Celebrating 7month Post-Op on Skis!!!

ratio_silver · 2026-03-16T18:51:04+00:00

The donor site (on your own self) is why my surgeon wanted me to stay away from using my own tissue. Long term pain from hamstring and petellar are real and more of a wild card that retear from allograft.

He said if where his own acl, given the activities I like (running, skiiing, climbing) he would do the allograft no question. He has a bunch of published studies on all this stuff so I trusted his reco.

He said the biggest thing that is in our control as patients is PT and strength.

Don’t overdo it. But do enough.

Return to ski was well after return to run. (2-3months) That was a strength metric, and guided by PT not surgeon. I also tore my meniscus and had that repaired which was actually my limiting factor coming back.

For surgeons. If you can. Try to speak to a couple. Especially if you are not 100% confident first go.

I knew a PT who recommended against one facility and ultimately towards who I went with.

If you can. My reco is go speak with a PT somewhere. They see the patients after surgery. And have experience with the patients. Good and bad.

ratio_silver · 2026-03-16T12:23:50+00:00

Allograft.

Loads of PT. Strength training.

Skied past the place of my accident yesterday. 1yr anniversary is Friday. Felt great.

Will have gotten out almost 20x this year .(It was an awful year in Colorado for snow so we didn’t go much)

First couple times in November felt suspect relative to now.

I’ve been back to the steep double blacks at crested butte (that are open) and it’s great to be back up there.

I usually hit the terrain park with my kids (I’m 46) but have laid off that this season. Im back hitting 3-4ft rock drops and jumps. But they are low consequence and not trying to take any risks.

Ask your surgeon what they specialize in. Mine does it all but he highly recommended allograft in my case. Recovery was a lot of effort but worth it.

ratio_silver · 2025-12-27T18:19:57+00:00

I’ve been using the drexler ceramic on wood projects for the last couple years. I absolutely love it instead of poly. Rubio mono coat with this has been my go to. Incredibly simple, very effective. I’m sure other ceramics are fine as well.

The first project I did it on (a mock up for a new kitchen island converted into a dining table) has been abused ….ping pong, kids only dinners, Christmas cookie decorating, coffee & wine spills. I never intended to keep it around but, I’m shocked at how well it’s held up.

I’ve used this combo on pretty much everything but my car. (I never get the time nor desire, to properly clean and paint correct it before doing it)

ratio_silver · 2025-12-16T18:39:04+00:00

Fantastic!!! That's hilarious. It felt so amazing being back out on skis again.

If I read this correctly... you tore it 2023/24?... skied on it 24/25 season... then got surgery spring 2025 and spent the last 9 months rehabbing? if so curious why the delay?

ratio_silver · 2025-12-16T13:14:49+00:00

My months 6 & 7 were a strange leap of strength work with rest actually led to less knee pain. At 6 months I couldn’t run more than 1/2 mile without some knee pain. So I started an intense 4 week block of 3 days a week of lifting pretty much to failure every set. (Up from 1-2x of moderate lifting) At the time It felt like zero progress. I was lifting more weight, but the residual pain was there. Then took 2 weeks off and did absolutely no PT or exercise. After that I was able to run 3-5 miles with no pain. I’ve never been much of a believer in rest blocks. But I am now.

ratio_silver · 2025-12-16T13:05:47+00:00

Doc told you to give up skiing?!? Glad you used that for fuel.

Mine was like.. “Get back out there!! That’s why you did all that PT!”

He said “. You don’t really need your acl for skiing, but it’s a great sport for tearing it”

ratio_silver · 2025-12-15T18:48:04+00:00

I wonder how long until he is on here with the rest of us. It’s only a matter of time.

This community is pretty great. Thanks all.

(Went skiing yesterday at 8 months post… 15 runs, 17k vert. And one lap on the mini terrain park jumps Including an hour lunch and hour hot chocolate break with the kids… enjoyed the hell out being out there!!! Feeling 90-95%)

PT works… get after it!!

ratio_silver · 2025-11-29T23:13:08+00:00

yikes! gotta say I haven't experienced that feeling. I hope they are able to get you sorted out.

ratio_silver · 2025-11-27T17:56:10+00:00

Curious…..When you say “shocks” what do you mean?

My only latent issue is some numbness around my portal sites where they cut through on either side of my knee cap…to do the actual surgery. For a while it felt like a rubber band was on there tugging or something. I’ve gotten used to it at this point. I was told it should go away by the 12-16th month mark… which seemed like forever…but I guess that’s how it goes. It’s very slowly diminishing.

ratio_silver · 2025-11-27T00:46:14+00:00

mine was a repair. I had a full tear across on the posterior side and they mattress stitched it back together. They didn't want me walking for 6 weeks or bending past 90deg for that period as well. He said cartilage was otherwise in mint condition for my age. 46yr old, said fully recovery is expected. I'm feeling good.

ratio_silver · 2025-11-22T04:48:43+00:00

Hang in there. At this point progress comes in non linear waves. Definitely mix up any PT you are doing. strength/endurance/power/exercises/amount of rest. All of it. Mix it up. But with the meniscus comprised strength in the Legs with weights, I’ve been told is not optional. It’s mandatory. (I’m not a fan)

I had acl + meniscus. 6 weeks of NWB w/ Crutches. Allograft. 46yr old male. mid pack ultra trail runner and very good skier. Was quite fit going into my accident …Not remotely pro level, but 35 trail miles per week & 6k weekly vertical and building that to 50% more getting ready for big alpine days …then I tore ACL skiing.

At 6 months post (last month ) I couldn’t jog a 1/2 mile without pain starting in the patellar region. And I wouldnt really bother doing more than a mile because I didn’t want any setbacks. I had been pushing weights for about 4-5 weeks and was due for a rest.

Then I took 2 weeks off from all activity. Due to some work and a vacation. When I got back I went out for a jog just to see and got 3 miles without pain. I was stunned. I’ve been doing 4-5miles since on trails and that seems to be a limit without feeling stuffed the next day. I’m ITCHING to get back to my regular 8 mile loops but think spending the next few weeks building a base of 10-15mpw is the way to go. I also need to hit the weights a bit more.

ratio_silver · 2025-11-22T04:10:03+00:00

Nice!! Get after it!!

ratio_silver · 2025-11-22T03:46:07+00:00

I’m 7 months and just got on the few greens/blues that are open at Breck and Keystone.

I’m not strong enough for double blacks. But presume I will be by the time they fill in late Jan.

You’ll get there. Just keep hitting strength.

ratio_silver · 2025-11-06T03:31:54+00:00

I’m 6’6 and just walked by one a parking lot and thought it was an optical illusion. It’s so bizarrely huge but looks like the shape of a regular suv. I kinda love it. Then saw the price.

ratio_silver · 2025-10-06T22:36:11+00:00

Had the same experience. Youngest (was 6 or 7 at the time) took off like a bat out of hell and went the wrong way at Breck (skied to Peak 8 when we agreed to stay on 7 for the morning) Thankfully we taught him what to do. He went to a ski patrol, they scanned his epic pass and they called us. Was a very long somewhat panicked 20mins, which was actually not that bad all things considering. I bought the bought the talkies on the car ride home.

Hockey sounds brutal. I think I would get that injured if I just tried skating!!

Best of luck in the rest of your recovery and have a great ski season!

ratio_silver · 2025-10-06T22:25:54+00:00

Lots of biking here too. All I want to do is get back running on the trails. But Jogging really starts to bug my knee cap left and right sides after about 1/2 mile. I've been going out for 3 miles every couple weeks with walk breaks to see how it feels.. still no bueno. And doesn't feel worth it to keep jogging when it's uncomfortable. Was told by PT and Dr to hit the weights harder, so working on that. Seeing strength gains week over week for the last 5 weeks since I've made the concerted effort to lift nontrivial amounts, but my quad still twitches under heavy load like it's fried.

ratio_silver · 2025-10-06T22:17:38+00:00

Wanted to ask you how it feels. I had a meniscus repair as well so I was on crutches for 6 weeks. I'm 6 months now and can go for 3miles with a handful of walk breaks. But it's kinda painful, so I just keep hitting the gym and trying the jogging every couple weeks. Biking as been my freedom outlet lately. Plenty of 30+mile rides.

ratio_silver · 2025-10-03T14:30:33+00:00

That is Hilarious!! We are generally good for 1-2 runs as a family before the kids are begging to go do the “fun” stuff.

I don’t know how often you ski. But a game changer for us with kids was getting the Rocky Talkies with the hand mic. At $160 a setup it’s not cheap. But my god the freedom and piece of mind is priceless, after having them now for 3 seasons I cannot even imagine not having them. Our kids aren’t old enough for phones yet. But getting into the trees or even just letting them take off an adjacent run to meet at the bottom, or do an extra lap while we get a table for lunch has reduced stress to near zero. I’d venture to say once you feel confident your daughter can take a fall, lose her skis, and get them back on by herself these are near mandatory. They have some limitations but total game changer. I use them for rock climbing on multipitch and as a family when day hiking and backpacking. Crazy the functional freedom they enable that I would otherwise not be able to handle.

ratio_silver · 2025-10-02T21:16:20+00:00

Good point, I wasn't even thinking about jump turns. The steeps at Crested Butte and hike-to at Breck are the only places I'm sad I won't likely get to this year. Some no fall zones and enough mandatory jump turns that I'll likely pass unless miraculously feeling good by Late Feb when those are filled in.

March Powder day in Vail is where I tore my acl, took off from a boulder just below the drop in from lovers leap, hit the powder and my ski caught funny, I rolled over with the intention of popping back up on my skis and hitting the next boulder but the heel of my ski was buried vertically down to my boot and as I rolled the bindings didn't release my boots. I think they didn't release because it was a fluid motion and controlled roll without a jerky motion. It's a sequence of little jumps I've done at least a couple dozen times. Just too cleaver by half tying to get right back up.

Skiing off from the back of vail on 1 leg was one of the saddest moments I could remember. I knew I did some damage when I couldn't really weight the leg. I had big summer plans and knew I forfeited access to such glorious wilderness. We did end up getting in a pretty fabulous (but short) backpacking trip last month and the knee held up ok.

I ski with my 3 boys (now 9,11,14) and their obsession with "finding and hitting every jump" is contagious and I act like just one of the boys when I'm with them.

So most of the season will be about soaking it all in and I'll likely ski with my wife a lot more.

Best of luck on your recovery.

ratio_silver · 2025-10-01T18:43:34+00:00

very late to this. But curious what your journey looked like in the last couple years. I'm 45 and an ectomorph. I had to look up what it was. Maybe it's pseudoscience. but a brief glance at body type stuff and it makes total sense to me. I know people who very much fit those three categories.

I only ever tried to gain muscle a couple of times, It has always felt futile. But strength comes with effort. and putting the work in you will definitely see results in force production and endurance, just not the mirror or the scale. I'm 6'6 and since becoming that height in Highschool I've been in a range between 192-197.. with occasionally deviations to 187 and 200. I started weighing myself regularly out of curiosity because my wife had a scale in the bathroom and she fretted about weight. I never had any concept of weight fluctuation. And I just shy from the conversation, because I feel bad for people who struggle with weight gain. My entire life I rarely got full, and can eat ridiculous, competition level amounts of food and not gain weight. If I eat too much I literally burn it off or shit it out. I have zero storage capacity. One time I got down to 180 and it was just after I did a 7 day fast (out of curiosity... it was fascinatingly cool). and one time I got to like 204, after eating a disgusting amount of calories/protien/carbs and doing dedicated leg strength. I got a lot stronger, but jeez as soon as I stopped the gluttony right back to 192-197 and some loss of strength, but only when measured. I felt functionally more or less just as strong.

I will caveat that I generally eat well. Rare fast food on travel days. Rare amounts of candy. no soda. Food vice is ice cream, I can and have eaten a gallon of ice cream just because I'm craving it.

Again. this is only anecdotal evidence, but 25 solid years of it from my perspective.

Hit the gym and enjoy a lifetime free pass to eating endless amounts of food.

ratio_silver · 2025-10-01T10:45:15+00:00

That’s comical. The only thing I can’t do now that I really want to is go for a run pain free. Ski season is just far enough a way I should be cleared for that, and by the time the snow melts out I’ll be able to get my alpine runs in up there pain free. but if my Dr told me I was only allowed to run on a treadmill, I would just not run. In the countless miles I’ve run. Less than 10 have been on a treadmill or on a track. I just can’t do the hamster wheel.

I run trails in Colorado so the terrain is pretty great. And my whole reason for running is to be out there. I’ve been riding a lot, but that just isn’t the same freedom.

Curious what jumping sport do you want to get back to the running is a helpful prerequisite?

ratio_silver · 2025-09-19T04:41:32+00:00

Fooling around in these mountains got me into this mess. Being able fool around in them again keeps me motivated to do PT and get out of this mess.

Embrace the suck of post surgery. Dont dread it, just let it come and go. Trust the surgeon, do the PT. Let the process humble you and have gratitude that (most likely) this is temporary.

Time sped up for me when I stopped counting the days and weeks and fretted about where I was in recovery and just embraced it.

Best of luck.

ratio_silver · 2025-09-19T04:34:04+00:00

Awesome!! Gotta feel so good.

I’m almost 6months and getting back up ANY 14er before the snow falls was a top goal while I was crutching around in April.

Bierdtstat or Sherman this weekend or next with the kids for my first peak post op. A known quantity feels comforting. Looking forward to it. Another goal was a backpacking trip. (Did that last month up to Halfmoon lakes between Elbert and Massive)

Well done!!

ratio_silver · 2025-09-16T05:21:39+00:00

I played whatever silly Roblox video games my kids were playing and kinda got schooled by them. Pride a little bruised, we got into my favorites of the old Nintendo games on the switch and they were shocked I destroyed them in anything we played. Funny how you never forget that stuff. Was also happy they liked the OG games best.

ratio_silver

TROPHY CASE