ACL RECONSTRUCTION USING HAMSTRING GRAFT AND 50% REMOVAL OF LATERAL MENISCUS 23-9-2009

[earlsutton]

my knee can't bend. i have my knee dne hen was 15 years old. now am 31. and still cant bend my knee. alot of pain

[Bass2Intense]

i got the same thing only i got full removal because i didnt get surgery for a year and a half after i messed it up skating at a local spot

[euansmithy]

Hi mate i ruptured my ACL last year whilst playing football, my consultant said that i might need the reconstuction surgery. I have to wait 5 years until i can since i am only 14 years old. What was the surgery like? Thankyou.

[mridout196]

Extremely lucky in your recovery, I'm on week 6 and have only just ditched the crutches (indoors), was in so much pain for the first week it was unbelievable.

[ANGOLARICK]

Had the same done.

[vctop101dunk]

hi ya mate, i had an acl reconstruction last christmas (which is abt 3 months ago). unfortunately i hv a problem tat annoyed me. if im sitting and trying to contract my thigh muscle, i can see my leg below of my knee shifting (as i contract my knee). is tis normal? i tried the same thing on my good knee and there was no shifting.. (sry for my bad english)

[Xen7600Aj]

hey dude , i got my surgery done about 3 months back , i tore my acl completely and 20 % of the inner miniscus was damaged. the doc reattached the miniscus and took my hamstring of the graft. i really love playing football but m kinda scared. i still feel pain in my miniscus area . how long does it take for the pain to completely go away ?

[magiccole]

@Xen7600Aj I think I was very lucky as I had no pain as such, and only a little discomfort, but by all accounts you should be pain free after a couple of months generally. Sorry to hear you still have pain. I'm back playing football now with no ill effects from the surgery. Good luck with the rest of your recovery.

[borkojack]

@magiccoleHope you are doing well, mate.I've watched your video.Very,very impressive!!! How is your knee feel like after 17 months?I'm having my knee done in 3 days (23rd march). I'd like to ask you a favour.If you find a few minutes could please let me know exactly what exercises you have been doing in your first 2 weeks after op.How often and many repeats and how was whole rehab (physio).

I'll very appreciate if you could help me mate.Look forward to hearing from you a.s.a.p.

BR.borkojack

[troubadour191]

I'm jealous I had mine done 10 days ago and my knee is still pretty swollen and it's still hard to walk on it without a limp.

[1STB11TME]

3 weeks on with mine and i cant straighten my leg out at all...dont even get it close so it makes trying to walk impossible....Hope it gets better soon. Glad you are recovered well..

[rooneyohyes1]

after one week the movement you have is amazing took me 6 weeks of hard work to get that sort of movement

[MessyDikki]

I'll do anything for our country. I wish there were more 20 years old with a mind set of respect and love for our nation. Lets also hope the Royal Marines give me the chance to become a Commando. Usually an ACL reconstruction is a bar on entry for and armed service, It's a shame I just know I'll be one of the best soldiers within our truley remarkable Armed Forces. Here's my support boys, if the Government won't support you fully, then I give myself to stand by you in battle.

[MessyDikki]

Hey guys, I sustained a ACL rupture and torn Medial Meniscus whilst playing Rugby. I didn't warm up just joined the game and I will forever hate myself for that. Reason being I have the biggest dream to be in the Royal Marines, ever since I was a child I just wanted to be a soldier. Growing up, my understanding improved and the Royal Marines is the best out there. I flew through the selection process, even the medical was 100% with my injury. Wish me luck with the operation

[chillidale]

hi mate, how are you doing now after the opp, and how long has it been since the opp.

thanks

[magiccole]

@chillidale Hi chilldale, doing very well thanks mate, it's been 14 months now since the op. Will post an up to date vid of me running about or playing squash very soon which will include my overall progress. Take care.

[RugbyClair]

Wowsers, you recovered really quickly, took me 5 weeks to shake off the limp! I'm 6 weeks post op now, had mine done with Dr Ravikumar at Maidstone hospital, an excellent surgion he's made a really neat job of the incisions. Now just getting on with the physio work How is it a year on? I get some cracking in mine at the moment, usually after a moment of no movement.

[magiccole]

@RugbyClair Hi. Glad it went so well for you also. Feels 99% good now. I haven't returned to playing football yet, at 36 there are too many whipper snappers out there who just want to kick you and I haven't got the tolerance for that these days. Playing squash regularly and it's been fine. Still intending on making another vid showing up to date progress. Good luck once again.

[MultiBella34]

hi there i tore my medial meniscus and acl had my meniscus repaired but not my acl yet i climb and fix wind turbines my doc said i can live without acl is this true

[magiccole]

@MultiBella34 Hi MultiBella, if u do not play sport or run/jog around etc potentially u can live without it as such. But it will always be prone 2 giving way - sometimes even when u simply walk down stairs. The ACL stabalizes the knee along with the PCL, the ACL prevents the tibia from gliding 2 far forward in front of your femur at the knee joint. Without the op you may at times always feel some instability, popping or cracking etc. Before my op it was always on my mind. Hope this helps.

[MultiBella34]

@magiccole i have to get it done or else i wont be able to climb wind turbines and i love what i do i'm scared to death because i heard the rehab is brutal

[SKARKIBANEZ]

NICE VID MAN........

[duvalbit]

@magiccole

Yes, everything went well. I can run again! It was a painful experience but I learned a lot from it.

[Xen7600Aj]

did you only have your acl torn ? was your miniscus fine ... the doc tells me that my inner miniscus might be bruized along with the torn acl.... and have u been playing football at all .... any worries when you do play ???

[garyU6969]

i was supposed to get this done i am soo fucking scared!

[MrScorp45]

Hi magiccole

I have my Acl reconstruction next week and also have torn medial and lateral meniscus tears..I am having the operation @ medway maritme hospital Kent.

I'm hoping my op goes as well as yours did..how is your leg now after almost a year?

[magiccole]

@MrScorp45 Hi, it's very good. I play squash regularly and experience no tweaks at all now.... I see you're just up the road from me, good luck.

[MrScorp45]

@magiccole Hi again..Had Operation last week 29th Oct..I have same scars and Bruising as you..can walk a bit but was told to use crutches and brace for some time yet..still have an aching soreness around the knee but thats prob expected.

Staples are to be removed in a week and will start rehab then too.

[brominbahrain]

I am 6 weeks into physio after acl recon and still have swelling and can't walk normal ?????

[magiccole]

@brominbahrain Wow sorry to hear that. What has been said at your follow up appointments or what has your physio said about that?

[Xen7600Aj]

hey i play football alot and i the doc thinks i might have torn my acl and he also thinks that my inner meniscus might have some problem. m having a MRI scan tomorrow but everyones 90% sure about it. I know they take a new hamstring from the lower leg to replace the acl , does that part hurt and what happens to the vacant area ... is it better to take a hamstring from a cadaver or from your own body ? need help plz

[magiccole]

@Xen7600Aj Yes my ACL was reconstructed with my own hamstring. Apparently the body may reject a cadaver at times. There was tenderness and bruising around the back of my knee where the access point was made to remove the required amount of hamstring, but no more than that really. It'll be 1 year next week since I had the op, I hav'nt fully returned to playing competitive football because of a change to my working hours, but when I first attempted striking a ball after the 6 month post op mark

[magiccole]

@magiccole i could feel a sharp shooting pain after striking the ball when my leg followed through into full extension. I continued to work on hamstring exercises whenever I could and it feels fine now. I am back to playing squash once, sometimes twice a week and it feels 100% fine, no tweeks, pulls or pops of any sort so it couldn't have gone much better for me i'm sure.... Good luck

[Xen7600Aj]

@magiccole hey ... thx and i had one more question .... can i be able to move and go to the restroom after a few days ? cuz people tell me it atleast takes about a week before i can walk ... is it true ... and how long was it before u came back home ...

[magiccole]

@Xen7600Aj - As far as the toilet is concerned, this could well be dependent on a lot of things; how well the actual surgery goes, how your body responds to the surgery, how much pain or discomfort you may be in..... I came out the day after the surgery as my op was done late afternoon. I was given crutches but only to be used if I needed them, as my surgeon wanted me to weight bear straight away if at all possible. It was possible so thats what I did, dont get me wrong, I had to move around

[magiccole]

@magiccole...... very slowly and cautiously and everything felt tight and restricted but I managed to walk. Having said that I had to keep my leg fully extended whilst having a crap on the loo!!! When you sit down on the toilet it can be somewhat tricky. Please bear in mind that your post op pain/effects/experience may be different to mine, although I do hope its as similar as it could be to mine, as I couldnt have wished for a better experience.

[WamBamThankyouMam86]

wow, you're walking around one week after surgery. i still can't walk yet and i'm 2 weeks post op. although i havent been able to walk for 2 months because i had an infection in the knee joint. did you have any pain at the back of your knee? i'm also getting alot of pain at night from the incision area. it's a sharp, throbbing pain.

they;ve apparently taken 50% of my medial meniscus. the problem is that i'm an athelete and having that much taken out will cause me some major problems.

[magiccole]

@WamBamThankyouMam86 Yeah you could be right - 50% medial removal is quite significant, but hey, I had the same removed from my lateral meniscus and although i'm not an athelete my return to squash has not troubled my knee at all. I know that it is more likely to deteriorate over time quicker than it may have done but it all feels virtually perfect for now. As stated above I did have some tenderness and bruising at the back of the knee but that did not last more than a month. No pain at all

[magiccole]

@magiccole around the incision area. Good luck with the rest of your recovery.

[chilliedogg]

hello can you tell me what condition your leg/knee was in before the opp. are you in good shape, was there pain b4, how long had your acl been torn. mine has been torn for 5 years now and no problems really a little swelling on the inside of the knee now and again, but i still walk and ride my bike everyday plus go to the gym 4 times a week. but i wondering if i should have the opp, how long b4 you returned to work....

thanks

[magiccole]

@chilliedogg I tore my ACL 4 years ago, I mistimed kicking the ball, the ball contacted the toe end of my boot and my foot hyper-extended. I knew something didn't feel right but i tried to carry on in the game. 5 minutes or so after i went to turn whilst defending and it felt like my knee popped in and out again and i thought wtf was that!! It happened again a few minutes later and i knew i needed to come off. Next day mild swelling/pain etc, i didnt think too much about what it may have been

[magiccole]

left it for 6 weeks and in my return game i went to do the old shimmy after 10 or so minutes and it gave way again.... no one was near me and it felt like i had been shot in the knee by a sniper - pure agony for 30 or so seconds. At that point i knew something major was wrong, but i left it and left until 15 months ago when arranged for an MRI. So, as such, before the op my knee funtionec ok, i could walk, ride, run in a straight line, but i knew it was unstable and any slight over twist might

[magiccole]

cause it too give way again. I found myself always being very conscious of how i menouvered myself out of the car, stepping down stairs and even stepping off the kurb, the thought of it giving way was always on my mind one way or another. I was and am in good shape 6'2 - 15 and a 1/2 stone. If you want to continue with sporting activities that include twisting, turning, weight bearing onto the knees etc then you may want to consider the op. For me, knowing what i know now and how well it has

[magiccole]

healed, i would have got it done even if i wasn't returning to sport because i dont find myself having to constantly think about how i move or position myself now. It has given me so much peace of mind also. I returned to work after 6 weeks.

[duvalbit]

I have to get an ACL replacement this Friday.

So scared.

[magiccole]

@duvalbit Hope it all went well for you??

[skimmertakesall]

2:22 and i quote "hopefully that'll give a bit of an angle."

[AbSuRdCHriS]

hey man i had the same thing done as u but im out and feel also no pain at all but like i got a question how much weight can u apply on the leg ?

[TXatheist]

I"m due for acl surgery monday and wondered if you could walk or hobble or had to use crutches on days 1, 2 and 3 post surgery...do you remember? Thanks

[magiccole]

I used the crutches2leave the hospital&when I arrived home that same day. The following day I was fully weight bearing without the crutches, albeit very cautiously with every movement from twisting2tentetively negotiating the stairs. The crutches remained on stand by but I never needed2re-use them. Possibly I was1of the lucky1s, my knee&indeed body felt as 'ok' as I think I could of done so I felt relatively comfortable2weight bear from the onset. Follow your consultants advice ofcourse. G.luck

[chanjeer]

Hope all is still going well for you

Chan Jeer

[magiccole]

Wow!!! Doctor Jeer, the very man who conducted my surgery. Such a privelidge to have u post a comment on here. All is well. Just passed the mid way point & stepping up physio accordingly. Cant wait 2 hopefully return 2 squash around July time. I believe I'm due 2 see u in may? If u had the time 2 read the comments I have made, I hope u find that they are an accurate representation from my part? From what I experienced, you are a truley busy man, but may I thank u 4 the time u spent 'fixing' me.

[TXatheist]

Thanks for replying, I'm not one to be confined to the couch and don't want to have to use crutches so I'm hoping I'm as luck y as you.

[chanjeer]

Glad to hear all is good, I have added my rehab protocol to my website, yes it is aggressive but in most cases like yourself the whole point of the op is regaining function, keep up the good work!

[Nashthekid]

No, posterior lateral corner. i had that repaired, google it. Ive just found a few pictures on it and the 10 inch scar is pretty normal. I really dont know much about it to be honest becasue when i did the injury i was rushed into hospital and was operated on the same day. then i had to wait 2 months for my knee to heal so i could have my acl reconstructed. MY pcl had ruptured 2 but they said i may be able to get by without it :-) fingers crossed.

[magiccole]

@Nashthekid

Both the acl&pcl ruptured!! Your knee must have been seriously unstable and I would assume it gave/gives way on a reguar basis? My hamstring did consist of black bruising initially and that was due to the intrusive nature of the procedure, but it did settle down after 2-3 weeks. As i'm sure you know, the posterior horn of your lateral meniscus is the section of the cartlidge that runs around the outer back portion of your knee, and acts as a shock absorber providing a cushion

[magiccole]

@magiccole

of support between the tibia and femur and that would have either been 'cleaned up' or a portion of it may have been removed depending on the nature of the tear. The acl essentially prevents the femur from gliding too far backwards over the tibia and the pcl prevents it from gliding too far forward over the tibia. The mcl and lcl are ligaments that are positioned on the inside and outside of the knee and provide sideways stability. Yes, you may be able to aviod surgery on your pcl

[magiccole]

@magiccole

if u undertake an aggressive quadricep rehabilitation programme. If that fails or in fact there is still significant laxity in your knee, surgery may be necessary but it does'nt make your knee normal but may decrease your laxity somewhat. Strong quads can protect both the acl&pcl. If your surgery is performed soon after the initial injury, the better it should heal so i'm led2believe. They say it will never be the genuine acticle thou. Good luck2u again my friend. I hope this helps.

[Nashthekid]

Do you know much about the posterior lateral corner? i had to have that repaired to. they have left a 10 inch scar down the outside of my knee, it looks aweful. That has seemed to of gone well though :-) Then a month later i had what you had done. The doctors have said i may not ever be able to play football again. What do you think? you seem to know your stuff. my physio says it should be ok but doctors are doubtful. I really do think they have ruined my hamstring now. i cant even bend my leg

[ComeHonourFace101]

do you mean posterior lateral meniscus? ive destroyed mine and its getting taken out tomorrow hopefully they cant reconstruct my acl while they are at it, but 10 inches sounds like your doctor sneezed when he was cutting XD

[Nashthekid]

I dont mean to put any of you off, maybe my surgeon was terrible, i dont know but ive had nothing but problems with it.

[magiccole]

Wow, I'm surprised you added 'lol' at the end of your first comment! You've clearly had a terrible time. Hamstring completely torn away, let alone the infection!!!! I seriously do feel lucky and hope they find a way of remedying your misfortune my friend, good luck.

[Nashthekid]

I had mine done about 4 weeks ago now and ive had nothing but problems with it :-(

My hamstring was sore for the first few days after the op (which i expected) but then died down. 2 weeks later it starts to really hurt, i then look at the my hamstring to find the whole thing has gone black. i went and had another scan and its shown that my hamstring has completley torn away and im gonna need another operation :-( also im now back on crutches. also my wound is infected :-( im soooo unlucky lol

[BigSexy0811]

Hey man. Thank you for this video. I am having ACL surgery on the 11th and they are using a hamstring graft as well. I have been reading up a lot about the surgery and haven't seen many good stories. This video is a little reassuring. Again, Thank you for posting this.

[magiccole]

No probs, glad it helped you. like you I researched into the anatomy of the knee a lot, to the point where I felt like I was a specialist when talking to consultants at my pre op. Strange how I became facinated by how my knee worked and what was specifically wrong with it, but hey, it gave me a great understanding of what the consultants were saying to me and I felt so much more confident about the whole event knowing what was what and where etc. Hope all goes well for you with your op.

[alexstoji1991]

you lucky man !

my acl recon used a hamstring graft aswell, but they did a huge cut right down the side of my leg running down past my knee, i got my leg in FULL plaster cast.

So i dunno, confidence wise how do you feel, i mean the feeling for my knee giving away was horrible and i hope it doesnt happen again. do you notice it a ig difference?

[magiccole]

I know what u mean about it giving way. Prior to my op, the times it did give way are near on indescribable, for 10-15 seconds it would feel like I had been shot in the knee by a sniper.... Pure agony! So it's 3 months post op for me now and it feels very good. Aiming to start jogging, side steps etc in new year and will put another vid on early Jan. I know I'm going to be very tentertive initially as any minute signs of it feeling as if it's not right and may give way, I'll give it more time.

[kona125]

had my acl repaired with hamstring in 2005. i now circuit train 3 times a week,mountain bike and run with no trouble. key is to do your phiysio. its the biggest part of the operation

[magiccole]

That's encouraging to hear. Hoping to return to football and squash around the 9 month mark. Thanks for your comment.

[kirstyas1]

This has give me hope most of the others i have seen are pure horror stories,I am having this same op in Jan and am totally crapping myself,Already had my minicus repaired 5 weeks ago but once in there with the cam they found my acl had ruptured,Having physio now as my hamstring has tightened so still difficult to get the leg straight but im getting there, hope your recovery is going well

[magiccole]

I felt the same, some of the ones I saw were terrible which is why I thought it would be beneficial to put mine up. Good luck for Jan with the rest of your op.

[DarkEquine]

Wow, that actually doesn't look too bad. I'm going in for surgery on monday. I've snapped my ACL, torn my MCL and Meniscus, as well has a dislocated patella. I'll be getting a hamstring graft too. Freaking out about it!! Thanks for posting this vid.

[magiccole]

Sounds like yours is in a bad way? Just stick with the rehab and every day that you struggle to get up the stairs or lift your leg up etc, the next day it will be that little bit better. Good luck.

[zxrlemmy]

wow, you're a lucky dude, i'm 10 days in after an acl on my left knee using my hamstrings and i've had my cartilage repaired. had to go in yesterday to get it drained as it was at least double the size of the other 1 (apparently that was down to the aspirin they tell you to take after an op and it made it bleed) its starting to feel like my knee again slowly. time to start working it now. all the best with the recovery!!!

[magiccole]

Wow, sorry to hear that my friend, hope all is resolved now. I'm sure that was very worrying indeed. Be good to see anyone elses stage of recovery videos so we all know how each others doing maybe??

[leeroy65]

nice thanks for that im having mine done on the 23 oct and was sh@@ing it but you put my mind at rest a bit! good luck with rehab  keeps us informed!!

[magiccole]

I know how you feel, I was quite apprehensive about the whole thing, but so glad now that I had it done. Good luck with yours and i'll keep you posted.

[malickph1]

Congrats sir,i was operated (ACL) with parial Lateral and medial miniscus,6months ago and I can jog now but I still have pain on the Patella area,my LT knee was swollen after 4 weeks,was able to bend 120 degrees after 1.5 month. My RT knee is due for operation soon.Also due to torn ACL.Get well soon,

[magiccole]

Did you have the Patella Tendon Graft? As I believe that causes more longer term pain than the hamstring method. Sounds like you havn't had much luck with either leg.... Hope the RT knee op goes well for you.