Girls ACL torn

SDSteve760

BRONZE
so unfortunatley my 13 year old daughter just completely tore her ACL. From anyone's perspective out there what can we expect before returning? Like how long ? What can we do to make it be more successful? Extra training when further along in rehab? The doctor is saying 8 months post op before she will be able to play? Is this realistic? Can she return as strong as before assuming she puts the work in? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks
 
@SDSteve760, first, I'm truly sorry to hear about your DD. I've completely torn my Rt. ACL 3x's, the first time being when I was 17. To answer your question, yes, she can come back to 100% but time, patience and hard work are the 3 main factors. DO NOT let her push herself too hard. I promise you, it does more harm than good (it set me back 6 additional months the first surgery).

Another fellow forum member and friend's DD tore hers 2 months ago and he shares his experience ina thread in the 2004 group: http://www.socalsoccer.com/threads/the-day-the-game-stopped-tech-specs.298/.

Hope it helps and again, truly sorry to hear about the injury!
 
@SDSteve760, first, I'm truly sorry to hear about your DD. I've completely torn my Rt. ACL 3x's, the first time being when I was 17. To answer your question, yes, she can come back to 100% but time, patience and hard work are the 3 main factors. DO NOT let her push herself too hard. I promise you, it does more harm than good (it set me back 6 additional months the first surgery).

Another fellow forum member and friend's DD tore hers 2 months ago and he shares his experience ina thread in the 2004 group: http://www.socalsoccer.com/threads/the-day-the-game-stopped-tech-specs.298/.

Hope it helps and again, truly sorry to hear about the injury!
Thanks you for the well wishes I read the thread and it's amazing.
 
so unfortunatley my 13 year old daughter just completely tore her ACL. From anyone's perspective out there what can we expect before returning? Like how long ? What can we do to make it be more successful? Extra training when further along in rehab? The doctor is saying 8 months post op before she will be able to play? Is this realistic? Can she return as strong as before assuming she puts the work in? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

Of course a good experienced doctor should be the first priority. We have had friends kids with ACL and MCL tears. My DD partially tore her MCL last October. The smartest thing we did was have her go to a physical therapist that works with athletes. Don't rush the recovery. My DD's doctor told her she could start playing a couple hours a week when she was at 5 months post injury with a brace. It took 8 months for her to get back to 100 percent without surgery. The physical therapist said absolutely not. They did not want to push her until she had full strength and mobility back. The physical therapist also had her work total body strength and agility. This kept her in shape and made the recovery easier since she did not have to get her entire body back in shape once the MCL was healed. The made sure her running mechanics ant gait was still proper to avoid back problems. We used Rehab United in San Diego. She also started working with a trainer for 6 weeks before she even started playing on a field against other players. She continued the trainer and PT until she was complete healed and strong. We used The Catalyst Training Center in San Diego. My DD also saw a sports psychologist once a week for two months. This helped her with the negative thoughts of am I ever going to heal and will I be as good as before. There will be a lot of ups and downs.

Good luck with the recovery. Be patient, diligent, and supportive.
 
Sorry to hear about this. I hope that her recovery is quick and that she comes back stronger than ever. If you haven't read it yet, pick up a copy of the book "Warrior Girls".

I had a physical therapist come and talk to our gu12 team last night. She talked alot about ACL/MCL tears in young athletes. It was a good talk for the parents and players.

A few questions (if you'd rather not answer, I totally understand):
1. I assume it happened during a soccer activity. Was it at a game or practice?
2. Was there contact with another player?
3. Has your DD experienced a noticeable growth spurt in the last few months (height or weight)?
4. How many games did she play in the weekend (I'm assuming it was a weekend game) she got hurt?
5. Any prior complaints about knee, hip or ankle issues?
6. How many days per week does she participate in soccer activities?
7. Was she involved with any type of strength or flexibility program? (Either as part of soccer practice or outside of it).
8. Does she (or has she) played any other sport?
9. How many games (tournament, league, friendlies) has she played in the last 12 months?
10. Any other serious (required a cast or surgery) injuries?
 
Of course a good experienced doctor should be the first priority. We have had friends kids with ACL and MCL tears. My DD partially tore her MCL last October. The smartest thing we did was have her go to a physical therapist that works with athletes. Don't rush the recovery. My DD's doctor told her she could start playing a couple hours a week when she was at 5 months post injury with a brace. It took 8 months for her to get back to 100 percent without surgery. The physical therapist said absolutely not. They did not want to push her until she had full strength and mobility back. The physical therapist also had her work total body strength and agility. This kept her in shape and made the recovery easier since she did not have to get her entire body back in shape once the MCL was healed. The made sure her running mechanics ant gait was still proper to avoid back problems. We used Rehab United in San Diego. She also started working with a trainer for 6 weeks before she even started playing on a field against other players. She continued the trainer and PT until she was complete healed and strong. We used The Catalyst Training Center in San Diego. My DD also saw a sports psychologist once a week for two months. This helped her with the negative thoughts of am I ever going to heal and will I be as good as before. There will be a lot of ups and downs.

Good luck with the recovery. Be patient, diligent, and supportive.
Thank you for your support and sharing your experience. We have Kaiser so I was thinking the early stages post op use there PT whom is a sports guy then in the later stages get someone who specializes in soccer in addition to the strength and agility to build her core strength before we even think about her hitting the field again. Thing is she's a freshman so fully recovery is very important because she still has years to play. This is definitely something not to be rushed. Her knee is forever and soccer is not.
 
Really sorry to hear about your DD's injury. My best wishes for a full recovery. (knocks on wood) I don't have any personal experience as a parent or patient when it comes to ACL tears, but I am curious to know the answer to Timbuck's question about how many games/practices etc. she'd had leading up to the injury. My daughter went 5-6 years without a single injury, but this year with the tryout circuit, more club practices, HS soccer tryouts, and now a second HS sport, she's suddenly had multiple injuries. All of them seemingly random and unrelated. I think that fatigue played a huge factor. Not cardiovascular or muscular fatigue, which you can see, but a fatigue of the tendons and bones that you can't really notice. She seems like she's got plenty of energy, but all the contact and impact takes a toll. Like when Kobe Bryant blew out his Achilles. They say it is a "freak" injury, but I believe such things seem to happen more when the body doesn't have ample recovery time over the long haul. In my personal experience with ligament injuries I highly recommend yoga once her PT will allow it. The flexibility and strength improvements will add years to her joints. I once read that NFL RB Jamal Lewis swore by yoga after his first ACL injury. Good luck!
 
so unfortunatley my 13 year old daughter just completely tore her ACL. From anyone's perspective out there what can we expect before returning? Like how long ? What can we do to make it be more successful? Extra training when further along in rehab? The doctor is saying 8 months post op before she will be able to play? Is this realistic? Can she return as strong as before assuming she puts the work in? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

I had the surgery at 21yo from a college soccer injury. You may be able to get back in 8-10 months, however I think it took me 18 months to be mentally through it and play without thinking or protecting it. Unfortunately it is a lifelong injury and the knee will never be the same. There will be clean up surgeries. My main error in my rehab that i regret today is I didn't get full flexibility back in the rehab. Again that has been a lifelong issue. make sure she gets the flexibility back and builds quad strength.

I also wore a brace for many years post injury
 
Send Madcow (a poster on the 1999/1998 age group) a PM. His DD went through 2 ACL surgeries...he is very knowledgable and a would be a great resource for you. I wish your DD a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. My DD's Loma Linda ortho treated my DD for a partial patella tendon tear.....recommended a PRP shot. He told my wife when he performs a ACL surgery, he now includes a PRP therapy shot after surgery to speed up the healing process. Something you may want to inquire about whomever you elect to perform your DDs surgery, but whatever you do DO NOT have her rush back.
 
Sorry to hear about this. I hope that her recovery is quick and that she comes back stronger than ever. If you haven't read it yet, pick up a copy of the book "Warrior Girls".

I had a physical therapist come and talk to our gu12 team last night. She talked alot about ACL/MCL tears in young athletes. It was a good talk for the parents and players.

A few questions (if you'd rather not answer, I totally understand):
1. I assume it happened during a soccer activity. Was it at a game or practice?
2. Was there contact with another player?
3. Has your DD experienced a noticeable growth spurt in the last few months (height or weight)?
4. How many games did she play in the weekend (I'm assuming it was a weekend game) she got hurt?
5. Any prior complaints about knee, hip or ankle issues?
6. How many days per week does she participate in soccer activities?
7. Was she involved with any type of strength or flexibility program? (Either as part of soccer practice or outside of it).
8. Does she (or has she) played any other sport?
9. How many games (tournament, league, friendlies) has she played in the last 12 months?
10. Any other serious (required a cast or surgery) injuries?
1. Soccer practice
2. Yes there was a collision
3. No real growth spurt
4. She was hurt at a Monday practice
We played 2 CSL games that weekend 1 Sat 1 Sun
5. No prior injuries
6. Soccer activities 5 days a week leading up to injury
7. No , just running on off days. She will be before she plays again after learning what I've learned.
8. She played softball but hasn't for 2 years
9. Can't count last 12 months sorry a lot though.
10. No other injuries.
Thanks for your well wishes. I hope in the future I can be as helpful as everyone here to someone else.
 
Thank you for your support and sharing your experience. We have Kaiser so I was thinking the early stages post op use there PT whom is a sports guy then in the later stages get someone who specializes in soccer in addition to the strength and agility to build her core strength before we even think about her hitting the field again. Thing is she's a freshman so fully recovery is very important because she still has years to play. This is definitely something not to be rushed. Her knee is forever and soccer is not.

Be careful with Kaiser. My DD had three teammates on her last two club teams that had to use Kaiser for surgery (2- ACL, 1- Torn Bicep muscle (keeper)). One ACL was cleared too soon and quickly tore it again. The other ACL's initial surgery was screwed up and had to be fixed two months later and tore again about a year after she was cleared. The bicep tore again about three months after she started playing again. The two knee injuries seemed to be cleared too early and were told they could play with a knee brace.

Just please be proactive with Kaiser and don't let them dictate her recovery. The parents for all three of my DD teammates sued Kaiser. They said that Kaiser would not authorize the appropriate number of physical therapy sessions and cutoff rehab too early. They settled out of court.
 
Be careful with Kaiser. My DD had three teammates on her last two club teams that had to use Kaiser for surgery (2- ACL, 1- Torn Bicep muscle (keeper)). One ACL was cleared too soon and quickly tore it again. The other ACL's initial surgery was screwed up and had to be fixed two months later and tore again about a year after she was cleared. The bicep tore again about three months after she started playing again. The two knee injuries seemed to be cleared too early and were told they could play with a knee brace.

Just please be proactive with Kaiser and don't let them dictate her recovery. The parents for all three of my DD teammates sued Kaiser. They said that Kaiser would not authorize the appropriate number of physical therapy sessions and cutoff rehab too early. They settled out of court.
Thank you for this info. We only plan on doing the initial 4 months of rehab at Kaiser then seeking out specialized PT with a qualified sports therapist. In addition when she is able will do session of strength and agility before she ever hits the field. We want to give her the best chance possible to be successful and fully recover. We are in North San Diego county if anyone has referrals I could look into. Thanks in advanced.
 
Thank you for this info. We only plan on doing the initial 4 months of rehab at Kaiser then seeking out specialized PT with a qualified sports therapist. In addition when she is able will do session of strength and agility before she ever hits the field. We want to give her the best chance possible to be successful and fully recover. We are in North San Diego county if anyone has referrals I could look into. Thanks in advanced.

Sorry to hear that. I have one that age that had surgery in April. Different problem, but similar recovery.

The first month after surgery is critical. Here in Northern California (where I'm from), Kaiser only schedules their PT's to a 15 minute consultation. In that session, they did not measure range of motion, watch the kid do the exercise, or seem to have any of the modern PT tools around (cup therapy, weightless treadmills, ice compression machines). Its a printout out and some demonstrations....and come back in a week to see how its going. And we were driving to that particular Kaiser because it had been recommended as the "Sports Therapy" Kaiser in our area.

We lasted a couple of sessions at Kaiser before moving to a private practice. The trigger point was the PT's unwillingness to follow the Doctor's protocol. The doc had called for the immobilizer to be unlocked...allowing for 20 degree range of motion after a period (can't remember how long). The Kaiser PT refused to do it stating the protocol was too aggressive. Luckily, I think we got out of Kaiser before too much scar tissue built up. The private practice followed the Doctor's protocol and started moving the leg as prescribed.

At Kaiser, we were charge $65 for the 15 minute consultation. At the private practice, $60 got us an hour and a half, all of the modern tools, and a dedicated professional that watched her perform her exercises and made adjustments as she improved. At Kaiser, it was weekly sessions after surgery...at the private practice it was twice a week in that initial period, just as the doc had prescribed.

I'm not saying your Kaiser experience will be the same, but go in with your eyes open. I think there is a lot of corporate pressure to keep costs down.
 
I had the surgery at 21yo from a college soccer injury. You may be able to get back in 8-10 months, however I think it took me 18 months to be mentally through it and play without thinking or protecting it. Unfortunately it is a lifelong injury and the knee will never be the same. There will be clean up surgeries. My main error in my rehab that i regret today is I didn't get full flexibility back in the rehab. Again that has been a lifelong issue. make sure she gets the flexibility back and builds quad strength.

I also wore a brace for many years post injury


This is by far the best advice on this subject. Print this and reference it. Mentally will be THE biggest challenge to recovery.
 
my daughter tore her acl at a camp, no contact, just cutting. took her well over a year to come back, although there was a complication to her surgery and she had to get a "tune up" before she could start rehab. she was 16, and as a 16 year old she wasn't a pro athlete, with the discipline and team of people pushing her. my focus was to get her a "decent" knee to live the rest of her life on, not necessarily to play soccer at the level she played prior to her injury. it was well over a year before she played again, and never quite back to the same level as she was before. i think, it's all about priorities and what you want to get out of the experience. i think, it depends a lot on the surgeon, and who or what you want to use to rehab. if you're looking to get back to her being a top level athlete, you might want to seek therapy and rehab outside of any HMO. but being she's very young, you might prioritize differently. whatever you do, i think, you need to allow more time than anyone tells you, and to be sure everything is solid in her knee prior to trying to be an athlete again, if that's her goal.

my daughter still complains about her knee, years later, but it is solid and she can do most anything she wants on it.

best of luck to you, as i know what a bummer it is. solid knee first. athlete if she wants......
 
My daughter tore her ACL a month before she turned 15 last Aug and had her surgery 1 year ago Sept 25. At 6 months she was cleared by her orthopedic surgeon to start practicing again. She started one-on-one training a few weeks before she was cleared and started practicing again right after she was cleared (just drills until 8 1/2 months post surgery before full contact). She also started back at beach VB wearing a brace at about 7 months. She was back 100% by about 10 months, but she still wears a brace for her piece of mind (not because she needs it). She probably will for awhile because in her mind, it's better than re-tearing it which has happened to a few of her friends after they stopped wearing the brace. As far as PT, hers that was covered by insurance was good, but we were recommended another place by her beach volleyball coach. This place was awesome in getting her back to play soccer, volleyball, and beach volleyball. Not covered by our insurance but way worth the money. They have done PT for Chargers, Padres, and of the women's national team players. Her muscles were sore and she could barely walk coming out, but her legs were stronger then before she got hurt. She now does a prevention program, plus does balancing on a bosu ball as well as an indo board almost daily. I've read and talked to people who have had ACL tears with surgery and most of the time people don't get back, it's mental. I tore my ACL playing soccer 12 years ago and had the exact same surgery my daughter had and I started back at 8 1/2 months, but then I didn't have college soccer scholarships to worry about.
 
This is by far the best advice on this subject. Print this and reference it. Mentally will be THE biggest challenge to recovery.
Mental is definitely the biggest challenge, but there are prevention programs out there as well. All youth club, high school, and college coaches need to incorporate these into their warm ups and training.
 
I'll be talking to my daughter's coach about the FIFA 11+ warm up program. Searching online, it seems that there is verifiable research to show that implementation greatly reduces injury rates, especially for women. From the link to the British Journal of Sports Medicine:
  • Performing the FIFA 11+ as a standard warm up reduces the injury risk in young female football players.

  • Compliance with the programme (at least twice a week) is a key to successful injury prevention.

  • The coach is the key person to promote FIFA 11+ to his/her players.

  • There is limited knowledge on performance effects of FIFA 11+.
FIFA 11+ Program:
http://f-marc.com/11plus/manual/
Narrative review:
http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/9/577.long
 
Thanks NoGoal. Unfortunately, she has had 3 ACL surgeries, not 2 :(
The best pieces of advice I can give are:
  • 12 months before you return. Period. The coach for USC told us to wait a month after surgery, but her Dr. told us 6 months. Who do you believe, a soccer coach or a Dr.? Now I know... the soccer coach. 2 surgeries later and a year of recovery was exactly what she needed.
  • Skip Kaiser's PT. Go to a sports PT group. I used Rehab United after the 3rd surgery and she was stronger than she was before her first surgery. Well worth the money. Go right after the surgery. They had her doing things Kaiser never would have tried that early after surgery and her recovery was better because of it.
  • The mental part is hard. My daughter struggled with having her identity wrapped around being a soccer player. Being out for 3 years made her question who she was. The physical part of the game was the easiest part for her. Her school trainer recommended we send her to a sports psychologist. She went and the psychologist was shocked when she said "if I get hurt, I'll have a 4th surgery." His only concern was how would she react if she never got as good as she hoped to be. That is where she is having the toughest time. She has been on her butt for 3 years and is trying to keep up with girls who have been playing nonstop for 3 years.
  • If your daughter has dreams of playing in college, missing your freshman year is not bad. Missing your sophomore and junior years... different story.
 
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