Who here has busted their ACL?

I know everyone is different when it comes to repair and recovery, but I'm looking for thoughts post-surgery with your experience.

I tore my left ACL recently. I'm going to have it fixed. My options: patella tendon, hamstring or a cadaver.

I tore my right ACL 17 years ago and it was replaced with a patella tendon. Of course, I've experienced the annoying side affect of knee sensitivity to kneeling and feeling swollen. It's gotten better over time, but I don't really want to deal with the same thing in my left knee.

One day I think cadaver patella tendon, the next day I think hamstring. I've been talking to surgeons, outdoors folks, physical therapists, and reading sports medicine journals. Everyone has a different opinion.

My activities are primarily mountain rescue, backcountry skiing, backpacking and trail and road running.

Thoughts? Did you use hamstring or cadaver? How do you feel about the strength in your leg post-surgery? How was it getting back to your activity level?

Thanks!

right knee
tore it 16 years ago. used patellar tendon. 3 months back to "normal" 5 months back to real normal.
now tore right knee again. Had it replaced in early september with cadaver. Now at 3 months....

One thing different. I am 16 years older! 3 months and almost back to "normal" but I am more hesitant, and I believe more cautious and more protective.

I will have to say the cadaver is way better than the patellar tendon...way less invasive.

Done all 3. R-ACL 1988 Hammy, L-ACL-1995 Hammy; L-ACL-2007 Cadaver; L-ACL 2008 Patella.

By far, the cadaver graft was the least painful, no pain pills or crutches after ~day3, the one I did the most focused and extensive rehab for, the one my leg felt it's strongest with, and I received a clean slate to return to full activities at 6 months.

It's also the only one I had fail in less than a year (at 8 mos post op, ~day 20 skiing, again) and the one that really may take a full 9-12 months- depending on how well your body responds- for the scaffold graft to recover and be back to normal. A quality autograft either patella, or hammy, has a timeline more on the 6-9 months to full return.

In hindsight, I wish I had either gone with the patella graft to begin with or had the patience to not ski for a season. Up until the allograft failure I had never damaged the meniscus, and I really miss that padding.

I had my right ACL replaced using the patellar. I kept a blog of the progress along the way for others who may want to compare. One thing I learned along the way is the recovery procedures followed by doctors are night and day different from one to the other. Some want you in braces, others no braces. Some want you walking shortly after and others not for weeks. I've had friends who used hamstring and they seem to have suffered much more pain then I did, which is why I am very glad to have gone with the patellar. I've heard cadaver is a faster recovery, but I've also heard they may not be as strong, or could stretch? Just rumors I've heard since I have not had one first hand.

jacksacl.blogspot.com/
(it reads bottom up)

Good luck with whatever you choose. I had mine done in Issaquah at the Proliance center.

I've had two of the three. 1989 left knee patellar. 1996 right knee cadaver.

The patellar definitely had more pain immediately following surgery. The thing that annoyed me most was sensitivity while kneeling. After a year the knee was totally back to normal and stronger than ever.

The cadaver knee (aka my evil knee) didn't result in any kneeling pain. That said, I'm not sure it recovered any faster. Also, I didn't get nearly as cool of a scar from the procedure. Strength wise it was also back to normal after a year.

I'll probably get crap for this, but after I blew out the second knee I switched from skiing to snowboarding to reduce the stress on my knees. I joked that I was going to snowboard until I destroyed both shoulders or wrists from snowboarding. I wrecked my right shoulder (3rd degree separation) in 2008. Haven't gotten that fixed yet (shoulders are still an unsolved problem to some extent).

When I finally destroy my left wrist or shoulder I'll switch back to skiing I suppose.

I was told by my surgeon that the cadaver replacement would heal back stronger than the original ligament if all goes well as the replacement that grows over the lattice is slightly thicker than the original. I got the surgery in the summer and can't recall if I skied that winter but if I did it would have been with my pre-surgery brace. The winter after that (1.5 years out) learning to actually trust my knee sans-brace was the hardest part (I'd worn that thing for 7 years).

Over a decade later of hairball skiing and my ACL is rock-solid, both subjectively (I trust it) and objectively (professional wiggle test).

I wouldn't even consider the hammy, it's falling out of fashion. A family member was weakened and in pain for way longer than necessary in the modern era with that procedure. No matter what you chose, play it safe and wear a brace (a real one like football players use, get insurance to pay for it) the first winter out to give your support muscles and new ligament a chance to "set". Your body grows a new ligament in something like 3 weeks, but other rehabilitation processes (including mental) take longer.

Got a doc?