ACL rupture

[SweetJem]

Hello. I'm new here.

I injured my ACL about a month ago (July 4th to be exact) playing volleyball. At first, I thought i just pulled a muscle or strained it coz it gave out on me. So i tried to get back in the game but it kep giving out on me. So i just had to sit that one out. It was pretty scary coz I didnt really know what happened to it. So, went home and rested my leg, then the next morning, it felt so tight and swollen and cant even walk on it. Went to the ER, they did an Xray and said that it was just a sprain (an xray only shows any fractures anyway) They gave me a leg immobilizer that i had to wear for a week. And told me to follow-up with and Ortho specialist.

Went to the Ortho a week later and he did the Lachman's test and he suspected an ACL tear right away (which i was afraid of - coz by that time i've been reading stuff on what it could be). Had an MRI the same day and found out the results two days later. Diagnosis - ACL rupture [complete]. He gave me options for therapy or surgery. I wanted to avoid the surgery as much as possible so tried therapy first. Therapy was doing well actually and it gave enough strength on my knee that it hasnt given out/away on me since the injury. It felt stable, but not stable enough.

And i've been back and forth with my decision whether to have surgery or not. I finally told my Ortho doc that I decided to have the surgery and already scheduled next Friday.

My left knee actually feels ok. But there's days when it's really bad. I work 12 hours shifts in the hospital (I'm a nurse), and we do a lot of pulling, lifting, and on my feet a lot. And I dont wanna live with this injury which probably opted me on having the surgery. And I really wanna stay active, I don't do a lot of sports, but I wanna feel like I'd be able to do it when I want to.

I just hate how it feels okay one day (it feels like there's no injury at all) then not okay a few days later. I still get that dull, aching, shooting pain, which is not bad and tolerable. and There's days when it's hard to extend my knee.

[Heidi]

If you want to stay active then surgery is probably the best option for you. Results from an ACL recon are pretty good now and problems are rare. As long as you understand that having the surgery will take you back several steps and that a thorough rehab probgramme must be committed to to get the full benefits over the next 4-6 months.
Hope that helps!

[SweetJem]

Thats what I was afraid of at first was taking a few steps back since I'm doing so well with my Therapy, but I can't be on therapy forever. And I know that it's gonna be harder with therapy after the recon but I am motivated and really believes that I can stick to it for a fast recovery.

Thanks Heidi! =)