WakeWorld

WakeWorld (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/index.php)
-   Wakeboarding Discussion (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=1)
-   -   wakeboarding with torn acl? need input please (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=797218)

ryjam 03-10-2013 3:11 PM

wakeboarding with torn acl? need input please
 
hi guys wondering if anyone has successfully been able to wakeboard with out their acl ? or even felt like surgery was not necessary ? i previously experienced acl tear and repared successfully via hamstring autograph. thatwas roughly 4 years ago, just tore other knee two months ago and i have been rehabing it with great success? i have surgery schedudle for May. hower veeveryday my knee seems to feel better. i am able to leg press. hamstring curl. squat .leg extension all pain free. just starting to work on agility and knee feels stable. i am not pushing it yet though. i am 25 years old. if someone could please chime in i would greatly appreciate it. hopefully someone has been successful i know it is possible just not sure which way to go? not enough research for me to lean away from surgery yet but i have read roughly 50 percent of nonsurgical treatment has the same results after two years. thanks for the help . ryan. (sorry about bad spelling on tablet)

ryjam 03-10-2013 3:15 PM

also i have cti custom knee brace and bledsoe axiom knee brace as an fyi for anyone i like the cti way better for wakeboarding . bledsoe is good brace but has slippage . cti will slip without anti migration system as well, so make sure to get that and brace is money. if anyone has question about either brace id be happy to offer my opinion

lfadam 03-10-2013 7:53 PM

This is all second hand information so take it for what it's worth. I was talking to another wakeboarder from my lake about knee injuries (I am recovering from a torn ACL right now too), and he was talking about a rider he knew that had been riding for years without an ACL. He had torn it and couldn't afford the surgery, so eventually he just started riding without it. He wore a legit brace and said it wasn't a problem as long as he took care to ride wake to wake only, never into the flats, and always hit the downslope of the second wake. It sounds like it wasn't quite as strong but he was able to ride wake to wake without an ACL.

Also, the rider I was talking to has zero lateral meniscus in one knee (they took it completely out) and is 37 years old and is still doing w2w TS FS 720s, so that is inspiring to anyone with knee problems. He said they make a brace designed to remove impact on one of your two meniscii and transfer it to only the other, so he doesn't have any significant pain/problems with only 1 of his two meniscii in one knee.

willyt 03-11-2013 5:52 AM

There's not a legitimate doctor on the planet that would tell an active 25 y/o with insurance not to get surgery. Suck it up and do the rehab... No way you'd ever be the same without an ACL.

Ask doctors... This is what they'll tell you

jward10 03-11-2013 6:44 AM

Ok here is my input. I work in orthopedic healthcare and had acl surgery this past october. Our fathers and grandfathers etc down the line tore acls just like we do today. They never got them repaired, limped around for a while. Things got to feeling better and they went back to what they were doing. So yes it is possible. I in fact tore mine slowly and never really knew it was torn until I tore my lateral meniscus. Got an mri, thats when we noticed the lack of an acl. I had been wakeboarding and playing basketball without a brace for years. To make an educated decision you need to understand the anatomy of your knee. Your acl is a ligament that keeps your lower leg from going too far forward. It is also the king ligament of your knee. Without it there is a lot of movement (laxity) in the joint. This shearing will cause all kind of issues. Also with out it, during heavy activity such as lateral movement (running and cutting) increases the chances of tearing the other 3 ligaments in the knee. With all that being said. Look at the number of older people today having total knee replacements. This is the reason for that. My doctor told me I was already showing signs of wear and that if I had continued without the surgery, I would have been a good candidate for a total knee in the next 15 years. I am 35 right now. My opinion is that as young as you are, you should get it fixed. 6 months of rehab is worth saving you from greater troubles down the road. Do you have to get it fixed this may. No, I rode the rest of the season and waited till october myself. What ever you do, I hope it works out and good luck.

kristian 03-11-2013 7:04 AM

Listen to JDUB. When you're limping around everyday in pain with bad arthritis you'll ask yourself: "was one season was worth it?"...... and more than likely you'll answer no.

ACL does a pretty important job and if you want an active lifestyle its even more important.

gnarslayer 03-11-2013 8:22 AM

i rode for almost a year with a completely torn acl, i wore an asterisk kneebrace and it worked out pretty decent for me. i thought i actually sprained my knee and the pain wouldnt stop so i got the brace, i didnt find out it was torn till the season was over. the brace was very supportive and my muscles built up quickly so there wasnt really pain anymore... i broke my arm riding dirtbikes and when i went to my orthopedic surgeon i let him check out my knee too and my acl was completely gone so i wound up having surgery. now i am brace free and riding the best i ever have. i would definitely recommend having surgery, its worth it. wait till summer is over if you want, just be careful.

captain_vilfo 03-11-2013 9:19 AM

I did for a month or so after I tore mine but used extreme caution when doing so. The only pain I ever felt was my torn meniscus so I mostly just worked on riding switch (It was my back knee that I tore) and surface/ollie stuff which actually has helped me greatly in progressing post-surgery.

As much as it sucks, surgery is probably the way to go. Gives you the best chance at riding at your best ability in the future rather than gambling your other ligaments every time you take a set.

That being said, I never wore a brace while riding with my torn acl because I didn't possess on at the time so my opinin is a little one sided.

ryjam 03-11-2013 9:30 AM

hey guys thanks for all the unbiased replies...sounds like i am going to suck it up again. i think i could be alright again but would just be another accident waiting to happen. also i didnt mention it before but i bought new tomcat a week before i hurt the knee so it was bad timing part of reason i was wondering if i could suck it up for a season. just gonna have to wait it out. one more question for anyone. i got the bledsoe axiom and it seems like it will slip down much easier than my cti? i havent tried in water but i am concerned i should just get another cti. can someone respond who has tried bledsoe for wakeboarding. thanks


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 5:30 AM.