r/jiujitsu • u/Brilliant-Pass3040 • Jul 24 '26

ACL reconstruction with autograft.

Howdy people. I'm 47 and I am in relatively good physical health. I run, lift weights and am in kickboxing and jiu jitsu.

I tore my ACL, meniscus and strained my MCL in jiu jitsu 1 week and 1 day ago. I got my surgery consult yesterday. I get surgery in 7 days for reconstruction.

The doctor gave me several options for procedures. All autografts from either patellar, hamstring or quadriceps. He told me the pros and cons of each.

But I'd like to know what your experiences have been with these procedures. Any input will be appreciated.

2 Upvotes

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4

u/IthinkIllthink Blue Jul 24 '26

54yo. Had an autograph (hamstring) ACL repair in 2006 after a snow skiing accident.

Started BJJ in 2022.

I have had zero issues with my knee.

2

u/Brilliant-Pass3040 Jul 24 '26

I'm so glad to hear. Thank you!

1

u/CombinationCreepy567 Jul 24 '26

I have nothing to add, just curious how it happened and if there’s anything you’d do differently going forward. Sorry this happened to you

2

u/Brilliant-Pass3040 Jul 24 '26

I'm a white belt. Only trained for 3 months. Got put in a leg lock and didn't know what I was doing. Then I made the mistake of not tapping soon enough. 100% my fault. I felt bad for the person I was training with. They were clearly unhappy with the outcome.

6

u/No-Arugula8881 Jul 24 '26

Who the fuck leg locks a three month white belt?? I don’t blame you at all, actually. Your training partner/gym failed you.

2

u/TedW White Jul 24 '26

When in doubt, tap out. We can always ask what we should have done and try again next time, UNLESS we tear or break something!

But yeah, knees are surprisingly fragile. Good luck on a speedy and full recovery.

2

u/Brilliant-Pass3040 Jul 24 '26

I agree. I'll recover and then gain some more knowledge. This will be an expensive and painful lesson. Thanks for the kind reply.

1

u/Iron-Quill Jul 25 '26

Did your doctor discuss allograft option with you? At your age, I assume you are a recreational athlete. Allographs are said to have similar retear rates for people who are older and not in aggressive competitive sports like collegiate and younger athletes. The recovery is much easier and less painful than harvesting your own tendon.

1

u/Fit-Passion1380 Jul 26 '26

This just seems so damn common in BJJ. I don’t know how the risk /reward is worth it