Torn ACL, LCL, mensiscus - anyone else?

VT_scratch

VT_scratch

Active member
Whatup NS. Got the MRI results and found I fully tore my ACL, tore my mensicus in 3 places, tore my LCL, and have an avulsion fracture of my tibial plateau. Overshot a jump at whistler a few weeks ago and overrotated a 3 and basically landed deep at 450 and blew up on landing.

Waiting to meet with the ortho doc again but I'm assuming I will need surgery and cannot take a rehab approach since its a full tear of the ACL and other ligaments are damaged as well.

Not the outcome I was hoping for. Anyone else gone through this shit? Did you get surgery? Any tips? Its about 3 weeks post injury but I still have to be non weight bearing for another few weeks due to the fracture. Working on bending and straightening my leg but the muscle is already getting smaller.

sucks. tips and good vibes appreciated.
 
Dang that sucks man. I didnt fully tear mine and it was able to heal and strengthen over time. Pretty weak for a while

Whats the heal time from surgery looking like if you do it? I guess on the "bright" side its at the end of the season. With doing that much damage are you able to walk alright now casually?

That sucks though. Vibes
 
after surgery will suck for a month or so, but then it’s not that bad. do your pt and live in the gym. keep a good mentality. you will be back to exactly where you were and no reason you can’t be stronger. just takes time
 
topic:VT_scratch said:
Whatup NS. Got the MRI results and found I fully tore my ACL, tore my mensicus in 3 places, tore my LCL, and have an avulsion fracture of my tibial plateau. Overshot a jump at whistler a few weeks ago and overrotated a 3 and basically landed deep at 450 and blew up on landing.

Waiting to meet with the ortho doc again but I'm assuming I will need surgery and cannot take a rehab approach since its a full tear of the ACL and other ligaments are damaged as well.

Not the outcome I was hoping for. Anyone else gone through this shit? Did you get surgery? Any tips? Its about 3 weeks post injury but I still have to be non weight bearing for another few weeks due to the fracture. Working on bending and straightening my leg but the muscle is already getting smaller.

sucks. tips and good vibes appreciated.
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I did this last winter (ACL, MCL, meniscus and tibial fracture) situation similar to your injury; dropped a cliff and caught an edge in the bombhole. You will need surgery; I did a quadriceps graft to replace the ACL because my surgeon said the longer recovery time and using your own quad instead of a cadaver's is better long term. I had surgery last February and was able to start PT and running by June/July. Fresh out of surgery commit to doing your quad sets constantly (you're going to be in bed all day anyway so it's all you can do) or your leg will stay bent and rebuilding strength and flexibility will be harder until you get it straightened out.

**This post was edited on Jun 3rd 2024 at 9:20:21am
 
Take PT more than seriously, you only get one shot at the recovery. Recover it like you're trying to go to the fuckin Olympics lol

My friend was lazy about his PT when he cut his knee wide open with the edge of his ski, and his scar fused to his knee and it hurts him all the time while skiing.

Best of luck OP, hope you heal swiftly!!!
 
Like others have said, take PT seriously after the surgery and you will be fine. Stay positive and just know you will be back on it sooner than later. Dont push it too quick though as you could reinjure it, listen to your doctor, your PT, eat a decent diet and focus on you. Vibes for a speedy recovery and hang in there.

Ive had multiple surgeries on both knees. My latest was torn ACL, MCL along with meniscus damage. Injury happened in March, surgery in April, I was skiing December that same year with no issues. Could've skied earlier but the snow was late that season but was for the best as my older body takes longer to heal now,lol.
 
Agreed with folks on surgery, serious PT, etc.

Depending on when your surgery is, consider starting PT before so you don’t lose as much muscle, range of motion, etc. going into it.

On the tail end, just because you get an all clear from the surgeon that you’re healed, it doesn’t mean you can jump right back into it. You will likely still be weaker than before and more susceptible to injury. Pace yourself coming back to activity. Take the small wins.

When I was young, I got the all clear from the surgeon and went back hard. A month later I was back under the knife. Not worth it. Be patient and smart.
 
Did this 2 years ago basically the same way as you; overshot a 3 on a 60 foot jump. However, “only” ACL and meniscus injury.

The best advice I got early on during the rehab process was to not be bitter about it. Which is hard. People in general do not understand the level of suck and pain and loss, but it is not forever.

I got physical therapy at the sports clinic where I had surgery, nice to have everything in one place imo.
 
did mini similar to yours, tore my ACL, MCL, partial PCL, meniscus in 2 places and shattered my arm 4 years ago. my ortho neglected my concern about my knee for several months and then got surgery 4 days after my initial MRI and had a pretty solid recovery where i do not feel much knee pain on the daily anymore
 
Ooof this hits home.

My first knee injury was also at Whis, over-rotating a three.

Luckily mine was only an ACL. Was not a complete tear. Since I had big summer plans I opted no-surgery and started biking like a mad man. My knees are healthier than ever now, but it changed how I view my skiing longevity. I wanna do this shit til I die, so I quit pursuing park skiing quite as much, expanding my ethos to be more of a complete skier all around.

Good luck with the rehab. I hate to say it, but I feel like some sort of knee issue is one of the rights of passage in every serious skier's journey. It changes the outlook on skiing priorities. No fun, but this is what they mean when they say a sport is "pay to play".
 
14613760:midwestcoast said:
Ooof this hits home.

Good luck with the rehab. I hate to say it, but I feel like some sort of knee issue is one of the rights of passage in every serious skier's journey. It changes the outlook on skiing priorities. No fun, but this is what they mean when they say a sport is "pay to play".
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This is facts haha. One day last year me and the dude in the car next to me were putting on our knee braces in the parking lot at the same time once. Didn't say anything but we gave each other the little shrug/head nod.
 
yes I tore my ACL fully, I didn't realize it because I didn't get a proper diagnosis for like 5 months...

My rec is to get surgery ASAP and start the rehab, go to PT after, etc., do your own research on grafts I got a patellar tendon autograft.. If you tear even just an acl you're not doing any type of "rehab only" approach. Get surgery asap cuz its minimum 1 year til you're cleared for any pivot movement after patellar autograft.
 
topic:VT_scratch said:
Whatup NS. Got the MRI results and found I fully tore my ACL, tore my mensicus in 3 places, tore my LCL, and have an avulsion fracture of my tibial plateau. Overshot a jump at whistler a few weeks ago and overrotated a 3 and basically landed deep at 450 and blew up on landing.

Waiting to meet with the ortho doc again but I'm assuming I will need surgery and cannot take a rehab approach since its a full tear of the ACL and other ligaments are damaged as well.

Not the outcome I was hoping for. Anyone else gone through this shit? Did you get surgery? Any tips? Its about 3 weeks post injury but I still have to be non weight bearing for another few weeks due to the fracture. Working on bending and straightening my leg but the muscle is already getting smaller.

sucks. tips and good vibes appreciated.
Click to expand...

Who's your surgeon?
 
topic:VT_scratch said:
Whatup NS. Got the MRI results and found I fully tore my ACL, tore my mensicus in 3 places, tore my LCL, and have an avulsion fracture of my tibial plateau. Overshot a jump at whistler a few weeks ago and overrotated a 3 and basically landed deep at 450 and blew up on landing.

Waiting to meet with the ortho doc again but I'm assuming I will need surgery and cannot take a rehab approach since its a full tear of the ACL and other ligaments are damaged as well.

Not the outcome I was hoping for. Anyone else gone through this shit? Did you get surgery? Any tips? Its about 3 weeks post injury but I still have to be non weight bearing for another few weeks due to the fracture. Working on bending and straightening my leg but the muscle is already getting smaller.

sucks. tips and good vibes appreciated.
Click to expand...

That fucking sucks dude. Most of this has been said already, but here are some unsolicited/semi-solicited tips-

LOOK INTO BEAR IMPLANT ACL SURGERY. This is a newer technique that is becoming super popular bc of the reduced recovery time and reinjury rates

rehab and PT like you’re an Olympic fucking athlete. Even if you/your fam have to pay out of pocket/out of network for a DPT/therapist that’s queued in to how to prepare/treat you like an athlete, do it. It’s worth it.

I’m assuming you’re pretty young, given that you don’t/didn't immediately know that you blew out multiple ligaments on a fall that gnarly until you got an MRI, so prioritize FULL RECOVERY over QUICK RECOVERY. You have plenty of seasons left. Don’t let them trim out 50% of your meniscus just to try and get an extra 2 months out of your next ski season. Better to suck for 2 months now, then have gnarly osteoarthritis in a few years.

Best of luck, find a new dope hobby to pass the time in the meantime.
 
14613822:Yukon_Cornelius said:
Don’t let them trim out 50% of your meniscus just to try and get an extra 2 months out of your next ski season. Better to suck for 2 months now, then have gnarly osteoarthritis in a few years.
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In my opinion this is the single best piece of advice in this thread. I re-tore my meniscus the season I returned to skiing and I've had arthritis since. If I had to do it again, I would have just taken the entire next season off and spent it getting jacked in the gym.
 
14613822:Yukon_Cornelius said:
That fucking sucks dude. Most of this has been said already, but here are some unsolicited/semi-solicited tips-

LOOK INTO BEAR IMPLANT ACL SURGERY. This is a newer technique that is becoming super popular bc of the reduced recovery time and reinjury rates

rehab and PT like you’re an Olympic fucking athlete. Even if you/your fam have to pay out of pocket/out of network for a DPT/therapist that’s queued in to how to prepare/treat you like an athlete, do it. It’s worth it.

I’m assuming you’re pretty young, given that you don’t/didn't immediately know that you blew out multiple ligaments on a fall that gnarly until you got an MRI, so prioritize FULL RECOVERY over QUICK RECOVERY. You have plenty of seasons left. Don’t let them trim out 50% of your meniscus just to try and get an extra 2 months out of your next ski season. Better to suck for 2 months now, then have gnarly osteoarthritis in a few years.

Best of luck, find a new dope hobby to pass the time in the meantime.
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Also my dumbass thought this was where you take the ACL off a grizzly bear and stick it on your knee, and thought that seemed a bit unfair to the bear
 
ACL MCL PCL Meniscus - got surgery and went D1 for lacrosse. Had a great career, ski now just as hard as I used to no issues.

Take PT seriously. Thats really it. You'll want surgery if you knocked out that much supporting material.

It sucks but its only 6-8 months.
 
Hi. Sorry to hear about ypur injury.

My skiing related advice are:

- know how to bail saving the knees: i was convincted my knees could held anything. I was often landing 450 or 810 and never was a problem ... then 2months ago I tried to save me from landing a bio 7 on my back (fear of head smacking) and should have just bailed since I hyperflexed my knee.

- know when you are tired: if you are you should not take any risks. When your muscles are tired there is a higher chance of damaging ligaments.

Regarding rehab,

I just got surgery 7 days ago with patellar tendon and hospital sent me home with a paper where there was written objectives for the first week: full extension and 90° flexion.

Of course I pushed it hard reaching almost 90 flexion the 5th day. Witch is useless for a patellar tendond aclr.

Now PT told me stop doing enything till the knee is not inflammed, hot and swollen.

My advice is, after surgery, trust your PT more than your surgeon unless you have surgery related problems.

I can say I am in the most painful days. Standing up from laid down / sit down is very very painful since makes all the liquid rush in my knee.

We'll be back! We just have to feel lucky to be able to be reconstructed.

And hell yeah, at least you didn't have a concussion! When you get post concussion syntoms youbstart asking yourself if you ever goin back to normal !!!

**This post was edited on Jun 7th 2024 at 4:31:59am
 
14614327:D*A said:
Hi. Sorry to hear about ypur injury.

My skiing related advice are:

- know how to bail saving the knees: i was convincted my knees could held anything. I was often landing 450 or 810 and never was a problem ... then 2months ago I tried to save me from landing a bio 7 on my back (fear of head smacking) and should have just bailed since I hyperflexed my knee.

- know when you are tired: if you are you should not take any risks. When your muscles are tired there is a higher chance of damaging ligaments.

Regarding rehab,

I just got surgery 7 days ago with patellar tendon and hospital sent me home with a paper where there was written objectives for the first week: full extension and 90° flexion.

Of course I pushed it hard reaching almost 90 flexion the 5th day. Witch is useless for a patellar tendond aclr.

Now PT told me stop doing enything till the knee is not inflammed, hot and swollen.

My advice is, after surgery, trust your PT more than your surgeon unless you have surgery related problems.

I can say I am in the most painful days. Standing up from laid down / sit down is very very painful since makes all the liquid rush in my knee.

We'll be back! We just have to feel lucky to be able to be reconstructed.

And hell yeah, at least you didn't have a concussion! When you get post concussion syntoms youbstart asking yourself if you ever goin back to normal !!!

**This post was edited on Jun 7th 2024 at 4:31:59am
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Safe recovery bro. Bio 7 on your IG looks super super clean
 
About a week post surgery for a complete ACL tear, everyone has said what's important. I spent about a month in the gym pre-surgery working with a physical therapist to build back up my strength and improve recovery, seems like you are a lot more immobile than I was... move as you and move with intent, push what works to discomfort but listen to your body, if something is painful probably shouldn't do it.

As for post-surgery, eat sleep, and live your pt, there isn't much else you can do, work with a good p. therapist and follow their knowledge over the surgeon.

On a mental note, take time to appreciate. Spend less time on your phone, get sunlight in the morning, and eat healthy. Having a clear and healthy mind will lead to a dedicated and healthy recovery. I heard B-Dog talk about writing his dreams on a whiteboard in his room so he can visualize and be reminded of his goals, definitely helps you keep your head in the game.

Good luck and fast recovery!
 
Great replies, thanks everybody.

It's been a shit 4 weeks non weight bearing but finally have been given the clearance to walk and bike again! My leg muscles atrophied a lot so I have a physio plan that will shift every 2 weeks as I get stronger. Surgery is scheduled for late summer or september.

Definitely fearing the dark days of winter when generally, the only fun thing thats been going on in my life is skiing. Sun setting at 4pm, stuck home alone, yiiiikes.

For now, enjoying what I can of summer and will be getting as strong as I can pre-surgery.

Good job to all of you who have been through it and made it out strong.
 
I tore my meniscus 1 and a half years ago, can still feel it in some positions.

Really recommend checking out Ilia Savosins workout routine, life changing shit.
 
I always suggest getting second/third opinions and researching all of your options. I feel like surgeons aren’t always up front about options because they want you to get surgery with them. I researched my options when I did the same thing to my knee skiing park. I was one of the first skiers to make a full recovery from the BEAR implant! I had a painless experience after being told I’d feel like I got hit by a train if I got ACLR. Keep working on that inner quad and remember you have control over this challenging experience depending on your mindset.
 
14614662:hollydayszn said:
I always suggest getting second/third opinions and researching all of your options. I feel like surgeons aren’t always up front about options because they want you to get surgery with them. I researched my options when I did the same thing to my knee skiing park. I was one of the first skiers to make a full recovery from the BEAR implant! I had a painless experience after being told I’d feel like I got hit by a train if I got ACLR. Keep working on that inner quad and remember you have control over this challenging experience depending on your mindset.
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OP this backs up my comment about looking into BEAR!
 
Forgot another advice. Get a stationary bike. Very useful.

14614597:VT_scratch said:
Great replies, thanks everybody.

It's been a shit 4 weeks non weight bearing but finally have been given the clearance to walk and bike again! My leg muscles atrophied a lot so I have a physio plan that will shift every 2 weeks as I get stronger. Surgery is scheduled for late summer or september.

Definitely fearing the dark days of winter when generally, the only fun thing thats been going on in my life is skiing. Sun setting at 4pm, stuck home alone, yiiiikes.

For now, enjoying what I can of summer and will be getting as strong as I can pre-surgery.

Good job to all of you who have been through it and made it out strong.
Click to expand...
 
topic:VT_scratch said:
Whatup NS. Got the MRI results and found I fully tore my ACL, tore my mensicus in 3 places, tore my LCL, and have an avulsion fracture of my tibial plateau. Overshot a jump at whistler a few weeks ago and overrotated a 3 and basically landed deep at 450 and blew up on landing.

Waiting to meet with the ortho doc again but I'm assuming I will need surgery and cannot take a rehab approach since its a full tear of the ACL and other ligaments are damaged as well.

Not the outcome I was hoping for. Anyone else gone through this shit? Did you get surgery? Any tips? Its about 3 weeks post injury but I still have to be non weight bearing for another few weeks due to the fracture. Working on bending and straightening my leg but the muscle is already getting smaller.

sucks. tips and good vibes appreciated.
Click to expand...

This is god trying to show you that it's time to start your professional Fortnite career
 
14614327:D*A said:
Hi. Sorry to hear about ypur injury.

My skiing related advice are:

- know how to bail saving the knees: i was convincted my knees could held anything. I was often landing 450 or 810 and never was a problem ... then 2months ago I tried to save me from landing a bio 7 on my back (fear of head smacking) and should have just bailed since I hyperflexed my knee.

- know when you are tired: if you are you should not take any risks. When your muscles are tired there is a higher chance of damaging ligaments.

Regarding rehab,

I just got surgery 7 days ago with patellar tendon and hospital sent me home with a paper where there was written objectives for the first week: full extension and 90° flexion.

Of course I pushed it hard reaching almost 90 flexion the 5th day. Witch is useless for a patellar tendond aclr.

Now PT told me stop doing enything till the knee is not inflammed, hot and swollen.

My advice is, after surgery, trust your PT more than your surgeon unless you have surgery related problems.

I can say I am in the most painful days. Standing up from laid down / sit down is very very painful since makes all the liquid rush in my knee.

We'll be back! We just have to feel lucky to be able to be reconstructed.

And hell yeah, at least you didn't have a concussion! When you get post concussion syntoms youbstart asking yourself if you ever goin back to normal !!!

**This post was edited on Jun 7th 2024 at 4:31:59am
Click to expand...

my PT and surgeon both told me to focus on extension, not flexion. Everyone gets their flexion back and it is harder to regain full extension. You have 3 months to get as much extension as you can before scare tissue settles in
 
14614755:Angioedema said:
my PT and surgeon both told me to focus on extension, not flexion. Everyone gets their flexion back and it is harder to regain full extension. You have 3 months to get as much extension as you can before scare tissue settles in
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yeah my doc said the same! My extension is getting pretty darn good but im having a hard time with flexion.
 
Update: getting ACL and meniscus surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck! Thanks for all the tips and advice in here.

i spent all summer doing my PT and being in the gym religiously (every other day for an hour) as well as riding a bike daily 20mins-60mins. Honestly proud of staying on it for the prehab and plan to stay consistent through the rehab as well. Not looking forward to the initial week of pain… but I’ll make it through.
 
14623802:VT_scratch said:
Update: getting ACL and meniscus surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck! Thanks for all the tips and advice in here.

i spent all summer doing my PT and being in the gym religiously (every other day for an hour) as well as riding a bike daily 20mins-60mins. Honestly proud of staying on it for the prehab and plan to stay consistent through the rehab as well. Not looking forward to the initial week of pain… but I’ll make it through.
Click to expand...

Good luck with surgery! Sounds like you're already ahead and have the right mindset as well. Keep us updated.
 
14623802:VT_scratch said:
Update: getting ACL and meniscus surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck! Thanks for all the tips and advice in here.

i spent all summer doing my PT and being in the gym religiously (every other day for an hour) as well as riding a bike daily 20mins-60mins. Honestly proud of staying on it for the prehab and plan to stay consistent through the rehab as well. Not looking forward to the initial week of pain… but I’ll make it through.
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sounds like youre more than prepared, I always say surgery is the easy part. you just go to sleep and when you wake up its over. first week or so will be the least fun but its manageable. Id say use the drugs they give you as little as possible if you can, I was not a fan
 
14623820:Dlonetti said:
sounds like youre more than prepared, I always say surgery is the easy part. you just go to sleep and when you wake up its over. first week or so will be the least fun but its manageable. Id say use the drugs they give you as little as possible if you can, I was not a fan
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yup totally right. was pretty nervous til I was chilling in the pre-op room. then gave the doc and nurses in the oepratoring room a quick thanks then they put me under... two hours later I woke up and it was done. day 2 post op now just chilling on the couch. avoided painkillers for a bit then caved. havent had one in 7 hours and am managing alright with just ibuprofen at the moment. nice its over with and can just trust in healing daily til I can start doing my actual flexion and rehab.
 
Praying for u man,

had my first serious knee injury this year, *MCL/meniscus*….

didn’t need surgery thank god but I was unable to walk for a week and am just now finally feeling close to 100% - 10 months later.

You definitely will feel hopeless at times and like it’s not gonna get better, but u just gotta take ur PT and diet seriously and you’ll be good as new
 
Also wanna support the “get a 2nd/3rd opinion” comments

first doc told me I needed surgery

second said it was likely I need it but possibly don’t need it

3rd said no surgery, and he was right

im glad I didn’t get cut open cuz my shit is feeling great now just by doing PT and following strict diet.

everyones situation is different but I’m super glad my doctor was able to make the right call. Would have hated to had a 10,000$ bill for something that could be fixed with pt and diet.
 
14624192:VT_scratch said:
yup totally right. was pretty nervous til I was chilling in the pre-op room. then gave the doc and nurses in the oepratoring room a quick thanks then they put me under... two hours later I woke up and it was done. day 2 post op now just chilling on the couch. avoided painkillers for a bit then caved. havent had one in 7 hours and am managing alright with just ibuprofen at the moment. nice its over with and can just trust in healing daily til I can start doing my actual flexion and rehab.
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hell yeah, good job gettin through surgery. i think i remember the first rehab thing i could do was leg lifts and flexing my quad. felt weird to have “relearn” to flex it but it comes back. it at least gave my brain something to do, i kept everything in a journal too which helped
 
14623802:VT_scratch said:
Update: getting ACL and meniscus surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck! Thanks for all the tips and advice in here.

i spent all summer doing my PT and being in the gym religiously (every other day for an hour) as well as riding a bike daily 20mins-60mins. Honestly proud of staying on it for the prehab and plan to stay consistent through the rehab as well. Not looking forward to the initial week of pain… but I’ll make it through.
Click to expand...

Not sure what they gave you, but I'd cut my pills in half after the first 2 days when I had surgery on my arms. Helped me get the quick boost of pain relief I needed to fall asleep/relax, but made it easier to wean off and didnt knock me out as much as a full pill. Maybe just placebo, but definitely made me feel better about taking the oxys
 
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