Originally Posted by jjsmedi

<!-- google_ad_section_start -->ACL injury, answers and what to expect!<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

I have seen posts throughout the last couple months about acl injuries and what not so I am going to give you information about what to expect when dealing with the outcome and any worries after sustaining this awful injury. It has been about 8 years since I last boarded because when I entered high school I was a three sport athlete and never had my winters to do what I loved. After graduating high school I had a full scholarship to play football. Unfortunately, during camp that same year I had tore my acl. The doctors we had on the teams thought I just tore some meniscus so I rehabbed for three weeks and was playing on my knee and tore my acl even more after that.

Finally, I had gone to see a knee specialist and he then delivered the information on me tearing my acl. Hearing that was horribly unnerving thing to hear. Now normally you should have good health insurance so you can get an acl reconstruction or another option is to just build the muscles around the acl so your knee cap does not slip out of place because that is what the acl stabilizes but get the surgery. So after the surgery you will be indefinitely in a gloomy state of mind. You should start rehab about 3 to 5 days after the surgery as the doctor should set some rehabilitation schedule for you. You should walk in no earlier than 7 days and no later than 14 days. Your rehab will be months long as they will do countless exercises to strengthen the muscles around your knee so your new acl grows strong and the swelling goes down.

After months of the exercises finally ending in running and more side to side motion and moderate level agilities you should be about ready to feel somewhat like yourself. My surgery was during the winter season and my rehab was during the late winter to spring to summer seasons. I finally felt almost complete in the summer. You normally will feel whole again 8 to 12 months from the day of your surgery depending on how your body accepts the reconstruction and how much repetitive time and effort you put into re strengthening you knee. Most importantly is that everyone’s body accepts healing differently.

Finally, after all the rehab during the spring, summer, we started football camp in August, be in mind this is about 9 months from when I tore my acl previously. After about a week in football camp my knee was given me horrible amounts of pain to where I had trouble walking so I returned to see my knee specialist and he said specifically that everyone’s body accepts surgery differently and that it was not the rehab because I was rehabbing not only with physical therapists but also with the football teams strength and conditioning coaches and the head trainers, but that my body was having trouble with all the banging in the sport of football and that if I retear my acl I could be looking at a knee reconstruction and maybe walking with a cane for a period of years. I was 20 at the time and did not want to screw up the way I walked for the rest of my life so I walked away from the game of football. This occurred around late August and then I thought to pursue my dream of snowboarding again.

I have been working out at the rec center since August and finally in early November been hitting the slopes till now. The only problems I have had with my knee are sometimes the cold weather gives you an aching sort of pain which is typically normal and also that when you are in a certain position for a long amount of time your knee might tend to lock up, but walking around will settle that problem. Normally, your work out should consist of running, biking, stretching, and many leg exercises if you’re serious about attaining the leg strength you once had with your previous natural knee. I am 6'5 and weigh 270 and board beautifully about a year later from my surgery. Most of you who read this are not as big as me and your health should be easier to attain because you’re not carrying as much weight around as I am. This injury is serious and in must be dealt with seriously. Think how much pivoting and twisting and banging your knees take when you snowboard so you must understand to work hard after you sustain an injury like this or your knee will never be the same. To my fellow boarders the end result of handling this injury properly is riding all the pow the world has to offer!