All-Star Acl Tears And Level 5?

Welcome to our Cheerleading Community

Members see FEWER ads... join today!

Has anyone recovered from ACL reconstruction and not needed a brace when tumbling? My daughter had surgery in September she was only in a brace for 3 weeks after surgery. Another girl at her gym tore her ACL and she went from the brace that you initially wear after surgery to a donjoy brace. My daughter's doctor told her at 6 months (April) when she is released to start doing level 5 skills again she will not need a brace. I talk to her PT and he said that most athletes initially wear braces but more from a mental aspect. Braces do not protect from the force of a landing, fall or blow, etc that will cause injury to an ACL.

My daughter does not want to wear a brace because she feels it make her leg weaker. She broke her right ankle 4 years ago and had to undergo surgery where screws were inserted and she has always worn a ankle brace. Since her ACL injury she does not wear the brace during PT and has discovered that her right ankle with the screws is much weaker than left.

I had ACL surgery last June and I am now tumbling without a brace. My doctor had me wear my brace for a few months once he cleared me. When I went back for my one year appt. from surgery, he cleared me from the brace. It has been two months without my brace and my knee feels great and tumbling seems to be easier for me without that big brace on lol. But I personally did not think the brace made my knee weaker. Because of all the months of PT for my knee, I feel that my bad knee is actually stronger than the other. The brace was pretty much just for safety when starting back and trying to get skills back! Hope this helps :)
 
#1 ACL tear in ALL of cheerleading is from improper toe touches. All levels perform toe touches. I'm waiting to have this injury report sent to me, but I read it and it was done on cheerleading statistics over 10 years, college and high school. Level 5 athletes are higher profile and more often discussed, but the fact is all levels and all ages suffer ACL tears from the simplest of skills.
 
I had ACL surgery last June and I am now tumbling without a brace. My doctor had me wear my brace for a few months once he cleared me. When I went back for my one year appt. from surgery, he cleared me from the brace. It has been two months without my brace and my knee feels great and tumbling seems to be easier for me without that big brace on lol. But I personally did not think the brace made my knee weaker. Because of all the months of PT for my knee, I feel that my bad knee is actually stronger than the other. The brace was pretty much just for safety when starting back and trying to get skills back! Hope this helps :)
Our stories are identical haha
 
One of my good friends has tore his ACL 3 times... twice on the right knee, once on the left, all within 4 years. Two in basketball, one in soccer. My cousin tore hers running a sprint in Lacrosse. Your body is a crazy thing sometimes...
 
A friend of mine tore her ACL playing high school softball. She's a pitcher and he torso stopped, but her knees kept going when she turned to throw
 
my doc told me i didnt need a brace and that it was all mental. i wore it for a month, decided to trust him and take it off, then retore my acl 4 practices later... now im thinking about trying to just skip surgery and wear a brace, but ive never heard of a lvl 5 cheering without an acl, anybody know of this?
I actually do know a L5 athlete who cheers with a torn ACL. She's can't have surgery yet, so she's done tons of PT and she wears a brace. She's still an amazing tumbler too.
 
I actually do know a L5 athlete who cheers with a torn ACL. She's can't have surgery yet, so she's done tons of PT and she wears a brace. She's still an amazing tumbler too.
Really? thats awesome, but do you know why she cant have surgery yet? i can, but am scared to go through it all again. also, do you have any idea what type of brace she wears?
 
I shredded my ACL completely (it was nowhere to be found on the MRI scans), and partially damaged my medial/lateral menisci.

I was given a hamstring replacement for the ACL. The doctor said I could have them repair the mensici, and have me be on crutches for 4 weeks, or remove them, be on crutches for four days, and develop arthritis later in life. Arthritis runs in my family so I opted for the removal.

This was back in November. I decided to end my cheering career then as it was my last year on a senior team and I didn't plan on doing international.

My recovery went exceptionally well and I had full range of motion within about a week. I now have gained back most of my skills: standing full, jumps to back, etc., and have worn a brace only when I do twisting skills.

Funny story though because I tore it back in November and then competed at Dallas, Palm Springs & Anaheim that season. I was completely fine and still can't believe it happened. :confused:

PS I was doing a two to tuck (I was lazy and didn't wanna full) and collided with a tumbler next to me (he always went crooked, hence the tuck on my end), and came down completely on the side of my leg. *cue shredding sound and begging to be removed from standing tumbling* LOL
 
Really? thats awesome, but do you know why she cant have surgery yet? i can, but am scared to go through it all again. also, do you have any idea what type of brace she wears?
Her growth plate is still open, so they won't do surgery yet. Not sure what kind of brace she has, but it's a pretty heavy duty one. Looks similar to the one in your avatar.
 
In 8th grade, two girls on my team were standing too close together for jumps. Girl 1 and Girl 2 collide midair, Girl 1 lands on knee wrong and crumples to the ground, Girl 1 tears ACL. True story.

Ironically, Girl 1 was one of only like 4 tumblers (this was rec league, people) and she just injured it jumping.
 
I had a friend who I cheered with freshman year at school who tore her ACL in a boucy house park...so clearly it doesn't always happen when you're doing level 5 skills...
and it was super hilarious when she explained to our coaches how she did it.
 
my doc told me i didnt need a brace and that it was all mental. i wore it for a month, decided to trust him and take it off, then retore my acl 4 practices later... now im thinking about trying to just skip surgery and wear a brace, but ive never heard of a lvl 5 cheering without an acl, anybody know of this?
If you don't get the surgery, you probably will not be able to safely tumble level 5 again. A girl who was on my team partially tore her ACL, and didn't get the surgery. Less than a year later she tore it all the way as well as several other ligaments and broke the bottom of her femur landing a double - which is a skill she's had for years and can do in her sleep. As for the brace, they do not prevent ACL tears. They are just a mental thing. People have torn it with a brace on before.
Braces and ACL Tears - Should I Wear A Knee Brace After ACL Surgery?
 
Turns out my issue was with the surgery, my body like rejected it or something. i still think i wouldnt have reinjured the rest of my knee as bad as i did if i was wearing a brace, but anyway it looks like my doctors wont let me cheer no matter what. so i think im gonna get the surgery, but im also still holding out hope. also, anyone know about CTI brand braces, it seems like its popular with extreme sports people, so maybeit would be good for us? More on topic, i first tore mine at level 4, but only doing a full...
 
my doc told me i didnt need a brace and that it was all mental. i wore it for a month, decided to trust him and take it off, then retore my acl 4 practices later... now im thinking about trying to just skip surgery and wear a brace, but ive never heard of a lvl 5 cheering without an acl, anybody know of this?

One of my good friends and teammate tumbled for 2 years with a torn acl. He wasnt able to do everything that he normally could do but he was still able to full double and do combo passes to full double. So yes it is still possible.
 
Back