Torn ACL

Surf Zombie

Surf Zombie

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My 2007 9th grader just tore her ACL in a game. Essentially half way through her HS season. Cleared a ball with her right foot and as she was bringing it back down slipped on the wet turf and her knee twisted awkwardly.

We are In the process of scheduling surgery. Will miss the rest of her HS season and probably all (most?) of her ECNL season which is early December-late May.

Anyone else been through it and have any tips on the recovery process? She made it from U8 until now without ever being injured, so it’s going to be a big adjustment I’m sure.
 
Surf Zombie said:
My 2007 9th grader just tore her ACL in a game. Essentially half way through her HS season. Cleared a ball with her right foot and as she was bringing it back down slipped on the wet turf and her knee twisted awkwardly.

We are In the process of scheduling surgery. Will miss the rest of her HS season and probably all (most?) of her ECNL season which is early December-late May.

Anyone else been through it and have any tips on the recovery process? She made it from U8 until now without ever being injured, so it’s going to be a big adjustment I’m sure.
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Post surgery and after a full recovery she should never stop managing, developing and maintaining the muscle group around her knees. Communication from her on the status of her knee or any other injuries should be consistent and ongoing.
 
Surf Zombie said:
My 2007 9th grader just tore her ACL in a game. Essentially half way through her HS season. Cleared a ball with her right foot and as she was bringing it back down slipped on the wet turf and her knee twisted awkwardly.

We are In the process of scheduling surgery. Will miss the rest of her HS season and probably all (most?) of her ECNL season which is early December-late May.

Anyone else been through it and have any tips on the recovery process? She made it from U8 until now without ever being injured, so it’s going to be a big adjustment I’m sure.
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First off, super sorry to hear that kind of news for any player. I tore my ACL and my only advice is to build muscle quickly and don;t flake out on rehab. True fact: The Freshman QB at Notre Dame, Tyler Buchner had a moment this past Saturday no Freshman ever had. Threw a TD and ran one in for a TD. He tore his ACL as a Sophomore in HS during first game of the season. Alex Morgan worked hard. She can do it :)
 
Take the rehab very seriously. There are rehab centers that can provide digital metrics to see where she is at in her rehab. And take it slow when returning, it will take time to build the confidence to go in for a tackle or put your leg/knee in a vulnerable situation. Try to minimize the tournament play situations where you are playing 4 games over a 2 day period.
 
Going through this now with my 10th grade DD. Exactly 1 month post surgery and in the 3rd week of physical therapy. They have her doing blood flow restriction training now. First few days after surgery were rough. Do what you can to keep her connected with her team when she can. Our coach had other players from the club who had been through this reach out to encourage her.
 
Surf Zombie said:
My 2007 9th grader just tore her ACL in a game. Essentially half way through her HS season. Cleared a ball with her right foot and as she was bringing it back down slipped on the wet turf and her knee twisted awkwardly.

We are In the process of scheduling surgery. Will miss the rest of her HS season and probably all (most?) of her ECNL season which is early December-late May.

Anyone else been through it and have any tips on the recovery process? She made it from U8 until now without ever being injured, so it’s going to be a big adjustment I’m sure.
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So sorry to hear this, I went through an injury with my kid (not ACL) but an injury that was enough to sit out almost all ECNL season. One thing to remember is not only will she be rehabbing her injury but she needs to also work through the mental anguish and emotional roller coaster of dealing with an injury. It can be tough on them mentally while they recover.... I'm sure she has a great support system with you and your family but just a friendly reminder from someone who went through it with their kid.
 
Thanks for the kind words. Both her HS & club coach have been awesome and she has two great sets of teammates. Her club coach assured her that even if she misses the whole year her roster spot is secure.

I’m hoping she can just keep attending practices and games to watch and stay connected to her teammates and not get stuck at home. One of her HS teammates is 6 months into a torn ACL recovery and she attends every practice & game and just helps out the coaches.
 
VegasParent said:
Going through this now with my 10th grade DD. Exactly 1 month post surgery and in the 3rd week of physical therapy. They have her doing blood flow restriction training now. First few days after surgery were rough. Do what you can to keep her connected with her team when she can. Our coach had other players from the club who had been through this reach out to encourage her.
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Best of luck to your DD and hopefully she’ll have a full & complete recovery.
 
Surf Zombie said:
Thanks for the kind words. Both her HS & club coach have been awesome and she has two great sets of teammates. Her club coach assured her that even if she misses the whole year her roster spot is secure.

I’m hoping she can just keep attending practices and games to watch and stay connected to her teammates and not get stuck at home. One of her HS teammates is 6 months into a torn ACL recovery and she attends every practice & game and just helps out the coaches.
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My kid goes to at least one practice a week and has been to the local games. Once she can ditch the crutches (hopefully next Friday when she goes to her six week appointment) she will travel with the team.
 
LASTMAN14 said:
Post surgery and after a full recovery she should never stop managing, developing and maintaining the muscle group around her knees. Communication from her on the status of her knee or any other injuries should be consistent and ongoing.
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THIS ... 1000x this. It's the 2nd most common injury for young women soccer players and not addressed enough by clubs or schools, IMO. LA84 did extensive work on how to strengthen the muscle groups around the ACL: PEP Program
 
Surf Zombie said:
My 2007 9th grader just tore her ACL in a game. Essentially half way through her HS season. Cleared a ball with her right foot and as she was bringing it back down slipped on the wet turf and her knee twisted awkwardly.

We are In the process of scheduling surgery. Will miss the rest of her HS season and probably all (most?) of her ECNL season which is early December-late May.

Anyone else been through it and have any tips on the recovery process? She made it from U8 until now without ever being injured, so it’s going to be a big adjustment I’m sure.
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05 DD is 5 months post op ACL/meniscus. Pre hab is crucial to recovery. Supplement health insurance PT with sports specific PT. Clean diet, rest and vitamins. A bit ahead of strength thresholds but patience is key. Time flys by and u will be surprised how fast recovery is if you are disciplined. Best of luck to your DD.
 
I read these with a consistent “ugh”. I dropped off this board b/c of discussion last spring about injury risk with a condensed HS (and in some cases, combined HS and club) season. It was my great worry and there were a number of dismissive (and even hostile) folks that it was no longer worth the negative space that the discussion was occupying. And lo and behold, despite doing a lot work to avoid overuse and be prepared, my identical twins (06Gs) tore their ACLs w/in 8 weeks of each other last spring (surgeries were 5+ weeks apart). We have a sensational orthopedist up here and we believe they are getting great care and great PT but it f’in sucks for them (and for us as we see them with the initial disappointment, the first post-op days and the grind of working their way back). They are comforted by a number of high level athletes whom we know (current/former college and pro) who have reached out to them to reassure and, obviously, it isn’t the “career-ender” that it often was when many of us were teens in the 80s or before.

I saw my concerns play out in real time and, reading this thread, I see that it was not limited to my extended bubble. I am not surprised. There are always a lot of variables that go into any specific injury but ask any ortho practice about the last 6+ months and they will almost certainly confirm that their rates of ACL injuries among teen girl soccer players went up from an already high rate.

Good luck to all of your kids who are in the various stages of the injury (pre-op, post-op, rehab, return to play). I’m rooting for all of them.
 
My 06 DD, tore her ACL in July. For us it was a lot of almost mourning and stages of grief. So the mental aspect is not something to dismiss. I would recommend do some research on the different procedures that can be done to replace the ACL. Some docs will want to use your daughter's hamstring, some platella, some cadaver. Do some research on the Ortho docs in your Insurance plan. We "shopped" around up here, and found one in our network that does Ortho for the SF Giants and was well reviewed. Take a look at Yelp, and doctor review sites. I really would question any doctor that says your daughter will be ready to play in less than 6 months. Also in same vein research what Rehab places are in your network, the rehab is just as important as you doc if not more so. Find out how your insurance covers your rehab visits. Be inquisitive about the procedure your doctor recommends. My daughter was on the skinny side so our Doc did a combo of Hamstring/Cadaver, also used an internal brace and said he reattached her snapped ACL. Have to take his word for it. But my DD just had her 6 week post op and she is doing great but she is also doing a lot of rehab homework in addition to twice weekly visits to the rehab.
 
So sorry to hear about your DD. Been through this with mine and it sucks. Invest in an ice machine that wraps around the knee. It helped immensely with rehab. Like others have said, PT is sooooo important. Also having a Great coach like that will help with the mental recovery. Also when she is able to be at as many practices and games will keep her mentally engaged, while she goes through physical hell, but she will be driven to return. It is far too common and WHEN she returns, you will have a new appreciation/joy watching her overcome this injury!!! Hang in there, many of us have been through it and we help each other out. Mine is in her last year of Club and will be playing D2 ball and I will cherish every game she gets to play.
 
Mile High Dad said:
So sorry to hear about your DD. Been through this with mine and it sucks. Invest in an ice machine that wraps around the knee. It helped immensely with rehab. Like others have said, PT is sooooo important. Also having a Great coach like that will help with the mental recovery. Also when she is able to be at as many practices and games will keep her mentally engaged, while she goes through physical hell, but she will be driven to return. It is far too common and WHEN she returns, you will have a new appreciation/joy watching her overcome this injury!!! Hang in there, many of us have been through it and we help each other out. Mine is in her last year of Club and will be playing D2 ball and I will cherish every game she gets to play.
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Happy to hear your DD is doing well. My kid knows that it's going to be lot of hard work but her biggest worry right now is getting recruited. I'm worried she's going to try and come back too soon. I've discussed this with her doctor, physical therapist, and coaches and they have assured me that she will not get cleared until she is ready.
 
Sharing my sentiments along with others on this thread. Very sorry to hear this. Also important to note is getting mobility/flexibility before the surgery. Have her get on the stationary bike and keep that knee from stiffening before the surgery. It will help immensely post-op. Best of luck to your DD. She'll get through it, but definitely pay heed to the comments about taking the rehab very seriously.
 
VegasParent said:
Happy to hear your DD is doing well. My kid knows that it's going to be lot of hard work but her biggest worry right now is getting recruited. I'm worried she's going to try and come back too soon. I've discussed this with her doctor, physical therapist, and coaches and they have assured me that she will not get cleared until she is ready.
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Our Dr first told us that it would be 9 months before she could return to play. She worked hard and hit all the marks to get cleared but Dr wanted to extend it to 12 months, since she was young (9th grader) and the extra time would be helpful for recovery. We were upset at first but as a Parent really grateful now since she got even stronger upon her return. The recruiters I spoke with weren't concerned about the injury but I know sometimes the timing can make a bad situation even worse. My DD missed out on some good exposure time during rehab, but found a place with a Great PT program and has a career path set. VegasParent, hope your kid recovers first and then finds a place that will bring them joy.
 
I feel for you. As some here know my dd tore her acl/meniscus during her senior year of HS on the day she signed her letter of intent. This was a long difficult process for her as well as for us her parents. The recovery process is really what sets apart how people recover. My dd worked really hard and to our surprise made her college debut in a game against Duke mid season her freshmen year at 6 1/2 months. So there is really no set timetable for return. It depends on how the individual heals and the work they put in. It's 2 1/2 years later and her knee is strong and she never worries about it but as parent's we have never stopped worrying. Good luck!
 
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