My options.

When you tear your ACL, you have two options; do nothing, or get it fixed.  Unlike other parts of your body, your ACL will not heal its self.  No amount of R.I.C.E'ing can make it whole again.  If you leave it alone, you're going to have some problems.  Its going to feel unstable forever.  Eventually, all that extra movement will cause some erosion and arthritis, and could eventually lead to a total knee replacement.  Obviously, the 'do nothing' route is only traveled by those with extremely sedentary lifestyles.  

I chose the 'lets fix this thing so I can go back to my best attempt at dominating life' route.  ACL reconstruction.  Once you decide to get it fixed, you have three options.

1.  Patellar tendon graph 

2.  Hamstring tendon graph

3.  Cadaver 

For years the Patellar tendon graph has been considered the 'Gold Standard' in ACL reconstruction.  Taking a piece of the patellar tendon allows the Doc to take a larger complete piece to replace the ACL with.  This surgery leaves the person with a awesome vertical scar (Chicks dig scars) down the middle of the knee and also requires total immobilization of the knee in a brace for weeks after surgery.  Commonly people report having a lot of pain while kneeling, sometime even years after.  This procedure wasn't an option for me.  To consider it, you hav to have a completly flawless Patellar Tendon.  So if your X-rays show any signs of tendonitis or in my case- a childhood case of Osgood Schlatters, you should consider other options.

The hamstring graph has gained a large following in the past few years.  The surgery is done arthroscopically.   Small peices of the hamstring tendon are 'braided' together to form the new ACL.  A canal is drilled through the bone and the new ACL in anchored through a screw.  This surgery arguably has a shorter recovery time.  It doesn't require immobilization.  The leg can bear weight as soon as tolerated.  Downside?  Now you technically have to injuries to heal- a knee, and a hamstring.

The last option is an allograph- or a cadaver.  Its exactly as it sounds.  They replace your shredded ACL with a dead guy's.  There is a small risk of infection, disease transmission, and rejection. 

I chose to have the doc use my hamstring.  Patellar Tendon was not an option due to the childhood O.S., and honestly, the cadaver just freaked me out.  It's not live tissue, and more importantly, it's not mine.  

Luckily for me, unluckily for him, my best friend had the exact same surgery, from the same Dr., two years ago.  So I had a good idea of what to expect.  You get to go home the same day.  On the cutting table and done in a around two hours.  

Sounds like Cake.

Welcome

Professionally, Im a full-time firefighter. Recreationally, or 'semi-professionally', I play football.  Seems like I play 10 months out of the year.

During the spring, I play for the Chicago Fire Department "Blaze".  The Blaze, play in The National Public Safety Football League.  In summer its Spartan season.  The Ironman Football League season runs June through September.  

My life doesnt revolve around football.  My life does seem to revolve around staying in football shape.  My job requires it, and I love putting the work in to be so.  My work shifts rotate.  24 hours on, 48 hours off.   However, I still consider myself to have a 7 day 'work' week.  

Recently my activity level has come to a screeching halt.  March 10th, while playing in The Blaze's season opener, I tore my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in my left knee.  Your ACL is one of the four major ligaments in the human knee, and is responsible for stabilization during any activity requiring cutting, pivoting, twisting and rapid acceleration and deceleration.  All of those movements are pretty important for most athletes, and, you guessed it- Firefighting.  

Surgery was March 26th.  I'll talk more about that in another post. 

 Hopefully this blog gives me something to do during recovery.  I'm also going to use it to record my progress, and workouts along the way.  My biggest goal, is to get back in the Firehouse as soon as I'm 100%- obviously, I cant fight fires 3 weeks after surgery (Doc says 5-6 months, Im hoping to make it more like 4-5).  Returning to football is important to feeling like a full recovery was made.  To do so I need to be able to trust that I can be the type of player I was before the injury.  

So, welcome.  For anyone that stumbles across this blog, feel free to leave your input.  Maybe some of my future recovery stories will help someone with a newer injury see what they have to look forward to.