Again, guys, thank you. I’m hearing the overwhelming response to “get ‘er done”.
I’ll meet with the doc tomorrow, and look at the damage, then perhaps get a second opinion..
Thanks slabsides for the link, I’ll look at it.. skins, I’m sorry to hear about your outcome, and it definitely gives me pause. My dad has bad knees and some struggles with knee surgeries, which is part of what frightens me, but he assures me we have different things going on.
The surgeon did state he wouldn’t do any surgeries earlier than 3-4 weeks out from original injury date, due to shortening or tightening of the ligaments if done early on.. I can’t recall his phrasing, but definitely want to give it a bit of time before we do anything. I’ll look for the other article regarding age as a factor.
Again, thanks everyone for taking the time to provide all the input, I truly value all the information you’ve provided.
I think my biggest fear is feeling vulnerable and needing assistance. I’d best get used to it.

I waited 5 months due to getting married shortly after tearing ACL. I did PT for ~6wks after I tore it & did the exercises they suggested to keep it strong before surgery. I believe it helped.

FWIW, the knee that has the new ACL is stronger & hurts less than the other one & it was my 'problem' knee before.

Know what you're getting in to. I expected pain & obviously not being able to walk/bear weight, but I wasn't ready for it to just not work period. That plus the pain meds freaked me out for a few days (also was my 1st surgery ever). I've had the ACL & a brain tumor removed (benign) & if I had to do either over again, I'd choose the brain tumor.

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:
I waited 5 months due to getting married shortly after tearing ACL. I did PT for ~6wks after I tore it & did the exercises they suggested to keep it strong before surgery. I believe it helped.

FWIW, the knee that has the new ACL is stronger & hurts less than the other one & it was my 'problem' knee before.

Know what you're getting in to. I expected pain & obviously not being able to walk/bear weight, but I wasn't ready for it to just not work period. That plus the pain meds freaked me out for a few days (also was my 1st surgery ever). I've had the ACL & a brain tumor removed (benign) & if I had to do either over again, I'd choose the brain tumor.

Damn, dude. I’ve got a trip planned end of July that will partially require my physical strength to pull it off successfully. I was thinking about waiting until after the trip and doing rehab til then. Going to sx in Aug and rehabbing through early Sept for full fxn through winter and ever after. It’s just too easy in winter up here for me to f up my leg and not have help available with a small one to bus back and forth, but I don’t want to risk the summer trip (my parents are going, as they do every year, and I know any day we are going to have to call an end to it, for their safety and health’s sakes. I don’t want to end it on my account.
Food for thought.

I had had both ACL/MCL reconstruction back in '84 when the surgery was still relatively new. In fact my graft was bovine ligament. Surgeon wasn't happy with results, concerned about too much chafe in the tunnel through the knee, so he ended up going in 3 more times - 4 times total in 5 months. Rehab was a bitch, 8 months on a Cybex, and it was 2.5 years until I was about 80%. I could do most things I wanted, but hard lateral stops were still a problem, so no basketball, racquetball, hard court tennis, etc.

After 25 years of wear and tear, a few sprains and finally a major incident, I blew out the ACL again. MRI revealed MCL is calcified, and that osteo arthritis on the outside of the knee is pretty bad, so they won't fix it again, I need a new knee. Doc prescribed a brace to stave off the replacement and told me I'd be back begging for the knee in a few years.

It's been 5 years, and the knee is pretty stable. I am religious about using the brace but not completely convinced of its utility. I play a lot of golf, walking the 6 miles for as many as 120 rounds a year. It barks periodically, but the pain is quite manageable, and the longer I can delay the replacement, the better the surgery and hardware become hopefully I can aviod the possibility of revision surgery.

So first time, stability was an real issue, and I needed the reconstruction. It wasn't fun, and it took too long, but it was reasonably successful. This time, the knee is fairly stable. I'm well beyond what the Doc thought was possible, and I'd love to make it another 5 years, who knows?

After many experiences with orthopaedic surgeons it seems to me that a surgeons solution is to cut. To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail. I would go hard after the conservative approach. Whether it works depends on your age, your body, your goals, and your expectations. You can always have surgery if you aren't getting the results you need. Surgery should be the last resort, there are always risks, and outcomes aren't guaranteed.

Jigray3,
I appreciate your response. In chatting with the doc today, he isn’t super eager to cut, more interested in my lifestyle and whether I can rehab this to the point of comfort for me. Apparently I’ve also torn my meniscus, and he would like to surgically fix that, but I’m not feeling the symptoms he’s describing (it’s really not bugging me), and since I’ve a trip planned in July, we will rehab for now and reassess in a few weeks, and decide what works best for me. He states we can do the surgery at any time, with no deterioration in the results.

First surgery I had on my left knee (I'm up to 6), was to repair a bucket handle tear in the meniscus. That meant the knee would lock up at unexpected times, and I would find myself on my ass. It happened going down the stairs in a college dorm once. Cleaning up the meniscus is as straightforward as arthroscopic surgery gets these days, but don't do it unless you need it like I did.

I would recommend rehab for a longer period, maybe 4-6 months, not weeks. Blood supply is poor to ligaments, and nothing bad comes from really strengthening the muscle around the knee.

Blew mine out in a dirtbike wreck, I ended up with my left foot by my left pocket. I had a complete ACL tear, a torn meniscus, and a broken tibia.

After about 6 weeks to let the swelling subside, I had ACL reconstruction with my patella tendon. I think I was 35 at the time, I'm 47 now. Off work, and on crutches for about 6 months overall. Due to work, and working out, I walk/run over 100 miles a week.

Even after walking ~80 miles a week, I am still an avid runner/fitness goon. I've done a few 1/2 marathons, multiple 5k's, numerous obstacle course runs, and still workout daily. I can pretty much climb up anything, but going down I never was as agile as I use to be.

Do the rehab, and listen to your doc. I found that stationary bikes was the "fountain of youth" in my case. Even if it was only three miles a day.