It's all a load of Cannonballs in here! This is the virtual Arsenal pub where you can chat about anything except football. Be warned though, like any pub, the content may not always be suitable for everyone.
So around 3 months ago I injured my knee at football, it made a horrible pop and the pain was horrendous. I went to hospital as I could barely walk and after a clear x ray they fobbed me off and told me it was just a sprain. So I did exactly what they said and rested it for a good 2months. I started rehab by slowly building up my knee again in the gym. All was going well and i could run freely, but I still couldn't stretch my knee fully and it hurt to full straighten it. But after stretching it and warming up (as directed by the hospital) I felt I was fit enough to play again.
Flash forward to Wednesday nights game and I lasted 5mins before it popped again and exactly the same excruciating pain. Once again I can barely walk and am due down the docs in an hour for an emergency appointment hoping for a referral to someone who actually knows what they're talking about.
I know a few people who have torn their cruciate ligament so it sounds nailed on that's what I've done
Anyone else done the same? I basically would like to know realistically how long it took to have the problem solved on the NHS. I know it's going to be a long process but I really want full mobility again, I'm only 29 and at least would like to be able to carry on down the gym and would love to play footballs again (whenever that may be!)
One guy I knew did it Years ago and the whole process took 3 years on the NHS before he played again!
Well..... as a few on here know (and like to laugh about! ) I've had a few injuries in my 37+ years playing career.
Never tore the cruciate but I've shredded a few of the fibres that run up the outside of it and if you can walk on it I'm thinking this might be what you've done? Know a guy that actually tore his cruciate playing and he didn't walk on it again for about 3 or 4 months and that was after surgery. With knees, it depends on the ammount of damage. As I say there are fibres that run up the outside of a cruciate and the number of them you tear determins wether it's a sprain/pull type injury or an actual torn cruciate.
If it's a sprain/pull all they'll offer you is rehab, if it's torn they should be looking at surgery and then alot of rehab.
Not much help I know but still all the best with it mate.
I've torn mine, dislocated my knee playing football about 4 years ago - tore most of the ACL, hairline fracture to bone and fucked up the meniscus. if you hear a pop, it's a ligament.
standard procedure is crutches for about 5-6 weeks, weight bearing is agony. i had another scan at the end of that and doctors said i could have the ACL repair surgery which puts you out of action for 6-9 months or just carry on as normal. wasn't getting any pain so opted to not have the surgery.
plenty of footballers had ACL injures and carried on playing without the surgery, maurice greene also didnt have the surgery and won olympic gold. i happily played football on it (albeit with a knee brace) for another 18 months before i got the same pop and ruined my knee again. 6 weeks on crutches, etc etc...so i had a procedure done to clear out the torn meniscus from my knee but not fully repair the ligament with graft etc.
i've dislocated it 4 times now. if you do enough leg strength building exercises you will be ok but you will be conscious of it. doctors said to me that you can get back to 90% without the op but even with it you will only get back to 95%. so i didnt bother. dont really play football anymore just go gym etc.
just for the record he said mine is hanging on by a thread and left me the choice of surgery or not. i'm not in pain on it now so i left it. also arthritis in your knee is apparently a given if you do your ACL
oh one last bit of CAPTAIN HINDSIGHT advice - hospitals HATE IT if you get injured at football, go home then go to A&E. if you do any damage at football in future call an ambulance, it pushes you up the priority list when you go back for appointments to talk about surgery. think i had an appt at 6 weeks then was offered surgery fairly quick, then again i do live in outer london so hospital was a lot quieter than UCH in central london!
Firstly it might or might not be a cruciate problem, obviously there is the anterior, medial, posterior, collateral lateral ligaments so it could be any one.
The only injury to my knee was damaging the patella, this happened when I was running full tilt and turned and I knew straight away it wasn't good, I lierally couldn't straighten my leg.
When I did at times manage to straighten my leg it would make a popping sound, then it would be ok for a while and the pop again.
I went to a specialist who diagnosed the patella injury, anyhow I was booked in for surgery (this was now 4 months after I injured it), but in between the consultancy and day of operation I was running again and weightlifting, squats etc.
So I was in the hospital bed ready for a shot when the surgeon came in (i knew him personally) and he gave my knee a few tests puuling in different directions etc and then said, "Charlie I don't want to operate on this because it feels strong, go back to playing football, if it happens again I will get you in within a week"
Touch wood (just touched the noggin) I have played for 6 years since and it's been great.
My mates lad (17 year old) had done his cruciate last year, he was operated on within a week, (they took tendons form his hammie) and he was walking within a week and is playing again, about 5 months later.
The methods nowadays are far superior to what they used to be but make sure you press for an op as soon as possible if it is confirmed you have a tear/rupture.
Just make sure your properly ready before you go back, visit a well respected sports physio when you plan to return and have them test it first, worth every penny mate.
Shit luck fella. My mate did his ACL last year and they misdiagnosed it and told him it was a twist. The NHS department at university managed to fail to send it correctly to the NHS department at home over summer 4 times, meanwhile his GP advised him to do as much on it as he could. So he was basically doing strenuous exercise on a torn ACL for months, ended up not having the operation until about 9 months after it happened consequently.
northbank123 wrote:Shit luck fella. My mate did his ACL last year and they misdiagnosed it and told him it was a twist. The NHS department at university managed to fail to send it correctly to the NHS department at home over summer 4 times, meanwhile his GP advised him to do as much on it as he could. So he was basically doing strenuous exercise on a torn ACL for months, ended up not having the operation until about 9 months after it happened consequently.
Thats why I say always go to a well respected physio, it's gonna cost a few quid but money well spent, it cost me £250.00 for a consultancy with a knee specialist and I will always pay for top medical advice, the NHS don't care if you play football again but a proper specialist is paid to GET YOU BACK PLAYING.
Just been down the docs and he was quality, he eluded that it was never a sprain and it looks like I have torn something in there! So he's referred me for an MRI and hopefully they will be able to diagnose it fairly quickly.
He talked about surgery and as someone mentioned, it's pretty amazing what they can do with these sorts of injuries. I just hope I don't have to wait to long to be diagnosed, I layed it on pretty thick about being being mobile enough to work as I'm an engineer and obviously be able to carry on with sport/running.
Once again cheers guys, I think I'll def be more careful now and will see a decent physio I'm the future when the time comes to make sure it is all fixed!!
Also, I know the NHS isn't perfect but today i was more than happy with the system, but sitting in the waiting room it's disgusting to see how the staff get treated. Especially from foriegn people who come over here for our glorious health care!
I feel sorry for anyone who works for a pittance in the NHS getting abused all day by a bunch of scabs!
I once jumped down a flight of stairs (5), and mid jump I couldn't make my mind up whether to land on the last stair or not. I broke both ankles and sustained other ligament injuries.
It trouble me for years and a mate of mine referred me to a clinic.
They were brilliant. I attended several times and I was given a programme of exercises to repair the damage. It's free, but you are required to make a donation. Worth every penny imo.
I know that it's a long way for you to travel mate, but it might make the difference.
Many years ago I ruptured my ACL, about the same time Bobby Pires did, went through rehab, gym to try and build up the muscles to compensate but basically every now and then it just collapsed under me like a puppet having its strings cut.
Fortunately was covered through work healthcare and the BUPA advice etc was to have the surgery to prevent continual re-occurance.
I had two hamstrings removed, tied together and they became my ACL replacement !
Was in hospita l 1 night, on crutches for a couple of weeks and slowly regained full use (you have to kearn to walk again )
I was back playing about a year later, with a slight loss of acceleration and pace, but was basically ok untill I dislocated my kneecap in the same leg (which hurt far more than the ACL) and dedcided to pack up while I could still walk / have a kick about.
nb - I didn't put a huge effort into going to the gym after the op - only really went once a week, so may have not done enough my end.
i snapped my right acl playing 5 a side a few years ago at on the pitches mile end stadium, took a shot (which sailed over the bar) and my standing leg was taken out, but my foot remained rooted in the astro turf. i felt a pop hurt like buggery and couldnt put much weight on, plus my arm hurt on the same side. having never had an injury apart from broken thumb and various bruises/bashed toes/grass burns from playing cricket, i had no idea what was wrong, i even stood in the corner of the pitch and played the ball when ever it game to me with my other leg, even though could barely stand. i then decided that was enough and hobbled all the way to mile end tube and then tubed/trained home. immediately went to a&e upon getting home (was living with the folks back then), as my leg was fooked, but my arm couldnt be raised above horizontal.
usual wait in a&e with me in my football kit still, whilst some little moron kid who was hopping around the waiting room, with some supposed serious foot injury (how the fuck was he hopping around acticng like a knob, actually hopping, if he was that hurt he wouldnt have been) was amongst many seen before me. eventually got knee and arm xrayed, nothing wrong with knee apparently just sprained, but fractured my elbow, come back in morning and we will put it in cast.
next morning i come back see the 'fracture' doc, he looks at xrays and says, as its the elbow, it should not go in a cast as you need to try and move it as much as pain allows otherwise it will heal up and you will lose movement in it, so had it not been too late at night the day before i would have had a cast on which they would have been cutting off the next day....thats the NHS for you. anyway rest knee but dont over use arm, just try and straighten it as much as possible periodically. not to use a mouse/keyboard with that arm, so he signed me off work for 3 weeks, for that and the leg 'sprain', as my company hadnt bothered to set me up with work from home capability, it was effectively a 3 week holiday (albeit one where i couldnt really get around) in the middle of summer so spent most of it lying in the garden or down the cricket watching essex. as my right leg and arm were fooked, i could only use one crutch on the left which severly limited my mobility, so i was hobbling around on one crutch like a proper invalid.
anyway arm getting better after 3 weeks but still couldnt put hardly any weight, or straighten my leg. go back to see the fracture man after the 3 weeks, arm, looking good, and but should get mri scan on my knee as something must be wrong...another 2 weeks signed off...!
few days later nhs call me with an mri date in the distant future, fuck that i thought, im on private medical thankfully through my job, so i will get the scan done on that asap. cancel the nhs one, and get a private one in a couple of days. anyway, private specialist reveals the mri shows a snapped acl, and severely damaged miniscus. need an arthroscopsy so he can clean it up have a look how fucked it is, but in the meantime i still couldnt move it much so had to get it moving, via physio before he did the op. leg extensions, electric treatment, massage on the knee, a load of physio stuff to get it moving and me walking a bit more normally rather than hobbling. operation scheduled a a few weeks later, the week before that im on holiday in the canaries, fuerteventura on a lads holiday, by which time i can straighten it pretty much and walk with a mild limp, but not 'hyper extend' it as i can my other leg. i proceed to crash a quad bike and then take another one offroad on the volcanos, across rough ground and spend the next day in agony with the knee swelled up massively and me not bing able to put any weight on it, with the only alleviante being bottles of archers schnapps to ease the pain! miss one night out and a day at the beach, and my mates bring me back some anti inflammatories/painkillers from the local medical centre. the anti inflams were double uk size, and i necked 4 or so and some normal pain killers and within the hour i was walking and could kick a ball around our villa with my bad leg! was able to carry on as normal for rst of holiday, doped up on them plus booze! couldnt feel the leg hardly and got a lot of sympathy of an evening cos of the limp and embellishing how i injured it!
anyweigh ultimately come back, have the arthroscopsy, surgeon says he trimmed the acl stump?! and cleaned up the miniscus, but had to remove a lot of it. short term, need physio to strengthn knee again, long term option are a rebuild/reattachment of the acl, or physio to strengthen the muscles around it to compensate for the lack os stability. recommend a rebuild if i wanted to play contact sports again.but dont make any hasty decisions and come back in amonth to decide.
i did physio for a bit but they were pretty useless (one asked me if was i born without an acl, so much for reading patients notes), so just did the exercises at home, i decided against surgery and just did strengtehning exercises in the immediate aftermath, then stopped. i had occasional twinges in the knee after when i caught my foot on a paving stone say or twisted it, but in the years since i havent had major issues at all, apart from knee aching a bit for a few days at a time if i overdo things. also i think my other knee is a bit knackered thru maybe overcompensating for the right one but that may be bollox. i havent played football since, but i never played that much so its no loss, but as long as i wear a knee brace (just one from boots not a fancy expensive one) i can play, surprisingly, give the sudden moves and changes of direction needed, all racquet sports (including squash) cricket, golf, anything non contact, running/jogging without issue. as mentioned if i really over do it like not taking a rest day all week jogging ,it aches a bit but nothing major. i think maybe i could play football agian, but im very weary physchologially about it, like when the first tackle comes in as to how the leg would stand up, or if id be ducking out of challenges, so i havent played. but so long as the muscles are sufficeintly strengthened around it to compensate there is nothing to stop you playing as mentioned by others. if i was keen on playing again i would go back to phsyio to do the proper strengthening exercises.
1.) Once you have had the MRI, feel free to take it to both a doctor and a good Physio or Osteopath.
Two opinions can be vital, as one person can make a mistake in the diagnosis.
MRI's and X Rays are good, but not the whole story, as they are only snapshots of the body in a stationary position.
Until moving versions are invented, a diagnosis by an anatomy expert such as a top Physio or Osteopath is very useful.
2.) I really rate Osteopath treatments, as they can speed up healing.
A good Osteopath will be able to give you healing exercises, and these might be same as, or compliment, those a good Physio will give you.
3.) The NHS is good compared to other countries, but diagnosed my broken wrist and broken thumb as 'a bit of a sprain" and and a sports medicine clinic diagnosed a damaged knee tendon as "ligament damage".
In both cases the incorrect diagnosis caused me needless pain.
So again, the message is get a couple of opinions.
4.) Pilates is very good for healing and strengthening damage, of course must only be done once any surgery has been carried out and appropriately rested if that is the advice given.
mantis the psychological barrier is massive in football after not having the op, i pussied out of a few challenges playing 11aside when i first came back but i remember one game in the pouring rain and mudbath pitch, i was in a 50-50 and realised that pulling out i would get hurt more, got over that one challenge with a bit of a twinge and from there i built up to playing again without an ACL for a good 18 months
i've just decided it's not worth the risk anymore, i miss playing football but i'm 28 now and while i could probably still play for arsenal if wenger started signing players i can't be arsed. i lose 2/3 days a week to football when committed to it properly and if i can't get back to anywhere near the level i was before i got injured (i played semi pro when i was younger before my knee was fucked and quite high up in the sunday league pyramid in kent until recently) i don't see the point.
i may start playing 5 a side for fitness, still debating this
) I've had a few injuries in my 37+ years playing career. 
