PATIENT CASE STUDY
ACL RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY
Mr Asopa’s patient details what happened when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and ultimately elected to have ACL reconstruction surgery with the goal of playing padel in mind.
BACKGROUND
Two and a half years ago I experienced a sharp pain when my ACL tore whilst playing squash. Following the ACL injury, I found that I had general instability in my left knee. I could no longer play squash or any form of exercise where knee stability was required.
INITIAL CONSULTATION
I went to see Mr Asopa, who I chose from a BUPA recommended list. We discussed my injury, at which point he arranged for X-rays and an MRI. He presented the findings to me and said I could either do nothing and try to compensate for the deficiency using physiotherapy and strength training, or I could elect to have surgery.
I chose not to have the ACL reconstruction surgery at that point in time due to work commitments and because I was keen to try out non-surgical options including physiotherapy and osteopathy.
FOLLOW-UP CONSULTATION
In July last year I booked an appointment to see Mr Asopa again as I was ready to have the surgery. I had tried osteopathy, but it hadn’t been sufficient given that I was experiencing pain whilst playing padel. We repeated the X-rays and MRI, and the prognosis was still the same, at which point I elected to have the surgery.
Mr Asopa was balanced in his assessment regarding the likely outcome of the procedure, and I felt confident afterwards that I was going to be in safe hands.
SURGERY
Mr Asopa was able to arrange surgery very quickly after the follow-up assessment. I was more than ready to have the procedure and he outlined what to expect beforehand as well as again just before the procedure. It went as expected and I was discharged back home the same day. The pain was excruciating after the anaesthetic wore off but I had pain relief available.
RECOVERY
Fast-forward to today and I am almost eight months post-surgery and I have been seeing a BUPA recommended physiotherapist regularly. It is a slow process and the physio said that it would take the full 9 months to heal. The first 4.5 months were as expected and I made steady progress. However, as I increased the intensity of exercise, I went through something of a reversal which the physio said was to be expected. There was swelling and pain in the knee area but no damage. That has recovered after resting the knee for a few weeks and I’m now starting to scale-up the exercise intensity so hopefully no more reversals!
The physio said that I should be able to start padel at a light level next time I see him which is in a couple of weeks so fingers-crossed! He has been pleased with the healing of the knee over time too – there is very limited swelling besides that blip experienced.
I would definitely recommend Mr Asopa. Before my operation, he gave his commitment for me to contact him post-surgery if required. So far, I have not needed to contact him, and I hope that I continue to do well and therefore don’t need to contact him. All his colleagues at the hospital were also friendly and helpful.
By FL, April 2024
Disclaimer: All case studies are based on the personal experience of the individual patient. It is important to be aware that each person’s treatment, surgery and recovery times may differ based on many variables. This patient has consented to the use of their case study and their medical imaging and/or their photo.
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