riding after ACL surgery

[Sally_mads]

Hey y'all,
I am due for ACL surgery in a few days and I am wondering how long afterwards before I am back in the saddle? I ride consistently and competitively at my barn about 5 days a week on a VERY safe horse! I have been riding with my torn ACL with no pain but I'm sure after surgery it'll be a different story... Anyways I wondering if anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences about riding after ACL surgery. I have heard some people say 6-8 weeks and others a few months. I am young and have been eagerly doing my pre-hab! I am hoping it won't be too long before I'm at least in the saddle even if it's just walking/hacking but obviously I do not want to push it either!
thanks!

 

[HorseMaid]

Hi, I work in an operating theatre and my best advice would be to do exactly as your surgeon says!

 

[Peglo]

I had ACL surgery last year as well as a meniscus repair but I wasn’t riding often then. I think it would’ve been 3 months plus before I got back in the saddle. I was more worried about rupturing the new ACL than pain though. I had to wait over a year and a half to get my surgery so I was very careful not to damage it again.

Agree with above. See what your surgeon says and get a really good physio. Commit to your physio exercises post op but don’t over do it.

You have youth on your side and if you’re strong before you go into surgery it all helps post op.

best of luck with your surgery. Take care of yourself. ?

 

[Spottyappy]

My daughter has had this operation several times.
as HM says above, listen to your surgeon, but realistically it probably will be around 3 months. You can’t weight bear for at least 6 weeks.

 

[criso]

A few years ago I had meniscus surgery but opted not to go for ACL surgery. One of the reasons was the surgeon told me he wouldn't want be riding for 9 months after as opposed to a shorter time after the meniscus.

I had been riding while I waited for surgery with my surgeon's approval though he said no rising trot, no 2 point canter, no jumping.

His wife rode so unlike my physio he knew a bit more about the strains and risks of riding and could give me informed advice.

If I'd gone ahead it would have been full ACL reconstruction and as I understand it, this is particularly vulnerable in the first few months and has to be treated with caution until it has established.

With the meniscus, i started riding when the guidance I had been said cycling was OK in the list of suitable activities as the physio wasn't sure.

 

[oldie48]

I tore my ACL skiing, went in for surgery but said if I was able to manage without reconstruction, then to leave it. I was very borderline, aged 60 and frankly was very concerned about length of time to rehab. I bitterly regret that decision as my knee is quite unstable, often painful and I can't do many of the things I used to enjoy. You are young, please don't rush your recovery and don't ride until you are completely recovered. The problem with riding is even with a very safe horse you are not completely able to control how you use your body and anything which twists your knee could potentially damage the repair. I'd just follow your surgeon's advice. FWIW, I ruptured my achilles tendon playing tennis and had it stitched back together, did the recovery and nearly 30 years later, mounting my very safe horse, he moved and I had to push off strongly with my right leg to stop me falling, I felt a sharp pain in my achilles and I'd put a big hole in the repair! Unexpected stuff happens with horses!

 

[Parrotperson]

I tore my ACL skiing, went in for surgery but said if I was able to manage without reconstruction, then to leave it. I was very borderline, aged 60 and frankly was very concerned about length of time to rehab. I bitterly regret that decision as my knee is quite unstable, often painful and I can't do many of the things I used to enjoy. You are young, please don't rush your recovery and don't ride until you are completely recovered. The problem with riding is even with a very safe horse you are not completely able to control how you use your body and anything which twists your knee could potentially damage the repair. I'd just follow your surgeon's advice. FWIW, I ruptured my achilles tendon playing tennis and had it stitched back together, did the recovery and nearly 30 years later, mounting my very safe horse, he moved and I had to push off strongly with my right leg to stop me falling, I felt a sharp pain in my achilles and I'd put a big hole in the repair! Unexpected stuff happens with horses!

My sympathy. Its pants.

I've done both mine. 18 months apart. Wasn't offered surgery cos of my age. I now have 2 unstable knees. the second one got damaged in the first place because the left knee gave (it was the first acl I did) and I put right leg out to save myself: right acl torn.

I've now joined a gym where someone is helping me strengthen both knees. I haven't ridden for 2 years now because of it. So yes DO AS YOUR SURGEON ADVISES. Don't mess about with it.

 

[Peglo]

Oldie48 sorry you didn’t get your surgery. That’s how I felt while I waited the year and a half for my surgery so know what its like but fortunately got my surgery. Sorry your still struggling. Your ruptured achilles sounds terrible too!

your knee will be very vulnerable for the first 2-3 months. When it starts to feel a bit better is when you need to be really careful as you’ll be wanting to get on and do more but it’s easy to rupture the new ACL so you need to stick to your physio. Don’t rush it. I was told slightly different things post op to those above so everyone’s recovery is individual and different. It may take you 6-8 weeks to get back but it could take 3+ months. Don’t rush back just because someone else did.

eta parrotperson I’m so sorry for you too! How awful! Really hope your gym work might give you the chance to get back in the saddle.

 

[fetlock]

I had one 20 years ago. I echo what everyone else has said- listen to your consultant don't rush back into riding and definitely don't neglect/skimp on the physio.

I was on crutches for at least a month and pretty useless for that first month too. No idea how they do it now but for mine they used my hamstring to make the new ligament and I really felt the loss of that hamstring, of the half of it they used.

I think you'll be very lucky if back in the saddle at the 3 month stage. I'd think to yourself 6 months and anything less than that a bonus. The getting on and off in particular I wouldn't have dared have tried.

On the positive, after years of instability, it was wonderful to have a stable knee once more within a year after the op. Unfortunately I damaged it again a few years later and decided just to live with it.

Good luck with the op. I'll be interested to follow how you get on.

 

[Cowpony]

I had it done about 12 years ago. I was walking on it within a few days but the surgeon wouldn't let me ride for 6 months. Apparently that's when the repair is at full strength. Riding counts as a contact sport because you can fall off.

 

[eggs]

I had an ACL reconstruction about 20 years ago after rupturing it skiing a few years previously. I was skiing the week before the operation and riding regularly. From memory it was at least 12 weeks before I was allowed to ride and then only on a safe horse in walk for another month or so.

My surgeon was quite adamant that there was a very high risk of undoing his work if I tried to ride any earlie.

 

[conniegirl]

I partially tore mine 2 years ago. Opted not to go for surgery and went for physio instead with the view that if that didnt work then id have a stronger knee for surgery.
Knee is now almost normal.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

I don't have an ACL in my right knee, I was good as gold for the initial rehab doing lots of swim walking and cycling before trying to ride again, once I was riding the swim walking and gym went by the wayside as I could do what I set out to. I didn't have reconstruction as couldn't bear thought of 9 months off and I was very very luck that the two ends of ACL attached them selves back down to bone and are fairly stable (has an other MRI to confirm this, all MRIs done privately) it does still hurt a bit but more due to arthritis that ACL and after 3 years I'd say am almost back to normal.

Echo everyone else do what your surgeon and physio say, don't be swayed by the people who say 'I didn't know i'd torn it I was back hunting the next day' etc everyone is different and healing takes time ?

 

[Sally_mads]

Thank you all for the responses, I really appreciate it all!!
I got my surgery November 11th so it has been about a month since then! I was weight bearing 50-70% the first few days or too then moved to 100% with brace and crutches. My meniscus was not torn so after about a week I didn't really need to crutches or would use 1 at school and around the 3-4 week mark I was out of brace and am walking around pretty normally! I have very careful and like to wear a small don joy brace over my knee to feel stable for protection especially at school but all is good so far! PT and surgeon say I'm ahead of recovery and my legs are already super strong so that is great! Anyways I just briefly sat on my VERY safe old QT bareback the other day and just walked around being led by someone for a few mins! Getting on and off really was not that difficult but I was super careful. Doc says to be back to normally riding he says 3 months but the little stuff like I did the other day would be okay. First 2 weeks were especially rough but from there things really continue to get better! I am super excited to get back to riding and also have time to focus on my dressage for a while since that's what I'll doing mainly for a while! thank you!