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[pct-l] Re: PCT-L digest, Vol 1 #644 - 12 msgs



Reply to David Encisco, RE arthroscopic knee surgery.

Dear Dave:

There is life after arthroscopic knee surgery!!  I completely severed my anterior
cruciate ligament in a skiing accident in 1996.  The remains of the ligament were
removed and a repair ligament (stolen from my hamstring muscle group on the same
leg) was stapled in place using arthoscopy.

I completed the John Muir Trail, Yosemite Valley to Whitney, on the 23rd of last
month--by the far the longest backpacking trip I've ever taken.  My repaired knee
held up better than the "good" knee--the descent to Whitney Portal with full gear
was a killer.

In the years following the surgery, I did experience some discomfort inside the
repaired knee joint.  I also found that my ability to do hamstring curls was
limited on the repaired leg--took a very long time before the hamstring group
quit complaining about the theft of the tendon.  For this reason I suggest anyone
needing this type of repair talk to their orthopedic surgeon about the patellar
tendon or cultured tendon repairs.

Good luck on your rehab.  I spent a lot of time in the gym, which paid off in my
being able to return to an active outdoor life the summer (9 months) after the
surgery.

Dave Duncan
Woodburn, Oregon