In March of last year I completely tore my left ACL while backcountry skiing. There was little swelling at the time and I skied myself out with a simple Ace bandage around the knee. Initially, I, too, suspected I’d sustained a meniscus tear. The extent of the injury wasn’t fully revealed until I had an MRI, about two weeks later.
I elected not to have surgery and began a program of PT and strength building exercises. I started hiking again in the summer, was climbing by August, and, with a stout Kevlar brace, resumed skiing last winter. I initially wore the brace hiking and got some benefit from it on downhill sections. After a few months, I found I could leave it at home and just rely on trekking poles. This summer I’ve done a number of scrambles in the Cascades and the knee has held up, that is, no pain and no “trick knee” instability.
My therapist showed me a variety of exercises that I continue to do and I fully believe they made all the difference. In brief, make sure you’ve got an accurate description of the injury, work with a PT, and don’t let up on the exercises. I incorporated mine with my regular warm-up/Base period workout.
Best wishes for your recovery.
