Kenny, age 28
Kenny worked hard and played hard until he tore his ACL. Financial constraints and work pressure caused him to wait more than a year for the operation. The interview was conducted twelve weeks after his reconstructive surgery.
I was playing soccer on a wet field. I slipped and hyperextended my leg. I went down in pain. When I went down, it never occurred to me that something was really wrong. All of my life I’ve had excellent knees. So I didn’t have a clue that I had just torn my ACL. I limped off the field. I waited for the immediate pain to go away, and then I went back out on the field again.
But when I went down again, I began to wonder. The next morning my leg was swollen so large that getting out of bed was difficult. I decided to let it heal on its own. Slowly, the swelling went down. About eight weeks later, I was amazed. I felt great. So I went out and tried to play again. Immediately, I went down. This time, I knew something was wrong.
The next day I went to a doctor. She referred me to an orthopedist, but I didn’t follow up on it. I was in the middle of my work season and I figured it would heal up enough for me to work. I own a construction company and summer is my busy season. I just figured that I’d suffer through the summer and do the surgery in the winter when my work slows down.
But I had to be very careful. I could only walk forward. If I put my foot down and pivoted, my knee would just about take me to the floor. Then it would swell up. This happened a few times. It wouldn’t hurt once the swelling went down, but I had to tenderfoot it everywhere. If I twisted it a little, I could feel the pain. Not being able to play sports was hard for me. I’ve been into physical activity my whole life. A good workout helps me emotionally. I also got out of shape. I gained about twenty pounds after the injury.
I was convinced that I needed the surgery. But I wasn’t going to trust my health to someone until I had checked them out pretty carefully. I called a couple of local colleges to see which orthopedist handled their sports injuries. I also spoke to a lot of friends. There seemed to be consensus on this one surgeon.
My first meeting with him was outstanding. I was nervous. Had I screwed myself up for life by waiting so long? But the surgeon allayed most of my fears. He was soft-spoken, clearly knowledgeable, and willing to answer all of my questions. He said that I would get between 90 and 100% use of my knee back.