Torn ACL - Please give me the real scoop

[Love PalmTrees]

From what all you are writing, sounds like my DS will have adequate time to recover. He really didn't care too much about any very athletic type excursions or activities anyway. I think he was looking forward to just relaxing and taking it easy. He loves to spend time working out, which now will be more directed to upper body - no leg workouts for now. I know he will be frequenting the gym on the ship. That's what is so great about cruising. Even when life decides to change your plans, cruising still fits in. There is something for everyone. Thanks, everyone, for your well wishes. :) I will let you know how the surgery goes in about 10 days!

[firebyrd]

My husband who is 36 had ACL surgery in October. He is pretty active being he is a firefighter. He was able to go back to light duty within a couple of weeks. He was able to walk and do pretty much what he wanted to do. The main thing is no jumping, running, or doing anything that could possibly cause a twisting or turning of the knee. His orthopedic said it would take a full 6 months for the graft to completely heal. He did have him riding a stationary bike just a few weeks after surgery. The physical therapy helps to speed the stretching of the new ACL. He should be fine to do walking and light activities by the time you cruise especially because he is so young and active. Good Luck. My husband had put his surgery off for so long I was glad when it was done. Also a friend of ours who is in his 40s tore his ACL last year just before we went cruising. He did the surgery after we got back and he was able to get around good. He got in the water and swam with stingrays but he wore his brace constantly.

[Love PalmTrees]

I really appreciate all the great info and all your well wishes. I will be sure to make sure he takes it easy. He is pretty focused and disciplined when it comes to accomplishing something in general and I am sure he will be the same with the recovery. Thank you so much! :)

[The Klev]

I tore my ACL in March and, since I'm 44, I am rehabbing BEFORE my surgery (to strengthen the area) and then will rehab after, hopefully with bionic muscles around the knee.

 

However, I am doing accupuncture along with PT and love it! It truly increases the blood flow around the affected area and strongly recommend it for your son, as increased blood flow will result in increased reduction of swelling around the area.

 

I was a skeptic when I first went to accupuncture, but now can't wait for my treatments. I originally thought accupuncture was for quacks (yes, I admit), but, after the first treatment, I truly felt different. In speaking with my orthopedic surgeon, she advised me that, as accupuncture has been around for civilzations (and that's a long time!) there muist be some benefit to it (as western medicine has only been around for a handful of generations), and thus must be a place for eastern medicine in western medical practice.

 

While I ride the bike more than jogging, I feel no pain without a working ACL and am looking forward to a speedy recovery post-op.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Alan

[LemurCat]

I really appreciate all the great info and all your well wishes. I will be sure to make sure he takes it easy. He is pretty focused and disciplined when it comes to accomplishing something in general and I am sure he will be the same with the recovery. Thank you so much! :)

 

My buddy blew out his ACL, had the surgery and played in the National Collegiate Rugby Championship two weeks later in a soft brace. He was going full steam too. Our team lost, but he did score a try.

[Cuizer2]

Yikes!! My DS (age 21) tore his ACL last week playing basketball and is having surgery in 10 days!!! We are going on cruise in August and what is the liklihood that he will be OK.

Is there some reason you have not asked your doctor this question? If you don't trust your doctor, then get a second opinion.

[joge107]

Yup, you all understand why I really need this cruise. Thanks again to everyone!!

Had arthroscopic knee surgery March 26th, 2007/cruised on July 5th, 2007/danced on board. Did aquaboats in Grand Turk! And was 54 yes. old.

[The Klev]

Is there some reason you have not asked your doctor this question? If you don't trust your doctor, then get a second opinion.

 

With apologies for speaking on behalf of the OP, sometimes you just want assurances from people who have been there. I know doctors who don't have a good "bedside manner" but are excellent surgeons, or perhaps the doctor is a bit more conservative. I think this discussion has been quite enlightening, given the varied experiences of those who have been on cruises after a similar procedure.

 

Thanks!

[Majesty Fan]

I have torn my ACL 2x once on the left and once on the right plus PCL, MCL. I had surgery 4 days later. I was in a hinged brace for 6 weeks and could only bend to 60 degrees, due to the hardware. I was 22 at the time. At 6 weeks I was allowed full range of motion and slowly got more range of motion. Station bike and pool helped plus I had PT 3X a week. From date of surgery to date of next surgery. I blew them at the same time was 3 months and probably 2 weeks prior to that I was doing everything I did before. I am a horse person and comptered in jumpers. I horse showed those 2 weeks prior w/o a problem. The first 6 weeks were the hardest as my brace. But 2 weeks post op I was driving and doing normal everyday things. if the cruise is in August you will have no problem.

Lexi

[DocF]

Yikes!! My DS (age 21) tore his ACL last week playing basketball and is having surgery in 10 days!!! We are going on cruise in August and what is the liklihood that he will be OK. I don't think he is looking to do anything too strenuous, but just to be able to get around and do some walking, etc in the ports. We are going to Catalina and Ensenada. I know doctors (no offense intended) will tell you it is a quick recovery, but with my own personal experiences, although different types of surgeries, the recovery periods were always longer than what they said. My DS is otherwise healthy and works out daily.

 

What have been your experiences? Realistically, will he be OK to cruise? If anything, holding the DOD and chilling at the pool is not too strenuous on the knee. :)

 

The people who can best answer this question are his orthopedic surgeon and his physical therapist. Most professional athletes miss about 6-8 weeks with ACL surgery these days. I doubt he will/can push himself like they do in rehab. Still, he has plenty of time to recover, especially if he does his PT like he should.

 

Doc:D

[njmomof2]

I have fortunately not blown my ACL but had arthroscopic shoulder surgery last August. I was 45 at the time. Thankfully not a torn rotator, but some other issues.

 

My ortho, when he saw me at about 4-6 weeks, told me that I should have been much further along in my therapy, my range of motion was not as great as it should have been, and clearly my PTs were not doing what they should. Let me tell you, I did everything they wanted, went 3x per week, and was in tears when they did the manual manipulation.

 

So, sometimes drs have a different view of the progress of therapy and recovery times. I'm sure that at 21, your son will do very well and thoroughly enjoy the cruise.

[Love PalmTrees]

Well, here is the update on my DS's torn ACL, which I had promised. He had surgery about 3 weeks ago and is doing very well. The first 7 - 10 days were a bit rough and I ended up driving him around quite a bit more than expected (he started summer semester 2 weeks after surgery). But now he is driving on his own and making great progress.

 

My DD had oral surgery the day prior for four impacted wisdom teeth. I was a very tired caregiver!! On the bright side, I managed to loose a few pounds, all those many trips up and down the stairs, in preparation for our August cruise. Now I can induldge to my heart's content in all those yummy foods! Thank you one and all for all the encouragement you gave me! I believe, we will all truly enjoy our cruise. At this point, we definitely could use a vacation!! :)

[recyclelady]

Well, here is the update on my DS's torn ACL, which I had promised. He had surgery about 3 weeks ago and is doing very well. The first 7 - 10 days were a bit rough and I ended up driving him around quite a bit more than expected (he started summer semester 2 weeks after surgery). But now he is driving on his own and making great progress.

 

My DD had oral surgery the day prior for four impacted wisdom teeth. I was a very tired caregiver!! On the bright side, I managed to loose a few pounds, all those many trips up and down the stairs, in preparation for our August cruise. Now I can induldge to my heart's content in all those yummy foods! Thank you one and all for all the encouragement you gave me! I believe, we will all truly enjoy our cruise. At this point, we definitely could use a vacation!! :)

 

I am always so happy when the OP returns to give us an update!:) And I'm especially glad to hear that it all had a positive ending.

[Socref124]

Yikes!! My DS (age 21) tore his ACL last week playing basketball and is having surgery in 10 days!!! We are going on cruise in August and what is the liklihood that he will be OK. I don't think he is looking to do anything too strenuous, but just to be able to get around and do some walking, etc in the ports. We are going to Catalina and Ensenada. I know doctors (no offense intended) will tell you it is a quick recovery, but with my own personal experiences, although different types of surgeries, the recovery periods were always longer than what they said. My DS is otherwise healthy and works out daily.

 

What have been your experiences? Realistically, will he be OK to cruise? If anything, holding the DOD and chilling at the pool is not too strenuous on the knee. :)

 

He will have a blast. If he is on crutches, every young girl on the ship will be coming over to see what happened and how he is doing.:)

[LikeTJ]

Glad to hear he is doing well. How ironic, I think I might have just torn my ACL and possibly my MCL? Had my MRI yesterday but don"t see my Orth. until Tuesday to find out results. I am worried because we are cruising September 13 and not sure what will happen? Your thread has given me some insight, thanks and good luck.

[The Wolverine]

he'll be fine, I was walking around 4 days after the surgery and was doing almost everything I wanted to do 6 weeks after it.

[joebat1]

What have been your experiences? Realistically, will he be OK to cruise? If anything, holding the DOD and chilling at the pool is not too strenuous on the knee. :)

 

He should, baring any unexpected problems, be good to go ~~!!~~ It has been several years, but the best I remember after my rehab ( About 60 days), everything was normal... Having a waiter bring his DOD to his chair should not be a strain ~~!!~~

[remharri]

From "ABOUT.COM",

 

What about the rehabilitation following ACL reconstruction?

This is probably the least emphasized and most important aspect of care for a torn ACL. Whether or not a patient is diligent about their therapy determines how well their knee will perform after ACL reconstruction. Most patients experience full recovery and resume their previous lifestyle, including professional athletes. However, some patients complain of pain, stiffness and limited motion in the joint for months or years following ACL reconstruction surgery.

What is the timeline for return to activities after ACL reconstruction?

Initially following ACL reconstruction, patients can expect to be using crutches from one to three weeks. Early in rehabilitation, emphasis is placed on control of swelling, flexibility of the joint, and return of strength. As range of motion improves, an increased emphasis is placed on recovering strength.

Swimming and cycling are excellent methods of strengthening the muscles around the knee. Muscle strengthening is critical not only to recover muscle mass lost due to surgery, but also to improve stability of the joint as increased muscle strength reduces stress on the joint ligaments. Finally, normal (not high-demand) activities (e.g. running) can be resumed at about two to four months following surgery. Most athletes in high-demand sports with cutting and lateral movement (e.g. soccer, basketball), can expect to return about six to seven months after surgical reconstruction.

Over 90% of patients are able to resume their previous level of activity after ACL reconstruction. A small percentage of patients will be limited by persistent pain or instability; however, changes in activity level following ACL reconstruction surgery are often due to choice rather than limitations of the knee joint.

 

 

Hello,

I work for a medical equipment company and we deal with orthopedic surgeries and a lot of torn ACLs. We have medical equipment to help him recover faster and help him get back on this feet. Tell his Dr. to order him a Game Ready cold therapy and compression unit or a vascutherm...they are similar in what they do. The Game Ready is used by pro atheltes all the time. They help the recovery process tons! Goggle it to get more information. He might have something similar already ordered for him to use post op, but it may not have the compression which will help with blood flow.

 

I hope he has a speedy recovery!

[Love PalmTrees]

He was off the crutches in about 9 days. A friend of his had ACL surgery about 2 years prior and was off the crutches in 10 days. My DS being very competitive, had to do better. He wears a brace when he is out. Around the house he sometimes goes without the brace. I wonder if the brace will attract the girls, too??? :D I'm sure he won't mind that side effect!!

 

Remharri - My DS had a CPM (continuous passive motion) machine. He progressed very quickly with improving the degree to which he bent the knee. I will look into the other machines you mentioned. Thanks!!!

[remharri]

He was off the crutches in about 9 days. A friend of his had ACL surgery about 2 years prior and was off the crutches in 10 days. My DS being very competitive, had to do better. He wears a brace when he is out. Around the house he sometimes goes without the brace. I wonder if the brace will attract the girls, too??? :D I'm sure he won't mind that side effect!!

 

Remharri - My DS had a CPM (continuous passive motion) machine. He progressed very quickly with improving the degree to which he bent the knee. I will look into the other machines you mentioned. Thanks!!!

 

Yes, a CPM will help exercise his knee and get that range of motion back. We do those as well. A lot of doctors order both. But the Game Ready will help with all the pain and swelling after. Ask your doctor about it and look it up on the internet. A lot of the ortho doctors in the Chicago aread and Indianapolis area use them which is where I am.

[Love PalmTrees]

LikeTJ:

Hope all goes well with you and your knee injury. Not sure of your age, but my DS is 21 and otherwise in good health and works out daily. Not being able to keep up with his workouts may have been one of the harder things for him. Being young definitely has been to his benefit as far as recovery goes. He had surgery about 2 months prior to our cruise in August. Sounds like you have about same time frame, should you also need surgery. Good luck with it. It was a rough go the first 5 -7 days, but after that the progress has been remarkable. We weren't really planning on undertaking anything too strenuous on the cruise to begin with. Just want to be able to relax, sleep in, and get away from all the schedules, etc. Good Luck!!

[Love PalmTrees]

LikeTJ:

Forgot to mention DS also had other some other injuries not visible on MRI, which the doctor had to repair as well. The surgery was a bit more involved than originally expected. Part of his meniscus had been sheared off and he also had contused cartilage and femur. So, his meniscus had to also be cleaned up. The cartilage and femur healed on their own, but definitely did add to the pain and recovery time he experienced. I think looking forward to the cruise is giving him some good incentive to get better. Maybe the same will be true for you!!!

[LikeTJ]

Love PalmTrees,

I am alittle older at 38, but work out 4-5 days a week and is also driving me crazy not being able to go to the gym. Worst is not knowing how bad it is yet and waiting til Tuesday to find out. Glad to hear your DS is doing well, enjoy your cruise. I know I will regardless of my outcome.