Has anyone had knee surgery?

[8sPOT]

Saw this thread a while back and now I too have a torn something or other. Never had any knee problems ever and one quick pivot playing ball hockey was all it took.

Will go see my doctor in 2 weeks to assess the actual damage. But the thought of possibly not being able to play my favourite sports really blows. I'm only 28 and I feel like I have to resort to knitting and solitaire now.

Anyways, enough of me feeling sorry for myself. How does the surgical process work? To get the best do you gotta pay loads of cash? What might be the best physio to do?

[Circa89]

This is Canada, The best are still free it just might take some time.
The only thing you may have to pay for to speed up the process is the MRI itself.

As far as physio goes Lifemark is now accredited with Alberta Health and you get 7ish? free session and once they have taught you what exercises to do for your particular injury you can just go to the gym and work on it on your own.

It takes time but give it a few months and you will be back to normal.
I had muscles cut, tendons removed and replaced and ligaments cut as well and I played lacrosse last week. 6 months after all that crap.

[Shnabdabber]

I really hurt my knee on a dirtbike years ago... like over ten years ago, and the doctor I was dealing with at the time said I could either have surgery to repair it now or when I was older. Of course I took the 'wait and see' route... my knee pretty much sucks the big one now. I have to crack it about 3 different ways every morning before I can carry on with my day, and any kind of twist on it just kills... But umm... whats a guy do? Go into the dr's office and be all "hey, my knee sucks, when can I have surgery?" I'm not too sure how to approach it, and it doesnt help that I don't want to miss work... Anyone have any ideas of alternate routes that may be beneficial without invasive surgery?

[REDVAN]

My dad's had one knee replacement, and he's due for the other, and for a follow up on the first knee.

They had him up and walking the next day, albeit with a lot of pain for a few weeks but then he seemed alright.

Can't stress the physio enough. DO IT!

Otherwise, if you can't walk now, what is going to be the harm in trying to make it better?

[Mustache]

I've had about 3 per knee. My presurgery advice is pretty much limited to "don't screw it up more than it already is". Make yourself as comfortable as possible before you go under the knife, and definitely have a good mobility plan and house layout pre-prepared for afterward. The less you have to move around once you're home, the better.

My post-surgery advice essentially lines up with the rest of the thread... Physio is definitely the key to a good recovery, paired with a fairly good amount of patience too. Another thing that was probably more helpful than I realized at the time is to REALLY work hard on any of the exercises and stretches that you'd be given to do away from physio. Though it might not seem like it, down the road it will definitely be worth any additional pain or discomfort that they may cause at the time.

Shnabdabber, if you are finding you're having a lot of trouble I would recommend talking to your doctor about referring you to someone that specializes in knee surgery or rehabilitation. If surgery is not an option for whatever reason, you will at least be able to talk to them about other options such as physio or even getting fitted for a stabilizing brace or something less bulky.

It's been about 15 years for me since my last one and I'm still able to play hockey and ball on a regular basis. I hope everything works out for you two!

[Hockeyguy15]

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=104588

More info in this thread about ACL's too.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by 8sPOT

Saw this thread a while back and now I too have a torn something or other. Never had any knee problems ever and one quick pivot playing ball hockey was all it took.

Will go see my doctor in 2 weeks to assess the actual damage. But the thought of possibly not being able to play my favourite sports really blows. I'm only 28 and I feel like I have to resort to knitting and solitaire now.

Anyways, enough of me feeling sorry for myself. How does the surgical process work? To get the best do you gotta pay loads of cash? What might be the best physio to do?

Recent injury? Skip the doctor and go here
https://smc1.sportmed.ucalgary.ca/sm...ent_Entry.aspx

Your GP will simply send you to a sports medicine doctor (which takes months) who will then send you to the surgeon (which takes months) who will then sign you up for surgery (which takes months)... May as well see the sports med doctor right away. I was under the knife 3.5 months after I visited the knee clinic...

As for phsyio, it's all about the range of motion exercises. No one will operate on you unless you demonstrate good range of motion so may as well get on that if you're hoping to get back to sports quickly. After that the more muscle you can build pre-op the quicker you'll recover post-op. You're going to atrophy anyway so your best off getting jacked and shrinking back to your normal size...

[Kipper is King]

My uncle had his knee replaced years ago, and he's now doing OK. He's not playing sports, but that's because he's an older, non-athletic guy. He's not in any pain or anything like that.

Good luck!

[Old Yeller]

Originally Posted by 8sPOT

Will go see my doctor in 2 weeks to assess the actual damage. But the thought of possibly not being able to play my favourite sports really blows. I'm only 28 and I feel like I have to resort to knitting and solitaire now.

It sucks and I went through a little phase of minor depression where I thought I'd just get fat and lay on the couch all the time but you'll get over it.

I blew out my knee playing soccer and while I was off playing soccer for 9 months, I was able to jog 3 months after surgery. I was 32 when I did my knee in, it's not the end of your sporting life, it's just on hold for a little while... depending on the diagnosis.

The good news is that I'm back to squash/soccer and I don't even notice my knee anymore. Just view it as an extended offseason from ball hockey, not a retirement.

[Hevishot]

As someone who has raced MX since I was a child I was always taught that injury prevention is always better than injury (or recovering from injury). For most sports (mx, mountain biking, snowboarding) getting a good pair of knee braces can help prevent injuries before they even start. Talk to your Dr because getting knee braces may be covered under most health plans which definately helps when having to purchase braces.

[8sPOT]

Can't thank you all enough, really encouraging to see all the positive success stories.

Doc called a few hours ago and he thinks I have a Segond Fracture, which I googled and while it doesn't sound promising I'm going to take all the advice to heart and will my way back to my regular lifestyle.

Thanks again everyone.

[8sPOT]

Bit of a bump here but since posting I've had the MRI, physio (which REALLY helped) and saw the surgeon, Dr. Mark Heard as mentioned earlier in this thread.

However, he essentially talked me out of getting surgery done. I have a torn ACL and a small segond fracture but after doing his tests he determined that my leg muscles etc were strong enough to support the knee without surgery. He said playing hockey, running, snowboarding would be no problem, which made sense to me.

Of course, I played beach volleyball in Mexico and my knee gave out 3 times. It was stiff and sore for a few days but then seemed ok.

My question is, the Dr recommended a custom brace and figured that would be ok. Any of you have a custom made brace? I assume it's one of those huge robotic-looking contraptions. Would like some feedback before I drop $700 on one of these suckers.

[Hockeyguy15]

I had a Townsend knee brace for a while. It worked fine, I didn't have any issues with it. The issue I found though was just from regular walking I would compensate and my hip/back would get sore (nothing major, just enough to bother me) on the injured knee side.

I basically said screw it and got it fixed while I was yonger so it was easier to recover from. If I had to do it all over again I would still choose the surgery, I haven't looked back since.

Edit: When you say you have a torn ACL, do you mean 100% torn or just partially?

[kevman]

I've got a CTI Custom and I like it. It was a wee bit closer to $1,400 than $700 however. They're not as big and robotic-looking as you're thinking - those are the post op/injury ones. The CTI is comfortable and doesn't bother me at all when snowboarding. I also still wear it mountain biking (14 months post op) but leave the straps a little looser on the climbs to reduce chafing.

Whether the brace is actually doing anything or if it's my new ligament that is I don't know. But I like the peace of mind it offers none the less.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by kevman

I've got a CTI Custom and I like it. It was a wee bit closer to $1,400 than $700 however. They're not as big and robotic-looking as you're thinking - those are the post op/injury ones. The CTI is comfortable and doesn't bother me at all when snowboarding. I also still wear it mountain biking (14 months post op) but leave the straps a little looser on the climbs to reduce chafing.

Whether the brace is actually doing anything or if it's my new ligament that is I don't know. But I like the peace of mind it offers none the less.

How long have you been post op? You might actually be doing a disservice to your new knee by using the brace if you don't need it. Your weakening your stabilizing muscles by using it, and if there is an event where you need them when you aren't using the brace you are more likely to re-injure yourself.

[8sPOT]

The $700 is after my benefits cover $500, so it's closer to $1200 total.

I'm 90% sure it's a partial tear, my paperwork is at the house. My knee was never loose or wobbly, and I have great range with it. I'm just a little paranoid after it gave out several times.

May end up going back through the whole MRI, Xray, surgeon routine again, not sure.

If the custom brace does would I want it to, then $700 is probably well worth it. I just don't want something that doesn't make a difference.

[Lt.Spears]

This thread makes me scared to do anything... i hate the idea of tearing a ligament.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by 8sPOT

The $700 is after my benefits cover $500, so it's closer to $1200 total.

I'm 90% sure it's a partial tear, my paperwork is at the house. My knee was never loose or wobbly, and I have great range with it. I'm just a little paranoid after it gave out several times.

May end up going back through the whole MRI, Xray, surgeon routine again, not sure.

If the custom brace does would I want it to, then $700 is probably well worth it. I just don't want something that doesn't make a difference.

There was a difference, they really do help with making the joint more stable.

With the amount of time it takes to get an MRI, get a surgeon, book the surgury it probably wouldn't hurt to get a brace for now if the $700 isn't an issue.

[undercoverbrother]

no never

[TheSutterDynasty]

Originally Posted by 8sPOT

However, he essentially talked me out of getting surgery done. I have a torn ACL and a small segond fracture but after doing his tests he determined that my leg muscles etc were strong enough to support the knee without surgery. He said playing hockey, running, snowboarding would be no problem, which made sense to me.

Of course, I played beach volleyball in Mexico and my knee gave out 3 times. It was stiff and sore for a few days but then seemed ok.

My question is, the Dr recommended a custom brace and figured that would be ok. Any of you have a custom made brace? I assume it's one of those huge robotic-looking contraptions. Would like some feedback before I drop $700 on one of these suckers.

Obviously you should trust your doctor more than a dude on the internet, but playing hockey, running, and snowboarding will most certainly be a problem with no ACL, even if you have a brace. That said, it's never just as simple as getting surgery; it's risky, quite hard to get in (long wait list, if they think you don't need it with your lifestyle they won't book you, etc), and the "pre-rehab" and rehab for it is extensive.

I'd say in your case it's good to be trying rehab sans-surgery. The most important thing is physio (as you mentioned helped a lot!) and to continue doing those exercises! No ACL means you're relying heavily on your quads and hamstrings to keep that knee from sliding forward; they have to be strong!

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

How long have you been post op? You might actually be doing a disservice to your new knee by using the brace if you don't need it. Your weakening your stabilizing muscles by using it, and if there is an event where you need them when you aren't using the brace you are more likely to re-injure yourself.

The brace prevents the knee from shifting forward. It does nothing for knee extension/flexion, or alters the co-contraction in any way when you're weightbearing. You can think you don't need it until you tweak it the right way and you're hooped. Wearing it will not weaken the knee in any way.

Originally Posted by Lt.Spears

This thread makes me scared to do anything... i hate the idea of tearing a ligament.

No activity and weaker muscles would mean you're more at risk for a tear.. stay active!