ACL Ligament Reconstruction

[FlowerGirl2005]

Has anyone had this type of surgery? If so what was recovery like?

[GlitteryShoes]

I haven't, I tore my ACL about 20 months ago and after 15 months, lots of physio and regular cycling my knee feels stronger than ever. My dr said the surgery was only worth doing if you are a professional sportsperson.
Just thought I'd offer the bin surgical view! At the time I was distraught and thought I would never be properly mobile again, so u can see why you would be considering it.

[MissRainbowBrite]

DH had this surgery 4 years ago. He was on crutches for 2-3 weeks and off work for 6 weeks. The first week or so he had to keep his leg elevated and it was very swollen, getting up and down stairs was also difficult. He could drive after 6 weeks and was given a list of sports that could be done after set periods of time.
It wasn't totally successful as he went back after 2.5 years to have further keyhole surgery to remove some more cartilage. He's fairly happy with it now and can run, play squash and cycle but still can't play football as kicking a ball can still aggravate it.

[shouldiblowthewhistle]

Yes I had this in 1995. Replacement ligament came from a hamstring (not patella as it used to be, don't think it's that common anymore).

The pain of having to get out of bed onto my feet the day after the op was really painful and I cried afterwards. But a week later was NYE and I was pissed and dancing in high heels. I had 3 weeks off work, and in that time there were occasional (about 3) very painful hamstring twinges. Otherwise I was fine.

Physio was really important for reducing swelling and increasing mobility in the knee, as well as strengthening the muscles around the knee to protect the knee again and because they hadn't been used for a while. I had some pain every time the weather changed for the next 18 months. Now you'd never know. I've completed 3 marathons without a problem.