Skiing w/ Torn ACL

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Skiing w/ Torn ACL

Postby Smackboy1 » Sun Jan 31, 2016 7:46 pm

I could use some advice about skiing with an injured knee. So last September I suffered a high grade partial tear of my left ACL and tore my MCL too in a non-skiing related incident. I decided against surgical reconstruction - at least for now. I have been working on strengthening the leg. At first I thought my ski season was over. But after thinking about it I realized that PMTS doesn't have any active rotary or twisting so it's probably not that hard on my knees. I also remembered that Harald hasn't had an ACL in one of his knees for several decades. So my Dr. has given the green light and armed with a CF knee brace I'm heading to Stratton, VT in a couple of weeks.

I'm going to take it easy, and I know to avoid the knee deep wet slush (not that it's going to be much of problem given the paltry snowfall this year). If anybody has any wisdom to impart I'm all ears. TIA.
Skiing: falling down the mountain with style.
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Re: Skiing w/ Torn ACL

Postby kirtland » Sun Jan 31, 2016 9:13 pm

Read this article and keep your feet pulled back underneath you. I have skied with the same condition for 24 years and been fortunate not to tear it the rest of the way.
http://www.vermontskisafety.com/kneefriendly.php
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Re: Skiing w/ Torn ACL

Postby jbotti » Sun Jan 31, 2016 10:51 pm

ACLs and knee stability are very personal. My wife tore her ACl but her knee was as stable as many that have a perfect ACL and she skis on i with no issue. I partially tore my ACL and it re-attached and my knee is as stable as most. Many people get by without an ACL. Most that do well continue to focus on strengthening all the supporting and stabilizing muscles that support the knee joint. Tennis, basketball and soccer, where hard plants and cutting changes in direction occur constantly, are much harder on an unstable knee joint than skiing.

A brace is a very good idea for the first year or two. Many go on without an ACL and never look back. The risk of course is that the lack of stability causes more damage with degeneration of the meniscus etc. Probably comes more from running, walking and other activities than from skiing where unless you tale a fall the knee is generally not stressed (at least the way we ski in PMTS).
Balance: Essential in skiing and in life!
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Re: Skiing w/ Torn ACL

Postby A.L.E » Mon Feb 01, 2016 12:08 am

A friend of mine has been playing masters soccer for 10yrs with no ACL. :shock:
He did it at 22 and started playing again at 42.
I was playing with him at the time and remember the snap/pop when it went. It was a complete rupture.
He was doing ok until last season....when the meniscus in that knee wore out. That stability JB talks about being his undoing. Now he doesn't play..........
He thinks skiing will be ok. If Harald can do it anyone......... :wink:
Harald's proof that with one of those new knees and a bit of rehab skiing is a walk in the park :lol:
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Re: Skiing w/ Torn ACL

Postby Icanski » Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:40 am

I had very little ski season this year: working on a tv series through much of the winter, but also terrible conditions here with wildly fluctuating temperatures. Didn't get many runs in.
Having said that, I had my ACL blown out in 2009. After some MAT therapy, I was able to continue teaching and skiing, cautiously, for the rest of that season. The skiing was pretty good, as long as I didn't spend much time in a wedge (I teach at a Canadian ski school, and though I use PMTS with my students when I can, there are times where I just have to teach CSIA system. Wedge and ACL don't mix well.) I skied with a brace on long days, and gradually without it.
The main problem was more from doing things like shoveling snow, or walking down a winter street, or walking in ski boots. when my foot would slip a bit sideways or back, and ZING! it would lock out and be really painful. I couldn't trust it.
I saw Dr. Rick Zarnett in Toronto, who is a knee/shoulder specialist, and works with all the pro teams in town. He opted for the patellar method. Like Harald, I worked out to really strengthen the knee and surrounding support as much as I could. I lost weight in the process, and got strong. Post surgery, which was in April, I spent lots of time hobbling around with our new puppy, and taking MAT therapy and going through my rehab. Kristen Ulmer, a friend who has had tons of knee work, advised me to do all the therapy I was told, but not to do more...and push it. I strictly followed the regimen, and by the Fall was losing more weight, able to cycle well, and getting stronger. That winter I was back on skis and it was functioning beautifully. Mind you, we don't have 2000 foot runs here, but I was able to go all over, even moguls. I will say, that I was much more aware of speed and just where I was skiing. There was a protective element until I felt more confident with it.
I am aware of that knee often, with whatever I'm doing, I can feel that it is a bit different from the other one, especially if kneeling, where I feel the patellar notch, or a bit of tightness in the joint if flexing the knee back sitting on my haunches.
In the last year, I have suddenly had some arthritis sneaking in; first a shoulder, then one hip and then the other, and this summer an ankle. That is a whole other issue, and figuring out how to deal with that is a new challenge. It slowed me down a bit, and subsequently, with a hectic work schedule and some pain, I gained some weight back. So now it is figuring out how to deal with and manage that. Luckily, it's not in my knees.....yet.
Basically, I'm glad I had the knee surgery, it made a difference, and also helped feeling more confident, and not like I had a time bomb in my leg that would go off at the wrong mogul , or turn.
I thought about getting KNEE bindings, but it seems there's still some question as to whether they'd really make a difference, and their performance....remains to be seen.
Diligent rehab, and exercise will get you through it, but you have to be dedicated, and it's not easy.
Now, back to the bike, and the Olympics. ;-)
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Re: Skiing w/ Torn ACL

Postby Basil j » Fri Aug 12, 2016 1:23 pm

You may want to experiment with taking Gluten out of your diet. If you are even sensitive to it, it can cause or accelerate inflammation. At 52 I started getting arthritic shoulders and an arthritic lower back. I did not want to chomp on pain killers at such a young age. MY orthopedic surgeon suggested cutting mu gluten intake down as much as possible to see if it would have any impact. I went gluten free that whole summer and by August I was pain free, my range of motion had improved and I got ripped as a side benefit. It doesn't make a difference for everybody, but fast forward 3 years and My joint health is much improved. I am not completely Gluten free, but I try to limit my Gluten intake as much as possible.
Its worth a try,and you'll probably drop a few pounds along the way.
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