ACL Tear
(2 discussions)
My 13 1/2 year old son just found out he has a total ACL tear.
He is a very good athlete and totally devistated.
He is a baseball player – a catcher and is feeling that he will never catch again. Can anyone offer any support – or if there is a catcher out there that came back after an ACL injury – please contact him.
Thank you
2 comments
Diane W
I am a 47 year old female who in April had a total acl tear. I have gone to 2 surgeons. One of these surgeons is Dr. Freddy Foo who is the team doctor to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Penguins. He states I can lead a perfectly normal life with no acl. If I want to play sports I just have to keep up my strengh in my quads hamstrings and calf muscles. There is also a specially fitted acl deficient brace that will keep the tibia and knee in place. These braces are very streamline and most atheletes wear them even to prevent injury. Some people prefer to have their acl reconstructed, but you can lead normal life without it. My friend has no acl or mcl and he is extremly active in sports. Please let me know how you are doing.
Heather
While it is possible to function in life without an ACL, the ACL gives the knee it’s stability. For a young athletic person, ACL reconstruction will allow him to return to an athletic lifestyle. ACL reconstruction is not always performed in a middle-aged and older population, especially if they limit their athletic activites to those not requiring a lot of pivoting and cutting. Any person with an ACL-deficient knee increases the risk of meniscal (cartilage) damage. This is especially true in the younger population because of the reluctance to not participate in activities that invlove pivoting and cutting.