I tore my ACL in my knee years ago. What are the pros and cons of reconstructive surgery?

Question

If you had the surgery, any regrets? Has the surgery stabilized your knee? Any helpful insight appreciated.

Answer 1

i've had mine done twice. the first one ripped back off because the doctor left the screw out and the grooves torn it off again. however, that doesn't usually happen. most people do great, and i did the 2nd time.
they can do one of 2 ways..
1 being with a donor ligament, and healing time can be a little faster. usually used when it can effect you if you have a tendon taken from your thigh.
2. by using a tendon from another part of you. "grafting" in either case.
you're usually in the hospital for 24 hr. observation and can go home. good to have the pain pump for the pain too!
you will have a continuous motion machine on your knee to keep it moving, which helps cut down on recovery time. believe me, it does help.
you need to ice it really well the first few days or so after surgery, and they start you on physical therapy pretty fast too.

one thing i suggest not doing is watching anything on acl surgery on one of those surgery channels or anywhere prior to going in. it scared me to death, and wasn't all that horrible.

good luck to u and take care

Answer 2

I completely tore my ACL as well as the cartilage in my right knee about 3 years ago. It hurt to walk and I had a limp so I immediately had surgery. I was awake during the operation since they knock out all feeling from your waist down, which was nice because if they put you all the way under they have to put a tube down your throat which sucks. You go in for surgery in the morning and you're out the same day. 7 months of physical therapy later and after getting back all that lost muscle, my knee is 100%. It worked very well. The con is that you're going to be in a knee brace and on crutches for a while, and going through physical therapy. It's also painful when you get home and all of the medication they gave you starts wearing off, so make sure you get your prescriptions filled immediately.

Answer 3

My husband has had this repair to the knee. In 92 & 2001 They worked great, but he was in another accident and it caused a second repaire to be necessary. the second one it has worked very well and their are advances being make that can make it an outpatient surg. He had to have a overnight stay 4yrs ago. As a PTA I suggest you have it done because when you are in the later years you will have more problems with stabilization. And surgeries are more risky the older you get and so is recovery.

Answer 4

I had ACL surgery and I am very satisfied. I don't have my knee giving out on my left and right. It only took about 2 months to recover. The more you push yourself the faster you will heal. If I had to do it all over again I would. So much better being able to walk without worrying about falling on my face. Go for it. Be strong and push yourself but not to hurt yourself. If you feel pain during physical therapy push a little more. Physical therapist (mine anyways) know what they are doing. Have to trust them. Sorry for being so wordy but I am really happy w/the results.

Answer 5

My cousin also got her knee surgery for acl repair in India through the forerunners healthcare .SHe is more than very happy with the results.She just paid 25% of the amount she was quoted in USA and is all praise for this forerunners healthcare company.

Orthopaedic surgery is very cheap in India.This company is very famous in India that arranges orthopaedic surgery for foreigners in India.They are called the Forerunners Healthcare.I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and about their patient stories.

I have also read that they arrange financing for american and canadian patients as all surgery is not covered by insurance.They also have photos pasted of their International patients.You can checkout their website.The cost savings are incredible.As a doctor i personally believe that your hip surgery can be easily handled in India as the quality of healthcare available here is simply best in the world.The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.hope this helps

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com

Answer 6

Can't say i've had this done myself but the football player Michael Owen has just suffered the exact same injury. He will be having reconstructive surgery to rebuild it (including using bits of hamstring!)

I'd say if it's good enough for an elite athlete then it's good enough for you!

Answer 7

its up to you and you will feel pain in the knee for years even with surgery.i tore mine last year and had arthoscopic to see how bad.if you under 45 wait until it hurts to walk on it.