Knee Surgery (ACL, MCL, Meniscus)

[fcamargo6thave]

I just wanted to know if anyone on MR has gone through knee surgery for the ACL, MCL, or Meniscus. Well 4 weeks i got injured badly playing soccer and got a MRI done 2 weeks ago. The MRI revealed a Complete tear of the ACL, a grade 2 MCL tear and a severe meniscus tear and a fracture. My family doctor said that surgery is in my future and he referred me to a orthopedic surgeon. Just wanted to know if anyone has gotten surgery or known of someone who had surgery and what can i expect and how long is the recovery time. I have been very stressed these past few weeks because i can't go out, I can't work and I can't play soccer. I just don't show it much because i don't want it to affect my wife and daughter. Well thanks for hearing me out.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Friends have had it and recovery was a couple months. It's well worth it to get rid of the pain.

 

[FlexLuthor]

hey boli!
i've been there!
recovery was pretty quick, but i started back too soon.
once ur in surgery though u usually ahve to go back again.
i'm avid martial artists ...blah blah blah...you know

 

[ryangrieder]

Anything you need to know, just ask me. My girlfriends mother and grand mother have both had double knee cap replacements! So they know it all when it comes to that. And to be honest with you, my girlfriends mom, about 4 weeks after surgery, she was on her feet! Don't sweat it, you will be fine. Sounds worse then it really is... Hope it all goes well. Any questions just ask and I'll ask them for you

 

[Awibrandy]

Best advice I can give you is: Please find a knee specialist. The right surgeon makes a huge difference.
Recovery is pretty quick! Just be sure to have your Physical Therapy scheduled for as soon as possible. Don't push your knee to far. Take it slow, and steady. It will be painful for a couple of days, but not so bad.

Best wishes for a quick recovery.

 

[Arati]

hi sorry to hear about your accident .

about 2 years ago I had a similar one. complete tear of the acl and a broken leg. Basicly they can repair it 2 ways. I opted to have a new acl froma cadaver used to replace my old acl. from the time of the accident until the surgey was 3months, partialy because I had to wait for my broken leg to heal so im guessing your time would be shorter. in that time I could walk and do things, but my knee would buckle from time to time and .. ouch!

the surgery itself wasnt that bad, the doctor told me I could walk with cruthes the next day. In reality it was 2 weeks or so of pain. I was able to return to my job in 6 months . my job is verry physicaly demanding so if yours is easier you might get back sooner.

the real scarey part is that at about 3months my leg felt great but the doctors advised me it had no real strenght and I had to hold myself back from doing to much and reinjuring in. I wasnt allowed to walk on uneven surfaces. like beaches ..grass ect .

In my case this injury effected everyone. Im sorry to say it but you have a long road ahead and you are going to need alot of help and support from you family. It was hard on my wife but she is a trooper and I am super thankfull I have her.

The good news is now 2 years later my legs is good as new and I have verry little loss of use. however you can expect that you will have some permanent loss of use. in my case about 20% permanent loss of use.

My doctors name is DR.Michael J Sileo and I could not reccomend him more. His work is impeccable and He is a great guy. He is also the guy the NY Jets turn to in this situation. a real pro and leader in his field.

feel free to pm or ask me anything else I can help with. I hope you have a speedy recovery

 

[Alex]

From personal experience, I can tell you that the surgery is not bad at all. recovery time depends on the person, a stronger younger person will recover quickly. as for the pain, it never goes away, you will have days when the pain is a simple buzzing and days when the pain more intense. weather plays a big part in that as well. things like moisture or really cold days will affect you. Awibrandy gave you the best advice, the sooner you see and start physical therapy the better you'll be able to move. since people scar differently, starting a good physical therapy routine before scar tissue starts to impede knee movement the better your movement will be. Bottom line is you'll be able to do the sports again just not as hard. Good luck.

 

[asianer]

I tore my ACL, MCL and a slight tear of the meniscus 3 years ago. My experience was intense pain the first couple of days but it gets exponentially better each day. The day after your surgery they hook you up to a machine that bends and flexes your knee to prevent scar tissue from building up. The range is incrementally increased so your knee bends at least 90 degrees and flexes backwards a couple of degrees.
My only advice is to trust your physical therapist, be diligent with your at-home exercises and be mentally strong. Your PT will know your physical limits and will try and get you mobile as quickly as possible. Your exercises will keep the muscles around your knee strong to help support that area until your knee and ligaments heal. Finally, know that you will eventually be able to walk and run again.
I wish you luck, strength and a quick recovery - If you have any question feel free to PM or call me.
I used the Chief Orthopedist at St. Vincents hospital, Dr. Eli Bryk - Not really sure where he is now that the hospital is defunct.
Oh, and another thing - If you can, change your medical election do have the lowest co-pay as you will need to pay it every time you go to PT which is quite often in the beginning, tapering off as you become more mobile.

 

[jackson6745]

I had a complete tear of the ACL in my right knee two years ago. Like Arati, I had a cadaver acl to replace mine. The first week after the surgery was intense pain. I was icing up my knee several times per day and using the PCM machine a few times per day. The next few months was gradual progress in strength and mobility both in physical therapy and home exercise (Stretching becomes very painful to gain 100% mobility).

At the three month mark I was riding a bike in the street daily. This really helped me gain back strength, flexibility, and conditioning. By 6 months I was jogging 3-5 days per week. My strength has come back in the leg 100%. I must still keep up with the stretching to prevent my knee from getting stiff. I do get minor aches in cold, damp weather but otherwise the knee feels normal.

My doc was Steven Harwin and I would highly recommend him.
http://www.drharwin.com/total-joint-replacement/total-knee-replacement.php


A few important tips after surgery
1) easy with the pain killers
2) Watch what you eat because you won't be burning as many calories as you normally do
3) Keep yourself occupied. Being home so much will make you crazy
4) Get a couple large gel ice packs and velcro straps for your knee. The ice machine that the hospital gives you sucks.
5) Focus on your recovery and set small goals each day
6) Ask the PT about a reduced co-pay since you will be coming so often. I had to pay $25 a few times per week until I opened my mouth and they reduced it to $10 per visit. They make enough money without a co-pay

 

[jrobbins]

like others, i also nuked my knee. tore the acl, partial on the mcl, and meniscus. as long as they can do it all arthroscopically its all good (i dont know if now they can do them all that way. when i did it it depended on the injury). the first time i messed up my knee i was a kid and i still have a huge scar running over my kneecap from it.

fwiw, i used dr. krinick at seaport orthopedics.

 

[nautilus]

Once wounds heal, don't forget to ask your Therapist about giving you Biofreeze, its effective according to my patients. Ice it every night (10-15 mins) before you sleep to facilitate healing process which happens more when we sleep. Do plyometrics with your PT if you want to go back playing soccer (if your MD still permints you playing.)

 

[fcamargo6thave]

Reading all your comments has given me the confidence that i will get better. The reality is starting to set in that i am going to be cut up and this is the first time i will go under the knife for anything. So i am a little freaked out about the idea of surgery, but i am feeling a little better. I have taken the advice of everyone and have researched all the ideas you guys gave me. Tuesday i have an appointment with my orthepodic surgeon so i will know what will be the future of my knee and u are right jackson staying home is driving me crazy. but once again thanks for all the advice

 

[BrooklynReef]

Knee

Saw your post, be well! passed along to my brother, he may have some info...
...............................................
sombody asked this on a forum im on about fish, you know the answer...





Derek SmithJanuary 16 at 8:41am Report
I had a complete tear of the ACL and MCL, a slight tear in my LCL and a tear of the medial Miniscus. My surgery was in 1993, but it was severe. I was in surgery for 10 hours and was in bed for 2 months (at home, and in the hospital for a week). I was in High school at the time. I was on Morphine for about 3 weeks. I had to use a machine to move my knee twice a day for 4 hours at a time for a total of 8 hours a day. I also had physical therapy every day for 3 months then 3 times a day for 4 months. It was a very TOUGH recovery. I would never have gotten the surgery if it wasn't such a bad injury. I had an ACL replacement on the other leg and it still gives me problems. It sounds as if your injury is very bad. The only thing I can say is be patient and do EXACTLY what they tell you to do. It is going to be tough with a child but if you want to be able to play with your daughter later in life you need to do it. I wish I had better news for you but keep in mind this was in 1993 and who knows how things have changed since then. It will be 18 years ago this February and it feels very good. Some permanent nerve damage but you get used to that after some time. I wish you the best and hope the recovery time isn't as long as mine was.

 

[john90009]

tore all of that crap in both my knees playing soccer a few years ago : /. only bad thing relle about it is that u will never fall asleep if you cant lay perfectly straight on your back and using the bathroom and the shower is hah well thats a task of all its on. first few days are the worst. u will be off your legs completely for a week and a half to two depending on how the swelling went so the doc cant see how your leg responded. then you will have a few months of physical therapy relearning how to put weight back on your leg.