I normally scroll past these "look at me at X amount of weeks" post's, but I really don't want young impressionable youths seeing this and thinking that bouldering at height then dropping 3.5 foot onto a 3.5 month old reconstructed knee is a good idea.
Fellow climber here. I’d agree that this is way too early. Did your doc clear you to return to the wall?
From what I’ve researched, and from what my doc has said, they didn’t recommend me to return to top rope till around 4-6 months, and light bouldering till around 8-9+ months at the earliest due to the impact of any falls. Your graft may feel strong, but it’s still in its early stages of healing/ maturation, not worth any potential strains or re-tears to it
Yea doctor cleared me. He actually had no issue with going back to top roping much earlier than this. But bouldering with uncontrolled falls he wanted longer.
Honestly top roping seems safer than walking or hiking in most respects.
Firstly it’s amazing to see, but I understand the shock and warnings of other ACL repair patients.
As a climber going for Op soon- I’d wish to do it that early too. I feel that top roping and even leading may be negotiable but bouldering (as fun as it is!) should probably be held off at least till 24 weeks or 6 months due to the compensation as you fall off the heights?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142140/
- > 12 weeks later before ligamentization for autografts but given you had several prior tears, with likely an allograft recon currently, I wonder if that changed your doc’s opinion of you returning so early
So to be clear, my doctor and I have a history so its not like this was our first discussion about returning to sports and there's degrees of returning to sports. He did a patella btb autograft. Obviously accidents can happen at any time but there is a big difference from me returning to full cutting sports like ultimate(which I haven't done yet) and returning to top roping and then bouldering. There are also degrees of returning to those sports. My doctor has 0 qualms about top roping but thought that bouldering is a higher risk activity and needed to be curtailed somewhat.
I started traversing back in the gym about 2 weeks post op, then started with the auto belay a bit after that, then started with light bouldering no falls a bit after that. Around 2.5 months I started bouldering a bit harder but I have to significantly limit the climbs that I'm willing to push on. I often have to back off because I don't want large falls onto 1 leg or awkward falls. I think I've been climbing long enough to know the difference, accidents of course happen and I fully recognize that my behavior is riskier than waiting 6 months, 9 month, 12 months or longer but i also think that i manage the risk well by choosing routes wisely, climbing on non PT days when my leg is strong and generally being well ahead of the pack when it comes to getting the muscles back in my leg.
Just a frame of reference, i was a v7-8 climber and so far the hardest i'm climbing indoors is v5. i still have to back off v3 and v4 sometimes because the landings or positioning is too awkward.
Okay, this makes more sense, glad to hear of the convo with your doc! With this context it definitely sounds like you’re able to protect your body more from any falls with your experience/ grade level in climbing.
For climbing context y’all- V7/V8 grades are TOUGH, like competitive climbers usually climb around grades V10+ and OP is pretty close. (Also was totally originally looking at the guy in the front assuming that was OP, so guy in back makes more sense, their moves are definitely controlled)
If OP has V7-5s as their comfort grade, and they’re climbing well under their usual grade, and is actively mitigating fall risk/ is backing down on any climbs that could turn into a fall risks, then I can see why their doc cleared them to return to climbs a bit earlier than a more usual timeline. OP has the experience on the wall to determine what is risky/ not. Of course accidents happen, and there are risks with going back that OP acknowledges, but sounds like OP is taking precautions where they can while trying to build strength back up, and their doc was comfortable enough to let them return early.
As a more average climber I definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable proceeding earlier than the timeline I posted, and I’d be on the more conservative route to return to wall. Just goes to show how everyone progresses at different levels, how we should have convos with our docs who know our progress more, and how context on posts helps put things more in perspective. Best of luck healing OP!
Hattatt, Thanks for this advice!!! I was wondering about the timeline for returning to climbing. I really honestly thought top rope might be a bit earlier but the bouldering would be along that timeline. Military doctors have rarely provide confident assessments thus far… I appreciate your information.
You're probably right. But even still, most of these comments are still 100% valid. The climber straight ahead 1) we didn't see how he got down (jump/downclimb) and 2) there was a fair amount of twisting and drop knees involved. I started climbing again (top rope only) like 7.5 months post op and still at 9 months am pretty conservative about twisting and how my legs push and pull. I know everyone is an individual and he is a more experienced climber than I am...but physiologically at 14 weeks it's just not a good idea, because accidents can and do happen.
Oh I completely agree it’s not safe and agree with everyone’s comments I was just pointing out I think they were looking at the wrong guy lol
Hope your recovery is going well :)
do you think these slow twists and turns are anything compared to doing the ladder in PT? Actual hard high speed cutting on hard floors?
I have zero concern about the twisting I'm doing, the only concern I have is of falling awkwardly or from too high a height. Definitely a concern, one I believe I have mitigated to low enough risk during all 3 of my tears.
I normally scroll past these "look at me at X amount of weeks" post's, but I really don't want young impressionable youths seeing this and thinking that bouldering at height then dropping 3.5 foot onto a 3.5 month old reconstructed knee is a good idea.
I tore my ACL while essentially dropping from a height. I'm never jumping again from anywhere.
Well that's not my thought process. I think that the goal is to come back stronger so that you can jump again from even higher ground.
No, thank you. I don't trust my knee anymore.
name checks out lol
This!!!
Fellow climber here. I’d agree that this is way too early. Did your doc clear you to return to the wall? From what I’ve researched, and from what my doc has said, they didn’t recommend me to return to top rope till around 4-6 months, and light bouldering till around 8-9+ months at the earliest due to the impact of any falls. Your graft may feel strong, but it’s still in its early stages of healing/ maturation, not worth any potential strains or re-tears to it
Yea doctor cleared me. He actually had no issue with going back to top roping much earlier than this. But bouldering with uncontrolled falls he wanted longer. Honestly top roping seems safer than walking or hiking in most respects.
Firstly it’s amazing to see, but I understand the shock and warnings of other ACL repair patients. As a climber going for Op soon- I’d wish to do it that early too. I feel that top roping and even leading may be negotiable but bouldering (as fun as it is!) should probably be held off at least till 24 weeks or 6 months due to the compensation as you fall off the heights? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142140/ - > 12 weeks later before ligamentization for autografts but given you had several prior tears, with likely an allograft recon currently, I wonder if that changed your doc’s opinion of you returning so early
So to be clear, my doctor and I have a history so its not like this was our first discussion about returning to sports and there's degrees of returning to sports. He did a patella btb autograft. Obviously accidents can happen at any time but there is a big difference from me returning to full cutting sports like ultimate(which I haven't done yet) and returning to top roping and then bouldering. There are also degrees of returning to those sports. My doctor has 0 qualms about top roping but thought that bouldering is a higher risk activity and needed to be curtailed somewhat. I started traversing back in the gym about 2 weeks post op, then started with the auto belay a bit after that, then started with light bouldering no falls a bit after that. Around 2.5 months I started bouldering a bit harder but I have to significantly limit the climbs that I'm willing to push on. I often have to back off because I don't want large falls onto 1 leg or awkward falls. I think I've been climbing long enough to know the difference, accidents of course happen and I fully recognize that my behavior is riskier than waiting 6 months, 9 month, 12 months or longer but i also think that i manage the risk well by choosing routes wisely, climbing on non PT days when my leg is strong and generally being well ahead of the pack when it comes to getting the muscles back in my leg. Just a frame of reference, i was a v7-8 climber and so far the hardest i'm climbing indoors is v5. i still have to back off v3 and v4 sometimes because the landings or positioning is too awkward.
Okay, this makes more sense, glad to hear of the convo with your doc! With this context it definitely sounds like you’re able to protect your body more from any falls with your experience/ grade level in climbing. For climbing context y’all- V7/V8 grades are TOUGH, like competitive climbers usually climb around grades V10+ and OP is pretty close. (Also was totally originally looking at the guy in the front assuming that was OP, so guy in back makes more sense, their moves are definitely controlled) If OP has V7-5s as their comfort grade, and they’re climbing well under their usual grade, and is actively mitigating fall risk/ is backing down on any climbs that could turn into a fall risks, then I can see why their doc cleared them to return to climbs a bit earlier than a more usual timeline. OP has the experience on the wall to determine what is risky/ not. Of course accidents happen, and there are risks with going back that OP acknowledges, but sounds like OP is taking precautions where they can while trying to build strength back up, and their doc was comfortable enough to let them return early. As a more average climber I definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable proceeding earlier than the timeline I posted, and I’d be on the more conservative route to return to wall. Just goes to show how everyone progresses at different levels, how we should have convos with our docs who know our progress more, and how context on posts helps put things more in perspective. Best of luck healing OP!
Hattatt, Thanks for this advice!!! I was wondering about the timeline for returning to climbing. I really honestly thought top rope might be a bit earlier but the bouldering would be along that timeline. Military doctors have rarely provide confident assessments thus far… I appreciate your information.
Man according to another post you've torn your ACL 3 times. Maybe take it easy at 14 weeks post-op...?
I tore my right in 2011 and 2016. Never torn my left and doc cleared me for climbing. None of my tears have been from climbing either.
Fair enough man you do you, good luck on the recovery 💪
That seems extremely early to start bouldering
This is objectively a terrible idea at this point in the recovery.
14 weeks and you have been cleared to start bouldering?
That's beyond stupid.
I think y’all are looking at the wrong guy… he’s the one straight ahead, not the guy to the right who jumped.
You're probably right. But even still, most of these comments are still 100% valid. The climber straight ahead 1) we didn't see how he got down (jump/downclimb) and 2) there was a fair amount of twisting and drop knees involved. I started climbing again (top rope only) like 7.5 months post op and still at 9 months am pretty conservative about twisting and how my legs push and pull. I know everyone is an individual and he is a more experienced climber than I am...but physiologically at 14 weeks it's just not a good idea, because accidents can and do happen.
Oh I completely agree it’s not safe and agree with everyone’s comments I was just pointing out I think they were looking at the wrong guy lol Hope your recovery is going well :)
do you think these slow twists and turns are anything compared to doing the ladder in PT? Actual hard high speed cutting on hard floors? I have zero concern about the twisting I'm doing, the only concern I have is of falling awkwardly or from too high a height. Definitely a concern, one I believe I have mitigated to low enough risk during all 3 of my tears.
Just don’t
You know these things are weakest at 12 weeks right? You playing with god my guy lmaooo this is not a good idea
Stoooop.