# Hi I'm New. ACL surgery recovery question



## Part-Boarder (Aug 17, 2019)

That’s great you are making a good recovery. Hopefully your surgeon/doctor will give you some detailed recommendations but they don’t know the exact force that riding and rising trot would have. Maybe the guidance of a physiotherapist would also be helpful. I have heard that ACLs are easily reinjured so would probably be very cautious. Best is to keep on the path to recovery than rushing and having a setback. Good luck!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I had ACL surgery about 12 years ago. Had it done at the end of the show season. Had it beginning of October and didn't ride until end of March, however in late January, I started kickboxing, slowly, sore at first but glad I did it. Built up the muscles in that knee that when I went back riding, it was a non-issue.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

this is just an aside, but about 1.5 years ago I was having a ton of knee pain and went for PT, steriod shots, and eventually an MRI. It showed the usual loss of cartilage and torn/worn menicus. AND, it said I had a torn ACL ligament! But, I never had any traumatic injury, never heard or felt a 'pop', and I have since NOT gotten a knee replacement. I know it's gonna have to happen, but I have managed to keep walking, light hiking and bike riding, with zero surgery. How can this be? I wonder if the MRI was misread . . . ?


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

When I first injured my knee, 40 years ago, I had a small tear and the doctor thought that it would require a bunch more in rehab than it was worth, so he left it alone. Fast forward to this summer and I twisted my knee real good again and had some pretty awful pain in my knee. They discovered on my MRI, that sometime in the past I had ruptured the ACL and it's just gone. Explains why my knee was getting progressively worse. So they did the surgery, removed meniscus and cleaned up junk in the joint and tightened up my medial collateral ligament. We discussed a knee replacement but you have to have an intact ACL. For me the only option is to have a cadaver donor graft, then knee replacement or do nothing until I just can't stand it being bone on bone anymore.


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## Madison rose (Nov 24, 2021)

tinyliny said:


> this is just an aside, but about 1.5 years ago I was having a ton of knee pain and went for PT, steriod shots, and eventually an MRI. It showed the usual loss of cartilage and torn/worn menicus. AND, it said I had a torn ACL ligament! But, I never had any traumatic injury, never heard or felt a 'pop', and I have since NOT gotten a knee replacement. I know it's gonna have to happen, but I have managed to keep walking, light hiking and bike riding, with zero surgery. How can this be? I wonder if the MRI was misread . . . ?


Same! I mean I didn't have any loss of cartilage or a torn/worn meniscus so definitely different but as for my ACL I was back to riding within days and we all thought I must have strained it a little or something because I don't remember a pop either or being in much pain. That's interesting you don't remember a clear time of a traumatic injury though, so it could have possibly been a misread but as for my ACL tear at least, it almost felt completely normal and I was able to do all my activities but my doctor wanted me to get it fixed since I'm young and play lots of sports and it's just generally good to get fixed eventually if possible, but I can get what you mean about how normal it can feel and even my doctor was not in a rush to fix it since it never bothered me.


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## Madison rose (Nov 24, 2021)

Part-Boarder said:


> That’s great you are making a good recovery. Hopefully your surgeon/doctor will give you some detailed recommendations but they don’t know the exact force that riding and rising trot would have. Maybe the guidance of a physiotherapist would also be helpful. I have heard that ACLs are easily reinjured so would probably be very cautious. Best is to keep on the path to recovery than rushing and having a setback. Good luck!


Yes, I defiantly do not want to rush it or risk re-injury!! Yes I mentioned it to my PTs but since they aren't horse people it's hard for them to come up with a clear answer which makes since but they seemed to think it wouldn't be too far away as long as I'm wearing a brace while I ride. 
Thank you!!


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## Madison rose (Nov 24, 2021)

waresbear said:


> I had ACL surgery about 12 years ago. Had it done at the end of the show season. Had it beginning of October and didn't ride until end of March, however in late January, I started kickboxing, slowly, sore at first but glad I did it. Built up the muscles in that knee that when I went back riding, it was a non-issue.


Wow that's great! How did the posting trot feel and did you wear a brace?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Madison rose said:


> Wow that's great! How did the posting trot feel and did you wear a brace?


No, the knee felt fine. Still does, my other knee is probably the weaker one now. I did my own rehab about 3 weeks after surgery, and lots of hydrotherapy in a pool. I think that might have made the difference.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> When I first injured my knee, 40 years ago, I had a small tear and the doctor thought that it would require a bunch more in rehab than it was worth, so he left it alone. Fast forward to this summer and I twisted my knee real good again and had some pretty awful pain in my knee. They discovered on my MRI, that sometime in the past I had ruptured the ACL and it's just gone. Explains why my knee was getting progressively worse. So they did the surgery, removed meniscus and cleaned up junk in the joint and tightened up my medial collateral ligament. We discussed a knee replacement but you have to have an intact ACL. For me the only option is to have a cadaver donor graft, then knee replacement or do nothing until I just can't stand it being bone on bone anymore.



did the surger to to remove meniscus and 'clean up the junk' and tighten medial collateral ligament work? I wonder why that has not been suggested to me. I am not physically active, not young, and am overweight quite a bit. so, . . . maybe that's why?


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> did the surger to to remove meniscus and 'clean up the junk' and tighten medial collateral ligament work? I wonder why that has not been suggested to me. I am not physically active, not young, and am overweight quite a bit. so, . . . maybe that's why?


It worked to an extent. Before surgery it was so painful that I was listing to the right to keep the weight off, which meant I was falling a lot. I ended up using a walker until surgery. Talk about an aggravation! Walking around with a walker like I'm old or something (ok, so I'm 64). Clearing out all that mess has helped with some of the pain, enough that I don't want to just sit and do nothing. My knee is bone on bone, so it gets painful by the end of the day, but not as bad as it was before. At this point I'm not willing to do the cadaver graft so that I can have the knee replacement surgery, so it's as good as it's going to get. I'm learning to sort of pace myself and stop and take a break when things get sore. I'll be glad when I can go back to riding. Save a knee, ride a horse!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> this is just an aside, but about 1.5 years ago I was having a ton of knee pain and went for PT, steriod shots, and eventually an MRI. It showed the usual loss of cartilage and torn/worn menicus. AND, it said I had a torn ACL ligament! But, I never had any traumatic injury, never heard or felt a 'pop', and I have since NOT gotten a knee replacement. I know it's gonna have to happen, but I have managed to keep walking, light hiking and bike riding, with zero surgery. How can this be? I wonder if the MRI was misread . . . ?


Did the steroid shot work for you? We did that and it made me worse. I was really trying to avoid surgery on that knee (2nd one) so was trying anything and everything. 

As for the torn ACL, I felt it periodically. I'd take a bad step and kind go, "Ooof!" and it would be sore, right at the bottom of my knee/top of my tibia, kind of like something slid forward too far. I'd put a little neoprene strap around it for a couple of days until things calmed down and just go about my business. I know what caused the initial tear, I took a bad twisting fall when I was skiing, but when it ruptured? I have NO idea. Never felt it or if I did, I just put it down to the usual ACL acting up again pain. I even told the ortho surgeon about the tear before I went for the latest MRI. I was totally shocked when he told me that I had no ACL left. 

What is it with these guys that they're so stunned someone who's been really active all their life and had lots of little sports injuries, is still not willing to sit in a rocking chair and knit? The last ortho that suggested such a thing got a picture of me water skiing on one leg with my hand up in the air giving a one finger salute. I was 40 then. Oh and they seem shocked that I have arthritis? Really? I want to ask if they were raised a mushroom. "Well, but I mean, you must have a lot of pain.". Ummmm, yeah? The world doesn't stop, you just keep on putting one foot in front of the other and carry on. SMH. LOL! Sorry bout the rant, I just get frustrated when these folks want to wrap me up in cotton batting and put me in a padded stall. Live fa' cryin' out loud!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

the steroid shot helped. it reduced the inflammation that was disallowing me to either flex or straighten correctly. the Phys therapist then did a lot of massage of the facia around the knee BEFORE getting into stretches and exersizes. This made all the difference in the world. It was / is bike riding that helps the most, not too steep hills, but lots of movement.

interestingly enough, I am starting to feel more pain on the top of the tibia, below the knee cap, just as @Dreamcatcher Arabians described. H m m . . . maybe that completely severed ACL is starting to make itself felt . . .

OH,, and I thought I'd add what this excellent Phys therapist told me : it's more important to maintain your ability to fully straighten out your knee, than it is to flex it into a good bend. So, work on straightening, even pushing it straight, to keep that range of motion.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> the steroid shot helped. it reduced the inflammation that was disallowing me to either flex or straighten correctly. the Phys therapist then did a lot of massage of the facia around the knee BEFORE getting into stretches and exersizes. This made all the difference in the world. It was / is bike riding that helps the most, not too steep hills, but lots of movement.
> 
> interestingly enough, I am starting to feel more pain on the top of the tibia, below the knee cap, just as @Dreamcatcher Arabians described. H m m . . . maybe that completely severed ACL is starting to make itself felt . . .
> 
> OH,, and I thought I'd add what this excellent Phys therapist told me : it's more important to maintain your ability to fully straighten out your knee, than it is to flex it into a good bend. So, work on straightening, even pushing it straight, to keep that range of motion.


Yep, motion is lotion. The more you move the better you can move. The only thing that curtails most people's movement is arthritis pain. I know when I feel stiff and sore, I start moving and almost immediately feel better. The knee is a limiting factor for mobility, since the left one is bone on bone and it gets very painful after a day of stomping around the pasture over uneven terrain, I tend to leave pasture chores until the end of the day when I know I can come inside and ice my knee right after. Ice is your friend. Ice works better than narcotics, at least for me. 

My PT is a lot of stretching, bending, straightening. I don't need a lot of muscle building, I never really lost that. Riding is good for building long term muscle and keeping you flexible. 

That steroid shot in my knee was a "OH NO we won't be doing that again!". It started hurting immediately (worse than when I went in) and just kept getting worse until I got up at 3:30 a.m. and packed on the ice and took a bunch of Aleve which they don't want you to take, they want the inflammation to be taken down by the steroids. I don't know what went off with that, I've had joint injections in the past and no problem, but I'll be darned if I ever do that again. At least in my knee. UGH! That was rough.  Worse than the post op knee pain, so ........... No more. 

If you're starting to have more pain at the top of your tibia, I'd go in and see the doc again. I understand the grafted ACL surgery is a long haul rehab, and then if they put in a replacement knee, it could take a while to get your life back together again. I wish I had known mine was shredding to the point I should have done something. Last I had heard was that it was a "tiny little tear, not worth the rehab time and pain to repair". I might have done things differently if I'd had any idea that it would just go POOF one day.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> When I first injured my knee, 40 years ago, I had a small tear and the doctor thought that it would require a bunch more in rehab than it was worth, so he left it alone. Fast forward to this summer and I twisted my knee real good again and had some pretty awful pain in my knee. They discovered on my MRI, that sometime in the past I had ruptured the ACL and it's just gone. Explains why my knee was getting progressively worse. So they did the surgery, removed meniscus and cleaned up junk in the joint and tightened up my medial collateral ligament. We discussed a knee replacement but you have to have an intact ACL. For me the only option is to have a cadaver donor graft, then knee replacement or do nothing until I just can't stand it being bone on bone anymore.


You do not need an intact acl or pcl for a knee replacement. There are many types of surgery for a knee replacement. Some Surgeons even take off the knee cap .If your surgeon requires an acl, find one that is skilled enough to do the surgery without the acl. I had one surgeon tell me he removes the knee cap and the acl. If you are walking bone on bone the acl replacement will keep your knee in joint but it will not stop all the pain . Been there done it, but not with a cadaver graft. The surgeon use part of my patella ligament. Fast Forward, now I am getting a new knee. lol. If your MD does not clear you to ride do not push it and ride sooner. Follow all the instructions and do all the therapy. I should have had my knee replaced 10 years ago. All the things I have missed out on because of this stupid knee.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

stevenson said:


> You do not need an intact acl or pcl for a knee replacement. There are many types of surgery for a knee replacement. Some Surgeons even take off the knee cap .If your surgeon requires an acl, find one that is skilled enough to do the surgery without the acl. I had one surgeon tell me he removes the knee cap and the acl. If you are walking bone on bone the acl replacement will keep your knee in joint but it will not stop all the pain . Been there done it, but not with a cadaver graft. The surgeon use part of my patella ligament. Fast Forward, now I am getting a new knee. lol. If your MD does not clear you to ride do not push it and ride sooner. Follow all the instructions and do all the therapy. I should have had my knee replaced 10 years ago. All the things I have missed out on because of this stupid knee.


I'm going to do a lot more research before I do anything more. Right now, it's not 100% but it sure beats the fire out of how it felt this summer. I really am squeamish about other people's bits and such being put in my body. It's not somewhere I'm going to go very willingly. So the minute he said, "ACL graft", I said, "No" and shut him down. I'll do some more research and see what is available, it doesn't have to be him. He's great on shoulders but that doesn't make him the last word on knees.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I have had lots of appts . I was picky when I had the acl replaced 20 odd years ago. And now that I am going forward with the replacement I have seen a couple of surgeons. Had them explain how they do the surgery, what ha ppens to the tendons ligaments knee cap etc. I went probably 5 or more years ago to another surgeon in this same office the new guy is in . **** . DIff docs diff procedure. This guy made sense to me. If you are bone on bone close to 60 yrs old, I would consider knee replacement. They cannot fix the meniscus and every step just causes more damage . I was to young for a replacement when my acl was replaced, and I should have done it a few years ago . I am scared but even sitting and sleeping I have pain . Because of limping and being lopsided my back is sore now as well as my hips. OH the other doc was known for shoulders. I asked how many knees and hips does he do compared to shoulders . He explained the xrays to me, not just showed them but took time to explain what we were looking at and what he saw.


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## Madison rose (Nov 24, 2021)

Madison rose said:


> Hey y'all,
> I had ACL surgery 8 weeks ago (2 months) and have been able to start sitting on very safe horses at the walk for limited time. My leg is feeling super great and my pt and surgeon believe I am ahead of recovery and am getting muscle back super fast (yay)! Before I tore my ACL I evented and was riding 5+ days a week up until surgery. I was wondering if any of you know when I can start posting trot or a general time line of getting back into it. I am planning on talking to my surgeon at my next appointment as well to see what he thinks.
> Thanks


Thank you all for the responses, I appreciate it! I has another more specific question. Did you all start posting around the 3 month mark after ACL surgery or before or after? And how did it feel to you?


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