Experiences -  Symptoms & 1st OS Visit

I first injured my knee when I was almost 41 yrs old, around March 1990, playing evening Adult Basketball and trying to catch a much younger player running at full blast toward the other basket. He momentarily slowed up in a stutter step before continuing and it was at that moment that my left leg briefly came in contact with him. My leg must have slightly hyperextended at that moment of contact. I heard a pop noise and briefly fell down. Although, I may have had a brief second of pain, there was only a slight bit of discomfort 2 seconds after later as I was back up and walking around. I did not play any longer that night. I could tell something was not right. I was not able to set up an OS appointment until about a week later. I did not think I had any swelling in the knee but I was not really looking - The OS could see a lot of swelling and he drained my knee. Since there was a some red tint to the fluid removed, I guess he could tell that I had done something. I don't think his self-eval indicated that I had significant looseness. He did not comment about it except that I should go for an MRI. My OS indicated that the MRI confirmed a bucket meniscus cartilage tear and that he would have to perform arthroscopy to cut it out. He let me see a 10 minute video explaining the arthroscopy procedure and that this was elective surgery - meaning, you did not have to do it if you did not want to.  We set up for outpatient arthroscopy surgery for 3 weeks later. My partial ACL tear was not discovered until arthroscopy was performed.

Originated:  7-16-00. Revised 9-3-00

March 1990:  1st Injury To Left Knee - Cartilage Tear, Partial ACL Tear, Chodromalacia

September 1998:  2nd Injury To Left Knee - Cartilage Tear, Severed ACL, Bone Bruise & Possible PCL Tear

Here's the background info. I had a 50% ACL partial tear and was released back in 1990 to play all sports. I had rehabbed to full muscle strength and was required to wear a custom sports brace for competitive cutting type sports.  The injured leg always has a tendency to be weaker than the good leg and so there is really a necessity to continue doing single leg exercises. Through the years, I slacked off of my single leg exercises and pretty much only did dual leg exercises or for periods of time, I became inconsistent with maintaining a regular exercises schedule. While I continued for many years to play basketball and softball, other interests such as biking grabbed my free time. I gave up softball and took a rest from basketball for about a year.......UNTIL............my friends were short a player and asked if I wanted to come and play again. Since I had taken a break from basketball for about a year, I forgot that a brace is really not that good for twisting movements. It is mostly good for protecting against side to side and hypextension type movements. I was playing fine that night and then I did a fake move that I used to always do playing basketball before I originally had my partial ACL tear. I had forgotten that I should stay away from twisting movements. I faked with the ball and right leg to the right with my left leg planted firmly behing me on the carpeted basketball surface. I then darted off to the left leading with my right foot and I left the defensive player in the dust !  That would have been fine except that when I twisted to my left and took off, I also left my left knee in the dust as well. I heard a pop noise and I briefly fell down. Hmmm, does this sound familiar ? (Take a look at the above experience.) I and the others also heard another noise, sort of like a crackling noise (maybe that was another cartilage tear ?) . Anyway, I was back on my feet and walking around to see how it felt. I had no pain but I could tell something was not right and I suspected I knew what I did. Of course, there is those "Denial" hormones that work there way into your brain. I went to the (same) OS the next day. he took one pull on my lower thight and he told me there was no question that I severed my ACL. (I guess my lower leg had a lot of looseness.)  He wanted me to go for an MRI to confirm it and to see what else I may have done. But , he already told me to start thinking about "reconstruction". I was 48 yrs old. He indicated that age wasn't a big deal these days, since everyone was more active in later than what seemed to be the case 10 years earlier. Beside, he knew I was active - I had seen him on numerous ocassions for all sorts of broken bones (other then the knee) for basketball and cycling.  I had the MRI that same afternoon as my OS appointment. How's that for getting everything done right away ! The injury was on a Thursday and I had my initial OS appointment and the MRI both on Friday. I was backto see the OS , I think that next Monday. Results were that I had indeed severed my ACL, had a possible tear in my PCL, a bone bruise (which would heal on it's own in a short period of time) and a cartilage tear. A date for arthroscopy/reconstruction surgery was scheduled exactly 3 weeks from my surgery date. I had a patella autograft reconstruction and the cartilage tear was cut out. The cartilage tear was 95% in an area that did not see any loadbearing and so that was thought as a good thing for me. The bone bruise and possible PCL tear were never mentioned after surgery, so no news, I guess,  was good news for that as well !