About

Hello, this is a very rough and ready attempt to blog about my experience of having an ACL reconstruction on my right knee in September 2015.

It feels a bit dramatic to blog about something as relatively minor as ACL surgery (in the broad scheme of things!), but over the years since my initial injury other people's blogs, posts and forums have helped me, reassured me and educated me about all things ACL!  This blog is an attempt to give something back, in the hope that anyone else considering having the surgery, or about to, or currently recovering might find it useful.  Also, a lot of the resources I've found online have been from the US, and I thought it might be useful to throw a UK perspective in there for anyone going with the good old NHS!

The background (in brief):

In short, I ruptured my right ACL in 2009 with no other damage to my knee. I've carried on as a 'coper' for the last six years but have always worried about it and avoided certain activities, and finally decided to have the surgery this year -  not because the knee got worse but more as a 'long-term investment' to try and stave off future damage!  I am 30 and lead an active life, mainly climbing, biking and walking and it felt as though now was as good a time as any to take the plunge if I was going to at all.  It was not an easy decision but deep down there was something driving me to take a chance on having a more stable knee and potentially protecting it in the long run, even though I had superficial doubts all the time about whether the surgery was really 'necessary', whether I deserved it, whether I'd regret it, and how I'd feel having some bits of metal and nylon in my knee forever!

The background (in long):

I completely ruptured my ACL after a relatively minor skiing tumble in 2009, when in was 24.  It wasn't immediately diagnosed (partial MCL tear was identified instead) and, working in a chalet in the Italian Dolomites, I continued about my business after a period of time (2 months or so) on crutches, shuffling, walking down stairs backwards and slowly regaining my knee function, all the time blissfully unaware that the ACL was kaput! I even learnt to telemark.  On one such telemarking outing I had another tumble, resulting in a trip to a local doctor who gave my knee a pull and immediately diagnosed a kaput ACL.  He shrugged and said I needed an operation, simple as that.  I cried and thought my life was over.  (Plonker).  I got an MRI at a posh hospital to confirm the diagnosis, but was relieved to find out that the rest of my knee was in tact, with no meniscus damage.

Any way, I shuffled on to the end of the season, using a brace and crying a lot (did I mention I thought my life was over?), and on returning home to the UK consulted a couple of knee doctors.  By this stage I was using my knee pretty normally, just with a bit of soreness kneeling down from the bone bruising, and both the doctors I saw recommended a 'see how it goes' approach - some people cope without an ACL, so it's worth finding out if you're one of them before diving into surgery.  The NHS kitted me out with a terminator-style brace, and I returned to the Dolomites for two more seasons - a summer and a winter - climbing, walking, via-ferratering, telemarking, ski-touring (and cleaning toilets!).  It was great, but my knee was always a worry, and I used the brace for anything risky.

And really that is how it has been ever since.  For the last six years I've led an active life - mainly climbing and biking - and had no problems with my knee, apart from the psychological ones and some small wobbles.  However, in those six years I haven't taken part in anything very dynamic (my one proper 'giving way' episode happened while playing rounders) or team-sporty.  I get nervous about joining in with things like Ceilidh dances or frisbee on the beach, and walking downhill on rough terrain, especially with a heavy rucksack is always a 'careful does it' job.  I am always paranoid about unexpected movements or falls that would result in my knee giving way and tearing the meniscus.  With battered, bruised and finally removed menisci in my family, I am ultra-sensitive about the importance about keeping those little things intact at all costs if I can!

I'm amazed at how well my knee adapted to life without an ACL and proud of it for coping so well (!), but at the same time the possibility of reconstruction has always been on my mind.  I feel as though I've got through the last five years with a combination of young, fit knees, very careful footwork, and avoidance of any risky activities.  Now 30, I began to wonder how long this could continue before my luck ran out, and whether I really wanted to spend the rest of my life avoiding anything dynamic, politely declining joining in with beach games, and generally worrying about and protecting my knee.  I knew that the risk of meniscal damage in an ACL-less knee basically increases with every month, and my understanding was that meniscus damage increases the chances of developing early arthritis even more than the already elevated-risk caused by the initial ACL injury.  Spurred by a couple of 'wobbles' (once taking my shoe off and another when I came off my bike and put my leg out) I arranged an appointment to see a consultant, and well, that set the cogs in motion for where I am today! It took about six months on the NHS Wales waiting list I think, which I didn't mind at all as I wasn't in a hurry and hadn't 100% made up my mind whether to go ahead (I delayed having to make that decision until the appointment letter landed on the doorstep!).