Alan, age 45
Alan tore his ACL while walking in the woods with his young son. As a psychologist, he offers his insight into the emotional impact of the injury. It has been seven years since he had reconstructive surgery.
In my professional practice, I specialize in the relationship between mind and body. I research and publish professional papers about the power of the mind. So when I tore my ACL, I was convinced that I could figure out how to restore the full functioning of my leg—without surgery. My plan was to build up my leg muscles to compensate for the loss of the anterior cruciate ligament.
I found a great physical therapist to work with. I went to see her two times a week without fail. I faithfully did my exercises at home. After about eight months of this intense program, my physical therapist announced that I had rehabbed about as much as I was going to. It was apparent that my condition had improved, but the results didn’t come close to what I had hoped for. I wasn’t able to participate in any of my favorite activities other than light hiking and bike riding. I couldn’t walk down stairs normally, and, worst of all, my leg would still buckle without warning.
I was pretty miserable. Sports had always been my way of staying emotionally balanced. But now it felt like that had been taken away from me. Believing that my days of running and playing were over, I sank into a depression.
Eventually, with the encouragement of my wife, I began exploring knee surgery. The first orthopedic surgeon I went to see said that surgery was a possibility. But when I asked him how many ACL repairs he had performed, he seemed to grow angry. “Look,” he answered, “This isn’t brain surgery.” Later, I learned that he had started performing ACL reconstruction just the week before. After meeting with two more surgeons, I found one whom I liked a lot and really trusted.