[Archived] Knee Trouble? Acl Surgery Anyone?

[eddiecolne]

Just had my miniscus (Anthroscopy,miniscusbiscus(or summut) sorted at Burnley General last Thursday. Whoever said earlier it was a quick diagnosis and sort out? Balderdash! Almost a year from injury (Think I did it last winter, trying to stop myself falling while walking down an iced covered pavement.) I have had physio with the bloke that does physio for the dingles! He reckoned it was a muscle strain! I have had an MRI scan and finally as I said the operation last Thursday, 12 months. Anyway, I'm not one to complain but, the nurses said, "Get your GP to organise your stiches removal in two weeks and come back here for the surgeon to have a look in six weeks! Mmmn, : When can I drive? When can I go back to work (manual job)? I'm sat here with a swollen but pain free knee (Thanks to Co Codomol), thinking I could be back to normal in two days - But, reading some of the comments on this thread, jumping about celebrating too early could result in long term damage. Any advice welcome.

[1864roverite]

Eddie

I wouldnt drive for 2 weeks and I would do very little else apart from stretching the knee out as best you can.

relax mate and it will heal overdo it and you will suffer.

come and join the knackered knee club !!

[eddiecolne]

Thanks for the advice roverite, Don't worry I won't be getting behind the wheel for the next two weeks at least, when i have my stitches removed. Hope it doesn't drag on though, as I've already missed the Liverpoo game through it.

[Nafe_rovers]

i was playing for England 7's when i did mine, and it took 9 1/2 months for a full recovery just for me to go and do the other one GRRRR....

Also from last months it has changed, the incision is smaller, and less painfull

and they now use your hamstring tendon :-) so its stronger

Thanks for the advice roverite, Don't worry I won't be getting behind the wheel for the next two weeks at least, when i have my stitches removed. Hope it doesn't drag on though, as I've already missed the Liverpoo game through it.

what ever you do wear a fixed support, therefore no hyper-extension and no twisting it was just snap!!

[Presty On Tour]

I ran for the 1st time today in over a year, felt totally amazing.

I stretched and warmed up for almost an hour before I started and it was a bit "limpy" to begin with but it was just a matter of getting some technique back. Was very nervous also because I didn't want anything to go wrong. Jogged for 3 miles and overun with emotion at the end, I released a rocky top of the steps style celebration, absolutely epic!

My heart rate must of been 200+ but I can build on this and prepare to break into some sprints in the next few weeks.

Also my gp referal in the gym has been going well, gained 4kg of muscle in 4 weeks and have started calling my arms guns!

[Ozz]

My sporting days were numbered when I got injured playing five a side at All Seasons Sunday league in Chorley in about 1999.

I went fully flying into a tackle, a 50/50 and so did their defender, and as my right foot hit his upper knee area, my knee dislocated, popped back in again, and I crumbled in a heap on the floor.

After a lot of x rays and examination's, it turned out that I had ruptured the medial ligament, which in doing so had pulled a chuck of bone from the top of the fibia, and was still attached to the ligament which was just effectively loose inside my knee area.

After about a year of recovery, I did play again, and the feeling of scoring that first goal (a beauty of course, near post clip at full stretch from a shin high cross) was brilliant. But the knee kept on giving away again and again, so had to jack it all in.

[1864roverite]

Just thought I would revive this topic following a major breakthrough in Cartlidge surgery and alternatives to knee replacements.

Having had a recent and final synvisc injection into my knee I have continued to research altrernatives to knee replacement surgery which I now require.

I have now discovered the Orion Surgery in Birmingham specialoise in taking cartlidge cells from your knee and then send them to Germany to grow cartlidge with the assistance of growth enhancers. In effect they grow a new cartlidge over 10-12 weeks and then sew it into place over the surface of the damage knee. This is an expensive operation BUT one that has impressive success rates.

I am now in contact with the health authority to see if it possible to help my chronic knee condition as a new cartlidge would at least allow me full movement of the knee without pain and would stop my current addiction to strong pain killers !!

[tcj_jones]

Good luck with it, I really hope it works for you!

Seven months on and my tracking problems are no better

[Presty On Tour]

18 months since my first knee opp and just over a year since my acl reconstruction surgery.

Returned to paying football about 3 weeks ago, just with some mates for a kick about up the astro turf and been playing every week since.

Very cautious and won't go into any 50/50 tackles just yet. Still got my natural skill with the ball I'm blessed with but running is still a problem as i'm not at full speed yet. Don;t really like being off balance either because it puts stress on the knee but I think a lot of my problems are more mental now as it's taken so long to get this far and I don't want to mess it up and go through it all again.

I'm still going to the gym and swimming, so with pre-season with my football club starting in a month, I hope to be at 100% when the season finally starts.

[Darth Paul]

Just about a year now since my ACL reconstruction and I dont think I would dare go near a pitch again! Still get twinges which scare the hell out of me...amazed how some pros come back at all, mentally I am just nowhere near.

Can anyone comment on what kind of progress you make between 12 and 18months? I have been told I will get better but I can't see it improving after a year...

[Biddy]

Just about a year now since my ACL reconstruction and I dont think I would dare go near a pitch again! Still get twinges which scare the hell out of me...amazed how some pros come back at all, mentally I am just nowhere near.

Can anyone comment on what kind of progress you make between 12 and 18months? I have been told I will get better but I can't see it improving after a year...

After probably 6 months I didn't get any twinges at all and could have probably done any sport. However, for me it is a mental thing that stops me. I can still after about 8 years vividly remember the sensation of it going whilst playing football and this puts me off. I'm even wary just kicking a ball about in the garden. I have no such issues with any other sports, just lazyness there :-)

The only odd thing I still have is that where the key hole surgery happened, I still have a numb sensation that makes other parts of my knee tingle if you touch it. Its very odd but not a problem

[jim mk2]

Just about a year now since my ACL reconstruction and I dont think I would dare go near a pitch again! Still get twinges which scare the hell out of me...amazed how some pros come back at all, mentally I am just nowhere near.

Can anyone comment on what kind of progress you make between 12 and 18months? I have been told I will get better but I can't see it improving after a year...

How much help have you received in your recovery ? If you are expecting your leg to get better on its own I'm not surprised you are not making much progress. Recovering from a cruciate ligament injury requires alot of hard work in building up wasted muscles and alot of support from physiotherapists etc in overcoming the anxieties and inevitable setbacks on the road to full rehabilitation.

[1864roverite]

As I have just undegone my 10th knee operation I thought I would resurrect this thread to highlight a positive issue if you decide to fight for your right and beat the NHS system of a post code lottery.

5 yrs ago I was butchered at Chorley following a simple knee operation. My knee was never right after the operation so I decided to take issue with the surgeon. Despite me having my own view and being the one in pain, all of my pleas were ignored and I was given an ultimatum of a full knee replacement or a discharge from treatment. I opted for the discharge becuase I knew I was right as I was the one suffering. Ultimately I conducted research of cartlidge replacement and alternative surgery and with the assistance of my own doctor I compiled a letter with the evidence of alternative surgery and applied to the PCT (primary care trust) for funding to seek help and this against the evidence of the surgeon who had butchered me. after a long battlke I finally managed to get somewhere and I went to see Doctor Sampath who is a leading light on knee issues in Salford at his private clinic. This is part of the Blue Spot knee clinic or Ramsay Hospitals. Having iundergone a full MRI scan and assessment, I was seen within 3 weeks and given an appointment within a month. Just 2 months later I was on the operating theatre table having my knee done "properly". Today, the day after my operation I feel fabulous. I didnt require or ever need a knee replacement, I needed correcgive surgery on ligament damage and some cartlidge trimming as well as a clean out of tghe damage caused by the NHS operation. I will now need a couple of weeks of rehab before a period of physio and I should now make a full recovery. Something I couldnt have expected under the NHS muppets.

IF YOU ARE SUFFERING KNEE PROBLEMS AND DONT GET ANYWHERE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEMAND TO SEE A TOP KNEE SURGEON. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU VISIT THE BLUE SPOT KNEE CLINIC. READ ABOUT DR SAMPATH BECAUSE HE IS SIMPLY THE NICEST MAN IN THE WORLD OF KNEE SURGERY. I CANNOT THANK HIMN ENOUGH.

If the NHS could provide half the service provided to me then the service would be the best in the world.

[jim mk2]

More than 20 years ago I damaged my PCL. A succession of NHS specialists including the England football team medical adviser at RNOH urged me to leave the knee alone but I was determined to have an operation and found a private surgeon who was willing to operate. It was the worst decision I have made because the operation was not a success and I have been in pain ever since. The NHS specialists were correct.

A few years later I had problems with the left knee which required surgery. The surgeon worked in the private sector and NHS and the operation was performed in the local NHS hospital. Thankfully this time it was a success.

From my experience I would always trust the NHS because I am not sure of the motives of some people in the private sector. At the end of the day though the system is irrelevant - there are good doctors and bad doctors irrespective of where they work,

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

As I have just undegone my 10th knee operation I thought I would resurrect this thread to highlight a positive issue if you decide to fight for your right and beat the NHS system of a post code lottery.

5 yrs ago I was butchered at Chorley following a simple knee operation. My knee was never right after the operation so I decided to take issue with the surgeon. Despite me having my own view and being the one in pain, all of my pleas were ignored and I was given an ultimatum of a full knee replacement or a discharge from treatment. I opted for the discharge becuase I knew I was right as I was the one suffering. Ultimately I conducted research of cartlidge replacement and alternative surgery and with the assistance of my own doctor I compiled a letter with the evidence of alternative surgery and applied to the PCT (primary care trust) for funding to seek help and this against the evidence of the surgeon who had butchered me. after a long battlke I finally managed to get somewhere and I went to see Doctor Sampath who is a leading light on knee issues in Salford at his private clinic. This is part of the Blue Spot knee clinic or Ramsay Hospitals. Having iundergone a full MRI scan and assessment, I was seen within 3 weeks and given an appointment within a month. Just 2 months later I was on the operating theatre table having my knee done "properly". Today, the day after my operation I feel fabulous. I didnt require or ever need a knee replacement, I needed correcgive surgery on ligament damage and some cartlidge trimming as well as a clean out of tghe damage caused by the NHS operation. I will now need a couple of weeks of rehab before a period of physio and I should now make a full recovery. Something I couldnt have expected under the NHS muppets.

IF YOU ARE SUFFERING KNEE PROBLEMS AND DONT GET ANYWHERE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEMAND TO SEE A TOP KNEE SURGEON. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU VISIT THE BLUE SPOT KNEE CLINIC. READ ABOUT DR SAMPATH BECAUSE HE IS SIMPLY THE NICEST MAN IN THE WORLD OF KNEE SURGERY. I CANNOT THANK HIMN ENOUGH.

If the NHS could provide half the service provided to me then the service would be the best in the world.

Thanks for that, I'm suffering with my knees at present. No doubt I'll have to bite the bullet and do something about it shortly.

[roverandout]

i have had bad knees my whole life, i cant do the things i want to, like run, play football, ski, etc, i just have to get on with it, i had physio but that did nothing

[ABBEY]

BLAME BERG

[Audax]

What an interesting thread, I have to put the bike gear in an easy gear or sometimes I feel it later on.

At the clinic once, I saw some guy go in, his knee area was all puffed up, I'd never seen the likes of it before.

Good luck to those of you dealing with this. Wish you the best.

[roverandout]

i get that problem, my knees sometimes swell up so bad that i cant walk.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

My right knee's got a " Bakers Cyst ", fluid on the knee that gathers at the back of the knee. Looks like I've got two knee caps back and front.

[Amo]

My right knee is absolutely caning me at the moment. Always happens when I do one too many dumbbell squats. Really should've learned my lesson by now. I actually think it's hereditary, since most of my uncles all suffer with wonky knees as well.

[1864roverite]

Topman

I would suggest that you seek a medical opinion on that. My problem was that my knee wasnt level after the operation at Chorley and after heated arguments with the surgean I reluctantly lety him discharge me as I was getting nowhere. My knee would swell when I wore flat soled shoes so I had to resort to wearing supportive trainers for work as it was the only way I could ever walk. Subsequently the same surgeon told me a knee replacement was the only option as I had no cartlidge left. I didnt accept this so did my own research and hence finally got a referral to Blue Spot Knee Clinic. They were great, they listened, got my old medical notes and then did a full examination after a detailed MRI scan at their own hospital. The surgeon finally found a double tear and ligament damage which is now corrected hopefully. I am still sore, the surgery wasnt as invasive as I thought it would be and I am now looking forward for the first time on 5 and a half years. Dont put up with the pain as the damage will haunt you in the long term. Good luck mate.

[Amo]

Thanks for the advice, 1864roverite. I had trouble with this last year but typically the pain had subsided by the time I saw my GP. He just told me to avoid the dumbbell squats and fobbed me off with some anti-inflammatory pills (which I didn't take). So more recently I got back into the squats, thinking I could get away with it this time. Sure enough, I went a squat too far and busted it again. It could be something relatively minor that needs fixing, I just won't know unless I get a proper assessment. Whether I have the patience to deal with the NHS remains to be seen.

[1864roverite]

Its now almost 3 weeks since the operationa nd I am recovering fine mate. It was well worht the fight with the NHS/PCT. Although my knee isnt fully flexible it is improving on a daily basis, its a pity there isnt any physio as its an 18 weeks waiting list at the moment.

Still, I am perservering with walking up and down stairs to try and get it moving.

It already feels a lot stronger than before and bit by bit its getting stronger and stronger.

[Audax]

Thanks for the advice, 1864roverite. I had trouble with this last year but typically the pain had subsided by the time I saw my GP. He just told me to avoid the dumbbell squats and fobbed me off with some anti-inflammatory pills (which I didn't take). So more recently I got back into the squats, thinking I could get away with it this time. Sure enough, I went a squat too far and busted it again. It could be something relatively minor that needs fixing, I just won't know unless I get a proper assessment. Whether I have the patience to deal with the NHS remains to be seen.

I hear you here, I once did dumb bell lunges, picked up too big of weights, really felt a bit of a crunch, I have a basic understanding that their is cushioning (is this cartilidge? I don't know: diagram: http://www.aclsoluti...e anatomy01.jpg ) between those bones in the knee so I really think when I did those lunges it was "no, you are not meant to do this." I know my knees didn't like that. Now, I don't push it. Early in the World Cup match, 2006, Sweden vs. England and Michael Owen coming back from an injury I think on his knee but all he did was untouched, twisted a bit and fell to the ground and that was all for him.

Also, what about Glucosamine Chondroitin? Mentioned?

Runners talk, fuss, and worry about knee pain all the time, and when pain strikes, we often turn to glucosamine/chondroitin. A recent Internet poll at runnersworld.com showed that 94.5 percent of respondents said they had tried one of the supplements. What's more, 79.8 percent reported that their symptoms "somewhat improved" or "greatly improved" after taking glucosamine and/or chondroitin. Less than one percent reported that "things got worse" with the supplements.

http://www.runnerswo...ain?page=single

So, this article shows pros and cons. It's not for me to really suggest it, I think one can research it. Though, it works for me. I don't keep it on hand but at times, I can tell I might need some. And I get it in pills only. I know they sell it in a number of ways, in some drinks too like these http://www.wellesse.com/intl_uk.asp. but I tend to think you'd have to drink a lot more, pills are handy.

Then I web-searched around, some said it didn't work for them.

I never knew there might be an objection to this stuff on a vegetarian/vegan basis which I'm not but I respect people who do that.

Glucosamine and chondroitin (chondroitin sulphate) supplements have grown in popularity with athletes, because the two compounds are thought to soothe painful joints and decrease the risk of osteoarthritis. Glucosamine and chondroitin are commonly believed to prevent the breakdown of joint cartilage and/or stimulate the production of new cartilage, preserving joint integrity in the face of heavy training.

http://www.sportsinj...glucosamine.htm

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-glucosamine-chondroitin-and-msm-iodine-for-thyroid/#axzz2CuskGTIu