ACL/MCL/menisci tears

Specialties Orthopaedic

Published

I need advice on surgical repair of my son's L knee. I do hearts not bones, so forgive me for not being very familiar. My son injured his knee in football practice the other day. He heard a pop, went down with his foot planted and knee facing opposite direction. From what the ortho doc said classic "unhappy triad" of acl/mcl/menisci tear. We had the MRI and found the mcl ruptured and acl hanging by what looked like a thread and a bone bruise of the peritibial plateau. This is my son's senior year of high school/varsity level football. He was going to be a starter. Needless to say my son is desperate to play his last year of school. He told the ortho doc this yesterday. The ortho doc said it was possible for him to play if he felt the hinged knee brace he is wearing gave him adequate support. He said the risk of playing with the acl ruptured was instability and severe damage to the miniscus from the bones grinding against each other if the knee were to give out. My question is this. Have you ever heard an ortho doc give this kind of advice? It sounds like it would be totally irresponsible to let my son continue to play a contact sport with the injuries he has. If you put this type of surgical repair off is it possible to repair it months later after it becomes an old injury? His advice did not make any sense to me. Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

We see a lot of these come through our ortho floor. I dont know really about the advice of the doctor. It probly came out of your sons begging to be able to play this year. However, if it were my kid, and mine did play football he wouldnt be touching that field. If he is the kid who might get a full ride in college followed by a possible pro career then maybe something else might be considered. If not,, forget it, get the surgery asap so he can heal and hopefully not have permenant damage later.

No high school football game is worth losing function of a joint that has to support you the rest of your life.

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That's part of our problem. My son wants to play for either Miami or NC State. The recruiters from these schools come to the local high school he plays for. This is a large 4A school that has sent multiple players to both college and pro football teams. He is in the top 20% of his class, so I believe he could get a scholarship either way. I just think the risk to his knee is too great to not go ahead with the surgery.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

I agree absolutely. First get the opinion of a sports medicine orthopod. Not any old pod will do. Secondly *I* wouldn't even think about letting him play. One injury in College and they could just drop him from the athletic program.

Where do you live? Is there a large teaching hospital or ortho group near there?

Good luck. Neither of my kids were athletic so I never had to make this decision. Keep us posted.

P (OLD ortho nurse from way back):p

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That's part of our problem. My son wants to play for either Miami or NC State. The recruiters from these schools come to the local high school he plays for. This is a large 4A school that has sent multiple players to both college and pro football teams. He is in the top 20% of his class, so I believe he could get a scholarship either way. I just think the risk to his knee is too great to not go ahead with the surgery.

Not giving advise, but in asking a simple questions. Would they still want him if he injuried his knee to the point he could not play?

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Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Urgent Care.

I'm going to be straight up. HE should get it repaired on time and forget about playing this year. He can always walk-on at the college level. Let me tell you why. If he plays with a weaker knee he risks further injury, to the point to where it may never be the same anymore. A person who doesn't play sports wouldn't really feel a huge difference but on the field it will make a world of difference. If he re-injures the knee he can probably forget his football future...his knee will not allow him to do what he was able to do before the injury. Turst me i know. There may be alot riding on this years football season for him but there is also a future in the sport riding on that knee being repaired properly and healing right. Then again if he's just playing football for fun during high school then maybe it migh not matter but if he's serious about making a real charge towards the college level and maybe even the pros he needs a healthy knee to compete adequately on that level.

peace out,

nwlatino76

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Specializes in surgical, emergency.

The pressure of a child wanting to finish their high school career brings back some memories. My oldest daughter hurt herself playing basketball.

We had to decide what is more important, playing ball her senior year, and functioning for the rest of her life which won out. It just wasn't worth it. HOWEVER, she wasn't even close to be going to college on a scholarship.

I guess I'm not sure either, on how "market-able" he is with an injury.

I know your post was in August so I expect this is a done deal, one way or another.

Someone had the right idea, I think, stay off the field, have the surgery, rehab, and try college ball next fall.

Willis McGahee, from Fla. did somthing like that. Horrible injury his senior college year, had surgery, and is a real player in the NFL.

Good luck, post and let us know how things are going.

Mike

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Getting surgery now merely delays his goal of playing in college. Playing a contact sport competively (at a high level apparently) with a very unstable knee is an invitation to even more damage that might just completely kill his chances in the future.

I tore my left ACL about 5-6 years ago. Heard the pop, limped around a little and never had it checked. I've been increasingly sedentary over the years and it didn't handicap me that much until I tried to play a sport again. The knee buckled within 15 minutes of my first church softball practice. Not an intense workout believe me. The result was a torn meniscus. MRI confirmed and also discoved the ACL tear. In fact, my ACL was totally gone-body just reabsorbed it. Doc told me that without the surgery I could live a sedentary lifestyle but would increase the likelihood of early arthritis. I will be able to play golf again this year, go turkey hunting up and down the steep mountain ridges and will (more importantly) be able to chase my son around the yard this summer. Will be post op 1 year in May. I've been lugging heavy orthopedic patients around for 12 hour shifts since Aug/Sept.

Here's another thing. Post-op rehab takes about a year to complete for those returning to competition. The sooner he gets the surgery the sooner he's ready to go in college.

Finally, the injury and a bulky brace will almost certainly affect/diminish his performance this year. The scouts will notice and they will notice the brace.

They'll have questions. They may want to see medical reports. Unrepaired ACL/MCL/meniscus? Not worth a scholarship. Too much risk. Take the academic scholarship and show up at practice healthy and ready to impress.

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Getting surgery now merely delays his goal of playing in college. Playing a contact sport competively (at a high level apparently) with a very unstable knee is an invitation to even more damage that might just completely kill his chances in the future.

I tore my left ACL about 5-6 years ago. Heard the pop, limped around a little and never had it checked. I've been increasingly sedentary over the years and it didn't handicap me that much until I tried to play a sport again. The knee buckled within 15 minutes of my first church softball practice. Not an intense workout believe me. The result was a torn meniscus. MRI confirmed and also discoved the ACL tear. In fact, my ACL was totally gone-body just reabsorbed it. Doc told me that without the surgery I could live a sedentary lifestyle but would increase the likelihood of early arthritis. I will be able to play golf again this year, go turkey hunting up and down the steep mountain ridges and will (more importantly) be able to chase my son around the yard this summer. Will be post op 1 year in May. I've been lugging heavy orthopedic patients around for 12 hour shifts since Aug/Sept.

Here's another thing. Post-op rehab takes about a year to complete for those returning to competition. The sooner he gets the surgery the sooner he's ready to go in college.

Finally, the injury and a bulky brace will almost certainly affect/diminish his performance this year. The scouts will notice and they will notice the brace.

They'll have questions. They may want to see medical reports. Unrepaired ACL/MCL/meniscus? Not worth a scholarship. Too much risk. Take the academic scholarship and show up at practice healthy and ready to impress.

I read about your post and found some of your symptoms being very similiar to mine. I had an injury about 11 years agos while landing from a jump and heard a pop sound and my knee gave way. Till now I do not know if its an ACL INJURY. I also never had it checked and it didn't handicap me much except during squating I am still able to play badminton and cycling not sure if it would lead to early arthritis? Can staff nurses who have sustain ACL INJURIES still able to function as STAFF NURSES?

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I read about your post and found some of your symptoms being very similiar to mine. I had an injury about 11 years agos while landing from a jump and heard a pop sound and my knee gave way. Till now I do not know if its an ACL INJURY. I also never had it checked and it didn't handicap me much except during squating I am still able to play badminton and cycling not sure if it would lead to early arthritis? Can staff nurses who have sustain ACL INJURIES still able to function as STAFF NURSES?

yes.

Had an old undiagnosed knee injury years ago. Last sept. decided to pick up jogging:uhoh3: swell-hurt, swell-hurt. Still jogged, still worked until the knee was hurting at rest. post op month 6 now.... you've GOT to do the rehab post op for full ROM after.

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Specializes in OB/GYN,L&D,FP office,LTC.

How long the physical therapy after an acl reconstruction and pmm?

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