Miniscal/ACL injury --- Question Arun

Arun,

I understand recently that you have undergone a scope surgery for your knee ...

What was done and discovered, how long are you going to be out and what is further prognosis?

I ask because I have been diagnosed with a miniscal tear and will undergo PT for 2 weeks then an MRI and a possible scope. Depending on the out come of the MRI and scope I may have the ACL replaced. Can you give me some information on what's going on with you and what the doctors have told you?

(Message edited by jetgofish on February 13, 2004)

NOT YOU TOO!!!!

Teri, check your email. Sorry to hear about this!

though it might be bad I'm in very good spirits. I've been on the water since Jan of 2003 with no stopping...not that it's a good thing this is happening, but I am in good spirits which will help with a speedy recovery... I WILL NOT SIT THE SUMMER OFF THE WATER!!!!

hey jetgofish,

I had my right knee scoped twice, the first time was for a meniscal tear, but that is pretty minor and I walked out of the hospital so its not bad at all. The issue for me is that when they were fixing my meniscus they noticed that I had a large piece of cartilige missing on my femur bone so they had to scope it again to get a little piece of cartilige so they could grow it in which they then performed the last surgery that I had 3 months ago.

They actually added the cartilige that they grew to my femur, it was an interesting process but they had to cut my shin and my knee open for that one. I feel great now but my doc still wants me to wait for awhile.

I hope everything works out for you.

Did they remove your miniscus or did they just scrape it?

What happened with me was I compressed the knee snowboarding, the board stopped the upper body continued down then the board started back up toward the upper body and everything in the left knee compressed. I then heard and felt a very large pop followed by a warm burning sensation on the bottom inside of the knee.

Right now I can currently run my hand over the upper outside of the knee (where the thigh muscle and knee meet) and feel missing meat...my foot at times gets numb, I feel wobbly and it sometimes gives out.

I'm currently undergoing 2 weeks of PT, then and MRI and possible surgery from there. He could make a full ACL diagnosis since I have a lot of muscle strenght. He did feel though that there is an miniscal tear with possilbe torn ACL/MCL.

The scoping he said would require 6 weeks of rehab, I'm now wondering since you walked out why I would be looking at 6 unless he plans on cutting me open and fully replacing the ACL/MCL.

You decided to grow your own ligamentation, how long was that process and how did/does that hinder or speed up your recovery? Why did you not chose the cadaver?

Apperciate your help, I have a lot of questions!

jetgofish,

Long story short..in 92'ish, I went of ski jump, performed a daffy, came up short, ski tip caught, twisted my right knee, after about a half hour of agonizing pain I drug myself down to the ski patrol office, they said it was nothing, the swelling eventually went away. everything went fine for like 4 years. was at work when I started to feel like something wasn't right, like somthing was catching in my knee. it did this for like 2 weeks. then one day i was down on my knees, went to stand up and my knee locked!(oh the pain!!!). Well, I had the surgury--total reconstruction, scope,my maniscus was torn(they trimmed it up), and the muscle/bone(acl?) that connects the lower and upper part of the leg had to be modified with screws in the upper & lower part w/a rod inbetween.

this took me about a month to get back on my feet. it has now like 8 years since then(can't believe that), and everything is (ok). you could wakeboard again after something like this like within 6 months after the surgury.

It goes by very fast so don't get down!

Rob,

Right now I'm in super good spirits about it. Several friends have had the ACL surgery and have given me pointers on what to do and what not to do. I feel pretty good. The doctor I am seeing used to treat the US Olympic Ski Team, US Hockey Team and is the Interanl/Sports Medicine doctor for the SF 49ers (though I am a Raider fan), I feel like I am in good hands and he also wakeboards!!! He knows what I mean when I say I can't be off the water during the summer!

I know the how you feel. it's been like seven months now for me up here and have about 2 more to go before the water is even close to getting back into(temp. wise). anywho., The doc. You use is a huge factor! get a good one. I still have problems with it here and there, not much but I can do pretty much everything I could do before.I will aways wakeboard now for as long as god will let me! I love the sport. Just wish I would have started younger. If you want to know anything about this I can let you know. so ask. biggest thing is getting a good doc #1.

I had mine done on January 20th... cleaned up a tear in the miniscus, and found nothing wrong with ACL... the torn miniscus was riding up against my ACL... cleaned out, was walking the same day, but major swelling. Now that I am doing PT, I have more pain than I did after the surgery... hehehe... they say it will get worse before it gets better... yeah... looking forward to that!!!

But I plan on getting better by spring so I can board!!!!

I never did any PT. for one I couldn't afford it, but the doc just made me come back for a couple of visits basically just to get the staples out. I went to the gym and did light workouts plus gym costs alot less than any PT, even with insurance. usually anything less than total rec. is piece of cake and a person would be back to everyday living very quickly. the worst of the pain came from when my leg locked up. My maniscus, on the inner thin-side, it was torn and sometimes when straightening my leg out, it would catch on the acl causing it to lock-up(this hurt and it felt really weird) so he had to trim it out. and yes, I had major swelling. I have a pic but don't have a scanner so I don't no how I can post it?
getting spring fever-can't wait to get back out!

I am soooooo sorry I opened this post, sorry to hear you had to go through so much Arun, hopefully you can take the pain o.k.
Teri, did you do that in Colorado? Hopfully at the end of the trip, that sucks!!! Well get better before it warms out there, hope to see both of you on the water this summer. When can you guys ride again?

Teri,

Dr. Dillingham did my ACL (cadaver graft)Dec 2002. I was back wake skating by April and boarding w/ a brace by June. Knee feels great. If you are seeing Dillingham, he is the best! Can't emphasize how important PT is before and after. Treat it like it's a fulltime job.
If your miniscus is torn, he will just snip it. If you have any arthritis he will laser it out. If you are just scoped you will be walking quickly. If you have any sort of reconstruction, it will be longer, (crutches for about a week then one crutch then none.) Dillingham is great and Stanford hospital treated me like a king.

Good luck.

sound like you are doing it right, the first and most major piece of advice, find a sports med doctor and skip the run of the mill orthos.

Mark, I was bit by the Beaver (Beaver Creek) that is. The injury happened on day 6 of 8, we had only on day of riding left (Vail) before we headed home. I tried to ride Vail but the knee wouldn't hold up so I sat half the day in the lodge. Saturday I wakeboarded and it wasn't to to bad, but yes it did hurt!

Steve, I am not yet being seen by Dillingham (though this is who I want to see). My Dr. is Kassels, he is the internal/sports medicine Dr. for the 49ers. Right now I very confident with him and he said should we get to the surgery part he will do his best to see that the insurance company allows me to see Dillingham!! Sports Medicine doctors are the key, when I said I was an athlete, snowboard, wakeboard, body build etc. he didn't screw around with diagnosis.

Well of to be the flag girl...

oh Mark one more thing, I might be off the water till June/July right now. Told me it was okay to ride but no w2w's, no backrolls, 3s, etc...so I'll just do the handle passing in the yard!

Teri, at least you can ride, sucks getting hurt but by the time the water warms, like it stops you anyway, you will be back to normal. Now is a good time to perfect your switch, watch out for delta monsters handing toe picks out for fun. Glad to hear you are going to be o.k., maybe you could get a hook up with Sanger Mike's doc, you know, get a knee fix and refer a friend. Hehe, just a thought.