Gimpy Dale

Many of you will remember that Dale injured his knee last summer playing kickball. He rounded second and was heading for third when he looked up and saw a player from the opposing team standing in the base path. Dale tried to cut to go around him and ended up on the ground with a knee the size of a cantaloupe. That was the end of his plans to run across a Colorado mountain last fall, but the swelling slowly went down and the limping went away eventually Dale was able to do normal things like walk and straighten his leg and even run (in a straight line).

He was feeling pretty good about his knee when the soccer season started in early March -- he went to a few practices, showed up early for his first game, and was excited to be playing again. That lasted about five minutes into the first game, when he tried to change direction while running and ended up collapsing. By the time he got home, his knee was swollen so badly that he couldn't wear jeans anymore -- they simply wouldn't fit over his knee.

It only took a little bit of prompting to get Dale in to a doctor, who manipulated Dale's knee for about 30 seconds before declaring that he had torn cartilage and would need surgery. A few days later, Dale got an MRI to see how bad the cartilage tear was, and when the doctor saw the MRI, he realized that Dale had not only torn cartilage, but also a completely ruptured ACL.

A normal knee ligament is nice and black and has well-defined edges:


Dale's ruptured ACL is grey and blotchy and looks like something exploded inside his knee:


Dale had his first appointment with his surgeon last week (the initial doctor was a surgeon and would have repaired the cartilage, but doesn't do ACL replacements, so Dale had to find another surgeon who would do the entire knee reconstruction). Since the reconstructive knee surgery will involve four weeks during which Dale won't be able to walk, bear weight on his right knee, or drive, we wanted to schedule the surgery as soon as possible so that Dale would be well on his way to recovery before the twins are born.

So, a week from Wednesday, Dale is going under the knife for the first time in his life. The doctor will remove the middle third of his patellar tendon and small plugs of bone on the kneecap and tibia, and use the patellar tendon to replace his ACL. He'll come out of the operating room with a four-inch incision below his knee and two or three small incisions around his knee. He'll be bedridden for several days, after which he will be able to get around on crutches for a month. Full recovery may take 6-9 months, but the doctor assures him that he will be able to run and play soccer eventually.

Please think of us next Wednesday and in the weeks following as Dale has surgery and begins his long recovery!

In the mean time, Dale still limps and can't straighten his leg, and it bothers him if he has to stand or walk on it for a long time. Fortunately, it hasn't kept him from playing with Adelaida! Adelaida enjoys her swing but needs an adult with her to push her and be available if she falls off. Today, Dale pulled a chair up to the swing set and positioned it so he could sit down and push Adelaida while she was swinging. She was perfectly happy and he was staying off his knee!