zombiearrrjay

Does anyone have any success stories of tearing their ACL and returning to riding at 100% again?

I tore my ACL riding this summer and im about 7 weeks into recovery now. I want to get right back into stunting as soon as spring hits, but i've been hearing that full recovery takes a full year...

Also my physical therapist said its up to me if i want to get a brace or not for when i start riding again.

Overall, not being able to ride is really depressing me and i have nightmares of re tearing the pos as soon as i wreck again. Hearing some success stories would really boost my confidence for when i get back on the two wheeled horse.

JSkillz23

Sorry to hear man, I have torn each acl so far. I've had the patella surgery where they make the new ligament out of your kneecap and kneecap tendion. I know that the hamstring surgery is alot better for athletes i believe but don't qoute me on that!

I had my latest surgery in April and have to go back after a year just to get a scope to take out all the scar tissue so your knee don't lock up and have wierd pains.

I didn't really get to ride at all in the lot this year but i did a little. I just didn't go hard at all due to the fact that i don't wanna tear it again and be in that pain for another half of year.

But since my knees are feeling great due to me taking time off. So basically what i'm saying is take it easy til you feel 100%, running, walking, squating.. and even stairs. For example i still can't go down stairs straight, i have to walk down them sideways... HAH

Anyways, hope ya heal up homie.

PancakePete

I had sprained my MCL, tore my ACL, tore my medial and lateral meniscus, and fractured my tibia. I opted for the hamstring autograft, as my Ortho told me it is the preferred method for most athletes and doctors. He said the patellar is said to be similar in strength though. The only negative aspect of the patellar is that there is great sensitivity on the front of the knee when kneeling down.

I'm approaching the sixth week of my post-op healing process. I'd definitely say it is not as bad as some of the horror stories I've heard. Sure, you're physically incapacitated for the first few weeks, but that's gonna be expected with any serious leg injury cause you can't walk. But I've been walking (with a limp of course) since late week four. Sometimes I'll use one crutch if I gotta long way to go. I was able to get off the percocets by the beginning of the third week. Get off the pain meds as soon as you can stand the pain cause it's easy to tell yourself you still need em and become dependent. Just keep poppin them 800 IBUs.

Rehab, at first is pretty excruciating, but if ya don't jump into it right away, it'll be harder and more painful in the future. I've been going three times a week since my operation. Like I said, I'm in my fifth week, and I'm getting around fine on my own, pain is at a minimum, flexion is fairly good, and each day gets better. Against my better judgement, I've even been stunting the **** outta my 4-wheeler this week, being able to move around, use the foot brake, do SS's, just gotta be careful not to loop and have to start over again, but this is a good indication of how you'll be feeling by the fifth or sixth week.

Oh, and about the brace options; every Ortho or P.T. that I've asked has told me there's no need. They said that a brace may comfort you mentally, but physically if a knee is ever met with enough force to cause a tear, then a brace will not prevent the tearing. I'd still say it's up to your own preference and discretion. It's a long healing process, but it's not as impossible as it sometimes sounds. Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions throughout your progress.

I posted a thread similar to yours when I first got my injury and got some good responses and insight, check it out:

https://www.stuntlife.com/forums/2-s...-torn-any.html

WADESEC518

In august 2006 I tore my ACL, MCL, and medial meniscus... I opted for the patella graft. I had the surgery early in the am in october '06 and was released by lunch time that day. When they sent me home they gave me a machine that you put your leg in and it automaticly bends your leg for you. I maxed that machine out by the end of Day 2 post op. Day 3 I was walking on crutches. Day 7 I was walking on my own but with the brace. Day 14 I went back to building houses but avoided climbing ladders for another week. At about week 4 I started riding again but it was november by then so I didnt ride for the rest of the winter. 6 months later it was spring and I was riding full force again. At about 8 months I started back in the gym with weight training. Just over 3 Years after my surgery I'm back to "full" strength squating 500+ lbs and riding at the level that I was before the injury. I also recieved Defensive Player of the Year in the local semi-pro football league I'm in so I say my surgery and recovery went well. I've had no problem with sensitivity in my knee cap since about a year and a half after surgery. If you are motivated and you have a good doctor than the surgery/recovery should go really well for ya

GSXRyost

Im not going to go into detail like everyone else but I tore ACL MCL Meniscus, and all the cartilidge in the area. Took a little while to heal after arthroscopic surgery but all is cool now. I dont have any issues moving around at all. So, dont worry too much about it. Keep rehabbing it and you'll be back to making whoolies in no time. Good luck man

JSkillz23

You must have ******* super powers....

zombiearrrjay

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSES!

Seriously you've made my week. It helps to actually read about you guy's war stories. It's crazy how different the treatments are for repairing (close to) the same injury. I had the hamstring graph done for myself, so i just have two little lines on my knee instead of those crazy staples like above. I heard a third option is to actually take a corpse's ACL...

Thanks for the info about the brace for sure. I am really getting worked on having to pay for all the medical expenses and physical therapy even with health insurance. ESPECIALLY SINCE THE INSURANCE AGENCIES ARE KIND ENOUGH TO RESET YOUR DEDUCTIBLE ON JAN 1ST. (so plan on meeting your deductible twice if you get seriously hurt toward the end of the year.) The brace would just be another couple hundred bucks out of my own pocket. I was told the same thing by one person about it being more of a mental comfort rather than needed for protection, so im glad to hear an actual stunt rider confirm that.

This whole injury was very weird because i apparently tore at the beginning of august, but i didn't know it at the time so i kept riding. I thought it was just sprained so i just tried to not have to step off the bike with that leg. I fell off several times within the next 2 months and it hurt like hell every time, so i figured i better go to the doctor, where they told me its a torn acl. From falling and walking on it and stuff for so long, i tore both chunks of cartilidge and had a big chip in my bone.

JSkillz23

Well luckily for me i have great insurance and they bought me 2 Don Joy knee braces that are about $650 apiece. But i can't ride in them cuz they are more for sports. So i bought the Thor braces and i don't mind those. But if you can get a choice i'd get those asterik braces. IMO

WADESEC518

Yup you got it bud! No really I made up that whole story to impress a buch of guys that i dont know nor do i give two ******* ***** about to make myself feel better think what you want but I figured I'd give my story cause its quite inspiring in my mind and fits the title of the tread "success stories" Lucky for me I wasnt out of shape when the injury happened and I had my wife to help me/motivate me with the physical therapy aspect.

I wish I had the cadaver surgery myself

I opted for the brace that alot of NCAA division I football players use. It cost me over $1000 and I only used it for about a month until I heard all the stories about how it wouldn't 100% prevent a future injury. It's collected dust ever since (what a waste of money IMO!!) I now wear a $20 ellastic brace from walmart which puts some compression on the knee and helps the muscles and ligaments hold the knee stable... cheaper "insurance" i guess.

Good luck with your recovery

Arslinger

bro i tore my acl 2 times and my **** is mint. and honestly you dont even need one for stunting. i skied hardcore without an acl and raced motocross with out one, and they require 5 times more use then your legs then stunting does. your body gets used to not having one and you know what movements not to make so hard so it doesnt go out. i just kept tearing it becuase i just couldnt stand not doing the **** i wanted to do for 9 months. But as for success, you need to take the 9 months off like they tell you or you will **** it agian, or at least 6, even then you need to be very careful cuz it will feel like your good to go and you'll be running and jumping and ****. but as soon as you twist it the wrong way its a rap. good luck man

Arslinger

btw my first was the use of my hamstring and that was by far the strongest, now i have a cadaver for a 15 year old lol. i feel a little younger

zombiearrrjay

Thanks man. Side note: being able to squat 500 lbs is nuts. I bet you can handle a damn motorcycle like a bicycle.



I think if i tear it again i won't go through with surgery again, mainly due to the costs. Thats great to hear that you might not even need one!

Does it get nervous and shake when you are around women?

Arslinger

lol nope but it does ache every now and then. bad thing is, is when you tear it and it starts to give out, everytime it gives out your riping cartilage in your knee. cartilage in a knee is like oil in an engine. the less cartilage the worst it gets. keep that in mind. but yea i could squat over 450 when i was in high school with it torn, i could sprint, jump and everything else. in all honesty you dont need one. but since you go the surgery best just take the time off.

Murph 636

**** I think you definitely need one......ACL is there to stabilize the knee! I went with the cadaver method and it took me almost two years to get back to fully being comfortable with playing sports. Before my surgery though, walking up steps was a pain, running and cutting was impossible, any lateral movement just sucked. Staying with Physical Therapy and using that flex machine after post-op will speed up the process though.

They don't call it "trick knee" for nothing......just ask the rapper drake lol, he thought he could skip his *** across the stage on a performance against the doctor's orders and look what the outcome was...........................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVoy_8XaoSA

sdfkillz

actually he does..

WADESEC518

How's your Knee doing bud?

sdfkillz

ehh making slow progress. i gotta get back into PT, im still trying to avoid surgery for right now.

WADESEC518

keep on that therapy man and rest, ice, compression, elevation

AntwanRTTG

I had a complete tear in my ACL and lateral tears in both meniscus. I just had my ACL replaced with a cadaver ACL last month. I was walking without crutches 2 days after and without a limp about a week after. I am already starting to ride a bicycle for about 20 min. at a time. Also, my doctor just cleared me to start hitting the gym (mildly) for strengthening.

It's all what you put into it man. Listen to EVERY word your physical therapist gives you and that will take you a long way. After they are done with you, the strength of your knee will determine how active you can be again. So build that **** back up!

sdfkillz

i keep hearing that the cadaver is the way to go for getting back on your feet real quick but i also keep hearing that it has a high rate of failure....