We are moving to the Ilchester area this summer, and pick up soccer has been a big outlet of mine. As reference, I'm a male in my mid 40s (recovering from a torn ACL due to soccer of course!). I'm looking for just casual pick up nothing super serious. I'm curious about pick up options both during the week and on weekends, whether around Ellicott Citty or Columbia. Thank you!!!
I’m 43 years old and in early January I suffered a knee injury playing pick up soccer. MRI showed 1. High-grade partial-thickness ACL tear near the femoral footprint with associated PCL buckling and anterior tibial translation. 2. Medial meniscus ramp lesion involving a vertical tear of the posterior horn periphery.
When I went to see an orthopedic surgeon, he surprisingly did not push me for surgery (though when he gave me the lachman test he said “you don’t have a functioning ACL”). He told me to do rehab first and then “see how you feel”. Honestly he didn’t really advise much and said it’s up to me to eventually do surgery or not .
So I’ve been doing PT now for about 2.5 months. I don’t have buckling any more and haven’t for some time. I still get pain behind my knees especially if I try to pull my leg in to stretch my quads. I have stayed away from soccer or anything high intensity. Beyond rehab, I mainly walk and lift weights. My limp is not gone entirely but has certainly improved.
All that to say, I have no idea how to proceed. I’m getting so much conflicting advice from folks, some say definitely get surgery others say it may not be needed and could cause other issues.
My goal is to get back to soccer and running. When I say soccer, it’s far from super competitive and intense and it’s mainly older folks but it’s still soccer where I would pivot, change directions, etc. And most importantly, I want to make sure I’m not doing damage now that will impact me later on with osteoarthritis, though I’ve read outcomes on non surgery vs surgery are more or less the same.
Any advice from folks who may have been in similar situations would be greatly appreciated!