee puts added strain on the ankle and hips and spine. So you end up with 3 problems, not one.

Grams

[dazzlindino]

yep...I didnt hesitate at all, I just knew it would be more fun to still play than waste away! I am 50 now and can still hang with da youngins...lol
I wouldnt be able to do that if I was worried my knee was gonna pull a trick on me.