Ty.S

Hi everybody. Its been a while since I was posting regularly, and I didn't want my first post back to be a downer, but I was looking for some advice?

Situation: I have torn my ACL, did it about a month ago, turns out after a series of MRI's both knees will need surgery, they wont be at the same time (thankfully), but that is basically going to be my summer.
I was thinking about selling off my pain meds for a new wheelset But we'll see how bad it hurts first.

The question I have is basically one of experience. If you had anything like this, I'd like to hear how it went and what the recovery process and time was like. This isn't my first surgery, and wont even be the most extensive, but knee's are tricky, and the same operation on 2 different people can have 2 totally different results.

Anyway, I'm just looking for information at this point, so I can start to build that mental timetable, who knows if it all goes right maybe the Lighthouse Century will be doable? That would be a nice coming back party.

Thanks! and hello again Sorry I drifted away

VaultGuru

Hi Ty:
My own experience has been limited to Meniscus repairs. The recovery is a lot quicker than ACL's. Two very close friends, both avid cyclists, skiers, etc. have torn their ACL's and had to go through the healing process. Mark tore his several years ago in a slow twisting fall while skiing. His recovery, to the point he could run a 10k w/o pain was about 18 months. Patti severely tore hers the same way last year. Her recovery has taken a year. She is just starting to play tennis, but is wearing a brace because of lateral and twisting force inherent to the knee when playing tennis. Her post surgical recovery was interesting. Two days after surgery, she started therapy. She used a motorized leg brace that gave her knee repetitive range of motion exercise at a very slow speed. Think of the motion as similar to cycling. Range of motion was initially very limited, but was continually increased according to her PT evaluation. She spent up to 10 hours/day for 3-4 weeks, using the machine. She then progressed to more aggressive PT.

I am not a physician or a PT, but I do the majority of my work in healthcare and have been coaching track and field athletes for years. My advice is to connect with a Sports Medicine clinic and a PT that understands your passion for cycling and will work with you to get you back on your bike as soon as possible. Sports Medicine Clinics are highly specialized rehabilitation facilities staffed by the best physicians and PT's. Benchmark facilities include Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, CO [url]https://www.steadman-hawkins.com/ and Kerlan Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles [url]https://www.kerlanjobe.com/. Tiger Woods has been treated at Steadman Hawkins and Kerlan Jobe for his injuries. I think he used KJ to recover from his last surgery. I'm not suggesting that you travel that far to get treatment from them, but I am suggesting that you educate yourself relative to Sports Medicine clinics and what they can do for you. Two others to perhaps visit that are close to you are St. Francis Memorial Medical Center in San Francisco and/or the Tahoe Fracture Clinic in South Lake Tahoe https://www.tahoefracture.com/.
Both Steadman Hawkins and Tahoe Fracture Clinic are staffed by US Olympic Team docs. Might even be worth it to use Dr. Terry Orr, US Ski Team physician, and one of the Orthopedic Surgeons at TF. At the very least, contact them and find out who is really good in the San Jose area.

Your recovery to be able to ride may be faster than Patti's, due to different mechanics and forces involved to ride vs. play tennis. Just be patient and don't try to rush it, especially when you have those breakthrough days that you see, and feel improvement. Re-injury during rehabilitation is psychologically and physically the worst thing to happen to an athlete.
Best of luck to you
VG

BlastRadius

Hello Ty,
Sorry to hear about your injuries. Did you tear BOTH ACLs?
Heal well from the surgeries and keep us posted. Is Kari still riding?
She seemed like she was putting in a good number of miles.

BenRidin

Before there was the Steadman Hawkins Clinic, there was the Sacramento Knee & Sports Medicine. This was founded by two doctors: Steadman & Coward. Coward is still there in Sacramento and he absolutely the best.

Good luck!

BR

cantdrv55

My wife had ACL surgery a few years ago. She waited waaay too long to get it done as she injured her knee playing basketball in high school some 20 years prior. It had gotten so bad that her knee would pop out just from walking down the stairs. Anyway, her rehab was only 2 months and afterwards she could ride a bike. Started off just going around the block but in a short time she was doing 30-40 milers.

I hope your surgery goes smoothly. It's pretty routine so you'll be alright plus your a young dude. Just don't plan on doing any potato sack races for a while.

Ty.S

Thanks for all the replies both PM and here in the thread. Yes Henry Kari is still riding, although not much lately due to the weather. She has also been doing a lot of running (1/2 marathons and such). She is getting anxious about getting the new season started though, she said as much last night.

I went to the surgeon today, and the news was suprisingly good. The initial MRI showed a tear of the ACL, about 1 billion xrays later, and after a lengthy assessment it was determined that the tear was only minor. However, there was a large chuck of cartilege that fell off the front of my knee and somehow floated down into the middle, needless to say, with high impact activities this created a lot of havoc. The total damage wont be known until they go in, but all in all, considering what I was told originally, this was good news.
Best case scenario.. I'm back to 100% in 6mo. Back on the bike though in 2. I just wont be doing anything too tough. This isn't my first time on the table, so I'm a little more mentally prepared to deal with the situation.
The left knee.. eh.. that one could be better, but that is for later . Thanks again everybody! Who knows if I can actually drive a car, maybe I could SAG a BF ride or something