Kate's ACL Surgery Nightmare

by Kate
(Mackay QLD AUSTRALIA)

My name is Kate I am a Fitness Instructor and I tore my ACL Sept 2010 in a soccer gf.

I had my ACL Recon in December of that same year,everything went well as far as the Doctor said. I had a standard hamstring graft. 1 week after the op, the doc removed the brace/crutches and i booked in for physio the following week.

Here is a timeline of what happened next:

WK 2:
Physio could not bend my knee(flexion)only 60deg and extension was about -20deg. He commented I had Arthrofibrosis as my knee was solid.

I continued to go to physio every week hereafter + being in the fitness industry worked at my knee 24/7 at home and in the gym.
(even in the shower).

MAY 2011:
Knee flexion at 80deg / extension -5.
Went to "another" (as i felt my original OS was spinning me total rubbish) OS who performed a MUA.
Extension then went to -10 / flexion went to 90-100 deg.

JULY 2011:
Knee still stiff as a board not bending or extending, went back to OS who performed MUA, he removed the original graft. YeeeHA. NO MORE LIMPING!!I can walk normally 7mths later.

OCT 2011:
Full ACL Recon(second OS)taking the hamstring graft from the other leg. Off crutches 2 wks/cycling at 2 wks.

DEC 2011:
Wk 5 of second ACL Recon the knee feels great flex:110/ext:-5(working hard on that). Walking with slightest of limp.

I have so much atrophy on my leg it looks almost malformed. Big job ahead... So the verdict from the OS who performed my 2nd ACL Recon was "mal-positioning of the original graft". Lovely.

Lesson learnt:
"never have small town OS perform any type of surgery".
I will be paying the original OS a friendly visit in the near future.

Well that's my nightmare... i haven't played soccer for over a year and will now be having another year away...or am I too scared to go back, because if i ever tore another ACL/MCL/PCL/ or whatever..i think i would die :>

Kate xx