First time back on skis after ACL tear

Dlonetti

Dlonetti

Active member
Lost my season last year due to an acl tear. Rehabbed super hard, cleared everything and am super excited to ski potentially this week. Those who have gone through this already, what are the first few days back like? How should I pace myself? Tips would be appreciated
 
Sounds like you’re at least 6-8 months out if you lost your season last year. Past the amount of recovery with good rehab, you should be confident in the knee. I blew acl, lcl, meniscus, IT band, hamstring july ‘20 and came back skiing mid jan ‘20 with some super hard rehab. After asking the doc/pt’s a million questions I was told your ligaments are as strong as they’ll ever be, a large reason people frequently get hurt is due to doing some dumb shit when falling (treating leg like dead weight, freaking out on injured leg, not having balanced muscle strength between legs). So if you have that you should be confident and remember that if it blows again due to graft failure it’s out of your hands either way. For sure ease into it and don’t spin much or go big for a little though. Baby steps
 
I've just had my first day back on Friday and the knee felt solid. I'm 9.5 months out (ACL, MCL, Meniscus) and I've been rehabbing pretty hard (4 times per week PT) and climbing a bunch too. I do still definitely have a hamstring deficit though, and I think to a degree, it depends how your knee feels.

I took it super easy, I skied groomers forward/switch for about an hour and then called it. I never felt unstable or anything problematic but it did get a bit sore at the end. I'm gonna go again, probably tomorrow and do an hour and a half, then two hours etc, to take it slow and build the stamina. I don't plan to hit any features for a little while, but I doubt I'll be able to resist some small sidehits if it feels good. I don't think there is a right answer but listen to the surgeon/PT and play it by how it feels. - Twig

**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2021 at 5:14:08pm
 
I’m in the same(ish) boat I broke my tib fib last march and am getting back into it. I tanked through rehab and am now able to run/ do everything normal. I used to favor my right leg a lot after the break even when I could use both but now fixed that and things are more balanced. I’m now working out abunch to strengthen my legs to reduce injury. Any tips that both of us could use?

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As something who thinks they tore their ACL (I'll know more Wednesday)... Were there any non-surgical options discussed with y'all? I ain't got time for the 9-12 months to be back up to full speed due to work, school, and life.
 
You can always just rehab and not do surgery, but then you don’t have an acl so athletic movements become difficult. After surgery I was laid up for about a month before I could really get back to regular life

14339749:Quaggy said:
As something who thinks they tore their ACL (I'll know more Wednesday)... Were there any non-surgical options discussed with y'all? I ain't got time for the 9-12 months to be back up to full speed due to work, school, and life.
Click to expand...
 
Tore in late December, so about 10 months clear. Been confident in my knee with everything I’ve done so far, so I feel ready. I’m gonna be back in the park right away, so yeah will take it slow

14339728:WildlyMediocre said:
Sounds like you’re at least 6-8 months out if you lost your season last year. Past the amount of recovery with good rehab, you should be confident in the knee. I blew acl, lcl, meniscus, IT band, hamstring july ‘20 and came back skiing mid jan ‘20 with some super hard rehab. After asking the doc/pt’s a million questions I was told your ligaments are as strong as they’ll ever be, a large reason people frequently get hurt is due to doing some dumb shit when falling (treating leg like dead weight, freaking out on injured leg, not having balanced muscle strength between legs). So if you have that you should be confident and remember that if it blows again due to graft failure it’s out of your hands either way. For sure ease into it and don’t spin much or go big for a little though. Baby steps
Click to expand...
 
Congrats on getting back out there! Doctors said slow build up for me as well, I like your plan. All that’s open this week will be the park, so it will be hard to resist hitting rails. Think I’ll stick to straight slides and mellow stuff to get my feet under me again.

14339736:Newschoolers said:
I've just had my first day back on Friday and the knee felt solid. I'm 9.5 months out (ACL, MCL, Meniscus) and I've been rehabbing pretty hard (4 times per week PT) and climbing a bunch too. I do still definitely have a hamstring deficit though, and I think to a degree, it depends how your knee feels.

I took it super easy, I skied groomers forward/switch for about an hour and then called it. I never felt unstable or anything problematic but it did get a bit sore at the end. I'm gonna go again, probably tomorrow and do an hour and a half, then two hours etc, to take it slow and build the stamina. I don't plan to hit any features for a little while, but I doubt I'll be able to resist some small sidehits if it feels good. I don't think there is a right answer but listen to the surgeon/PT and play it by how it feels. - Twig

**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2021 at 5:14:08pm
Click to expand...
 
Although my doc said it was "statistically unnecessary" a good brace really helps with peace of mind and getting back to skiing aggressively.
 
Interesting, I actually had my doctor tell me that skiing is one of the few sports that data supports wearing a brace, and that we do actually have a lower re-tear rate with one. Glad I’ve got mine

14340046:PeeDuBzz said:
Although my doc said it was "statistically unnecessary" a good brace really helps with peace of mind and getting back to skiing aggressively.
Click to expand...
 
14339749:Quaggy said:
As something who thinks they tore their ACL (I'll know more Wednesday)... Were there any non-surgical options discussed with y'all? I ain't got time for the 9-12 months to be back up to full speed due to work, school, and life.
Click to expand...

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