[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I also went with the cadaver ligament for my ACL reconstruction. I had done a ton of reading about torn ACLs when it happened to me, and I found a couple of really great online forums dedicated to recovering from ACL reconstructions.

My orthopaedist is also the ortho doctor for the AA baseball Reading (Pa.) Phillies and the ECHL's Reading Royals. He reccommended the cadaver ligament as opposed to a graft from my own hamstring because i was 38 years old at the time and didn't play any serious sports.

I never had a machine for stretching my ligament or even had the doctor/therapists suggest that to me. The online forums I found were very helpful for getting feedback as to what I was experiencing, although it was somewhat disconcerting to read multiple stories from people who tore their ACL (or multiple knee ligaments) playing high school or low level college sports, rehabbed like a fiend for 9-10 months, then tore the new ACL again on the first day of practice or something awful like that.

On my first doctor appointment following the ACL reconstruction, the doctor put my x-ray on the screen to show me his work. I wasn't really expecting that, or I would have averted my eyes. I didn't really want to see the screw in my leg. I know your most recent injury is worse than torn knee ligaments, but I went through several months of feeling like I was the unluckiest person in the world.

I wish you the best of luck with your latest injury. That really sounds like a terrible thing to experience.

Thank you for the kind words, Eddie. I'm about to turn 42, and to be honest, I wish I had that machine again. I didn't get my full range of motion back after the ACL reconstruction (the stress fracture stopped my rehab cold. A month of bed rest caused me to lose all the gains I'd made), but I plan on getting there now. I can bend the knee to about 75 degrees currently, and I want to be able to touch my heel to my rear end. At least I slept without a brace for the first time in almost 11 weeks last night. Best night's sleep I've had since June 23rd!

I've been very lucky to have a wonderful family and a lot of great friends to help me through it. And this place has helped me pass the hours quite nicely. I've made a lot of new friends here that share my enthusiasm, and they've been very generous with their time, knowledge, and other things.

As for the x-ray, I'm used to seeing things that would freak most anybody else out. I've got a high pain threshold, and a tolerance for gore, for lack of a better word.

How is your knee doing now post rehab? Do you get soreness, or does it stiffen up at all when the weather changes?