pros and cons of acl reconstructions?

[sheila]

G'day,
I'm due to have a knee recon" (acl rupture and medial meniscus damage) in about June/July(waiting list). I did it playing hockey 6yrs ago,was mis diagnosed as stretched ligaments and so have "hurt" it about 8 times.( der yup) The last time ,a year ago was a doozy so finally went to specialist. Thing is I'm pain free ,it does feel weird and occasionally I get twinges or limp. It is unstable tho" and a side knock or sudden twist etc and I can feel it wanting to go over.
I'm a hyperactive 52yr.old, go to the gym 4 days a week,ride my bike, kayak,walk and swim.I had to give up sport and aerobics due to knee.
My questions are: Is there a "use buy" date on reconstructions? if I dont get it done will it stay as is or will it deteriorate as I get older? At the moment I think its o.k. due to keeping leg muscles strong. I'm getting cold feet!! about it. I think its thought of being inactive for a while.
So, if anyone can list the pros and cons for me that would be great.
cheers,
sheila.

[Sue Mac]

Sheila, as it was explained to me;
- the damage to the cartlidge is done so having the recon won't reduce your risk of arthritis, so don't have the recon to prevent arthritis
- each time your knee "collapses" you do more damage, so if you keep doing "risky" activities without the recon you are more likely to get arthritis in your knee sooner
- if you are prepared to give up twisting & turning activities then you probably don't need the recon
- if you aren't prepared to do the rehab, then you shouldn't have the recon
- there is a school of thought that anything over 35-40 is too old for a recon(you don't heal as fast/effectively) - but not all Orthopaedic surgeons agree. You might want to ask your surgeon about this view.

On the other hand, if you want to be able to "trust" your knee again and do the sports/activities that you want to do, rather than just those you can do in a straight line, then go for it.

Good Luck,
Sue.

[sheila]

Thanks Sue,
I'm sure it will all work out. I will do rehab, I'm one of those nuts if doing ten of something is good then I'll do fifteen. I think a big worry of mine is not being able to get out there and have a good workout for a while.Sitting still is not one of my fortes!
How are you progressing with your knee? have you had surgery yet?
thanks again,
cheers,
sheila.

[Sue Mac]

I'm booked in for 12 April, I'll let you know how it goes.....
Sue.

[kjwilkin]

I'm booked in for 12 April, I'll let you know how it goes.....
Sue.

Hi Sue,

Which surgeon are you going with ?

I hope it all goes well.

KJWILKIN

[Sue Mac]

I wasted a month in the General Medicine field - it took me 2 weeks to get in to see an OS, 1 week to get the MRI and another week to get the results over the phone. He said he thought I was too old for reco (at 45) and it was going to be another 3 week wait for an appointment to discuss it! So, I went to the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre (the sports physician Michael Makdissi was really, really helpful) and I had an appointment to see Julian Feller within a week. So I'm going with Julian (sounds a bit adolescent doesn't it!) and its good to read back through the forum and see all the glowing recommendations.

I know the standard reply to about 50% of the queries on the forum is "go see a sports physician" and I couldn't agree more. The biggest difference is that in the general medical field (ie. your GP and the average OS) the attitude is "if you can walk and you're not in great pain then there isn't really much of a problem, so why rush". In contrast, in sports medicine its about "what do you want to do" and "how much are you prepared to do".

[kjwilkin]

I wasted a month in the General Medicine field - it took me 2 weeks to get in to see an OS, 1 week to get the MRI and another week to get the results over the phone. He said he thought I was too old for reco (at 45) and it was going to be another 3 week wait for an appointment to discuss it! So, I went to the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre (the sports physician Michael Makdissi was really, really helpful) and I had an appointment to see Julian Feller within a week. So I'm going with Julian (sounds a bit adolescent doesn't it!) and its good to read back through the forum and see all the glowing recommendations.

I know the standard reply to about 50% of the queries on the forum is "go see a sports physician" and I couldn't agree more. The biggest difference is that in the general medical field (ie. your GP and the average OS) the attitude is "if you can walk and you're not in great pain then there isn't really much of a problem, so why rush". In contrast, in sports medicine its about "what do you want to do" and "how much are you prepared to do".

Hi Sue,

I'm really pleased to hear that Michael Makdissi was really helpful and got into see Julian so quickly.

For a long time I went to my GP for joint related problems and found it was a waste of time. I totally agree when you say that sports medicine is about what you want to do and how much you are prepared to do. It took me a long time to find the right people to treat me. I was diagnosed with having loose ligaments and my GP had no idea how to manage it. I'm now able to a lot more than I was ever able to do. I've had patella instability for over 12 years now and Julian has helped me a lot with it as well as my sports physicians and physios.

Good luck with your operation and let us know how you're progressing.