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About a week ago, I was playing basketball and landed awkwardly trying to block a shot. My knee instantly swelled up and I was pretty much unable to walk for a few days after that. Well, after seeing a doctor and getting an MRI, I was told that I have a full ACL tear and small tears in both the lateral and medial menisci. An ACL replacment and meniscus trim / repairs were recommended.
However, the odd thing here is that being a little over a week removed from the injury, I almost feel back to normal. There is only slight pain and all of swelling has gone down with full range of motion. So my main questions are:
1) The doctor has recommended that I come in as soon as possible for the surgery. Is this necessary though if I'm able to function? Reason I ask, is because ideally I'd like to postpone until after the summer.
2) I have a basketball tournament in August that I normally play in. If I were to get the surgery now (or within the next few weeks), is it at all reasonable to expect to be able to play in the tournament if all of the planets align with my recovery?
3) About 6 years ago I had what in my opinion was a much worse injury playing basketball where Ianded from a jump with my leg completely straight. I was hobbled for weeks, but eventually the swlling went down and I resumed normal life / playing ball. However, my knee was never really the same and would buckle from time to time. That being the case, is it at all possible that I actually tore my ACL back then and the residual effect is what I experienced recently?
And just for some background info, I am a 31 y/o male with a very active lifestyle. The doctor actually recommended the allograft due to that alone...
My 17 yr. old son suffered a similiar injury in November playing basketball. Due to insurance reasons, we had to put off his surgery until after the 1st of the year. He also felt great after a couple weeks (swelling went down, he could bend his knee without pain, etc...)...HOWEVER, his knee was unstable. If an MRI has shown torn ligaments, you have to understand that there isn't much holding your knee in the proper alignment. The risk of further injury is very high under those conditions. Wear the brace your ortho. surgeon gives you and follow his instructions.
And, no...you won't be playing basketball in August. Six months (give or take a few weeks) is the outlook for resuming basketball.
About a week ago, I was playing basketball and landed awkwardly trying to block a shot. My knee instantly swelled up and I was pretty much unable to walk for a few days after that. Well, after seeing a doctor and getting an MRI, I was told that I have a full ACL tear and small tears in both the lateral and medial menisci. An ACL replacment and meniscus trim / repairs were recommended.
However, the odd thing here is that being a little over a week removed from the injury, I almost feel back to normal. There is only slight pain and all of swelling has gone down with full range of motion. So my main questions are:
1) The doctor has recommended that I come in as soon as possible for the surgery. Is this necessary though if I'm able to function? Reason I ask, is because ideally I'd like to postpone until after the summer.
2) I have a basketball tournament in August that I normally play in. If I were to get the surgery now (or within the next few weeks), is it at all reasonable to expect to be able to play in the tournament if all of the planets align with my recovery?
3) About 6 years ago I had what in my opinion was a much worse injury playing basketball where Ianded from a jump with my leg completely straight. I was hobbled for weeks, but eventually the swlling went down and I resumed normal life / playing ball. However, my knee was never really the same and would buckle from time to time. That being the case, is it at all possible that I actually tore my ACL back then and the residual effect is what I experienced recently?
And just for some background info, I am a 31 y/o male with a very active lifestyle. The doctor actually recommended the allograft due to that alone...
Any help / advice is MUCH appreciated!
Many years ago, while playing soccer, I tore the ACL on my right knee.
Same scenario as yours with the swollen knee, ankle and a lot of pain and discomfort. The Dr recommended surgery and therapy afterwards. He also mentioned that I could live with the injury but would have to put up with the discomfort and pretty much to forget about playing sports at a competitive level. If I was in your shoes,...and I'm not saying/telling you what to do.... I would go ahead and take care of that injury (surgery), and as someone stated before, be aware that your knee is not too stable since not much is holding it.
PS: It took me about 3 to 4 months to feel somewhat "normal" after my knee surgery...after therapy (weights) and a lot of rest.
Not everyone who tears their ACL requires surgery, but most do.
The ACL stabilizes the knee and once the swelling decreases it is common to not have much pain and regain full range of motion. The question is how stable your knee will be without the ACL because if you have recurrent instability/buckling you can do even more harm to the joint over time.
There are some high level athletes who returned to their sports without surgery. John Elway and Thurman Thomas continued to play in the NFL without undergoing ACL repair after tearing their ligaments.
That being said, most folks don't have the stability to go back to active lifestyles like yours without surgery. If the knee is stable walking you could likely postpone surgery several months, won't change what needs to be done.
As others have pointed out, if you have surgery tomorrow you still won't be ready to play in a basketball in August, 6 months minimum and most people take a year to get back to full activity.
Unlikely you tore the ACL previously, ACL tears typically cause a great deal of swelling like you experienced this time. Also on MRI it's usually possible to distinguish an old vs new tear by the bone bruising and edema around the stump of the ACL that typically occurs acutely.
Many years ago, while playing soccer, I tore the ACL on my right knee.
Same scenario as yours with the swollen knee, ankle and a lot of pain and discomfort. The Dr recommended surgery and therapy afterwards. He also mentioned that I could live with the injury but would have to put up with the discomfort and pretty much to forget about playing sports at a competitive level. If I was in your shoes,...and I'm not saying/telling you what to do.... I would go ahead and take care of that injury (surgery), and as someone stated before, be aware that your knee is not too stable since not much is holding it.
PS: It took me about 3 to 4 months to feel somewhat "normal" after my knee surgery...after therapy (weights) and a lot of rest.
Forgot to clarify or rather expand my statement is that it took me 3 to 4 months of therapy and rest to start walking normal without the aid of crutches or a walking cane and not a feeling of discomfort.
But to resume playing sports at the level I was doing back then, it took me longer...fear of reinjuring was the main factor.
Also, my injury happened in the early 90's (92 - 93?) and the treatment of sports related injuries have come a long way since then.
Thank you all for the advice so far. It seems the general consensus, both here and with those that I've spoken with personally, is to get the surgery done sooner rather than later (which isn't a surprise I suppose). Just another tidbit of info, on my most recent visit with the doctor, I asked if it was possible that the ACL had been either been torn or partially torn prior to this injury, and he stated that there were some "possible signs" of that, yes.
Thank you all for the advice so far. It seems the general consensus, both here and with those that I've spoken with personally, is to get the surgery done sooner rather than later (which isn't a surprise I suppose). Just another tidbit of info, on my most recent visit with the doctor, I asked if it was possible that the ACL had been either been torn or partially torn prior to this injury, and he stated that there were some "possible signs" of that, yes.
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