Partial ACL tear

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MrNatural

MrNatural

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Oct 9, 2007
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I injured my knee back in 2010, was told i had torn my ACL.
Luckily, under the arthoscope, when i was having part of my meniscus removed, the doctor discovered that my ACL was onlky partially torn, and i didnt require a knee reco.
Since then, I've gotten myself back into shape (lost 30kgs) and at a decent fitness base.
I am now back playing footy, have managed to get through three straight games and training with little issue with the knee.
Every now and then, i get a little twinge from the ACL, as it has some laxity, however this doesnt cause any pain and doesn't impede me in any way.
The main issue I've had is the mental side of it all. The worry about my ACL giving way completely is always in my mind.
Anyone else on BigFooty had a partial ACL tear and can shed some light?
Even those of you who had knee reco's, and tell me how you copped returning to the game?
What is the best way to prepare for a game with an ACL injury? My physio has told me to limit scretching within 30-60mins of a game, anyone heard of this theory before?
 
I tore my ACL 7 months ago and have been straight line running for the past month every 2nd day going for a run and doing 1 strength session per week and 1 functional movement session per week.
I havent heard of limit the stretching before but i have the ACL in my mind as well especially when i started to run but at the 4-5 month mark thats all i wanted to do. Now I'm itching to get back into competitive sports but have the fear i will do it again. Unfortunately i have also Disclocated my left knee and had stabilisation surgery on that as well but have the upmost confidence in that as it was 2010 and havent had an issue with it since.
Sorry i couldnt be of more help but its a long road and id advise you to do as much strength training on your legs as possible and build the muscle. Even though you havent had a new graft done they say with mine the graft wont be at 100% until the 16-18 month mark.
 
I partially tore mine in 2011 (grade 2 tear) it was ridiculously sore for about 2 weeks. But I was at the physio getting it loosened up almost everyday and was doing some jogging and swimming 2 and a half weeks in. A month in I was almost back into full training. 6 weeks in i was doing one full session a week. I managed to play round 2 after 8 weeks out. Played every game that year. But hurt it again last year missed 10 games. But worked on leg strength this preseason and a huge fitness base which helped. Thought about surgery last year but thought I would take a punt on getting it right with rehab.
 

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Natho said:
I partially tore mine in 2011 (grade 2 tear) it was ridiculously sore for about 2 weeks. But I was at the physio getting it loosened up almost everyday and was doing some jogging and swimming 2 and a half weeks in. A month in I was almost back into full training. 6 weeks in i was doing one full session a week. I managed to play round 2 after 8 weeks out. Played every game that year. But hurt it again last year missed 10 games. But worked on leg strength this preseason and a huge fitness base which helped. Thought about surgery last year but thought I would take a punt on getting it right with rehab.
Click to expand...

When i tore mine, i was told i only had an MCL tear, and told to do the usual work on it.
It wasnt till 2-3 months later that i found i had a meniscus tear and the partial tear.
 
I had a knee reconstruction 6 months ago after rupturing my ACL, along with my medial and lateral ligaments playing footy. I began running again 3 weeks ago after 4-5 months of building up the strength through my quads n hammys. You hear of people doing ACL's all the time but I never realised just how mentally taxing the rehabilitation would be. I've been very diligent with it all to date and have noticed significant improvement over the past 6-8 weeks. Whilst running is still nowhere near 100%, I know that it's getting better with every session. I'm running 3 days a week, combined with 3 strength training sessions on my legs. Doing exercises such as, deadlifts, squats, lunges, jumps, single leg lunges, 45degree leg press etc. Also swimming 1-2 times a week with 3-4 sessions on the x trainer and my normal 4-5 upper body and core sessions.

In your case you have that unknown of whether you'll completely tear your ACL or it may never happen. My only advice would be to get your legs as strong and powerful as possible. This is no guarantee that your knee will stay intact but it should give you plenty of confidence And hopefully put your mind at ease, to an extent anyway.

Anyway I feel your pain mate, fingers crossed you have no issues with your knee again. Physically look after yourself as best possible and that will help the mental side of things, which is almost harder to overcome. Good luck.
 
Apologies for the 6 year old bump, but anyone else have any experience with a partial acl tear?

Have just received the Mri results showing a partial acl + meniscus tear. I know there's been some success stories of recovery without surgery (Dale Morris x2), but I've got a feeling the orthopeadic surgeon (appointment in 2 weeks) will recommend a reco, which I'm trying to avoid at all costs (I've had mates needing help from partners just showering and toileting after their knee surgeries, my workplace is 4 flights of stairs with no lift, I can't be out of work for a couple of weeks).

Not sure if the OP is still around, but has anyone else gone through a partial tear rehab and avoided surgery and returned to the field?

Or anyone have any highly recommended orthopaedic surgeon in Melbourne?

If a reco is recommended, I'll probably want to get a second opinion.
 
Guido said:
Apologies for the 6 year old bump, but anyone else have any experience with a partial acl tear?

Have just received the Mri results showing a partial acl + meniscus tear. I know there's been some success stories of recovery without surgery (Dale Morris x2), but I've got a feeling the orthopeadic surgeon (appointment in 2 weeks) will recommend a reco, which I'm trying to avoid at all costs (I've had mates needing help from partners just showering and toileting after their knee surgeries, my workplace is 4 flights of stairs with no lift, I can't be out of work for a couple of weeks).

Not sure if the OP is still around, but has anyone else gone through a partial tear rehab and avoided surgery and returned to the field?

Or anyone have any highly recommended orthopaedic surgeon in Melbourne?

If a reco is recommended, I'll probably want to get a second opinion.
Click to expand...
julian feller is a well regarded orthopod. the down side is he's a collingwood supporter.;)
 
Guido said:
Apologies for the 6 year old bump, but anyone else have any experience with a partial acl tear?

Have just received the Mri results showing a partial acl + meniscus tear. I know there's been some success stories of recovery without surgery (Dale Morris x2), but I've got a feeling the orthopeadic surgeon (appointment in 2 weeks) will recommend a reco, which I'm trying to avoid at all costs (I've had mates needing help from partners just showering and toileting after their knee surgeries, my workplace is 4 flights of stairs with no lift, I can't be out of work for a couple of weeks).

Not sure if the OP is still around, but has anyone else gone through a partial tear rehab and avoided surgery and returned to the field?

Or anyone have any highly recommended orthopaedic surgeon in Melbourne?

If a reco is recommended, I'll probably want to get a second opinion.
Click to expand...

Not surgeon, but I’d be looking into Mick Hughes’ research/info on conservative management of ACLs
https://www.mickhughes.physio/
Feller is probably the most well known/highly regarded surgeon in Melb outside of shoulders
 
Last edited:
kaiserchief13 said:
Wouldn't it be an arthroscopic surgery? Why would you need help to shower and toilet? Just can't bend your leg taking a dump and put plastic over the wound when showering
Click to expand...

While I share your sentiments; an arthroscope is a far cry from a reconstruction.
 

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Guido said:
Apologies for the 6 year old bump, but anyone else have any experience with a partial acl tear?

Have just received the Mri results showing a partial acl + meniscus tear. I know there's been some success stories of recovery without surgery (Dale Morris x2), but I've got a feeling the orthopeadic surgeon (appointment in 2 weeks) will recommend a reco, which I'm trying to avoid at all costs (I've had mates needing help from partners just showering and toileting after their knee surgeries, my workplace is 4 flights of stairs with no lift, I can't be out of work for a couple of weeks).

Not sure if the OP is still around, but has anyone else gone through a partial tear rehab and avoided surgery and returned to the field?

Or anyone have any highly recommended orthopaedic surgeon in Melbourne?

If a reco is recommended, I'll probably want to get a second opinion.
Click to expand...

Hi mate,

I partially tore mine 2 years ago. I kept playing cricket on it and building strength but it gave way on me a few times so I’ve bitten the bullet and had the Reco yesterday.

When I took my MRI’s to the surgeon he actually suggested to me that to only have the surgery if I wanted to continue to participate in explosive sports otherwise leave it as there’s not much point. He did caution the potential to develop early onset arthritis in the knee if I did leave it though.

If you are in Melbourne I highly recommend the surgeon I saw. He is very conservative and tries to avoid surgery unless you really need it.
 
9 weeks post ACL rupture and they’re back doing field work.
Will be interesting how it pans out.
 
Return to play in 12 weeks following full ACL rupture
 
As an aside, this is all the research + news articles I could find about non-operative management of ACL injuries (someone didn’t believe me on another forum a few weeks back lol).

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A 10-year prospective trial of a patient management algorithm and screening examination for highly active individuals with anterior cruciate ligament injury: Part 1, outcomes - PubMed

The classification algorithm is an effective tool for prospectively identifying individuals early after anterior cruciate ligament injury who want to pursue nonoperative care or must delay surgical intervention and have good potential to do so.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment for acute anterior cruciate ligament tear: five year outcome of randomised trial - PubMed

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN84752559.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury-Who Succeeds Without Reconstructive Surgery? The Delaware-Oslo ACL Cohort Study - PubMed

Clinicians and patients can be more confident in a nonsurgical treatment choice (active rehabilitation alone) in athletes who are female, are older in age, and have good knee function, as measured by single-leg hop tests and patient-reported outcome measures, early after an ACL injury...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Coper Classification Early After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture Changes With Progressive Neuromuscular and Strength Training and Is Associated With 2-Year Success: The Delaware-Oslo ACL Cohort Study - PubMed

Coper classification improved after NMST; more athletes became potential copers. Athletes who were potential copers after NMST were more likely to succeed 2 years later regardless of whether they had surgery, strongly supporting the addition of NMST before ACLR. Persistent noncopers fared...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
(The last 2 looks at ways of identifying who is likely to succeed without ACLR)

On top of this there are case studies, prospective studies and anecdotal evidence that show that athletes can, and do, perform at elite levels without ACLR following full rupture eg
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Non-operative management of a complete anterior cruciate ligament injury in an English Premier League football player with return to play in less than 8 weeks: applying common sense in the absence of evidence - PubMed

This case report illustrates and discusses the non-operative management of a complete anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in an English Premier League football player, his return to play within 8 weeks and problem-free follow-up at 18 months post injury. When non-operative verses surgical...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Clinical, functional, and radiologic outcome in team handball players 6 to 11 years after anterior cruciate ligament injury: a follow-up study - PubMed

A more restrictive attitude regarding return to competitive pivoting sports after anterior cruciate ligament injury may be warranted.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


en.m.wikipedia.org

Hines Ward - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org
(This guy was literally born w/o ACLs)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olymp...very-from-acl-injury-to-join-nz-sevens-in-rio (Played in the Olympic then later opted to have an ACLR)

Then there’s all the crazy winter Olympian’s
sports.yahoo.com

'What ACL?': One month after tearing knee ligament, skier competes at Olympics

Canadian skier Philippe Marquis tore his ACL on Jan. 8. A month later, he was hurtling down slopes in PyeongChang, and qualified for the moguls final.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

thewest.com.au

Aussie with no ACL just misses big air final

Jess Rich wrecked her knee just a month ago, but still came within a whisker of competing for a medal at the PyeonChang Winter Games.
thewest.com.au thewest.com.au
 
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