ACL

I tore my left ACL 6 years ago though I didn't know the extent of the injury, and kept skiing for three more seasons. When kickturns got little hard, i.e. lifting a ski up and rotating it, I decided to have it checked and then had an operation. Mine was grafting a peice from hamstring. Got back on my skis in 6 month, but it took two full seasons to feel normal again. I'm sure you can recover much quicker if you focus on pt and regular exercise better than I did. My knee now feels as good as before; my problem has been correcting funny habits I developed trying to protect the knee during those years.<br><br>Good luck.

I would encourage you to get the surgery if you are having problems that cannot be ameliorated. Such surgeries as ACL repair are done very well. When I left the ski business in the early 90's, 1-3 pro skiers (instructors and pro patrollers) each season at that ski area had ACL repair after an injury. Sometimes the repaired knee was actually tighter after surgery and recovery than the uninjured knee!

It is very possible to live an active life without an ACL as I have, but I would get the surgery if I had any problems. I did meet a man in his 50's who had injured his knee earlier in his life, had it repaired, and was worse off.

My ACL was completely torn in 1976 as a result of crashing an open class motocross motorcycle at high speed. The treatment that I received at that time was a week in a knee brace. I did not realize for many years that I had a complete ACL tear. Twice since the injury, I have had problems with pain/ inflammation and successfully rehabilitated the knee with strengthening and stretching. In the early 80's a trip to the Ortho surgeon resulted in my discovery that I had no ACL, it was an old injury, and there was no reason to repair it. Since 1976, I have lived with the injury and rehabilitated it to the point that now I have no problems. I ski 80+ days per year and now work on my feet in healthcare. I skied tele a lot from 1976 until 1991 and then mostly randonnee. I actually had more trouble in the past getting proper alignment for alpine skiing than for telemarking. To support my skiing addiction in the past, I spent 7 years as a logger, two seasons as a Hotshot Wildland Firefighter, and also worked 12 seasons fulltime as a professional ski patroller at a Class A avy area- all of this without an ACL. I also did a tour as a Paratrooper in the 82nd Abn without an ACL- jumpin' and humpin' 90 lb. rucks.

I  am thankful now that I have no need for a brace and no indication of arthritis or need for surgery. We shall see in the future. Of interest, when my knee muscles are relaxed and knee positioned correctly, it is possible to painlessly subluxate the joint- I learned this trick in my medical training for ortho evaluations. So, basically, the muscle development of my leg compensates for the ligament. Ortho guys have marvelled at how tight my ACL-less knee is when not relaxed. Interestingly, I am clearly on the large side for the sports that I do as a result of years of manual labor combined with genetics, but my knee hangs in there.

There you go, my story.  Life without an ACL.

Fascinating Rando, glad you're doing so well without the ACL.<br><br>Don't know what you should do, but good luck Jason.

Another individual whose managed to be highly active for a long period without an ACL is Tri-Ungulate on TTips. He's also an MD. He discusses his injury and alludes to considering getting the surgery (18-20 years after living w/o an ACL) here:<br> www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php...storder=asc&start=15

And on the parallel universe of TGR, there is a forum called "Gimp Central" which has a number of interesting first-hand accounts of ACL injuries and rehabilitation. I've found this forum one of the most interesting on TGR. I'd encourage you to read it Jason:
www.tetongravity.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16

Good luck!

6 years ago at the age of 48, I blewout my left ACL while skiing. There was also some damage to the meniscus. I decided to have the ACL replaced with a piece of my padella tendon. The operation was done first part of April and with lots of PT, I was able to start to hike, backpack and climb in August (easy stuff). My doctor wanted me to wait until January to resume skiing but I couldn't hold out past Thanksgiving. The first winter I wore a brace which was not to restrictive. By spring the brace was gone and I was back nearly 100%. The knee is a little less flexible than the other but hasn't given me any trouble.<br><br>As some others have stated, the physical therapy is very important to how quickly you recover and how complete. A good surgeon who understands what your goals is also important. The first doctor that I visited suggested that I adjust my life style, the doctor got adjusted! <br><br>It is an individual decision. I didn't what to have to replace the knee later and wanted to ski into my 70's or so. So far it has been a good choice for me.<br><br>Good luck!

If you're looking for a recommendation on physicians, Dr. Roger Larson at UWMC Sport Medicine is regarded as one of the best. I've known numerous people (including my ex-wife) who have been treated by him. The whole Sports Medicine staff are really in tune with getting people back to the sports/life style they enjoy. Good Luck.