r/kneesurgeryrecovery

Tore my ACL on Wednesday in a tennis match. I’m a 50 year old woman. I’m an avid tennis player and this has always been my biggest fear. The first few days were filled with tears because tennis and physical activity are such a huge part of my life.

So talk to me about a couple things. First, bracing post surgery. Went to a surgeon initially who i liked a lot and he’s been great. Answering all of my questions and kind. He does locked brace for 6-8 days and then unlocked for 4-5 weeks (not sure yet if i tore meniscus based on mri - that would put me in the brace for the extra week). I’m having a second opinion Tuesday with a renowned surgeon who does a professional sports team. A few friends have used him and love him too. He does locked brace for 5 days and then you don’t wear a brace at all during recovery. I guess I’ll find out more about his reasoning when i meet with him. Both surgeons have amazing reputations.

Next, the mental part for someone who is used to moving nonstop, being part of many tennis teams and also going to the gym. Right now I’m really upset. I totally know this isn’t life or death but looking down the road so far and imagining how long it’ll be until I’m on a tennis court puts a dark cloud over my head that i can’t seem to lift. How did you handle it mentally? I have heard from friends who had this injury that oddly it was a gift and they focused on physical fitness as soon as they could and came back stronger and more grateful. I hope i can say that that’s me down the road but right now i have to focus on getting through all the tough parts that lay ahead.

Any advice on any and all would be great appreciated

27f with bilateral patellar dislocations since age of 10. Over 30 in total. Less frequently as I’ve gotten older but still at least once a year. Last 3 have been the most excruciating and don’t go back in easily. They tend to happen with random movement, like planting my foot and turning around. I don’t live in pain daily but it takes about 6 weeks after each dislocation to feel normal. I also have the fear in the back of my mind it can happen at any time. I’m a pretty active person whose job is quite physical. I was told I have signs of early cartilage damage and if I do nothing about it I will likely end up with arthritis by 40. Was recommended I undergo an MPFL Reconstruction. Wondering if anyone has gone through this and what their thoughts are. Appreciate any advice you can give. Thank you!

Hi guys! Getting an mpfl reconstruction and wondering if it's feasible to crutch over to classes during my recovery :0] Thanks

My knee will not bend more than 85 degrees even after therapy, knee machine, pills, and a manipulation under sedation. Anyone else have this stiff muscle problem? If so, could they find any solution?

Hello everyone
I am currently a student athletes at Iowa state who plays or played ultimate frisbee. For those who are unfamiliar with the sport I'd say it's like a combination of soccer and American football but played with a frisbee(it's awesome and I love it). Unfortunately on March 12th during a practiced I went down with a pretty serious knee injury. Mri results below:
Full-thickness tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.
 
Large bucket-handle tear of the medial meniscus.
 
Grade 1 sprains of the medial and lateral collateral ligaments.
 
Acute bone contusions within the lateral compartment secondary to a pivot-shift mechanism, with contrecoup bone contusion of the medial tibial plateau.
 
Large joint effusion

I've done what I can thus far to have my knee as healthy as possible before surgery( not scheduled yet but hoping to have done at the end of may). In hopes to have some return to my sport my senior year of college.

I'm seeking any and all advice regard recovery pre and post op. I am incredibly passionate about this sport and not ready to quit by any means, so any tid bits of information would be helpful. Thanks ❤️