Knee Surgery

**falconfootball** · September 25th, 2005, 08:30 PM

OK, so I tore my MCL in my football game last night. It hurts, but may be able to play again this season. The trainer says I may need surgery if there is any other problems in there.

You guys ever have any knee surgeries done? How was it (besides the fact that it sucks) ?

**BuffforCU** · September 25th, 2005, 11:10 PM

That sucks dude. Check out bbabb22's post on painful injuries - he posts the same injury. How did it happen?

http://www.extremefitness.com/forum/t36318.html

**mrrockhard123** · September 29th, 2005, 01:26 PM

had my ACL done along time ago and it sucked big time, however, surgical techniques have improved since then and so has the rehab.

**falconfootball** · September 29th, 2005, 02:05 PM

No surgery needed.. yet. Gonna try to take this week off and play with a good brace next week. I SHOULD take 5 more weeks off, but this is my senior year, fuck that!

**bbabb22** · October 1st, 2005, 12:34 AM

yah did the same thing. 7 weeks off. they didnt do surgery. my doc said it is the same healing time with less complications. he said doing surgery on it is like mending a frayed rope. when i tore mine i ran off the feild. if you get a good brace(fiberglass custom fitten) then i think you can play on it. what grade is it 1,2 or 3. mine was a 3. i would say take a few games(3-4) off with your leg imobiliozed for 2 weeks like i did. Just because with out lateral support you might tear your ACL, PCL, and LCL your first game back and be screwed. Good luck man

**Old_Fart2** · October 4th, 2005, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falconfootball

No surgery needed.. yet. Gonna try to take this week off and play with a good brace next week. I SHOULD take 5 more weeks off, but this is my senior year, fuck that!

Falcon

I don't know what your future prospects are, whether you're going pro or not. But most guys who do go into the pros only last a couple of years. So unless you're an exceptional player, at best you've only got a few years of playing left, at most maybe 10. However, you've probably got about 50-60 years of life left. Do you want to spend it as a cripple or in constant pain, barely able to get out of bed in the morning or barely able to walk? You might say now that it's worth it but think of yourself 20 years from now. Will you still think it's worth it?

I'm 53 and still hitting it hard in the gym. Sure, I've had a few injuries over the years but I'm still kicking. I can't imagine my life without working out and staying fit. That's just part of who I am.

Take the time you need to heal. You'll thank yourself 20 years from now for it.

**falconfootball** · October 5th, 2005, 12:11 AM

Well the custom brace gets in tomorrow, which means I can play again. It still hurts, but the brace will keep me from hurting it worse. bbabb, It's a grade 3, and not gonna heal for at least 6 more weeks- and we have 6 games left. So my hard-headed self is gonna play on it no matter how bad it hurts. Thinking of getting a cortisone shot somewhere before i play.

**bbabb22** · October 7th, 2005, 02:15 PM

good luck man. i hope you dont injure you knee any futher. let us kno how it held up

**nm156** · October 10th, 2005, 10:11 AM

Hey Falcon! I'm 34 and have had my knees scoped 4 times since I was 16. Played halfback, wide receiver, and cornerback in high school. My last scope, back in 2002, was the easiest by far. The main thing is to follow the rehab program EXACTLY as they tell you! Especially in your case, with a possible torn MCL. Good luck the rest of your senior year enjoy this time of your life! However, OLDFART makes a VERY good point. If for some reason you don't play ball in the pros, you'll want to be able to play with your kids someday without extreme pain! I know it's tough to think about having kids when you're still a teenager, but trust me buddy, you'll be there before you know it! I wouldn't trade my football days for anything, but nothing compares to family life! Take care brotha!

**Manfred_Man** · October 11th, 2005, 10:28 AM

hey, falcon! i have to admit that it sucks to face an injury, but some of them are real wakeup calls...

i was pretty serious as a quarterback & as a pitcher, but my rotator cuff took a lot of beatings from blind hits & from overthrowing... i watched other guys take the cortisone & play through the pain/discomfort... but the damage was still there, and they made it worse. it's almost noble to play through the pain, but it isn't always wise. if you're going to finish well, take a few games off, get better, and then show everyone what you have when you're closer to 100% rather that play at 70% the rest of the way...

fart makes absolute sense. i should have taken a break once my injuries were obvious, but i didn't. i'm remarkably active still at 39, but my injuries have limited my abilities to do things with excellence and ferocity (man, i like that word! )

get better! stay healthy! keep focused! recover & rest!

**falconfootball** · October 26th, 2005, 09:37 PM

Have an MRI scheduled tomorrow for the OTHER knee. Possibly torn lateral meniscus. Damn i'm gettin old

ace of spades · December 10th, 2005, 05:18 AM

What is the status on your knee situation? I have had three surgeries on my right knee from playing baseball/softball, and if I had it to do all over again, I would have listened to the people that told me it's not worth it. I'm 35 and hatin' the fact that I can't even get on my knees for more than 10 seconds without having pain. The first surgery was a torn medial meniscus. The second, torn ACL. The third, torn Medial Meniscus again, and this time they took all but 15% of it out. Which means it will be bone on bone in 10 years or less, depending on how I use it. Having bad knees is such a hinderance.

**falconfootball** · January 20th, 2006, 05:08 PM

well The knee is still bothering me (prob will forever now), but my trainer, and doc looked at it again, and heard some bad news. I not only have a torn MCL, which is hardly healing, but torn ACL, and meniscus. so i played 6 football games on a torn ACL, and the last one with high ankle sprain on the other leg. Boy was that painful. Somehow, through all the injuries, and missing one game, I still got all conference, and am playing in an all star game in april. I will get my knee operated on after that game, then the healing process can FINALLY begin!

shmitty1 · January 30th, 2006, 02:48 AM

Who do you play for? Where? I tore my ACL 3 years ago playing football and couldn't afford rehab. However, after doing cardio and squats, it feels solid. But without working out, it will go back to painful and somewhat unstable.

**falconfootball** · January 30th, 2006, 11:44 AM

I private school in KS. Got the knee looked at again and it definatly needs surgery. Super loose and unstable. Clicks and shifts while walking or standing, but only hurts a little bit. ACL's will never heal with being operated on. I'd rather go through with the surgery now than not get it and a lifetime of bad knees

**ckn** · January 30th, 2006, 01:03 PM

I ruptured both my ACL & MCL in 1995 while playing rugby (one tackle shoulder high, one knee high, studs caught in ground

) Two operations, 24 months and what felt like a whole lifetime's worth of physioterrory (surely it is terrorism rather than therapy) and I was back on the field again.

Biggest bit of advice I can give is recover first, you can always regain your fitness later, you'll never regain a good knee from a rushed "rehab". Use lots of lateral support while recovering and avoid cycling until a qualified doctor tells you that you can!

Good luck!

ace of spades · January 31st, 2006, 02:30 AM

He he....I've had so many different takes on what is good/bad for my knee from various doctors, I don't know who to believe. I do know this, I agree with ckn on the rehab part. Nothing can accomplish what you need unless you do the full rehab and you let the darn thing heal. Yeah, football is fun, and at your age, I don't blame you for wanting to get all you can in before it's too late. But consider the options heavily, because you will surely think about it when it nags you on those cold, wet days and you can't do anything but grin and bear it. I injured my knee in the military, and the Veterans Hospital doctors did the last surgery on removing most of my medial meniscus. They then proceeded to tell me not to do "Any" high impact sports. I'm 36 now, and was 32 then. I thought, "No Sports? Are you kidding me? Baseball/Sofball is my life!" Well, it took about 2 years, but I have come to the realization that it's really not that bad that I can't play anymore. I umpire and coach a couple teams, so I get my fix. But I know I can't chance it anymore, as I'll be a sure candidate for knee replacement if I don't. Or, I'll be in excruciating pain for a loooooong time. Save what you got, my friend. You'll be glad you did. I dread the times when I'll have to tell my son that I can't run with him. He's only 7 mo. old and I'll be 53 when he graduates. It's hard for me to get up off the ground when kneeling for more than 30 seconds and heaven forbid I bend my knees and sit on the floor. My wife laughs at me like I'm an old fart and can't get around. I just would hate to see you have to go through what we that have already experienced the pain and miss out on the better life. Hope all goes well for you in surgery, and that you get through the rehab without to many bumps or bruises.

Ace

**falconfootball** · January 31st, 2006, 01:21 PM

These days I feel like I need the surgery... just to fit in! Out of my close friends, 4 of them all had the operation. They all played ball with me and were a year older. each of them told me "when you get your surgery, blah blah blah....". This was before I ever any anything wrong with me. So in my narrow mind i feel like i was cursed!

I heed your advice ace of spades. When i do have kids, I'll want to play with them. But 3 more months shouldn't be that bad. Any scar tissue that builds up will get cleaned right out. One more game shouldn't hurt me

**ckn** · January 31st, 2006, 01:47 PM

Completely off topic but to me the sheer number of injuries caused in football is simply astounding. Before injury ruled me out, I was a rugby player and simply put, the number of injuries in my sport is far less than I see and hear about in football despite the fact that we play with absolutely no body armour beyond a maximum of 1/2 inch of foam on certain areas.

I have read a couple of studies that show that more injuries are caused due to armour and the "invincibility" it gives the wearer than would occur without the armour. For example, if you go to flatten someone while wearing armour, you'll hit them full strength and strain parts of your body not meant for that type of pressure while without armour, you must use technique to both put the opponent down while not injuring yourself.

Have a look at about 40 seconds into this video to see that tackling isn't a lightweight option in rugby! As a secondary thing it will also give you an insight into my favourite sport!

Edit: oh, and thanks for the reps!

ace of spades · January 31st, 2006, 10:10 PM

Well pal, I hope the best for you, because alot can happen in just 5 seconds. I'm sure if I was in your shoes, and your age, I would be doing the same thing you are. But it is true, with age comes a certain sense of maturity or knowledge that you only get by going through lifes struggles. Maybe this will be your crowning moment, or it may be the one that brings on the surgery sooner. I don't wish any bad things on you at all, falcon, nor do I want to see you go through what I and millions of others out there have had to. So, I won't say another word about how I feel. It's all in your hands now, and I pray the best for you. Take care, falcon. And if you do decide to play just one more game, score a touchdown for all us old farts with bad knees!

And then go get yourself taken care of and live your life to the fullest my friend!!!