February 4, 2011
Well, that's actually the day I went in for the MRI scan. It was a Friday, if memory serves me correctly. Anyway, on Monday, the doctor called me in the afternoon, confirming my worst fears--nearly complete tear of the ACL, as well as a high grade tear of the MCL. We're talking about the left knee here.
I'm just past forty. I've already had an ACL reconstruction in my right knee, about 17 years ago. It was a patellar graft back then. I don't think the Hamstring option had been devised. Anyway, the reconstruction has held up admirably well, and I've been active in all sports--up until this new ACL tear. My preferred sports these days are tennis and b-ball. I play tennis at a decent level, involving a lot of chasing the ball and hitting it hard. We're talking singles here, no namby-pamby standing around doubles. I know I need my ACL to work.
So, even before I go in to meet Dr. Who, I know that he's going to recommend reconstructive surgery. Which is fine by me, if that's the only option. And it is, as far as I know. The problem with the ACL tear is that it is a ligament in the epicenter of the knee, a ligament that gets no blood (or very little) and therefore doesn't heal. So they fix it with a graft, and eventually the body generates its own cells around the graft, absorbing it and making it a new, bonafide and functional ACL ligament.
But is there another option? Another way that doesn't require surgery?
Well, that's actually the day I went in for the MRI scan. It was a Friday, if memory serves me correctly. Anyway, on Monday, the doctor called me in the afternoon, confirming my worst fears--nearly complete tear of the ACL, as well as a high grade tear of the MCL. We're talking about the left knee here.
I'm just past forty. I've already had an ACL reconstruction in my right knee, about 17 years ago. It was a patellar graft back then. I don't think the Hamstring option had been devised. Anyway, the reconstruction has held up admirably well, and I've been active in all sports--up until this new ACL tear. My preferred sports these days are tennis and b-ball. I play tennis at a decent level, involving a lot of chasing the ball and hitting it hard. We're talking singles here, no namby-pamby standing around doubles. I know I need my ACL to work.
So, even before I go in to meet Dr. Who, I know that he's going to recommend reconstructive surgery. Which is fine by me, if that's the only option. And it is, as far as I know. The problem with the ACL tear is that it is a ligament in the epicenter of the knee, a ligament that gets no blood (or very little) and therefore doesn't heal. So they fix it with a graft, and eventually the body generates its own cells around the graft, absorbing it and making it a new, bonafide and functional ACL ligament.
But is there another option? Another way that doesn't require surgery?
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