Torn ACL's

I tore my ACL and Meniscus about three years ago. I was 39. They were unable to repair my meniscus so they removed it, which guarantees I'll have arthritis when I get older. As for my ACL, I had them repair it. I don't know what you mean exactly by reconstructive but they had to take parts from a cadaver to repair mine. The other option is to take it from your own leg somewhere, but that didn't sound fun at all. Anyway, I did physical therapy for about 6 months. I wore a knee brace for about two years after that for playing sports, although I could have ditched that after a year. It was mentally hard for me to part with it. I played a lot of soccer up until I was like 31. I started playing other sports and still am very active with those. Because of that, I needed the reparation. The physical therapy is painful but if you are dedicated to the process, it will get easier. I can't tell you what to do but if you want to be active and are willing to work hard at recovery, I would suggest doing it. You are still young enough to enjoy being active. Even if you end up having to get a total knee replacement, it would be worth it to be able to stay active. Only you can decide that. If you do decide to go through with it, the only advice I have is to be serious about rehab and recovery. Do everything the PT tells you and you will succeed. And, supposedly, your ACL will be stronger than it was before and less likely to tear again...supposedly.

I tore my ACL, MCL, LCL, and meniscus in my right knee 6 years ago, and I am now 41. I did not get my ACL repaired but did get my meniscus repaired. I did not do the surgery due to the long recovery time. I opted for PT for a couple of months and was told by both my PT and my orthopedic surgeon that the key to keeping the knee pain-free is to keep it strong.

I need to do leg exercises, such as squats and other strength training and my knee does really good. I find that if I don't keep that up, my knee gets really painful.

Also, my orthopedic surgeon created a custom made knee brace to use when I do other cardio exercises (such as body combat or kickboxing). That brace keeps my knee stable and helps greatly.

My husband tore his ACL a little more than 12 years ago. He chose the patellar graft (uses part of the patellar tendon to replace the ACL), I think now they also do some type of a hamstring graft. My husband was told that his knee would not be as stable as it was before the tear (tendons do not have the same elasticity as ligaments) so he was encouraged to start running to help strengthen the muscles around his knee. He was not a runner at all before the surgery. Two years post surgery, he ran a marathon. Today he is training for his 35th marathon (he is probably not be the typical ACL patient). His advice to anyone considering the surgery: the physical therapy is the most important part of the recovery. Without it, you will not regain strength or range of motion. Good luck!