Anyone windsurfing happily out there without an ACL. Been told I don't need surgery however it doesn't take much for my knee to flare up.

But of course... blew mine (amongst other misc ligaments, cartilage and bone parts) after a ski jump landed over ice.
Never a problem except once when I tail landed with one foot strapped (the rear one), my knee cap dislocated.
Outlined in the video below:



While it hurt like hell (much more than blowing my knee out), I simply put it back in its position and I was fine. Apparently it can happen and may happen more frequently(?). Had hundreds of jumps since then and zero problem.

Occasionally after really hard chop and ugly water state, when I need to twist my leg to head upwind when it's light, it aches a little but nothing too bad. Ice helps a lot but I never do it, I save it for my arms!

Without knowing the details, you seem to be getting bad medical advice. The purpose of the reconstruction surgery is to stabilise the knee. The ACL resists twisting and sideways forces. Without an ACL, when the knee is subject to these forces it is more likely to dislocate and evertime you dislocate (major or minor) the knee, you damage the miniscus and cartilage. This damage over time will lead to osteoarthritis. Get a second medical opinion.

My kneecap used to dislocate gybing, duct tape was the solution. I don't think that will be enough for a missing ACL though.

I have no medial meniscus in one of my knees, removed due to injury 40 years ago, so I have a fair amount if instability there, and the older I get, the more tender it becomes, making hurting it easier. As my ortho doc says, "you're down to polished bone on polished bone", and also said that if I want to continue windsurfing, I'd need better support. Over the years I've been using all sorts of knee braces, with some success, mostly neoprene sleeves worn under my wetsuit, but that doesn't seem to do the job like they used to. Then a friend of mine with a similar issue, turned me onto this new knee brace, and wow does it work much better, it's a great design w/o any cumbersome hardware.
For me it's working great, worn under my wetsuit, but my issue is different than yours, however, instability is instability, but not so much with this.
Here's a link to the brace, I'm not affiliated with them, just a consumer, it did take about a month for it to arrive, but after using it for a few months now, that wait seemed to go by pretty fast, and I'd do it all over again if I had to.
www.aliexpress.com/item/32821978362.html

One more thing, I always rinse it out after using it in the ocean, to get all the salt out of it. Salt can ruin the elastic if not removed after every use, but at this price, replacing it would be easily doable.

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Dean 424 said..
Anyone windsurfing happily out there without an ACL. Been told I don't need surgery however it doesn't take much for my knee to flare up.

I find as a physio I quite often get in on these discussions. There is a lot of research going around showing that in some cases acl surgery is not needed. There are many elite athletes playing at the highest level without an acl. AFL, rugby etc. Recently at the Winter Olympics even many of the athletes in the extreme events are acl deficient but can function fine.

Windurfing as a rule should be fine, however the decision to have or not have an acl operation should not always be based just on the sport but should be case by case and functionality based. Ie if you were noticing the knee buckling during walking or stairs etc

the other most important aspect is that you need to get strength and control into the knee and you should rehab an acl deficiency similar to an acl surgical rehab with lots of strength and balance and control work. This will be the best thing you can do. Acl surgery would be a 9 month minimum (depending on your sailing type) off windsurfing so out time and work into getting it strong. Hopefully you can avoid the operation. I have rehabilitated 1000's of acl people both athletes and non athletes. It is a big 6-12 months of rehab by the client.

mastbender it's great that brace works for you you must have reasonable strength in your knee however for a acl prevention of acl replacement style brace you would need to go something more supportive. These cost around $500-1k as a rule.

My my advice would be. Dont be concerned they say you don't need the operation but put heaps of time and effort into the strength and control. This will minimise the jarring and knee movement that is causing the irritation that you may be feeling as the muscles will take the load rather than the joint. A brace like the one mastbender suggested then may give you some ressasurance.

Find a good physio and get a program.

Good luck

Thanks everyone for your responses. It is a difficult decision. When I first did it, I thought well this is going to cost me 9 months or so and best get on with it. I saw the surgeon and I was getting around pretty well as it was just an isolated ACL tear and I thought he would just get on with it, so was a bit surprised when he said no operation was needed. He is well respected in his field and I have the upmost respect for him. However it is not just windsurfing as I'm a Ship's pilot and need to get around on a small boat in offshore conditions in swells up to 10 metres so the ride isn't for those who are affected by seasickness or injury. I then need to climb up a rope and timber ladder that is up to 9 metres high, to get up the side of the ship, so if the knee goes somewhere in this process it is all over red rover. Added to equation is the fact I work mainly nights so this means the cortisol levels kick in which makes it difficult to build muscle in a rehab program. (Physio put me onto this one). Anyway I can take time off, but can't do it forever without a scar. (Bit of an ongoing joke with a work colleague).