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Ruptured ACL 18.1.23 - Rehab

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Totally ridiculous. Herding the Niece & nephew and chums (ages 9-11) just off piste, nothing serious, went over a tiny bump and felt my knee fall apart. Crawled to piste. Scootered off.

Provisonal diag (Lachmann test) pending MRI Tuesday of "ruptured" (which I am told means "torn" in French) ACL.

So that's this season done, merde alors. And what a rubbish season it's been, other than two excellent powder days and a lovely day in Courmayeur.

So far, Doc suggested preferred route is pretty intensive physio and return to activity with brace. Surgery apparently not the preferred option at my age, etc.

Thoughts, advice, considerations? Sitting here in a humungous brace looking out at a bluebird powder day Sad


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 28-01-23 11:42; edited 2 times in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@under a new name, oh no, what absolutely lousy luck! Sad No advice whatsoever to offer, but loads of sympathy.
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with such a poor season, at least January gives 11 months or so to get fit for next season. Could have done it in late april & miss the start of 2024!
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@under a new name, that's a bunch of @rse. I feel your pain. Best wishes for a speedy and effective recovery.
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PS You're going to confuse the non-francophones mightily with your thread title. Laughing
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@Hurtle, I was confused.... Smile
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@Hurtle, titter, not at all deliberate. Although my mother once spent a month putting minced raw turnip on her knee for "TB of the knee", "Aye, that'll be TB o' the knee, raw minced neeps is what ye'll be needin' on that" (- I am not at all convinced that "TB of the knee" actually exists.)

Thanks all, @Gored, yep, very definitely a good point and in the meantime I can get my other hand's Dupuytren's nodule removed and the strange lump on my foot properly examined without otherwise interfering with any sports and games.

Other silver lining being that I wasn't really fully ski fit following the open heart surgery* in September so at least I have 11 months to get totally fit for next season.

Thanks all for sympathy, feeling a little disgruntled if truth be told.

* Am now very sympathetic towards the ship of Theseus.
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Sorry to hear that, l did my ACL number of years back now but mine was ruptured I was 32 back then and opted for the op but they said it was 50 50 because of my age ! That was back in 1994 though had it done in France and came back to the UK for Physio took a while to get back on the skis but all been good since.
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@under a new name, ouch. I hope you recover quickly.

I have to say, I'm much more terrified of innocuous low speed twists and bumps much more than stuff at higher speed where there's more chance of my skis coming off. It terrifies me when we're just bimbling along and Jnr (he's 21 now and a bit big) skis up behind me to come in for a cuddle/bear hug. I'm just waiting for a crossed ski and then we end up in a heap of twisted limbs.
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@under a new name, bloody hell, you have been in the wars! A nice, steady getting back into fitness, and hopefully a beautiful summer to go along with that, sounds like just what you need. And it may be heresy to say so on here, but I think Chamonix is nicer in the summer than in the winter.
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Oh no. You know it’s going to be a great season now don’t you?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
sbooker wrote:
Oh no. You know it’s going to be a great season now don’t you?


Someone has to make a sacrifice to the snow gods.
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@davidof, yes, well, given the number of bodies decaying in my basement I didn't think my knee was necessary too!! Twisted Evil

@sbooker, Just. Don't.

@Hurtle, TBH, I think you are spot on, and I think it's actually nicer in summer too. Just annoying that the scheduled golf and the taking up of the tennis is put back somewhat.

@Pirate42, yeah, I'm not entirely sure that at 56 I'm considered too old for the op or young enough to get away with it. Anyway, as one might expect, I know lots of folks happily skiing around with a screwed knee, so I am (at this point) reasonably confident that I'll be back on snow come November*

*Optimist
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@under a new name, that sucks Sad

General procedure for surgery seems to be either do it asap after the injury or leave it for some months, do lots of physio and then have surgery. I’d find a good physio, do the work and see where you are later in the year. I got mine reconstructed (age 31 at the time I think) but I remember skiing with some older geezers wink who did a lot of demanding skiing with no ACL but a good brace. The surgery and rehab isn’t a lot of fun so if the experts say you don’t need it, I’d be inclined to at least give their advice a try. If it’s really not working for you, you can get the reconstruction done later on I’d think.
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i think a torn ligamen is not a complete ruptured ligament? or am i wrong?
Best wishes for a speedy and effective recovery.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@under a new name, "ruptured" or "torn". Both very imprecise terms, and annoyingly so. Until the MRI you just won't know, but...

If it's completely severed I'd really try as hard as poss to get it replaced.

If it's not completely severed and there's not a lot of collateral damage then with decent physio and exercise the season may not be completely written off yet.
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@under a new name, sorry to hear. I did my 2nd one in March a few years back. A week later I was still able to ski (with brace) so I skied (pretty hard) until the end of the season and then got the op. Obviously take your doctors advice but I’m not sure your season is over
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^^^ my comments assumed it was fully ruptured.
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@under a new name, Share your pain, I have a problem with my left knee atm and am doing intense physio (bone on bone, need to regenerate fluid between the joint i'm told). Skied on it for 3 days of 6 over Christmas, was great skiing, no issues but as soon as I tried to walk was in so much pain. No ruptures etc so my only advice is do the exercises and hopefully it will improve - knees are a bummer. Away again early March, hoping for an improvement.

Good luck with the rehab.
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What an absolute bummer, and for no heroic reason. You must be very fed up indeed. Masses of sympathy.
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What would cause these low speed injuries, is it just old age?
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@Arno, thanks. It’s not clear to me if it’s a tear or a total break but I’m thinking it’s a complete tear. I think the manipulation test rather indicates that. We’ll see what the physio (who I know and she is very good with this sort of thing, esp. it being Chamonix and all) and MRI show.
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@under a new name, yes, if there’s one place where you’ll find physios who see lots of ACL issues, it’s Chamonix! Good luck
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@under a new name, Maybe PM Idris for his experience of getting one fixed in Chamonix.
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@under a new name, I ruptured mine in 2004, had recon in 2005. I had to rehab enough to get full ROM and swellig down before I could have the recon. It did feel "almost" normal by then and I could jog and run again. It was very unstable and was the right decision then. However I was also 29. The rehab was b***dy hard work. It was 6 months before I could go back to hockey training with a no tackling, no sprinting.

I have since damaged my recon, and manage with lots of gym work keeping muscles strong and a hinged knee support. If I took out the other ACL I am not sure I would go through another recon not now at 47 as already made the call to give up hockey and can ski with half a one confortably.
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@under a new name, very bad luck for you- so sorry.
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I did mine Jan 2019 (just as the amazing Nordstau was starting in Tirol :-| ).

Physio said ACLs are like preganancy - either you have it or you don’t, there’s no partway stage. She didn’t bother much about distinctions between tear or rupture (and she was experienced ski physio, had toured with GB downhill athletes on WC circuit).

Anyway, she convinced me to do physio/ rehab route not surgery (I was 45 at the time). It was gruelling to begin with but def worth it; back skiing early Dec 2019 on PSB. While it’s a fair commitment to keep on top of strength & conditioning work, I feel great now. So far no need to use brace. Hoping that continues. Hasn’t affected what I ski.

Best of everything for a swift rehab and recovery.
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@under a new name,
I might have to console you by shouting you a brew next week. Meagre consolation I know….,
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@under a new name, buggeration! Commiserations and bon chance with the recovery
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@under a new name, Thats really bad news for you - did you have any pre rupture pain skiing earlier, or had it felt normal and just pop as you hit the wee bump?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Sad to hear, but, much better than a ruptured quads tendon.................
Don't see why surgical route should not be explored. I am considerably older than yaw. Complete tendon removal from kneecap repaired with string etc. Might have to miss this season but next year, Roddenknee....


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 19-01-23 14:09; edited 1 time in total
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@under a new name, buggeration.
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@under a new name, wretched luck. All the best for your recovery.
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@under a new name, I feel for you. I am the same age as you and snapped mine last April, falling off a bouldering wall.
Went through all sorts of emotions before finally accepting it and getting on with rehab. The consultant said I could go either way, reconstruct or just rehab, it was up to me, which really wasn't much help! They wanted ROM and swelling down before operating anyway, which gave more time to decide. As it isn't unstable I opted for rehab only. The test will be what happens when I ski on snow in March, 11 months later.
I can walk (did Crib Goch in Snowdonia in November), climb, cycle, ski and teach on dry slope. Running not great, and bouldering is terrifying in case I fall off and land badly again! I would imagine your golf this summer will be fine if you don't have an op, but tennis will take longer because of the running, jumping and direction changes.
Good luck whatever you decide.
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If it’s your left leg (for a right handed player) golf is not great - you put quite a lot of twisting force through the knee
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Oh man that sucks. Gutted for you. My only advice would be to stick rigidly to the physio and build those leg muscles up as much as you can.

My wife doesn’t have an ACL anymore and managed to ski still.
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@under a new name, If you can be taken out by a “tiny bump”, what hope is there for the rest of us? Shocked Clearly, the moral of the story is never look after children, just instil important life lessons and abandon them to find their own way, as this appears to be your main variable.

Sorry, can't offer any useful insights as this is one injury I've so far managed to avoid. Good luck with the rehab though.

If you want to feel much better/worse, depending on frame of mind, look up Ari Tricomi of FWT fame, who bust her ACL last season and is back with her skis firmly off the ground.
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My guess would be that it was nearly snapped before hitting the "tiny bump".
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@under a new name, that's a harsh betty. Do what they say and the damage will be limited to one season.
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@under a new name, what a nuisance and not even a spectacular story to tell! Look on the bright side the medics in Cham probably treat more ACL's than most, so should get you going again as soon as possible. A friend has had dubious treatment for a football related ACL on the NHS and subsequently went private and got no better treatment even to the point of a suspicious swelling after 12 months being shrugged off and eventually going for an MRI and waiting 10 days for the result, which was its nothing to worry about, keep up the physio! Now 2 and a half years later its ok ish...
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