I will be going under the knife tomorrow to have my meniscus scoped with the possibility of needing ACL reconstruction. The doc was unable to verify based on the MRI, it was fuzzy and he said it didn't look the way it should. So my concern here is how long will I be off the bike? From what I've read just scoping the meniscus will be a couple weeks at most. But if I need ACL reconstruction, how long will I be out? Any advice also on how to get back on as soon as possible. I've been riding on it damaged for many months so I feel like it shouldn't be too bad of a recovery, but any idea of a timeframe would help. Thanks

This is what happened to me a few years back(5). Tore my Acl and and miniscus broke in peices. worked for about a week then needed aouthoscopic surgery to get fragments out.Three days later i was racinig. i went to a sports doctor and he said if a was not doing and kind of sports that needed that sudden side to side movement dont waste my time getting my acl done. The only thing you need to do leg lifts to keep knee muscles strong. both my acl's are gone and I have no problems with Mx also I am I painter so I am always bending and lifting and have no real problems. It all depends how strong of a person you are(oh Im not in the greatest shape just a strong guy).Keeping your leg and knee muscles strong is the key I cant stress this enough. One thing I do agree with Dr Mark is getting you knee strong before surgery. i have a friend who had same type of injury as mine and it took him months for rehab because his doctor said for him not to do any knee exercises for quit a while where as I started right away. But When I started doing leg lifts I thought I was a big man and figured I could lift well at least half what I usually did which would be 35lbs. Long story short i started with anound 5lbs due to muscle atrophy from the scoping. But I did really race after 3 days.Hey you know Mx is a sickness,LOL. But good luck what ever you do.

Typically it takes 6 months before you will be cleared to ride. I have torn both of my ACL's now and have had same knee patellar tendon reconstructions. I know Dr. Mark does opposite knee reconstructions, but since I have not had this procedure I cannot speak about its effectiveness (however many people on here have nothing but good things to say). I personally was back riding after 4.5 months in both cases, however, this was without doctor clearance. Its all about getting the knee back in shape as quickly as possible. If you stick to your exercises and avoid keeping the knee immobilized then you will progress much quicker in my experience.

I am not sure how some people are able to go without an ACL and still be active (big leg muscles or not). If you're young definitely get the surgery. Bc at some point you arent going to still be working out your leg muscles as regularly and as you get older the last thing you will want is your knees to be giving away anytime you try to pivot.

I dont know how old Gt is but at my age at the time saw no need for the Acl. Oh by the way it was my right leg(kick starting) that was the acl and miniscus.Not havng Acl's have not slowed me down one bit. Mind you I cant be very aggressive in sports but I dont play sports hardley at all only a little soccer practice years ago with my son.I mostly do Mx.i guess if you young and active Absolutly get it done. It depends on your situation.

Living without an ACL makes you a lot more prone to arthritis down the road I believe?

Hey I am not worried I have arthritis in both knees and hands since I was 15. You learn to live with it. And I can tell you better than any weatherman when it is going to rain,LOL.

Hey thanks for all the posts guys. My surgery was successful and the doctor reconstructed my acl using a grafted tendon from my hamstring. I'm a bit sore today but I have no need for crutches, was told to walk on it as best I can. Well I guess I'll just have to settle in for some intense rehab so I can get back out as soon as possible. I have abother question though, do any of you guys now ride with knee braces? If you do what type? Thanks. Oh and honda88 I'm at the ripe old age of 24. Alright, thanks guys.

Glad everything went ok. I am (or was) a strong advocate for knee braces. i had Cti, Asterisk,Donjoy and now pods which I love the best. But I just broke my femur 5 weeks ago right where the knee brace ends on the thigh. Im not sure if im going to continue to ware knee braces and if I do it will be a non rigid type. Take care old man,Lol.

Glad to hear it went well. Most important thing now is to do the rehab! It isnt fun but will definitely pay off.

I had the dr prescribe me CTIs. They seem to be working well so far, but as honda88 pointed to, many people feel they can cause a broken leg. I like them and feel more comfortable in them but I guess its a personal opinion.

Dont get me wrong I love knee braces in fact last winter I went riding and tried to ride without them and was uncomfortable on the bike. But the down side is wearing knee braces gives a false sence of security, My case in point. But it is personal preference. Im really on the fence about ever wearing knee braces again.

Honda88,
If you don't mind me asking, what did you do when you broke your femur? And after reading through the large forum about knee braces I think I'll be best doing what I did for the last eight months before getting patched up and wearing one of those real tight neoprene braces with the velcro straps. Held my knee in place without discomfort and bends easily if I were to put myself in a position where I could possibly snap something.

Im not quite sure what you mean what I did but went to the hospital?lol. Its been 6 weeks since my brake went to doctor yesterday and said everything look good. I am still limping, leg is a little weak need to exercise a little more. But I might at least like you said use a neoprene sleeve with hinges to keep my knees stable.I was also looking at the Vision knee brace. But I know from experience you need to get legs as strong as possable.I recently moved into a new home left my universal exercise equipment behind,I have limited space so i just got last week a leg lift only machine.So did you get acl reconstruction or just scoped.

honda88 said:

If there was enough force to break your femur, by transferring the load to it, what do you think would have happen to your knee without the brace?
Something similar happened to me, but I just got a real nasty bruise.

I will never know, It still could of broke but I dont think I am willing to take that chance again. I still will wear some sort of protection.I wish I knew how it broke. I blacked out when it broke and dont remember how I fell.I never broke a bone before and it is freaking me out. cant get the accident off my mind. My season does not start for 5 months so I have that much time to get physically ready and most of all mentally.

Honda88, I guess I was asking how you fell when you broke your femur but sounds like you can't remember. Must have been pretty nasty. I had ACL reconstruction surgery so I'm really stressing about the first time i jump back on the bike. I've got a few months to prepare but still, I don't want to go out the first time and dump it and end up back on the couch. Augh. Any confidence boosting advice? I've got a lot of time to mentally prepare.

well the first time I tore my acl I was around 37 I actually went to work the next day, I was not really sure I tore it but I kinda knew.I did not get any surgery or even go to a doctor.I got back on the bike the next week without even thinking about it. Its all state of mind. I am a little older and not healing as fast as I used to. One thing I have to say is when you do get back on the bike dont think about your injury or getting hurt again at least when your at the track. This will make you ride scared and could winde up making stupid mistakes.Just think positive everything will turn out good. Have a speedy recovery.