OT Mcl/acl Tear

[AliciaM]

So I went to the doctor today and she believes I've torn my MCL and ACL but that the MCL is worse. Anyway I start physio next week since that's the earliest I can go and I asked about a brace for dance and working out and such as I'm still pretty active despite not cheering anymore and she said he doesn't recommend a brace. Anyone ever heard of this?

 

[astaley22]

If you've torn your ACL you will need surgery. Your MCL can heal by itself but your ACL requires surgery. I tore both as well as my meniscus and didn't require a brace until after surgery. I would go to a different doctor for a second opinion and most importantly an MRI so they can see what truly happened.

 

[seein_starz]

A teammate of mine tore both acl/mcl/ and meniscus in her legs. She had to have 3 surgeries to repair the acls, and had to wear a brace on both legs before and after surgery.

 

[astaley22]

A teammate of mine tore both acl/mcl/ and meniscus in her legs. She had to have 3 surgeries to repair the acls, and had to wear a brace on both legs before and after surgery.

Oh my lord. What did she do to cause that in both legs?! My one was bad enough. I can't imagine both.

 

[AliciaM]

I know someone who had a minor acl tears and decided they didn't want surgery and physio was fine but I thought an MRI was needed too and thought it was odd that she didn't do a referral for one. She's my GP so I can't go get a 2nd opinion really. I have physio next week and they said if they think sports med is needed maybe I can get referred there and then get an MRI? I dunno I found it odd too but not totally surprising as its canada...

 

[astaley22]

I know someone who had a minor acl tears and decided they didn't want surgery and physio was fine but I thought an MRI was needed too and thought it was odd that she didn't do a referral for one. She's my GP so I can't go get a 2nd opinion really. I have physio next week and they said if they think sports med is needed maybe I can get referred there and then get an MRI? I dunno I found it odd too but not totally surprising as its canada...

I'm not familiar with Canadian medicine but if the ACL tear is more serious than your GP thinks, it could cause a lot of more permanent problems if you continue working out and practicing. Your PT should be able to tell you more. My dad is an occupational therapist and when I tore my knee he sent me to a PT who examined it and referred me to a knee surgeon who then recommended the MRI.

 

[AliciaM]

I'll definitely ask my PT's opinion but I'm not sure if PT's here can refer to surgeons or specialists. But I'll ask [emoji106]

 

[Official OWECheer]

Oh my lord. What did she do to cause that in both legs?! My one was bad enough. I can't imagine both.

And were they at the same time?

 

[luv2cheer92]

I know someone who had a minor acl tears and decided they didn't want surgery and physio was fine but I thought an MRI was needed too and thought it was odd that she didn't do a referral for one. She's my GP so I can't go get a 2nd opinion really. I have physio next week and they said if they think sports med is needed maybe I can get referred there and then get an MRI? I dunno I found it odd too but not totally surprising as its canada...

Partial ACL tears don't usually need surgery. Some people with complete ACL tears never need surgery either, not super common, it depends on the person, but it happens. PT's can do a lot to strengthen the muscles around the knee to prevent further damage. PT's can't diagnose tears, we can do tests similar to ortho docs to diagnose instability, which usually means a tear though. An MRI is your best bet to confirm the diagnosis. I have no idea how things work in Canada, but typically here the GP would refer you to an orthopedic surgeon. Having a brace may help in the short term, but strengthening the knee and maintaining range of motion is the most important thing whether you are having surgery or not.

 

[cheermomforever]

So I went to the doctor today and she believes I've torn my MCL and ACL but that the MCL is worse. Anyway I start physio next week since that's the earliest I can go and I asked about a brace for dance and working out and such as I'm still pretty active despite not cheering anymore and she said he doesn't recommend a brace. Anyone ever heard of this?

My daughter folded her miniscus and tore ACL and had to have 2 separate surgeries. Don't rush into working out or anything else until they r sure what is going on.

 

[AliciaM]

Thanks everyone! Regardless I'm going to do a lot of PT anyway because I really don't want this to get any worse or happen again. I'm trying to lose weight too and this really hinders the whole working out thing. That's why I was asking about the brace. I'm actually hypermobile and I had trouble before with my knees popping out on occasion. Now I'm just scared that come spring when I get a lot more active that I'll be running or something and bam it goes out of place. Last week was a horrible feeling of that pop and then it twisting and then going back :/

 

[Fiercecheermom]

Let me preface by saying that I know nothing about what is allowable with Canadian medicine, but I do know a little about the US. Here a TON of GP's will first send "suspected" meniscus/ACL tears to PT for 4-6 weeks. The reason??? Because the insurance companies WON'T PAY FOR AN MRI! I know this from personal experience. EVERY insurance company is different, but this seems to be the norm here. We had to pay out of our pockets for both of my husband's MRI's because the insurance company wanted him to get PT and then they would consider and MRI. Luckily we could afford to do this and sure enough, he had a "full tear" and required surgery. Who knows what could have happened had we waited the 4-6 weeks...perhaps more damage, perhaps not. No one could guarantee one way or the other. I did know that my husband hobbling on crutches wasn't an option for any length of time.
I would HIGHLY suggest you get a second opinion.. even if you have to pay for it yourself. After 12 years as a parent in this sport, I have not seen one athlete with a true ACL tear, not have to have surgery. I would be interested to hear how many don't. More importantly, if they didn't get surgery, how was their recovery? Were they able to return to their pre-injury level of performance?

 

[luv2cheer92]

Let me preface by saying that I know nothing about what is allowable with Canadian medicine, but I do know a little about the US. Here a TON of GP's will first send "suspected" meniscus/ACL tears to PT for 4-6 weeks. The reason??? Because the insurance companies WON'T PAY FOR AN MRI! I know this from personal experience. EVERY insurance company is different, but this seems to be the norm here. We had to pay out of our pockets for both of my husband's MRI's because the insurance company wanted him to get PT and then they would consider and MRI. Luckily we could afford to do this and sure enough, he had a "full tear" and required surgery. Who knows what could have happened had we waited the 4-6 weeks...perhaps more damage, perhaps not. No one could guarantee one way or the other. I did know that my husband hobbling on crutches wasn't an option for any length of time.
I would HIGHLY suggest you get a second opinion.. even if you have to pay for it yourself. After 12 years as a parent in this sport, I have not seen one athlete with a true ACL tear, not have to have surgery. I would be interested to hear how many don't. More importantly, if they didn't get surgery, how was their recovery? Were they able to return to their pre-injury level of performance?

I would say somewhere around 99% of high level athletes with complete tears need surgery to get back to their prior level. OP mentioned that MCL tear was worse than ACL which led me to believe the ACL is partially torn, which more often than not, doesn't need surgery (thinking grade 1/2 sprain opposed to grade 3 sprain).
I've had 2 teammates, and personally known a handful of others who have finished a cheer season with a torn ACL and had surgery after the season was over, limiting their tumbling. I've also personally known 3 people and seen some patients never have surgery for a complete tear, no cheerleaders though. My brother being one of them, he did about 3 months of PT and returned to his prior level in soccer, which was on a very high level team. I've also seen a couple patients return to sport somewhere around their pre-injury level without surgery, it is definitely very very uncommon though, but it does happen. It is more common in older patients who don't really have anything to get back to doing.

 

[Fiercecheermom]

I would say somewhere around 99% of high level athletes with complete tears need surgery to get back to their prior level. OP mentioned that MCL tear was worse than ACL which led me to believe the ACL is partially torn, which more often than not, doesn't need surgery (thinking grade 1/2 sprain opposed to grade 3 sprain).
I've had 2 teammates, and personally known a handful of others who have finished a cheer season with a torn ACL and had surgery after the season was over, limiting their tumbling. I've also personally known 3 people and seen some patients never have surgery for a complete tear, no cheerleaders though. My brother being one of them, he did about 3 months of PT and returned to his prior level in soccer, which was on a very high level team. I've also seen a couple patients return to sport somewhere around their pre-injury level without surgery, it is definitely very very uncommon though, but it does happen. It is more common in older patients who don't really have anything to get back to doing.

Thank you for the information! It is so hard to feel informed when you know that some of the info you are being given is based on what the insurance companies will allow. Makes me insane sometimes....[/QUOTE]

 

[luv2cheer92]

Thank you for the information! It is so hard to feel informed when you know that some of the info you are being given is based on what the insurance companies will allow. Makes me insane sometimes....

[/QUOTE]
Oh I know, I'm growing to absolutely hate insurance companies. They pretty much control what I can and can't do in regards to treating patients, it's really frustrating.