Yesterday I had my ACL reconstructed. The surgery went well and I feel better than I thought- not feeling much pain. It was performed in Vancouver, WA by Dr. Roberts of Rebound, a well-respected surgeon in the Portland area. He previously did Trailblazer Greg Oden’s knee surgery.
The new makeshift ACL was constructed from a hamstring graft, but Roberts has his own unique way of fastening it. As I understand it, he doesn’t just use bioabsorbable screws, but a couple of titanium screws and washers, along with a 55mm x 3mm titanium pin placed in the lower femoral bone. This gives the new ACL (hamstring) something secure to loop around and tie back. He said he’s been doing these for 10-12 years and believes it’s the best fixation.
My right knee was injured when I was playing ultimate frisbee. The surgery came after a lot of thought and research on which graft to choose: patellar vs hamstring.
The rehabilitation will be quite involved. I have quite a laundry list of tasks to do, including various strength-building exercises, constant icing using a fancy Game Ready ice machine, and making multiple trips to the physical therapist. I think it will be worth it.
Hey Trent…hope you are feeling 100% soon
I had the same surgery back in college. Recovery was easier than I ever expected (even though I’m sure I did my fair share of complaining) and it felt great to have that “feeling of security” back!
Good Luck…Dana
hi there i am writing to ask about your acl op i was due to have mine done on the 30/9/09,i had my date but back due to a kidney infection.Did they get you up and about straight away,can you tell me how big the scar is and have you got one at the back of your leg?how was the pain?was it worth the surgery?.I did mine falling out a shower.
I just had my acl reconstructed using my hamstring. the pain is not nearly as bad as I expected. My surgion used the brand new single-tunnel-double bundle technique. there are to bands to the acl – the pm band and the am band so why would you only replace one? hence the “double” bundle. anyways.. my doctor said DO THE WORK. yah obviously you just had part of ur hamstring yanked out. who would expect it to not be soar? do the strengthening excersizes 150% everyday and you are gaurenteed to get the strength back in the hamstring. I’m a soccer player. speed was the name of my game. I was fast. so my first question.. will I still be fast? answer: YES perople don’t realize that speed does not come from your ACL or even your knees? it comes from your hamstring and thigh muscles. you will be just as fast if you DO THE WORK. seriously. if anyone wants to email me for more questions feel free!! enhuntley12@comcast.net