So guys I have just come out of hospital after getting my acl recond (hamstring method) done. The doc reckons 12 months until I am back on board but I am aiming for 9 months. How long until you were in the water? How long until you felt 100%? Any other things worth mentioning? I did the injury last year and continued to kite (strapless only) and surf with no issues and am starting to regret it already. Cannot even walk!
First two weeks is the worst. I was back kiting after 6 months taking it easy though. I put up with a torn ACL for 8 years and having the op was the best thing I ever did 6 years on and no problems.
Sorry about your injury, but sb forum is the last place I'd look for medical advice, unless we have a specialist amongst us , 3 weeks and you'll be fine
Im about 6 months on.
Using a good brace and going steady [ish]
Do the rehab ,as hard as you can
You won't regret it .
Dafunk I assume your back in the water and are you just lawn mowing or starting to push it. Cauncy id rather ask people who kite and have had the injury. I have heard all types of time frames from physios so they are obviously not reliable either. Also most physios deal with footy players and not surfers. also 8m goofy and its right knee which is front foot that does not twist so much when surfing.
Select to expand quoteJonopark said...
Dafunk I assume your back in the water and are you just lawn mowing or starting to push it. Cauncy id rather ask people who kite and have had the injury. I have heard all types of time frames from physios so they are obviously not reliable either. Also most physios deal with footy players and not surfers. also 8m goofy and its right knee which is front foot that does not twist so much when surfing.
Your you, and your condition or physical condition is completely different than others, spent near on 20 years with lower back problems,, if I had knee problems I'd ask a skier, here's a great site, www.kiteboardingexercises.com it's by doctor Sarah Ellis a long time kiter covers a large range of injuries related to kiting and help with recovery and prevention
Damn Jono, sorry to hear the news. Here is my take:
As a long time professional snow skier racer/extreme rider I blew out my left acl. It was pretty ugly. Surgery the following day, 6 months rehab. Lucky it was toward the end of the season, (we had a very long season going from Nov to May) and I did it in late March. Started rehab after the removal of the cast (which they don't do any more and get you into physio straight away) I went to a knee brace and was racing again(with a knee brace) the following season. I didn't push myself too hard that season and the results showed in my times. I had a full 6 months of recovery and training to get it better. Year after that I ditched the brace (which was one of the original Don Joys as I went to school with the sister of the dude who started the company). I have never had a problem with that knee ever since. I have gone hard on it, (though I quit racing and moved to Oz the following year) and just focused mainly on surfing. I have skied plenty since then with no issues, doesn't affect any sport I do.
Now, on my other knee I have torn the meniscus surfing in Puerto Escondido a few years ago, that too required surgery as I could not bend my knee. I started physio the day after the op, and was back in the water in 4 weeks. That has been fine ever since.
Last year I tore the medial on the same knee (as the meniscus) and I did not have any surgery. 6 weeks of physio and I was back kiting again but taking it a little easy. Rode strapless most of the time for the next month before I started pushing myself hard again.
Knee has been reasonably solid but I do feel a little tendonitis just below the knee cap. All in all I don't feel hindered.
Someone like yourself will have trouble controlling your urge to go hard. Pace yourself over winter, do the physio, ride your bike a lot, and you should be fine in 4 to 6 months.
I am not a doctor, but I have had experience in these injuries, and I have pushed my body to the limit in all the sports I have ever done.
Good luck and be patient.
Cheers dafish! Gave me a lot of hope! I want a realistic time to work for and will be doing rehab 100% sounds like you have had more injuroes than me which is a relief! Haha I have had 2 mcl tears before the acl. Cheers once again for the heads up. Surf is firing today and I cant even walk so am going out of my mind
Select to expand quotedafish said..
Damn Jono,
Someone like yourself will have trouble controlling your urge to go hard.
^ This is Jono in a nutshell.
11 months for me...I've been back since mid feb. Doc told me 1 year also.
Only strapless riding at the beginning.
Just had my second session on a twinny today. Did a few small jumps...
Maybe I would have been ok after 9 months...but after surgery and rehab I didn't want to risk it, my choice. I also did my alc while kiting so I know how accidents can happen when you're least expecting it. Now all good and knee is as strong as ever 
6 months min before strapless with a good knee brace (donkey or cti) but weekly Physio for 6 months before. Expect to be mowing the grass for a little while as you build up the strength again.
I was off for about 6 months with a left ACL reco that I had done around 8 years ago now. I'd been using the cti brace from then on and while the knee gets sore after a hard days kiting it hasn't blown out again apart from a few patela dislocations (pretty sure this has nothing to do with the ACL though).
Stopped wearing the brace about 6 months ago, and broke my leg a bit over 2 months ago which seems to have done some damage to the knee but it appears to be mainly bruising of the bone and the reco is still intact. Already back on the water again (was told it would take 6 months before I could surf again). The docs recommendations have to be on the safe side, at the end of the day they've also got to cover themselves.
A mate of mine who wakeboards professionally had his ACL done a couple of years ago and managed to get back on the water after only 3 months, but he was able to do physio nearly every day which I'm sure had a lot to do with his speedy recovery.
Good luck with it anyway, like everyone before has mentioned keep the physio up or you'll have trouble bending your knee fully down the track.
the pain from the graft was pretty bad, much worse than the knee, i did it at the start of summer so missed that summer and was back the next summer with a DJ brace either with TT in pond or strapless surfboard on the unsuper banks.
so used to the brace that i still wear it.
I am 12 weeks post acl reconstruction. My surgeon said it would be 8 to 9 months and at this stage I believe him as it is still pretty sore
. Just resign youself to missing a years worth, do the rehab properly....and promise yourself a reward of buying new gear once you get the ok from the doc.
Cheers for all the input. Ill aim for 9 months and if I can manage 6, 7 or 8 it will be a massive bonus! Looks like I will go to the darkside and get a SUP! Geez Im only 30!
ahhhh man thats so heavy!! hope your on the shorter side of the mend period, time to sell your gear to rahn and get behind the lense haha
