We have gotten many responses to our mulitude of questions regarding this surgery. My daughter suffered a severe injury playing soccer 3 weeks ago and tore her ACL. She is very athletic and has therapy 3 times per week. I've heard different stories about pain, intensity of therapy thereafter, how many months without doing sports and how long it takes to get off of crutches. Any others personally been through this? Just want to get a better sense of how bad it can be or if any complications that we are not aware of. Thanks for your help. Our first major surgery!
Thanks for the reality check. It was a horrible surgery and she was in so much pain. I feel so bad for her and today is her birthday. No sports, dances for a long time. This is by far the hardest thing that I've ever had to go through with my daughter. Thanks for telling me that it was going to be hard - you weren't kidding!
My son has had this surgery three times and hasn't quit playing football or basketball. The first couple of days are the worst and about 48 to 72 hours after the surgery the pain and swelling are at its worst. Just keep telling your daughter all misery is temporary and yourself too!
Keep the ice on as directed, Watch closely for signs of infection. You will be in my prayers! With God all things are possible!
I tore my ACL about 4 years ago playing volleyball. I opted to use my petallar (sp?) tendon to do the repair. From what I'm told, using donor or artificial material is an easier heal (pending no rejection issues). What took the longest to heal was where they removed the tendon to replace the ACL - it was a larger spot. Pain was very managable - I had a pain pump that was a tube inserted into the knee. The "pump" part hung off a bag attached to my brace. This kept the area very comfortable for the first 24 or 48 hours. I also had oral pain meds, but I didn't respond to them well and ended up sick from them so a few days later, I just used extra strength Motrin.
As I was well on the way to healing, I would find my muscles twitch at night which would cause pain so I took Excedrin PM to help knock me out and get a good night's rest.
The biggest eye opener for me was the commitment to therapy which I knew all along, but didn't realize until going through it. It was three steps forward, one step back for a few months but eventually I got through it. At times it was so frustrating I would just cry.
I also fell twice after surgery (on ice) and while the swelling was immediate and a huge source of panic, I never dislodged anything.
If they don't give you an "ice machine" get one from a hospital supply co. It's an ice-pack that is hooked to a tube that is hooked to a cooler you plug in. You fill the "cooler" with ice and water and it circulates the cold water through the pack for longer than a regular ice pack would last. Helps with pain and the ever annoying swelling that can seem like it gets in the way of bending your knee.
I also had the macine that bends your knee for you and had to spend 6 hours a day in it increasing the degree of bend each day? Every couple days? Don't recall. I would watch a movie while in it knowing I'd just knocked out 2 hours and then would take a break. Lots of movies, lots of video games and magazines.
Shoes that you can slip your foot into (open back) are most helpful, and depending on how long she'll be on crutches- some kind of extra padding on the part that goes up against your body to prevent chaffing and soreness are good- I used a sheepskin type thing that was soft and woolly - from a med supply co. My palms were also sore from crutch use, but I don't know if gloves would have helped or not. I think I was on crutches for 3 weeks.
My surgery was orthroscopic (sp?) so it was least invasive of all options. Overall, not something I'd wish to repeat, but am glad that I went through it so I could continue my lifestyle. At her age, it'll be worth it. Please email me if you have questions or would like more info. Spoil her if possible, recovery is a long and frustrating process!
Good luck to you and to her!!
My 21 yr old son had his ACL repaired at age 16. They described it as drilling through the bone to pull ligament up & through & affixed with titanium screw. Dr Bush-Joseph at Midwest Orthopedics was great! He had both his own knees done at different times in his life & specialized in this. My son had 6 months of physical therapy ~with Athletico~ which began same day of surgery. His pain was managed with Vicodin every 4 hours & an ice machine they supplied~very important! Stock up on ice to replace in the machine as needed. The machine runs ice water over the knee. The first 24 hours was the most painful. I timed it even through the night so I could give him his pain pill before the 4th hour. He used crutches about 3 weeks. No sports for at least 6 months~that was rough! He was depressed about this most of all but in the end we are happy with the results. Dr said taking into consideration my son's interest in athletics & young age he did a more invasive procedure that he would do with an adult.
Wishing your daughter a full recovery!
