If you’ve had an ACL injury..

[ACLtrouble]

How long did it take to heal? DD age 20 is 2 months post grade 2 ACL injury (severe sprain/minor tear) and still really no better. Struggles with pain/instability when bending, her knee itself is very clicky and at the end of the day she’s always very sore + swollen. Have had knee surgeon input (apparently one of the best for ACLs in the country) who has said surgery is a last resort and to focus heavily on physiotherapy but she’s been doing her exercises religiously for the past 6 weeks to no avail. Reading online it says that things should’ve started to settle by now but if anything she’s getting worse. Living off anti-inflammatories and has to ice her knee in bed every night just to get to sleep since the pain keeps her awake

AIBU to think that this may not be as simple as a bit of physio after all.. 😬

Is this diagnosed via an MRI? Because it sounds a bit unusual to me. I’m not a doctor so maybe I just have no idea, but I have ruptured three ACLs. I think partial tears are very unusual - they usually go completely once they start to tear. And instability is more likely to happen when the leg is straight than bent. What does her physio say?

Mine took about six to eight months. Happened last year May & was a partial tear, too. I was in rehab for a few months, with a weekly appointment. Stopped any sort of deadlifting for a good while….

I had a partial ACL tear/MCL/meniscus tear with a long period of physiotherapy (following a skiing accident) nine years ago. I was very sceptical that it would work but the consultant wouldn't consider surgery unless I engaged with less invasive therapy. I had a leg brace for a very long time (3 months +) and physio several times a week at a physio gym, which was quite gruelling. I also had an exercise programme to complete at home.

It was extremely painful for several weeks, and I was very anxious about recovery but it did eventually work. I was on the cusp of seeking a second opinion after a month or so but glad I kept with it.

Since that time, I've changed my lifestyle completely and exercise most days as I feel this helped so much. However, I haven't felt confident to ski again (I had skied for over 30 years when I had the accident so I wasn't a beginner) as I am very wary about this happening again. I can now do almost anything else, including exercise involving twisting, etc. such as Zumba/HIT.

Yes, she’s had an MRI. Definitely only a partial tear and very slight - she was bordering grade 1. Physio says to persevere but if things don’t improve soon (given the continued pain and instability) she’d ask for a review with the surgeon.

Early 30s, took a year. What helped me was an Osteopath, who was a specialist in sporting injuries, and strengthening the leg muscles. No surgery, but I did rip it again (scarring pulled a few months later), so may have added to recovery time and then twisted it skiing, but OK now, just always cautious on stairs as years later it weirdly wobbles, rarely but it can! It was sore, but the treatment helped and I had to pay, as physio was useless and a friend recommended. Years later, still rate Osteopathy far more than physios.

Was it an NHS MRI - a friend of mine has similar and a couple of things were missed on the initial scan.

I had surgery just over a month ago. I tore my ACL in September, it didn't seem too bad initially so my consultant (private) suggested I do physio to strengthen my quads, glutes etc. Then while doing physio in January, I tore my meniscus 😥 and had to be wheelchair-ed home. Surgery was totally necessary for me as I have a very active job and just couldn't contemplate not being mobile.

The pain your DD is in sounds really tough, I would definitely try to get a second opinion or go back to the specialist again. Can you afford private?

How are you doing now? I hear recovery is lengthy and difficult!

We’re really fortunate to have health insurance so everything has been done privately so far - I dread to think of the wait on the NHS. I think we’ll book a review with her current consultant and seek a second opinion after that if necessary

I'm doing ok actually, the recovery for me is less complicated as the surgeon couldn't repair the meniscus. So it's just my ACL that needs recovery (9 months probably). If my meniscus had been repaired then I'd have to be in a leg brace for a few months 😱

DD (14) and DH (45) have both had ACL surgery in the last year (I’m outing myself here!). DD probably started off with a partial tear and then it finally went (along with her meniscus) about 4 months later despite all the physio going well. Her post surgery recovery has been incredible and she’s pretty much back to full strength after 7 months but won’t play contact sport for another 5.

DH did well with pre op physio but wanted surgery as he wanted to be able to run. His recovery has been much, much tougher.

The younger the better in my experience!

I have a torn MCL with “some meniscus involvement” . This started in March and I have had phisio for about 3 weeks now. This has been extremely painful and I have been taking painkillers constantly with little effect. Just yesterday I realised it was now unpleasantly sore rather than more seriously painful, so hopefully recovering. My injury is not as significant as yours OP but it is total misery coming with it. So, for me it will probably be around 3 months to recover. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Your daughter has had the correct opinion from an expert and needs to persevere with it. It will take a bit of work on her part. Six weeks is not long in this context.

I sustained a partial tear in August last year; slipped on the dog’s cool mat and twisted funny as I went down. It’s still giving me a bit of trouble 9 months on, but better than it was. Had one session of physio, 9 weeks after I did it, and was sent away with a printout of exercises and told to “take it easy”!

I did my MCL skiing. Took about 9 months before it was ‘right’ but for a couple or three years I’d have the occasional wobble. My physio also identified a lose ACL on the same knee, so I quit skiing.
Physio is the way to go. Buy the balance board and pad, the bands etc and persevere. Steady exercise.
That said, get a second opinion, but six weeks of physio is not long enough yet. Give it another six weeks.

I am four months into private physio for a different knee injury. I strongly recommend private physio if you don’t have one go and find one - I have had to “track” the nhs physio pathway in case the injury recurs and I need nhs treatment / surgery again, but the difference between nhs and private physio treatment is vast.

We’re insured so everything is fully private, thankfully.

2 months is still very early days. I hit the four month of rehab mark and everything suddenly felt better and sometimes I forget which knee it was! If after six months she is still struggling look into surgical options.

mine healed naturally in 8 months, i had a near full thickness acl tear and thank god i didnt do surgery!