Here are some pictures of torn ACLs that are a little easier to follow than my real images were.Made an appointment with an orthopedic / sports medicine doc today (who is in my PPO network, unlike the one to whom Immediate Care referred me). A little worried that I don't know anything about him, and a lot frustrated that the earliest appointment was two weeks away. The receptionist told me he couldn't give me any advice about what I should / shouldn't be doing until he sees me. In two weeks. Why don't I call the doctor at Immediate Care and ask him, she suggested. Oh yeah, that guy who thought I just had a sprain. For lack of other options I called him (thinking maybe he can suggest some good exercises, etc.) and his well-thought-out advice was "I see you have a complete tear. Wear the immobilizer and use crutches and don't put any weight on it." You've got to be kidding me. I live AND work on the second floors of buildings without elevators for one thing. I was feeling proud of how much better I'm climbing stairs today. OK, it was the most conservative possible advice, but it was dumb. I'll be careful, but I haven't read anything that says you can't walk around just fine with a torn ACL. Two weeks of the "immobilizer" is B.S. I think if it were necessary our team doctor (an orthopedic surgeon) would have said something when I showed up to watch Saturday's game wearing only my ace bandage (in addition to other clothing appropriate for the situation). He read my MRI report and said, "Oh, it's just the ACL. The MCL issue can be treated non-operatively. ACLs must be to him something akin to what 30-day termination of tenancy notices are to me. Our coach who is a physical therapist (and who previously tore her ACL playing football) noticed I was holding my cane in the wrong hand and showed me the correct way to do it. (Bellabell's comment on the last post hinted that it isn't completely intuitive--I didn't realize I was doing it wrong.)
Maybe I'll ride my bike to the appointment in two weeks to protest how long it took to get the appointment. If I can find a suitable hinged brace, Mom.
2 comments:
Wow that doc scares me. You dont even have to repair your acl, and the imobilizer is overkill. You just need rotational support. Want to borrow chris's anti rotation soft brace? Its hinged, and now she wears the custom one. It was specifically for her acl....Are you sure thats who you want to see????
Is there anyone else on the insurance list should you need a second opinion? From what you have said, it appears that the best advice you are getting currently is from your team doc and coach. When G had knee surgery (alright, this was 20+ years ago), having his patella removed and all of his ligaments realigned, getting him on a bicycle and regaining range of motion seemd to be a high priority. What more damage can you to do the ACL anyway? You just need to keep the rest of your knee parts from getting messed up, don't you?
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