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.

• Moved to Longview, WA
• Started a new job
• Navigated through some challenging issues with Turbo Photo
• Found a new group for playing racquetball
• Joined a walleyball group
• Went snow skiing 5x
• Camped in a snow cave
• Taught salsa dancing a couple times
• Performed at a tango/cha cha dance recital
• Volunteered as ESL tutor at the library
• Made a difference at my workplace- revised the logo, website, and increased traffic 6x
• Maintained a blog
• Hiked every weekend for 6 weeks in preparation for climbing Mt. Hood
• Took a LCC course
• Saw the supercross in Seattle
• My car was totaled by an uninsured drunk driver
• Bought a motorcycle
• Won a settlement in court from a fraudulent car transaction
• Reconnected with an old friend
• Learned more about programming PHP, including a breakthrough with data mining
• Played in an ultimate frisbee league
• Tore my ACL
• Became president of new Toastmaster club
• Joined a local photography club
• Posted drum videos to YouTube and received more than 25k views
• One of my websites doubled in popularity- received 700+/day visitors
• Started yoga
• Enjoyed a vacation in Cabo
• Visited family
• Chose to have knee surgery in Feb 2009
• On the schedule to teach at LCC
• Had a photography vacation in San Diego

Doctor A says:

• Hamstring graft is the most popular choice for professional athletes today
• There’s less risk of graft complication
• No knee pain with hamstring graft, where as, the patellar commonly results in a lifetime of pain when kneeling
• Hamstring graft is stronger than the patellar, because of 4 dense strands bound together, instead of just 1 with the patellar
• Neither grafts ‘grow back’, so better to go with the hamstring, since it’s a very large size and taking such a small portion of it only results in a hardly detectable loss of strength 5% – 10%, but it’s easily regained through basic physical therapy
• The drilling hole in the bone can be smaller when using the hamstring graft, because of the efficient configuration of the 4 strands in the hole. A smaller hole, results in a stronger bone
• Patellar grafts can loosen/weaken the knee and lead to patella arthritis
• Patellar grafts are ‘old school’ – a thing of the past. This surgeon used these grafts years ago, but not since the advancements in hamstring grafts, which are now superior
• Tiger Woods had a hamstring graft
• Hamstring grafts are the best

Doctor B says:

• Patellar graft is a larger and stronger tendon that’s 10mm, instead of a 8mm hamstring graft
• Patellar graft is the most popular choice among athletes today
• An annual survey of hundreds of orthopedic surgeons shows that patellar grafts are most popular
• Patellars are the ideal size and length
• The hamstring is too small, too long, and requires a more technical procedure with greater opportunity for error
• The hamstring may stretch/loosen and may not fasten to the bone correctly over time
• The patellar actually grows back and regenerates itself in 8 months, where as, the hamstring will be gone forever and be noticeably weaker
• Tiger Woods only got a hamstring graft only because the surgeon he chose invented his own hamstring graft technique which he wanted to promote
• Patellar grafts are best

As you can see, there’s good reason to hesitate when making a choice with potential long-term health ramifications. Pardon me while I go flip a coin.

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UPDATE: View Advice from my ACL Surgery…

This is one of the drum videos I made today. Since I’m likely having knee surgery this week, I wanted to document some of my drumming beforehand.

I was a part of an ultimate frisbee league up until Aug. 28th, when I injured my knee. I flew through the air like superman to catch a disc (like the image above [me in black]) and upon landing, rolled my ankle and tore my ACL. I was unable to walk the next few days and used crutches. This type of accident was a first for me.

Fortunately, now I can walk around again, but the knee is a little unstable. An MRI this week will determine the status of the ACL (yep, practicing my acronyms). There may not be any blog posts in the ‘Adventures’ category for a while.

Update: I decided to have ACL reconstruction surgery…