ACL: Pre-op, post op, rehab, and return

[ucbart]

So-

I have some questions about the medical part of the ACL tear. How can some people have surgery so soon after a torn ACL, like Paige having her surgery Friday and it seems that some people have to wait a few weeks? Does it have to do with the nature of the injury or is it because some people do other damage to their knee as well?

What's a rehab schedule like? For instance, how long is one on crutches? I notice that Christyn is already off her crutches and it's been about 8 weeks since she had surgery. Is that normal? From there, what's rest of the rehab like?

Then, to come back-are there strength tests to advance to the next stage in your rehab?

Anyone have any information or a good article I can read?

 

[Skeets]

I have no firsthand knowledge, but I'm under the impression that swelling has a lot to do with how soon surgery can be performed. Not just for ACLs, but for other injuries as well. Anyone have better info? Do we have a real orthopedic surgeon on the BY?

 

[f1f1ferrari]

I have no firsthand knowledge, but I'm under the impression that swelling has a lot to do with how soon surgery can be performed. Not just for ACLs, but for other injuries as well. Anyone have better info? Do we have a real orthopedic surgeon on the BY?

I agree, Skeets. Everything I've heard and read says the swelling has to go down before they can do the surgery, regardless of the type of injury.

 

[TRest]

I waited 20 years to have mine done so no swelling. She may ave had a clean break of the ligament and it will be entirely removed and replaced with a cadaver’s or what I had done, cutting a swatch of my hamstring to fashion a new one the body won’t reject. I was non-weight bearing for about 8 weeks but PT started before I was off crutches. For a young world class athlete all schedules can probably be accelerated.

 

[Linart]

Here is a good article about rehabbing from ACL surgery.

ACL rehabilitation: when is your athlete really ready for sport?

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in athletes can have devastating consequences. Tracy Ward rounds up the most recent guidelines for rehabilitation, return to sport, measures of success following ACL reconstruction surgery, as well as prevention strategies

www.sportsinjurybulletin.com

 

[Linart]

Interesting that they say psychological rehabbing is one of the most important aspects.

 

[Conndog]

Just read the linked article, before doing so I had hoped Paige might be able to come back & be able to play perhaps in the tournament. But, now it seems unlikely- too many risks that knee and area muscle strength may not be ready. It sounds like she definitely would benefit by going conservatively with plans to return, and I don’t think it’s worth taking the risk & re-injuring the knee. The team will do as well as it can without her, but this is just an awful thing to happen for her.

 

[Bald Husky]

Interesting that they say psychological rehabbing is one of the most important aspects.

Yeah, we know that from Paiges last injury. I believe Paige was actually cleared by the Doctor about a week before she played according to Geno. The mental part is always there, and that is the most important part of getting back to your original self. Hopefully she will have enough time to get most of her doubts out of her system before next season starts. No reason to rush this like LY.

 

[TCC Kid]

I waited 20 years to have mine done so no swelling. She may ave had a clean break of the ligament and it will be entirely removed and replaced with a cadaver’s or what I had done, cutting a swatch of my hamstring to fashion a new one the body won’t reject. I was non-weight bearing for about 8 weeks but PT started before I was off crutches. For a young world class athlete all schedules can probably be accelerated.

71 years ago I had one of the first ligament repairs. I was the darling of my Navy Hospital ward because I was the first in that hospital.
The mental part is a factor. It is usually personality based. Paige, shall survive anything and recover--that's Paige. The body may have other thoughts. The pain the sweat and often tears should not be ignored. Kids like Paige never recover as quickly as they would like.

 

[Urshurak]

Maybe it’s been mentioned in another thread, but can Paige get a medical red shirt/waiver for the season and still have that as another year of eligibility?

 

[BRS24]

Swelling, damage to other ligaments or cartilage will determine surgery date after injury.

Psychological rehab is significant. You have to be able to trust that the knee is solid, that you are physically ok to do what they say you can. Even when athletes return in less than a year, it can still be up to 2 years before you are "whole", in a physical+proprioceptive+psychological way. It's not easy the first time you pivot, or change directions, without wondering mid-motion, oh $%^, am I ok? Been there, done this 2x.

 

[visitingcock]

When will she trust the knee to do what she does at the 17 second mark of this highlight video? (Slow mo at 40 second mark)

 

[BBallF]

My daughter had 3 of them, 2 in basketball and one in lacrosse. The sooner the surgery the sooner the return. Other than swelling, the only other issue would be the muscle development but that is not a concern for Paige. The injury is very painful and the rehab is both painful and arduous.

The ACL has been the bane of female athletes since Title IX. A woman is 2-8 times more likely to sustain an ACL tear than a man, mostly ascribed to the anatomical difference in the size of the pelvis relative to the rest of the body, the stronger density of the knee muscles in men due to testosterone, and other factors including hormone levels during menses when women are most prone to the injury. The ACL basically holds the leg together. It is very strong but not very elastic and that is why you see that injury often in twisting or pivoting movements or of course when another player falls on the knee.

There have been great advances in the treatment since the old days when it was career ending and we know Paige will get the best of care. This is a blow not just to UCONN but to women's college basketball and to women's sports in general. This kid is a warrior of the very best kind that has thrilled millions (e.g NC State) and has brought a lot of attention to the sport and by implication to women's sports as a whole.

We know what she now has to go through. My entire family has been and remains extremely upset and saddened since we heard the news.

 

[Longtime fan]

So-

I have some questions about the medical part of the ACL tear. How can some people have surgery so soon after a torn ACL, like Paige having her surgery Friday and it seems that some people have to wait a few weeks? Does it have to do with the nature of the injury or is it because some people do other damage to their knee as well?

What's a rehab schedule like? For instance, how long is one on crutches? I notice that Christyn is already off her crutches and it's been about 8 weeks since she had surgery. Is that normal? From there, what's rest of the rehab like?

Then, to come back-are there strength tests to advance to the next stage in your rehab?

Anyone have any information or a good article I can read?

Typically, the thing decision is influenced by the amount of swelling. But what does it matter? She is gone until next season, no matter what. And from now on, every fan, teammate, coach, commentator, and casual observer will comment on her vulnerability to " the next major injury." No one will ever watch Paige play again without thinking about that. Every move she makes will give us pause. And she once seemed invincible. We can only hope.

 

[TCC Kid]

Swelling, damage to other ligaments or cartilage will determine surgery date after injury.

Psychological rehab is significant. You have to be able to trust that the knee is solid, that you are physically ok to do what they say you can. Even when athletes return in less than a year, it can still be up to 2 years before you are "whole", in a physical+proprioceptive+psychological way. It's not easy the first time you pivot, or change directions, without wondering mid-motion, oh $%^, am I ok? Been there, done this 2x.

Thanks for the realistic view. Psychological, impact of the injury on your belief in yourself, is overlooked. Paige, after one injury ignored the injury, on the second one she'll be thinking.

 

[TCC Kid]

Excellent, Excellent question.

Uconn's doctors and the Health Center have vast experience in these repairs. Recovery is partly MD's and 90 precent Paige. Paige is an active, can't sit still, must fix it quickly--that is great that is BAD. I want Paige 101 percent normal, healthy, uninjured. I want her recovered enough to play 20 years like Sue.

 

[TCC Kid]

Excellent, Excellent question.

Uconn's doctors and the Health Center have vast experience in these repairs. Recovery is partly MD's and 90 precent Paige. Paige is an active, can't sit still, must fix it quickly--that is great that is BAD. I want Paige 101 percent normal, healthy, uninjured. I want her recovered enough to play 20 years like Sue.

 

[rubymae4]

I had my ACL repaired over 30 years ago. (Soccer) I didn’t know a single person who had torn their ACL at the time. My dr. told me I would never play soccer again. I went on to play another 15 years of soccer. It’s still holding strong, and very little arthritis.

I had excellent rehab after the surgery—much better than what your average person would get today. Makes all the difference.