Your experience exercising on no ACL AND a torn Meniscus

Geminieve24
Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
edited October 31 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey there! Back in May I completely tore my ACL and also tore my meniscus (right knee). I was curious to know if anyone else out there has had a similar injury. I am anticipating surgery and some serious rehab in the next few months. In the meantime, I am getting sick of always going to the exercise bike and elliptical trainer.

For those who have had a similar injury, what workouts and activities can you "muster" through?

I really wish to get back to my Jillian Michael's 90-day Total Body Revolution. But the idea of doing any lunges and plyometrics seem undoable.

Thanks!

Replies

  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    *bump
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    Not me, but a buddy of mine is recovering from the same injury you describe. Prior to surgery he would swim, and lift (upper body.) he's now 14 months post surgery and can play golf again, he' also on my basketball team, and we play every Tuesday, he wears braces for that, he's now back to running as well without the braces. Pre surgery though, swimming is your best bet, and lifting.

    Rigger
  • AmyZ46
    AmyZ46 Posts: 694 Member
    I had that injury 10 years ago . Gained 100 lbs because it hurt to exercise . I wish I hadn't been a whimp and just tuffed it out . I am now doing exercises and you know what ? It still hurtsa little .... but I can do most anything.

    Good luck.


    Amy
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    I had that injury 10 years ago . Gained 100 lbs because it hurt to exercise . I wish I hadn't been a whimp and just tuffed it out . I am now doing exercises and you know what ? It still hurtsa little .... but I can do most anything.

    Good luck.


    Amy

    Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry that happened to you. At first the pain was pretty intense. It is quite manageable now when I exercise. But I find that if I don't exercise the meniscus tear will aggravate me! The no ACl is what I worry about with certain workouts. Good to know you are back to doing most things! :)
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Hey there! Back in May I completely tore my ACL and also tore my meniscus (right knee). I was curious to know if anyone else out there has had a similar injury. I am anticipating surgery and some serious rehab in the next few months. In the meantime, I am getting sick of always going to the exercise bike and elliptical trainer.

    For those who have had a similar injury, what workouts and activities can you "muster" through?

    I really wish to get back to my Jillian Michael's 90-day Total Body Revolution. But the idea of doing any lunges and plyometrics seem undoable.

    Thanks!

    I have a reconstructed ACL and no PCL and had my meniscus scoped, I can do most anything although running aggravates it so I just avoid most cardio altogether
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    Hey there! Back in May I completely tore my ACL and also tore my meniscus (right knee). I was curious to know if anyone else out there has had a similar injury. I am anticipating surgery and some serious rehab in the next few months. In the meantime, I am getting sick of always going to the exercise bike and elliptical trainer.

    For those who have had a similar injury, what workouts and activities can you "muster" through?

    I really wish to get back to my Jillian Michael's 90-day Total Body Revolution. But the idea of doing any lunges and plyometrics seem undoable.

    Thanks!

    I have a reconstructed ACL and no PCL and had my meniscus scoped, I can do most anything although running aggravates it so I just avoid most cardio altogether

    I am getting my meniscus scoped as well and a cadaver ACL put in. How are you with lunges and squats? Couldyou do them pre-surgery?
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Hey there! Back in May I completely tore my ACL and also tore my meniscus (right knee). I was curious to know if anyone else out there has had a similar injury. I am anticipating surgery and some serious rehab in the next few months. In the meantime, I am getting sick of always going to the exercise bike and elliptical trainer.

    For those who have had a similar injury, what workouts and activities can you "muster" through?

    I really wish to get back to my Jillian Michael's 90-day Total Body Revolution. But the idea of doing any lunges and plyometrics seem undoable.

    Thanks!

    I have a reconstructed ACL and no PCL and had my meniscus scoped, I can do most anything although running aggravates it so I just avoid most cardio altogether

    I am getting my meniscus scoped as well and a cadaver ACL put in. How are you with lunges and squats? Couldyou do them pre-surgery?

    Yes, higher rep squat sessions can aggravate it a bit, but getting some knee sleeves really helped for squats
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    Hey there! Back in May I completely tore my ACL and also tore my meniscus (right knee). I was curious to know if anyone else out there has had a similar injury. I am anticipating surgery and some serious rehab in the next few months. In the meantime, I am getting sick of always going to the exercise bike and elliptical trainer.

    For those who have had a similar injury, what workouts and activities can you "muster" through?

    I really wish to get back to my Jillian Michael's 90-day Total Body Revolution. But the idea of doing any lunges and plyometrics seem undoable.

    Thanks!

    I have a reconstructed ACL and no PCL and had my meniscus scoped, I can do most anything although running aggravates it so I just avoid most cardio altogether

    I am getting my meniscus scoped as well and a cadaver ACL put in. How are you with lunges and squats? Couldyou do them pre-surgery?

    Yes, higher rep squat sessions can aggravate it a bit, but getting some knee sleeves really helped for squats

    Knee sleeves-good to know! Thanks!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Hey there! Back in May I completely tore my ACL and also tore my meniscus (right knee). I was curious to know if anyone else out there has had a similar injury. I am anticipating surgery and some serious rehab in the next few months. In the meantime, I am getting sick of always going to the exercise bike and elliptical trainer.

    For those who have had a similar injury, what workouts and activities can you "muster" through?

    I really wish to get back to my Jillian Michael's 90-day Total Body Revolution. But the idea of doing any lunges and plyometrics seem undoable.

    Thanks!

    I have a reconstructed ACL and no PCL and had my meniscus scoped, I can do most anything although running aggravates it so I just avoid most cardio altogether

    I am getting my meniscus scoped as well and a cadaver ACL put in. How are you with lunges and squats? Couldyou do them pre-surgery?

    Yes, higher rep squat sessions can aggravate it a bit, but getting some knee sleeves really helped for squats

    Knee sleeves-good to know! Thanks!

    These are the ones I have

    http://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Kono-TK-Knee-Bands/dp/B00B59AD2A
  • kevinster
    kevinster Posts: 3
    Hello. I'm 14 weeks post-surgery (cadavar ACL and meniscus fixed). I can do the exercise bike for 90 minutes a day, and some basic yoga poses. I don't have full range of motion yet. My physical therapist has me on track to run a 5k by mid-november. I was an avid runner before I tore it and both my surgeon and physical therapist expect me to fully recover.

    kevin
  • dkhuff1
    dkhuff1 Posts: 67 Member
    I tore my ACL and meniscus 19 years ago. Once the swelling went down I ran on it,swam, hiked, weight lifted and played tennis, and skied on it. I had a complete tear but my primary care doc never ordered an MRI or referred me to surgeon. So 6 years later it got really unstable and finally I went to an ortho. By then he did not need an MRI to make the diagnosis. I did have swelling after running or from standing on it for hours.

    As it feels better you can probably do more on it. Id work on your knee stabilization but be careful to not make the meniscus tear worse. Keeping your muscle tone will help your recovery. I'd say away from things that involve compression and any kind of torque-- ie changing directions quickly.

    Good luck and don't wait too long for your surgery. Wish I could have been diagnosed right when mine was torn. Now I have arthritis becuase of the years between the injury and the repair
  • brandon_2A
    brandon_2A Posts: 35
    I tore my ACL about 11 years ago and never got it fixed (no health insurance + young and dumb). Now days if I know I'm going to be doing something that could hurt it I'll put a light brace on it. The only thing that really makes it hurt is running on a treadmill, but running outside is fine. Don't ask me why.
  • Reytor
    Reytor Posts: 26 Member
    Hello,

    I tore my ACL and meniscus four years ago and just had surgery in May (Hamstring graft and meniscus repair). Before my surgery I was able to do a lot like jog slowly, squats, lunges, jump rope. I was not able to move laterally, make any cuts, or rotate on the knee. If I did it would go out on me. Feel free to add me if you have any questions.
  • Sylvitryinghard
    Sylvitryinghard Posts: 549 Member
    Hey hey I think this is gonna be a story of my life :/ acl pcl meniscus and i dont know what else sighhhhhhhhhhhh ripped bone bruises for the second time. Last surgery was end of jan and now I can do everything again just have pain doing squats so I guess I will wait a bit. And still not allowed to go running and I really really miss it. and im still missing out zumba classes which I love. (too much moves Im a bit afraid)after first surgery I was totally back on track incl. running and training for a cross triathlon. I really gotta be patient this time. wishing you all well!!!! :)
  • Angylgrrl
    Angylgrrl Posts: 159 Member
    I had a complete tear of my ACL and torn meniscus (both sides) in my left knee. I was jogging (my first attempt at trying to lose weight), reached my turnaround point, and must have somehow kept my foot planted and turned my body. It was pretty ugly- within 20 minutes my knee was at least double, if not triple, its normal size. I couldn't put pressure on it, and had to buy crutches so I could go to work the next day. When I went in to work, they made me go to a walk-in clinic, and the nurse there in turn made me go to the emergency room. I was referred to an orthopedist, and he explained the surgical options. He basically said that while I could do the cadaver replacement ACL, the recovery time was much longer, and that it was not really a necessity unless I was planning on taking up high impact sports. I decided to just get the meniscus cleaned up, which they were able to do laproscopically.

    I went to PT both before and after the surgery, though for not as long afterwards as they wanted. (My insurance would only cover so much.) Honestly, the best thing you can do is try to extend the range of motion in that knee both before and after the surgery. I thought my range of motion would be compromised for life, but it is completely back to normal. I rarely experience any pain with it, though rainy, humid weather makes it achy, as I have arthritis in that knee from the damage (I also injured the same knee in high school-it's even possible that the tear dates back to this first injury). I also sometimes get achy in the beginning of a run or after a run. When running, I really listen to my body. Most days it's totally fine, but sometimes I know I have to slow my pace, even down to a walk, or else I get the unstable slip-out. I don't wear a brace as of right now, but I am thinking of investing in a lightweight brace with side stabilizers to help curb that issue. I do run on concrete/asphalt, and make sure that my shoes are tied tightly so that my foot can't slide around at all and contribute to any instability.

    Even though I want to do Insanity, as of right now, I try to stay away from super high impact on the knees. I started with the elliptical, which I hated, but I think it helped me build my range of motion so that I could later run. I do bodyweight squats with no issues, and have no problems with it 98% of the time.

    Hope this helps! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

    ***Eta*** I started taking Glucosamine Chondroitin several months ago along with my other vitamins. I don't know if it REALLY does anything, but it makes me feel like I'm doing the best that I can to keep my knee healthy for as long as possible. Just figured I should mention that- maybe that's why it has behaved so well for me.
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    Hello. I'm 14 weeks post-surgery (cadavar ACL and meniscus fixed). I can do the exercise bike for 90 minutes a day, and some basic yoga poses. I don't have full range of motion yet. My physical therapist has me on track to run a 5k by mid-november. I was an avid runner before I tore it and both my surgeon and physical therapist expect me to fully recover.

    kevin

    Thank you for sharing!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    I am of two minds about this. Orthopedists will tell you to go out and do what you can before surgery, wearing a brace if you need to, because you are not going to hurt yourself any worse, and the better conditioning you have before surgery the quicker and better your rehab. There is even some thought among surgeons that not all people who tear their ACL will necessarily have to have surgery to return to vigorous activity.
    On the other hand, my brother, my nephew, and others I know, will tell you that they followed that advice and ended up with a worse injury.
    I squatted with weight, jogged lightly, and even tried to play tennis before my surgery, and I do not know if it made any difference but I had pain going up and down stairs the last two months before my surgery. (I had cartilage damage that was repaired with an OATS procedure.)
    In your case, the worry is the meniscus, I would think. A small defect in your meniscus, they can simply trim. A larger one, they need to cut out a wedge and sew it back together. The second is the worse surgery to have because it usually creates a somewhat uneven meniscus, that will create wear over the years.
    Now, usually the meniscus gets torn in the same incident where your ACL tears. (Most ACL injuries are actually what the doctors refer to as the 'terrible triad,' that is: you tear the ACL, the MCL and the meniscus.) So, I would guess that, without an ACL, your knee would prone to that same movement that damaged your meniscus in the first place -- ie, you risk damaging it further.
    I might just take it easy. It is not that long until surgery, and afterwards, if you don't make things worse, you will be as good as new.
    Anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong in any of this.
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    Hey hey I think this is gonna be a story of my life :/ acl pcl meniscus and i dont know what else sighhhhhhhhhhhh ripped bone bruises for the second time. Last surgery was end of jan and now I can do everything again just have pain doing squats so I guess I will wait a bit. And still not allowed to go running and I really really miss it. and im still missing out zumba classes which I love. (too much moves Im a bit afraid)after first surgery I was totally back on track incl. running and training for a cross triathlon. I really gotta be patient this time. wishing you all well!!!! :)

    WOW! You mentioned Zumba. I been looking to start up dancing next year and didn't know how much of an impact it was going to cause onthe knee. I also wish you well!
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    I am of two minds about this. Orthopedists will tell you to go out and do what you can before surgery, wearing a brace if you need to, because you are not going to hurt yourself any worse, and the better conditioning you have before surgery the quicker and better your rehab. There is even some thought among surgeons that not all people who tear their ACL will necessarily have to have surgery to return to vigorous activity.
    On the other hand, my brother, my nephew, and others I know, will tell you that they followed that advice and ended up with a worse injury.
    I squatted with weight, jogged lightly, and even tried to play tennis before my surgery, and I do not know if it made any difference but I had pain going up and down stairs the last two months before my surgery. (I had cartilage damage that was repaired with an OATS procedure.)
    In your case, the worry is the meniscus, I would think. A small defect in your meniscus, they can simply trim. A larger one, they need to cut out a wedge and sew it back together. The second is the worse surgery to have because it usually creates a somewhat uneven meniscus, that will create wear over the years.
    Now, usually the meniscus gets torn in the same incident where your ACL tears. (Most ACL injuries are actually what the doctors refer to as the 'terrible triad,' that is: you tear the ACL, the MCL and the meniscus.) So, I would guess that, without an ACL, your knee would prone to that same movement that damaged your meniscus in the first place -- ie, you risk damaging it further.
    I might just take it easy. It is not that long until surgery, and afterwards, if you don't make things worse, you will be as good as new.
    Anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong in any of this.

    Thank you for the feedback. I am scoping the meniscus for now. I am going to revisit the ACL issue next year. The meniscus is a pain I feel all the time. The ACL just feels unstable with certain movements, but totally tolerable. My surgeon said I have much stability in my bad knee as the good knee. He mentioned people go back to normal routines. Now, my trampoline days are over, but I can go back to spin class :) I bike and do the eliptical everyday, and still losing weight on a "bum" knee.

    So I am not really sure I am going to get the ACL repair or not. One thing at a time. Thank you all for the tips!
  • SGSmallman
    SGSmallman Posts: 193 Member
    3 years post P2B (patella to bone graft) ACL MCL reconstruction, Meniscus and cartilage repair. A full grade 3 tear of the ACL.

    I going spinning several times a week Heavy leg sessions including squats deadlifts etc I ran the Spartan sprint last year and am aiming for the trifecta this year, never been much of a runner but am getting into it and apart from the muscles soreness from leaning to run my knee is ok

    You will always get a bit of pain I sometimes accidentally twist it in bed which feels awful. it's all about giving 100% in rehab and post physio slowly building up your strength but more importantly you mental wellbeing and confidence. I was never told how much of a mental effect it would have and it wasn't until Jan/Feb this year i finally stopped worrying about my knee.

    Good luck and don't give up you can lead a normal life and in fact because you'll be looking after yourself more and building the surrounding muscle in your legs (leg curls are great pre op for building those muscles) you will be stronger and in a better place.

    Learn your body it's strengths and limits.

    all the best x
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    If you expect to be physically active I would go ahead and schedule a time to get it fixed if you can afford it. Every time it goes out or you lose kee stability you risk further damaging the meniscus.

    I was a senior in college when I did mine in September. Had the meniscus repaired on fall break and left for my spring break a few days early (which meant 3 midterms in two days, good times) to get the ACL done.

    20+ years later and I had a scope a few years ago to fix a meniscus flap but otherwise it's fine. I have to baby it a bit (ice it down after running or lifting etc) but otherwise I can do what I want.

    Good luck!
  • alikonda
    alikonda Posts: 2,358 Member
    Technically, you don't need an ACL to do anything but cutting/twisting movements, so most exercises should be possible, depending on your independent pain level. Everyone is a bit different - some people can barely walk until their surgery.

    I completely tore my ACL, blew out my meniscus, and took off the top corner of my tibia while playing Rugby in college. I had reconstructive surgery about 5 months after the injury. Before I went to surgery, I was doing multiple sets of 30 body weight squats without pain. (Take it slowly so you can focus on form -- instability can be terrifying and possibly excruciating!) I was able to go for short jogs, but would get some soreness afterwards, so I generally steered clear of that. What I *did* do a LOT was play multiple hours of DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) every day. (College kid home for the summer...*shrug*) The doctors were incredibly impressed with the muscle tone I had going into the surgery and said that I recovered much faster than others.

    Long story short, if you want to do it, go ahead and try it! If it hurts or slips, you'll notice immediately and just stop. =) Good luck with the surgery! I had a graft from my hamstring but wish I'd gone with the cadaver option!
  • SPESHALGIFT
    SPESHALGIFT Posts: 7
    I have a torn ACL and Meniscus. My doctor is going to remove the Meniscus on the 19th of this month. Because I use to play sports and have always had certain issues with my knee AND the amount of Arthiritis I have, My doctor believes I am not only in pain because of the Meniscus and because of the recovery time etc I opted to just remove the Meniscus. I am told that the healing time is way shorter and I should be able to resume normal activities within a week. Since my doctor is also the Orthopedic for our local NFL team, and his reviews are off the chart, I am going to trust him on this one. Hopefully the ACL doesnt then give me issues which that is one of the risks. :smile: Good Luck
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    I have a repaired ACL in left knee and meniscus issues in my right. My surgery was about 10 years ago. I was in physical therapy 2 days after my surgery, and luckily for me my PT was a badass and made me do as much mobility work as I could possibly stand. I would definitely say that if you intend to remain active to go ahead and get the repair done. The recovery period will be difficult but necessary when you put it into perspective.

    I do have some lateral mobility issues, but that primarily affects me when I play soccer with my super-active travel soccer 12 year old.
  • fabienzan
    fabienzan Posts: 2
    Hi,

    I am having a knee reco this week. Injury happened 4 months ago.
    I have a complete tear of the ACL and both meniscus tear playing basketball.
    oblique longitudinal tear within the periphery of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus extending to the inferior articular surface (26 mm)
    Incomplete wrisberg rent tear.
    I am ok with the operation but I am worried that they are going to trim the meniscus as this will lead quickly to OA .
    My understanding is the type of medial meniscus injury I have is common in ACL tear and I believe it is a medial meniscus root tear.
    (Show in the top corner on the MRI)
    I am wondering if anyone else had this type of injury and how well they recover from it. I am more after people who did this operation 5 - 15 years ago.
    The ACL seems to be easy to fix with good prognosis but as soon as you get an meniscus tear things get much worse
  • fabienzan
    fabienzan Posts: 2
    What do you mean. You did not repair your ACL or torn meniscus ?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Hi,

    I am having a knee reco this week. Injury happened 4 months ago.
    I have a complete tear of the ACL and both meniscus tear playing basketball.
    oblique longitudinal tear within the periphery of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus extending to the inferior articular surface (26 mm)
    Incomplete wrisberg rent tear.
    I am ok with the operation but I am worried that they are going to trim the meniscus as this will lead quickly to OA .
    My understanding is the type of medial meniscus injury I have is common in ACL tear and I believe it is a medial meniscus root tear.
    (Show in the top corner on the MRI)
    I am wondering if anyone else had this type of injury and how well they recover from it. I am more after people who did this operation 5 - 15 years ago.
    The ACL seems to be easy to fix with good prognosis but as soon as you get an meniscus tear things get much worse

    This seemed informative to give you some background information so you can get questions ready for your doctor.

    http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/90661-treatment
  • losergood2011
    losergood2011 Posts: 172 Member
    this has been great! I am trying to decide to have surgery or not. the Doc I have (sports med ortho for apac 12 univeristy) says I probably won't need surgery even though I blew the ACL, Tore MCL, damaged meniscus medial(he says it may heal) and fractured tib and femur (common with ACL blow out). I did not believe him but I am now 90 days out and well maybe he is right!! I use the brace still and am in weekly PT. I love seeing so many copers! Thank you so much! by the way - I squat, lunge, plyometrics just starting and do my farm chores and riding just fine!! Oh and try for 10K plus on my fitbit Flex :-)
  • questionfear
    questionfear Posts: 527 Member
    I tore my ACL several years ago, and tore the meniscus in the same knee this past summer. Had surgery for the ACL as well as a surgery for the meniscus.

    My ACL surgery was about a month and a half post-tear, so I didn't have much of a chance to be too active; I mostly walked, and I recall anything that involved sudden side to side turns led to that awful "things are touching that shouldn't be" feeling in my knee and I HATED that.

    Post-surgery, I did my PT and started running. Running on a treadmill still aggravates my knee on and off, but I ran 4 half marathons on my repaired knee with no swelling or issues. I did switch to ultraminimalist shoes after experimenting with what did/did not cause me knee discomfort, but everyone is different with that.

    I tore my meniscus over the summer, and that bothered me right up until the surgery. It would hurt if I sat for too long, it would hurt if I didn't sit for long enough, it hurt all the damn time. My PT said I probably could have gotten away with skipping the surgery and doing more extensive PT, but surgery+PT have done well for me. I started lifting heavy weights, and can deadlift 145 and squat 110 (doing stronglifts, so I am still working higher) and my knee is fine.

    I did a fair bit of research prior to my ACL surgery, and the overwhelming conclusion at the time seemed to be that if you are going to be fairly active, especially if you're on the young side, and most especially if you're female, you should get the surgery. Supposedly female athletes are a bit more prone to ACL tears, and not getting the surgery upped the chances of developing arthritis in the future, and since I was ~27 when I tore my ACL, it made more sense to suffer for a few months and have a stronger knee for the rest of my life than to constantly worry about babying my knee.
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