[Mega T]

Probably a stretch, but has anyone ridden DH on a torn ACL? I tore mine (complete tear, plant and twist, no meniscus damage or anything else) playing hoops back in May, and I'm delaying my surgery until after the summer. I still bike XC every day to stay in shape and I can even run on it as long as I don't try to make lateral cuts. No pain or swelling, but it buckles every now and then.

I've ridden Diablo for years now and it's killing me to possibly go an entire season without riding. The doc said biking is fine but looked at me like I had two heads when I asked about DH. Just wondering if anyone else would or has risk(ed) it knowing that one good spill (especially after being rusty from not riding) could cause more damage. Oh yeah, I do have one of those DonJoy mega braces for once I get my surgery that may or may not help in the event of a spill.

 

[demo 9]

dont do it i tryed didnt work, ended up tearing meniscus, out this year AGAIN for torn ucl(elbow)

 

[PCinSC]

Just wondering if anyone else would or has risk(ed) it knowing that one good spill (especially after being rusty from not riding) could cause more damage. Oh yeah, I do have one of those DonJoy mega braces for once I get my surgery that may or may not help in the event of a spill.

I wouldn't just be worried about crashing, the muscle and joint actions of the riding itself could be a big problem. Every time your bike hits a bump your legs and arms absorb that force (even with suspension). Every time you jump your bike your legs must act very much like the way they do when you jump playing b-ball. Not to mention the lateral forces on you knees during corners or off-center landings. Usually, your ACL will play a part in stabilizing the knee during all these maneuvers. With a torn ACL other structures in the knee must compensate, and the question is: are the up to the task? Maybe, but probably not. You could end up injuring other parts of the knee and make your recovery even longer.

My bet is if you showed your doctor a video of downhilling, he would tell you that there is no way you should be doing it in your condition.

 

[adarmiento]

I just am recovering from acl surgery in dec i planned it out so i had the winter off from work so i would be back on my bike in time for may And it worked out just the way i planned . Definately get a donjoy brace i don't ride without mine ever. Even before my surgery i rode with my brace to keep it from going out all the time.
My surgery went bad i got an infection after 2 weeks and they had to remove the new acl they put in so i am without nothing at all.I have been riding like a mad man I hit all the drops at diablo it took about a month after they opened before i could hit any of the larger drops my muscle was so weak it takes a bit of time to get the muscle back and strength . Just wear that brace and you should be fine I may still have to get another surgery after a year I will get re checked to see how stable my joint is , but other than that i am riding like nuts . Patients! Winter man thats the best advice i could give you Good luck I wear a yellow donjoy and ride a beige faith marzocchi worldcup roco rear if you want to exchange storys. Goodluck dude c u on the mountain

 

[Mega T]

adarmiento, did you get a cadaver replacement - is that why you got the infection? They're taking mine from my hamstring.

not sure what I'm gonna do, but I'm probably going sunday and just lay off the dj's and drops. I figure I've been riding aggressive XC for the past month, so if I just take it easy, it should be less wear and tear than doing rock gardens on an air shock. Still, I know the safe thing is to wait until next year. We'll see. Funny, but since I started DH about 5 yrs ago, I've torn my shoulder and ACL playing hoops but no injuries from the bike.

 

[JerZ_r1der]

be MEGA careful.

my friend tore his ACL during soccer season.
he knew he needed the surgery, but ignored it.
went thru another snowboard & soccer season & did even worse damage.

torn ACL's are no fun. :[



-just a little fun trivia, did you know some people are born without ACL's entirely? I thought that was kinda cool. ;]-

 

[adarmiento]

I used my own hamstring only because sometimes your body will reject the cadaver. I did not want to take that chance. As for the infection there was bacteria on something that made contact with the screws they put in because that is where the infection began on the screw heads . Its a chance you take every time you get cut . I got my meniscus repaired feb 07 which i tore when i tore my acl I had to get that repaired inorder to put off my acl surgery till the winter.The more your knee go's out of place the more damage you do to it. The meniscus was a piece of cake i was back to work in 2 weeks.Everyone is diffrent Just wear a donjoy if you are going to ride . Goodluck

 

[v-digit]

i rode diablo at least 5 times with a torn ACL. infact i had a torn ACL during my famous race against dtufino. i got lucky and didnt do more damage.
i did it. - would i recommend it? probably not.