 Poster: A snowHead
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Mrs T ruptured her ACL in a low speed fall getting off a lift this year as well as some cartilage damage. she has been told that ACL repair involves months of rehab and being "out of action" for weeks. with a holiday let business to run and 3 kids on the school and stables run she feels it best to leave it.
Does anyone actually ski with an unrepaired ACL?, I suspect that she is not that bothered about not going skiing again, preferring summer sun holidays. It is gcse year for our older two this year but neither are that bothered about skiing anyway, our 7 year old daughter loves skiing but Mrs T is not happy for me to take her away on my own 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I used to ski with an unrepaired ACL and would have said you can leave it if your muscles are developed enough to compensate. I skied quite happily though would swell up by end if day. However day to day problems developed like collapsing on a normal step down or limping up stairs so in order to prevent further cartilage damage I had it done. Rehab really isn't that bad though obviously driving is out for a while so I would say do it and work out a way to cover it as a family. Better than being on a frame when its time to chase the grandkids around.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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tangowaggon, sorry to hear this but it's her knee and 'she feels it best to leave it and is not bothered about going skiing again'
I offer my commiserations When my hubby had a bad knee I made him get a Ski Mojo. Could be worth a try.
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Skiing with an unrepaired ACL is probably OK for a committed and highly motivated skier prepared both to do the work to keep muscles strong and accept the risk of further injury. But trying to persuade somebody who really isn't very keen to do so might not be advisable - it would all be your fault if it ended in tears. sorry you're losing your skiing companions. Perhaps you could find another Dad to go away with youngsters, so that your 7 year old is not deprived - I can entirely sympathise with your wife if she'd prefer not to bother skiing but it seems unreasonable for her to object to your taking the little one away.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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A friend of mine ruptured his ACL and tried carrying on without the repair using braces (both skiing an playing hockey). He ended up causing quite a bit of other damage and his advice to me when I did mine was get it repaired!
I did but then March before last I unknowingly damaged the repair (nearly 10yrs after having it done) while playin hockey. I was told it was probably an MCL injury as it passed the Lachman test however after rehabbing and returning to hockey (only doing some sprinting exercises it collapsed and badly tore my meniscus cartelage leaving me with a locked knee and non-weight bearing. When they operated they found that I only had half my original ACL repair left and that was why my knee was unstable. I have had to give up hockey, I can ski with a brace but am conscious that it isn't stable and that I need to keep my muscles strong.
Only she knows how stable her knee is but before the oriibal repair I could feel my knee doing a figure of 8 every step I took while walking it was a no brainer to get the repair. There are people who their knee is more stable without their ACL and run marathons BUT that is a straight line running not the stop start turn or hockey and not skiing.
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tangowaggon, genepi skied without an ACL for a few years but she had hers repaired this year . Suggest you search under her name. Knees are funny things, it's not just about skiing. I suggest she speaks to her consultant about a general prognosis
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Have skied for25 years without ACL but have used a don joy for the last 10. If you leave it you will need a new knee eventually, I hope to get to 60 before I need it done. The skiing builds the muscles and helps for the summer Munro walking and golf. It will collapse some times and will need 6/7 weeks to get back
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Personally, I would recommend getting it repaired. Hearing about "months of rehab" really does psyche you up for a mammoth process of pain and inconvenience but the reality is that, these days, your leg can feel 'normal' pretty quickly… in fact that's the frustrating thing because certain favourites sports for some (e.g. skiing, hockey, tennis) are off limits for 6 months post op, but you can feel like your leg is ready much earlier than that.
I can completely understand why your wife thinks best to leave it, but if it is the inconvenience of being "out of action" then I would suggest she talks to someone who's had the op within the last few years (because it seems to me that those who've had it done recently seem to have much better outcomes than those who had it done in the past) about how quickly post-op they were able to do the things she needs to do (e.g. drive). I timed my op to happen when our chalet was closed at the end of the ski season. I was able to work in our chalet (going up and down stairs and standing all day/evening) 5/6 weeks later with minimal issues, even though fun stuff like hiking in the mountains was forbidden for another 5 months. If she could time it round the least busy period for the holiday letting business perhaps, and you guys could pay someone a bit of cash to help out with the school/stables run etc., then it might be worth reconsidering (although it is of course her knee and her choice!) As pointed out already - it's not just about skiing, and each future collapse can take 6/7 weeks to recover anyway… which to me would suggest you might as well have the op and prepare in advance for that 6 weeks rather than have an unexpected collapse and recovery to deal with.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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miranda, a link to your rehab thread might be be encouraging
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It's a long, old thread involving lots of chit chat and ramblings but it includes the rehab diaries of a few of us snowHeads if you can be bothered to trawl through it: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=88075
This what I had to say exactly one month after the op:
| miranda wrote: |
We had a group of 56 in which meant a) I didn't do physio or exercises and b) I was standing and walking around for hours on end, preparing lunches and dinners and serving in the bar until well into the early hours of the morning. I also couldn't resist joining in with a little bit of late night dancing either!
Good news is that my knee seems to have survived ok after what was quite a test for it just one month after the op - felt a bit heavy yesterday but physio said there were no issues and it was a little warm but not swollen. Iced it last night and it's not warm or heavy at all today. |
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I skied for several yrs without getting my ACL repaired but then took the plunge and had a reconstruction (getting older, still had to be physically fit for work, could foresee the knee getting worse in time etc). The re-hab was very tough - but I put that down to the fact that I had never been advised to build the muscles up before the operation to make rehab much easier. So, best advice is build the muscles up beforehand to help recovery after. I have 3 pins holding my knee together but gym work has made it stable enough for my level of skiing - just the odd twinge in the freezing weather when the pins seize up!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Thanks guys, I think getting back on skis is not Mrs T's priority, I suspect that she would be happy to never go skiing again, which is sad as our last family ski holiday was one of the most enjoyable where we met up in Soldeu with our friends and their two kids and another couple with 5! kids with them, our 6 yr old had a ball!!!, between the other kids in our group and her "gang" from ski school. It was actually more enjoyable that my previous week on the offpiste course with UCPA Val dIsere.
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Friend has had two ACL repairs. She was out of action for far longer with the original injury than she was with the repair.
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You know it makes sense.
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| tangowaggon wrote: |
| Thanks guys, I think getting back on skis is not Mrs T's priority, I suspect that she would be happy to never go skiing again, which is sad as our last family ski holiday was one of the most enjoyable where we met up in Soldeu with our friends and their two kids and another couple with 5! kids with them, our 6 yr old had a ball!!!, between the other kids in our group and her "gang" from ski school. It was actually more enjoyable that my previous week on the offpiste course with UCPA Val dIsere. |
The danger though is the damage she could end up causing in other every day activities, as it sounds like she is reasonably active?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Friend also got a set of temporary hand controls for her car so that she could still drive without stressing her knee.
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Poster: A snowHead
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My son had his repaired 3 weeks ago. Was very laid up until a few days ago. Spent first week on couch with leg elevated. 2nd week went back to school for a few hours each day. By end of this week he is walking around the house without any crutch. He is starting extensive physio next week. I wish your wife all the best.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| damobloke1 wrote: |
| The re-hab was very tough - but I put that down to the fact that I had never been advised to build the muscles up before the operation to make rehab much easier. So, best advice is build the muscles up beforehand to help recovery after. |
This, I was not told just how much my leg muscles would collapse post-op.
On other things they don't tell you... my repaired knee is brilliant now but the other one is seriously suffering, I suspect from all the compensating it did while the injured one was recovering. Even now the habit is still to put more weight on it when bending down.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Sun 26-10-14 12:59; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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NickyJ, Agreed. I lived with my ruptured ACL for way too long before getting it sorted out. It was the everyday activities,tangowaggon, that were becoming the problem, as it was becoming progressively more unstable. Regarding rehab, I was told crutches for 3 weeks & no driving for 4. In reality, I was off crutches after 2 weeks, but didn't drive for 4. Yes, there was a fair amount of sitting about with leg elevated & ice, but it was absolutely worth it & I haven't regretted having the surgery for a moment. Family & freinds were amazingly helpful with dogs etc. Now 6 months on, I don't even think about my knee - it just works & is pain free. Exciting life events have slightly got in the way of my active exercise programme at the moment (hope JB isn't reading this  ) but I will be skiing again in January. That is good, but it is the everyday things that I am able to do now that I value the most.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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As above - It isn't really about your desire to get her skiing again but long term active knee health. You might have to accept you!ve got a non skiing partner regardless.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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+1
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Friend has had two ACL repairs. She was out of action for far longer with the original injury than she was with the repair.
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The odd thing is that Mrs T got up after the fall, refused the bloodwaggon and skied down the mountain, she had a day off then came up skiing for the last day, it was a bit of a surprise that she had torn the ligament completely, guess she's tough!.
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@tangowaggon, to be honest I didn't have any pain when I fully ruptured my ACL - I was more concerned about other body parts that were bumped and bruised, as it wasn't a slow fall but my bindings were far too tight and didn't release. I was able to stand up and walk around and thought I was fine, but when my knee felt a little wobbly when I tried to clip back into my bindings I had a strong suspicion of what the problem might be and sent OH off to get the bloodwaggon as I was concerned about skiing around on it and causing further damage as I knew of quite a few people who'd done that. I've also been skiing with people when they've partially torn a knee ligament and they've been in absolute agony - I'm no anatomist but it seems to me that it's been much worse than a full, clean rupture of the ACL.
As I had no pain and felt fine after a while, I really started to um and ah about having the op done, not least because I was reading stuff on here from snowHeads who were happily skiing around without an ACL. However, my doctor (I live in a ski resort so he sees these injuries all the time) and then the surgeon I met both said it was a bit of a 'no-brainer' that I should get it repaired asap for the sake of longterm knee health (i.e. avoiding damage to cartilage, osteoarthritis, eventually needing a knee replacement) even though I was feeling fine at the time… and actually both the snowHeads who I was thinking of who were skiing around without an ACL have commented on this thread to say they have subsequently had new ligaments put in.
My doctor's instructions were 20 sessions of physio over 3 months to get the muscles into the strongest position they could be before I had the op. This actually worked out well for me because I wanted to wait until the end of the ski season simply for convenience but, in any case, I'm really glad I followed this advice as it definitely sped up the post-op recovery and I was walking around without crutches and being able to flex my knee within a couple of days.
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I would agree with Miranda and get it done, I was 56 when mine was done and yes you do have to work hard at the pre and post op physio but it's worth it. It is not only skiing but other activities walking and cycling in my case that are affected.
As I understand it, it is the anaesthetic that affects the question of driving (4 weeks in my case) but borrowing an automatic car definitely helped (left leg repair for me).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I would agree with Miranda and get it done, I was 56 when mine was done and yes you do have to work hard at the pre and post op physio but it's worth it. It is not only skiing but other activities walking and cycling in my case that are affected.
As I understand it, it is the anaesthetic that affects the question of driving (4 weeks in my case) but borrowing an automatic car definitely helped (left leg repair for me).
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I bust my ACL about 5 years ago, my surgeon at the time did an exploratory arthroscopy under epidural so he was able to discuss it with me during the procedure. He said the knee was quite stable even without the ACL and recommended I leave it and see what happens. Since, it has never once let me down and I ski every year, I am naturally a cautious skier anyway thought. In fact I only remembered about it on seeing the thread.
I guess my point is there are many possible outcomes with torn ACL and much of it is down to personal anatomy and old fashioned luck. Much like the rest of life.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've now been happily skiing 3 trips a year on my un-reconstructed ACL since it went pop in 2007. I was scheduled for surgery but my fabulous surgeon took a wait and see approach and as I have very good stability and have had no issues we decided not to operate. However, if it were to start causing me problems I would have the reconstruction. Like @Mick8417, I am not an aggressive skier so I suspect that makes a difference. But I do sail, hike and cycle with no issues.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| tangowaggon wrote: |
Mrs T ruptured her ACL in a low speed fall getting off a lift this year as well as some cartilage damage. she has been told that ACL repair involves months of rehab and being "out of action" for weeks. with a holiday let business to run and 3 kids on the school and stables run she feels it best to leave it.
Does anyone actually ski with an unrepaired ACL?, I suspect that she is not that bothered about not going skiing again, preferring summer sun holidays. It is gcse year for our older two this year but neither are that bothered about skiing anyway, our 7 year old daughter loves skiing but Mrs T is not happy for me to take her away on my own |
It depends on a number of factors.
Was anything else injured or is the knee otherwise healthy?
What sports does she play and do they involve change of direction?
What level does she participate at?
Has the knee exhibited any signs of instability ( giving way ) since the injury?
Is she up to the rehab?
How much is she prepared to compromise her activities to avoid surgery?
Would a brace work for her every time she plays sports?
Approx. 10% of people with and ACL rupture seem to have no problems at all. 15% experience giving way on day to day activities from the same injury. Of the remainder approx half of them will manage by adaptation( ie give up some sports)
In summary. The decision has to be tailored to your wife. She needs to discuss it with someone who will give her a balanced view of all the options.
It is perfectly acceptable to try a non operative program but she must be sure that at the end of it she is pushing her knee to the maximum level of activities that she wants to do. If she is stable then she could avoid surgery.
Bear in mind that if the knee is otherwise in excellent condition there are now quite a few studies that suggest you might be able to massively reduce the risk of further deterioration in the knee especially that realting to osteoarthritis with a good reconstruction.
Hope that helps.
Jonathan Bell
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