Torn ACL playing football.

[Kathy Poulos]

I am 14 years old. Last Sunday I tore my ACL playing footy.

I was desperately running for the ball and another player was running beside me, as i bent down to pick up the ball his knee collided with mine and I fell down and couldn't move.
I was in heaps of pain holding my knee. When it got hit I think I heard a pop and it felt like a knife went through my knee.

I had an MRI a week later because i thought it was only a corcked knee.
The doc said that this was an unusual way to tear it.

Could the MRI test be wrong?
Should I be kicking the football outside?
Can I go swimming?
Should I be applying anything like heat or ice?
After a reconstruction for your knee can you do everything you could do when your knee was normal, like twist, turn, sprint, jump, tackle.

Please answer all my questions if you could please.

Thankyou so much, Nathan

[dayneh88]

Hey nathan,
My name is Dayne and i'm 16 years old. Last year in june i tore my acl in a practice match for school. Mine wasnt as bad as what you described yours to be. I actually could run and i went back on the ground but i twisted again and the pain was unbearable. Also if you havent organised your reconstruction yet. I had mine done by Dr. Julian Feller. Hes the best in the business. Does many AFL players and is world renowned for his quick recovery and positive attitude. Considered the best knee surgeon in Australia. Definately the best in my case. I can give you his number if you'd like.

Some answers to your questions:

1. Usually the MRI confirms everything and it is usually never wrong. I had an arthriscope and an MRI and x-rays to confirm. But i knew from the arthroscope so it was just a matter of seeing where and how bad the tear was.

2. Yes you should be kicking the football on the outside. When playing hard contact sports such as football you are prone to all soughts of injuries. Its just bad luck so to speak. Don't let it hinder you kicking on that injured knee or kicking on the outside.

3. You will need a full knee reconstruction. Do what you can in the pool to keep the leg strength in your quad. Because the first 3-4 months post reconstruction you will find that your quad muscle will deminish very quickly. So do exercises if your surgeon tells you too do, just to keep the strength there. Dont do any running or kicking

4. Yes you should apply ice regulary everyday to reduce the swelling in the knee before you reconstruction. The less the swelling the easier to operate on. I was really stressed to do this.

5. When i did my knee i seriously thought that this would be the end of my football career. As i play at oakleigh chargers (a TAC cup team) and was coming close to under 18 selection. the one thing that i cant stress enough is to stay positive. dont get down on it. Your actually lucky that you did an injury like this at such a young age. I did mine in June last year and i played my first game in January this year. Don't believe what people say you about 12+ months out from sport. Its not true. If you do your physio and recovery right and stay focused on your recovery you will back in 6-7 months easily. Just stay positive and dont get angry or disappointed. I came back to footy as i said after 6-7 months of my reco and i have never had an issue with my knee since then. TOUCH WOOD. I am able to twist, turn, my sprinting actually improved, a have quite a large jump and i havent lost that either (i was worried about losing that as it is one of my strongest strengths).

I hope this information helps you Nathan. If you want to speak more about the injury itself, the recovery or anything at all, private message me and I'll tell you my email address. I can also tell you my surgeon.

Good luck!
Dayne Hoffacker

[Kathy Poulos]

Dear Dayne,
Thankyou so much for all your help that you gave me. I really appreciate it. I didn't think that someone would reply and answer all of my questions so thanks once again.
Hopfully I can get back to footy as soon as you did and play to the best of my abilities. I am trying to keep a postive outlook.

I also already have an appoinment with Dr. Julian Feller this Monday and from hearing what you had to say about him that makes me a whole lot more comfortable about the situation.

I admire your courage to keep on going in life and you also taught me that you can do whatever you want to be or do in life, all you have to do is just put your mind to it.

I just have one more question to ask.
What ligament did Dr. Feller use for your reco (patella or hamstring)????
and why?

I hope you achieve big things in life and don't forget to have fun at the same time!
Thankyou so much, Nathan!

[dayneh88]

Hi again Nath,

It was a pleasure answering any of your questions. I know exactly how you are feeling and when I did mine I needed people to talk to. I visited various websites and read stories of people coming back and their recovery. It was very positive. Yeah you will be back playing footy in no time. I know 6-7 months seems like a long time without sport, I am very sporty and I struggled but I kept myself busy with other things. Just really keep focused on your recovery. I can't stess that enough to you. Patience is the key.

Just a quick note, in my last post I said that you should be kicking on the outside. I read that wrong. Strictly no kicking at all. Not only could it possibly do more damage to your unsupported knee but you could damage the cartiledge around your knee. NO KICKING AT ALL

Thats fantastic to hear that you have an appointment with Julien. He is a fantastic surgeon and I always felt comfortable and confident in him.

For my reco Julien did x-rays to determine which graft I should use. I had the patella tendon used. We decided this graft as my x-rays showed that I didnt have much growing left so this was the best option. But he will know what is right for you.

If you would like to contact me on a more personal basis, my email address is:

dayneh88@ bigpond.net.au

Just a quick question, What school are you attending? I might know your name or be close in your area? Might also play your school in footy.

Good luck!
Keep your head up!

Dayne