Sorry to hear about your troubles on the NHS but actually I think it may have been a blessing that the surgeon in March 05 didn't operate!

Why? Acl recon is a specialist area and should only be done by someone who has lots of experience - clearly this surgeon did not.

If he had done a bad job, it would have caused more problems than now, plus you would have lost either part of your hammy or patella during the recon and its much harder to correct a bad recon than from afresh.

So now you need to spend the money to get someone good, i.e go private but research the surgeon's history.

and thats what I have done.
Ive booked with Dr De kiewiet who normally practices in Sunderland & has operated on professional premier league football players.
He is one of the leading orthapedic surgeons in the North East from what I can make out and im due in within the next 3 weeks...
My NHS hospital said they could get me in again for a reconstruction within 4 months but i have lost all faith with them.
On my list visit they didnt even have my MRI scan result developed and had the wrong date on my records for when I had original surgery!!!!.

I have been out of action for 2 years this May and face another 9 months with rehab... had the NHS fixed me promptly Id have been back playing a few months ago.
Its gonna cost me my life savings for the surgery but im hoping that a specialist I have faith in and after being referred to a speciaist ACL Physio afterwards I will be playing football again before the year is out ...

Id also like to add that on my most recent visit to the NHS hospital - I met my third!!! specialist -- the previous 2, including the guy who did the surgery have all since gone!

Best of luck and hope it works out.

Hey, Sorry to hear your trouble, i experienced similar.
I was 14 when i tore mine, my Gp miss diagnosed for 6 months until i finally persueded him to let me see a consultant, It was a further 6 months until i saw the consultant for an MRI which took a further 4months for the results, i had an operation 16months after this, plus the 9 months rehab, i finally played football after 3 years!

If you consider yourself to have some sort of potential enjoyment in sport further in life GO PRIVATE, NHS is too long, the op was excellent and the rehab better, but took far to long to get there and ruined any potenital career i had in football, i now play nonleague but its gut renching,

Hope this advice is taken by future sufferers, Good luck with your rehab

Double posted.

The NHS is an amazing thing. We simply don't appreciate how fantastic it is in this country to have a free health service.

If you are an elite athlete or aim to be, however, I would always seek someone with a reputation in dealing with athletes. To get to those guys in time is likely to mean going private because the NHS simply cannot assess your injury and make it more "urgent" because you are a sportsperson.

However, if you know of someone in your area, you can now at least benefit from the government policy that entitles you to choice of provider and try and get into a particular consultant (not always guaranteed, it may be a colleague). It won't, however, solve the waiting time issue.

Thank You for your comments.
I got sorted with BUPA in January and im almost 3 months post op now so without boring you it looks as if things are finally getting back to normal and my knee feels a great deal "tighter".

As for the NHS I dont think you could ever call it fantastic. It is there to do a job - save lives.
Id like to point out im not an athlete im merely a person who wanted to return to what a 23/24 year old should be able to do - turn quickly without his leg giving out.
Going back to the NHS A relation of mine is currently being doped up on painkillers 24/7, the NHS know she has some kind of Kidney BUT the various investigations they have suggested have not shown a clear diagnoises - an absolute joke.
Personally I think we should go the american way where everyone has private medical insurance, I sure as hell know when I get back to playing football I wont be relying on the NHS again.

Would be great if anyone is still looking at this and can comment. I have had a repetitive knee injury which has been twice wrongly diagnosed by NHS physios. Thye Thought I had a partially torn LCL and lateral mensicus problems. After a 2 month wait just to see a consultant and in huge pain I decided to pay for a private MRI. I got the results today and they showed that I have a ruptured ACL. I don't know what to do or where to go. I can walk on it - should I still be exercising? If so what kind of exercise? I am a P.E. teacher, should I be going into work?
Most importantly, although it would break the bank should I be thinking about going private?....................

Back in April (08) I was playing rugby. Our fly-half booted the ball down field but didn't have the pace to follow it up so I sprinted down the field. The opposition's full back picked it up. I was right on him when he changed directions quickly. I suddenly stopped and changed direction. The next thing I feel is my left knee give way and I hit the deck. It was like someone swept my leg from under me. I thought that I had just twisted it slightly and done some lateral ligament damage as I have done it before. As usual my knee swelled up and i used the RICE treatment. I was able to walk unaided but it really hurt and I had trouble sleeping. I had a couple of days off work but thought I was milking it too much so went back to work. It was sore for weeks and weeks. The swellling went down but not as much as I thought it should do. I had some remedial therapy on it which helped reduce some of the swelling however it didnt feel right.I stopped going to the gym where I did lot of circuits. I finally went back but it really didnt feel right. After a lot of complaining to my girlfriend, she told me to go to the doctors. I did such a thing and he immediately refered me to a physio specialist. He carried out some test and told me that he suspected I had reptured my ACL. He then sent me to a physio where I began some strengthening exercises. The idea was to avoid any surgery. I went for my first session back in September. I carried out the exercise and the knee did feel a little stronger. I have done alot of research on ACL injuries and i seems the only way to fix it is having reconstruction. I told the physio that i didnt think that the physio would bring me back to full fitness so he has refered me for an MRI scan. I am currently waiting for a response.
With regard to the last post, you need to try and gain normally activity. You need to rebuild the muscles around the knee which stablises it. Any surgeon would not operate on it if you do not have full range of movement or any swelling is still there. if your teaching a class, wear a support just in case.

Hello all!

It has been a while since anyone has posted on this but i am carrying out a study for my university disseration looking at the effects of NHS waiting lists on sports people psychological reactions to injury! I myself had to wait four years on the NHS for an ACL reconstruction, as they would not take my injury seriously! I see some of use have had the same problems and i was wondering if you would be interested in taking part in the study. It would involve filling out some questionnaires which i can email to you.

I am also looking for individuals who have went ahead and had private care so i can compare results with those individuals treated by the NHS.

I would really appricate it if you could get back to me on this!

Many thanks
sccc

Back in the '90s I was operated on by both NHS and Private Hospitals, although by the same Doctor. After an ACL reconstruction in 1994 I have spent 14 years doing nothing and have just torn my ACL again. Please send me your questionnaires. I would be more than happy to help you. (graham.shoobridge@gmx.de)
I now live in Germany and I can tell you that everything here moves a damn sight quicker. On the 16.10.2008 during a gentle (no contact) kickaround in a sportshall, my knee colapsed again. I was seen by a specialist on the 17th. On the 27th I had a scan where after a 1/2 hour I was seen by the radiologist who confirmed that the ACL plastic had torn. I am hoping to see my specialist again this afternoon to discuss further action.
This is not a private doctor, this is the normal german health system.

Regards

Graham.

Hi Folks -
I just googled my old post from way back in August 05 and thought to give an update - mainly for people facing the Private/NHS Dilema...

A few months after my surgery with the Private company I noticed by knee still felt quite loose and so I went back to see my surgeon who assured me all was OK.
I still wasnt happy (I didnt believe him and so went back to see a local NHS Surgeon) who confirmed my fears... the ligament has "stretched" and wasnt functioning properly. As you can imagine this was devestating - not only having spent £5k but having gone through surgery, losing a big chunck of my hamstring and several months of physio.

To cut a long story short the Private Surgeon should not have taken my surgery on. He did not specialise in ACL reconstructions and clearly only did the surgery for the money.

In late 2007 (after researching a surgeon who did specialise in the area) I finally got my knee sorted with a graft from my patellar tendon on the NHS under the NHS choose and book scheme. To anyone reading this you are better off saving your money and sticking with the NHS - Provided you can do some research on the guy doing your operation.

I have since quit football and taken up running - both sprinting and long distance to try and keep fit - although I do worry in around 10/15 years time when I may need a knee replacement, sigh.

I have also wrote a mini guide for people considering surgery, which graft to have and what to expect after surgery... If interested e-mail me at

and I will be happy to send you a copy,I wrote it to try and help stop people from making the mistakes I did..I would not wish what I have been through on my worst enemy...

Never give up!

Mk