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ACL tear - looking for thoughts on recovery time - Page 3

post #61 of 285
4/9/10 at 9:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MastersRacer View Post

Some docs will tell their 'victims' that they will never ski again. A new doc and the right repairs and the 'never ski agains' are tearing it up on the slopes. I have heard first hand of these stories. Not all docs share the same opinions or knowledge of what is good and what is bad.
 

This is so true. Last March after I tore my ACL, the first surgeon I saw commented that I "got lucky" (meaning I completely ruptured my ACL) and surgery is in order.

Interestingly, after speaking with a colleague who’s a racer and had had also ruptured his ACL, suggested that I seek a second opinion (his surgeon), so I did. This surgeon immediately prescribed PT and ordered an exhaustive bone-scan (15+ mins!) and diagnosis for the knee. After a week, when I had gone through 3 PT sessions and the results of the diagnosis and scans are out, guess what, this surgeon recommended no surgery (yes, shocking, from a surgeon).
 
It was approaching May, and I was walking fine; I got a brace (soft and rigid), but held off skiing (the surgeon actually advised against it, even with the brace). While my quads and other muscles were strong (had been swimming, doing leg exercises, and on the lifecycle daily), he contended that the strength may still be lacking. So I waited until November. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Come the first week of November, my first day back on the slopes, which was at ABasin. I was going down Ramrod with record speed (record slow speed, that is). Even my friends said I was “much slower” and “more cautious.” Even my trip during (American) Thanksgiving in Whistler I stayed on Mainline/Ross……nothing else. For the period of December to January, I went skiing every weekend at Squaw, 3 days at a time, doing groomers only, progressing from Shirley, Exhibition, then Red Dog, Siberia, finally early January I was going up and down Granite (then all bumps). By end of January, I was doing the Talons Challenge runs in Beaver Creek! It was also about the same time I was going down KT, Headwall, and Cornice again.
 
By February, I finally felt comfortable in steeps and bumps, and by late February on another trip to Beaver Creek/ABasin, I was up and down Peregrine and Goshawk/Exhibition, all day. Back at Squaw, I’m back to my usual KT/Headwall-finally feeling “comfortable”. Then during a trip in Whistler early March, I had an ugly fall – due to left leg (knee) not being able to hold through a turn, thankfully not resulting in any injury. I did end up having to lift the left leg once in a while to unweight it, especially in bumps. Otherwise, I’d say I haven’t changed much from before.

If there's any advice, I'd say really heed the "not to rush" one. No matter how much you want to go back to jumping off cliffs and off the Secret Bowl, and no matter how much behind your buds you are, you want to ski at your own pace, and do so that you progress gradually and comfortably.

Oh, and leg raises and similar sorts of exercises prescribed by the PT are important daily. Once you have strength, try doing the same exercises wearing your ski boot.
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post #62 of 285
4/13/10 at 7:12pm
kxcd -
how's it going?  I just tore my acl last week.  i've got meniscus damage as well, and don't have much in there anyway as i had a menisectomy in high-school.  I'm able to walk on it fairly well right now though.  wondering what kind of surgery you're thinking about.  been researching it all week.  taking my time to decide and going to see a few different doctor's about it.  leaning towards a hamstring graft right now after what i've been reading but we'll see what the doc's say about it.  what are you thinking about and why?  trying to get lots of people's opinions... 
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post #63 of 285
4/14/10 at 5:22am
Still making good progress.  10 days out of surgery and saw my ortho. yesterday.  He said everything looks great and I could go ahead and unlock the brace and begin walking normally.  (He had me keeping it locked straight since the surgery)  I've been walking on it the last couple days and it is beginning to feel normal.  There is still some slight swelling at the site of the main incision and it is sore and achey so I have to manage that which is annoying.  Otherwise, it seems to be getting better daily.  I can spin without resistance at a somewhat normal cadence and I am getting stronger.  Leg still looks like it has atrophied quite a bit, but I notice it coming back already.  I am missing alot of extension and it hurts to work on it, but this is the main priority right now.   I have about 100 degrees of bend, which I thin is a little ahead of schedule according to my PT. 
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post #64 of 285
4/14/10 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 
Vermonte - good to hear from you! I've been wondering how things are going for you. Congrats on getting the brace unlocked. It's also great that the muscle is coming back already. My quad is finally firing again; it took a month after the original injury, which felt like forever. Now that it's kicked back in it's getting stronger every day. Having seen how quickly it went this time, I'm determined to build it up as much as possible prior to surgery. 100 degrees of bend sounds good to me for 10 days out of surgery!

HeWhoShreads - nice to meet you, though very sorry to hear about your injury. This forum has been a really great resource on knee injuries, especially as they relate to skiing. I'd also recommend the KneeGeek bulletin boards (http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php) which have been a fantastic source of information and shared stories. How did your injury happen? What's your ROM in the leg like now?

I'm leaning very strongly toward the hamstring graft. Overall it sounds like an autograft is likely to be stronger than an allograft, and I'm wary of the patellar option. About half the people I've talked to have suffered long-term anterior knee pain or can't kneel after having the patellar graft. I have a long history of patellar tracking problems and anterior knee pain in both knees, so I'm pretty sure I'd be a bad candidate for that graft. You have to be a little more careful with a hamstring graft in the early stages because it doesn't heal quite as quickly as the bone-to-bone patellar graft, but it sounds as though they both ultimately heal up to be pretty strong.

My own recovery from the initial injury (5 weeks ago now) is going really well; I have the odd bad day but the knee is mostly pain-free, and ROM is back to within about 15 degrees of the other leg. I'm back to cycling long distances, swimming at full strength, and getting some pretty good workouts (closed chain exercises only) in at the gym. My goal now is to get my legs in the best shape possible for surgery, which is likely to be about 6 months off with the wait times here. I've been religious about my PT and have been pushing the knee as far as it's willing to go from the beginning, while also trying to pay attention to how it feels and not overdo things. I think that's really helped with the recovery. Your surgeon will likely want you to get most of your ROM back and be able to straighten the leg fully before surgery, so I'd definitely recommend sticking to any PT regime you've been given.

Good luck with making your decision, and let us know how you get on! I'm finding it so helpful to hear what other people with the same injury are going through - it's great to have an idea of what to expect as I move forward.
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post #65 of 285
5/11/10 at 9:53pm
Thread Starter 

 

Thought I'd check back in and see how things are going - Vermonte, how's the recovery doing? I hope you're continuing to make good progress. 

 

My big news is that I'm back on snow. My recovery has continued to go really well overall, probably due to the fact that I've been religiously doing 2 hours of PT a day to rebuild my leg muscles and get full ROM back. The quad muscle is now as strong in that leg as it was before the injury, and ROM is about 5 degrees off the other leg when it's cold (they match after I've been working out when the joint is warm.) Still dealing with a few pain issues, but mostly related to the existing tracking problems in both knees that have been exacerbated by the huge amount of leg exercises I've been doing. The bad knee has been very stable, which is probably down to the improvement in muscle strength.

 

When the quad started approaching full strength (6 weeks post injury), my PT encouraged me to give skiing a try within reason - no moguls, no off-piste, and definitely no jumps. I went for a very cautious afternoon out at Mount Seymour, which was an ideal start; short runs and easy terrain. There were no problems on the slopes and no ill effects afterwards, but I definitely sensed that the left leg wasn't quite as strong as it should be. I spent two more weeks working on really aggressive quad strengthening, and at 8 weeks post injury went back to Whistler. The extra work paid off; the leg felt rock solid, and I had a really good day on the mountain. I stuck to groomers and by the end of the day, I was going fast and carving hard - I'd say about 75% of my pre-injury level, which is much better than I expected. I'm hoping for a couple more days of easy groomers before I run out of ski season on May 24th.

 

I know I'm taking a risk by going back out on snow, but I have modified my approach considerably and given that I'll be losing my entire season next year, these extra days are an unexpected gift for which I'm incredibly grateful. I see the OS for my initial consult next week, and hopefully a surgery date in the fall; regardless of how well things have been going, I'm very conscious that without an ACL reconstruction I'm unlikely to be able to go back to skiing the way I was before. 

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post #66 of 285
5/13/10 at 7:55am

If acl is only partly torn you could check out prolotherapy. There are others in the country that do this but Ongley is the original and the inventor of the process. Recovery would be twice as fast. Have had many injuries healed by Dr. Ongley through out the years.

 

www.ongleyinstitue.com/

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post #67 of 285
5/13/10 at 8:17am

You may want to consider surgery next spring, as skiing is so important to you. You can ski with while missing an ACL by using a brace, maintaining good muscular strength and respecting for your deficient knees limits. I did for 15 years until I got insurance that would take care of a reconstruction.

 

FWIW, I've known people that have used prolo and thought it was effective, too.

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post #68 of 285
5/13/10 at 9:15am

I am two weeks post surgery now and damned glad I had it done.  Unlike you PT was exasperating the problem as the torn miniscus was moving around.   My present range of motion is zero to 113 degrees and I am walking as well now as before surgery.   Goes to show you that each injury is different.

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post #69 of 285
5/13/10 at 9:54pm
Thread Starter 

I have given some thought to the idea of delaying the recon till next spring, but overall I don't think it would be a good idea. I have early stage osteoarthritis in both knees already (not good at 33 years old) and a lot of natural joint laxity, so with the best will and PT in the world I'm still going to be at high risk of further damage if I go too long without an ACL. A couple of cautious days on snow at the end of this season is a bit different to a whole season's skiing. I'm definitely doing what I can to reduce the limitations I have to live with, but I've come to terms that I should get the reconstruction as soon as the wait lists allow and that the timing will probably cost me next season. I'm not happy about it, but I can live with it if it means many more good seasons in the long term.

 

Pierre - very glad to hear that your surgery has been successful. I hope I'll be saying the same two weeks after mine. :) What sort of graft did you have?

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post #70 of 285
5/13/10 at 9:56pm
Thread Starter 

cvj - I'm interested in prolotherapy (a friend of mine has had it on a back injury, with good results) but unfortunately my ACL tear is complete, so I don't think it would be an option for me. My understanding is that it only works on partial tears; is that correct?

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post #71 of 285
5/19/10 at 5:31pm

I figured I'd throw an update on here.  I did real well for the first couple weeks keeping up with posts as I was fairly sedentary, but as I've improved I've got busy with other things, like work and rehab and work and rehab and work..... you get the idea.  Actually, I've been through alot, and its a little progress every day.  It's 7 weeks now and I would say, I was able to walk with perfect gate about a week ago.  Extension is there and flexion is almost.  I can pretty much get into a squat, but I still feel slight pain at the bottom.  Leg strength is coming along.  The injured leg looks almost like the other one.  I'd say, a couple more weeks and it should be as strong.  The hamstring is behind though.  I was only able to start working it about a week ago, but as soon as I did, I am noticing improvement in strength with each workout.  Dr. said I can start riding a real bike up to about 10 miles and on a flat surface, so I did this past weekend and it felt excellent.  Actually felt better after a day.  I no longer need any kind of brace except for as a precaution in case I happen to be on a slick surface or something.  Falling would be bad.  I guess that's the biggest risk at this point.  While the muscle is fairly strong, the repair is getting weaker for another month, so while it feels like I can do most anything there is a high risk of tearing it in the event of a slight accident.  So, lots of pushing weights and spinning is about all I can do.  He said go ahead and jog in about 4 more weeks if I want.  Overall, the hardest part seems to be over and I'm happy with the progress.

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post #72 of 285
5/19/10 at 5:53pm

I'm happy to hear your report.

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post #73 of 285
5/28/10 at 3:28pm
Thread Starter 

That's great to hear - especially the news about being back on a real bike. I think cycling was key to my speedy recovery from the injury, and I'm not looking forward to the lengthy layoff after surgery. I hope your progress continues to go this smoothly!

 

I have news of my own - after all my wrangles with the medical system, I had a very positive consult with the surgeon last week and now have a date for my surgery - July 9th. So after the initial predictions of a two-year wait, I got it down to four months post-injury - not so bad, all things considered. Am now dealing with all the logistics that go along with pending surgery, like getting some repairs done around the house, arranging medical leave from work, and so on. I'm nervous, but hopeful that this is a big step on the road to a full recovery.

 

Said goodbye to Whistler on Monday with a wonderful last day on the slopes. It'll be a while before I'm back this time...

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post #74 of 285
5/29/10 at 3:49pm

kcxd I have now been fitted with an athletic brace and I am back on my bike after 4 weeks.  I feel a ton better than before surgery.   I have to be careful though.  Biking is about the extent of it.  No fun stuff but the quality of life is very good.

 

Measured my range of motion yesterday at PT and it was 128 degrees.

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post #75 of 285
6/1/10 at 10:35am

KCXD, congrats on expediting your surgery.  4 mos. is not bad.  At least you got to finish your ski season and work on strength and ROM going in.  Nothing to worry about.  Just takes time.

 

Everything is still going well.  I did a beautiful bike ride this past weekend.  I did about 15-20 miles and probably pushed it a bit.  I have been trying to find some bike paths to ride that are flat and provide a change of scene.  This one was beautiful.  Started at the south end of Lake Memphremagog in VT and works its way up the side of the lake to the Canadian border.  We got a little lost and crossed into Canada which was cool.  I've never crossed the border on bike before.  We did a little more than I intended and ended up climbing a few hills which I wasn't supposed to, but it was a beautiful ride and I felt great.  My knee felt a little funny after.  It felt a bit weak the following day, but seems to be getting better.  I really enjoyed it, but I need to make sure and pace myself in order to avoid injury and keep making progress.  Doing 10 easy miles a couple weeks ago was no problem and I didn't notice anything afterward.  The attached picture is a shot of the lake from the trail.  Jay Peak is in the background.  Really a beautiful ride and great rehab.  The pic. doesn't do it justice.  We discovered a lot more nice paths/trails on the Canadian side, so I plan on doing some exploring this summer.IMG_1035.JPG

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post #76 of 285
6/5/10 at 10:51pm
Thread Starter 

Pierre and Vermonte - very happy to hear about the good progress both of you are making. It certainly gives me hope for my own recovery when the time comes (not too far off now...)

 

Vermonte - that looks like a great spot! Glad that Canada was able to provide you with some good spots for future rides. I'm pretty impressed by the distances you're cycling already. How are the hamstrings feeling now? I've read lots of accounts of knee progress but am curious to hear how the graft site healing has gone.

 

I'm heading out on a bike ride of my own tomorrow, up the Sea to Sky highway to Horseshoe Bay - got to get those hills in while I still can. :)

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post #77 of 285
6/7/10 at 8:38pm

kcxd.

 

Hamstring feels fine, but it is really weak.  I don't really notice it walking around, and I've been real conservative on the bike rides so it isn't an issue either.  I really notice it trying to rehab it though.  It took 6 weeks just to try some hamstring curls and although it seems to get better little by little, it is slow progress.  I can move a little bit of weight now almost 4 weeks later, but still with some discomfort and it is nowhere close to the other leg, whereas the quad strength is just about back to normal.  I'm not sure if this is normal or not.  According to my PT, that is typical and it takes alot of work to get it back.

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post #78 of 285
6/10/10 at 10:42pm
Thread Starter 

Not surprising it feels weak considering what it's been through. Do you remember how long it took for it to stop hurting? Was it about the same time you were able to do the hamstring curls?

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post #79 of 285
6/13/10 at 3:06pm

vermonte

 

I also had the hamstring autograft surgery after tearing the ACL in my left knee and it took quite some time to get the strenght/muscle mass back in the left hamstring.  Like you I was also able to regain quad strength more quickly.  As an earlier post mentioned, stay persistent.

 

I had my surgery in Feb 09 and it took me about 12 months, perhaps a little longer to fully-regain the size/strength of my hamstring.  At six months after surgery,  I remember that the left hamstring was still noticeably smaller than the right..  Bear in mind that it can take your body quite some time to fully-replace the hamstring tendon tissue that was harvested.  Once I was finally able to run (and ultimately sprint), I noticed significant hamstring improvement, especially in regaining size.

 

Remember that your hamstring crosses two joints- your knee and hip- so your hamstrings contribute to hip extension as well as knee flexion.  And, your hamstrings/quads always work together when you are walking, running, skiing, etc., so it is a good idea to exercise both muscle groups concurrently whenever possible.  Initially, I remember that I could only do squats with a big rubber ball against the wall because I could only handle a deeper squat (w/o knee joint pain) if my knee did not move forward at all.  When I did the step ups early in rehab, I also had to be careful to not allow my knee to mover forward due to pain.  Over time the pain went away and I able to squat, do step up jumps, box jumps with one and both legs, etc.

 

As your rehab progresses, check with your PT about more advanced hamstring development exercises such as deadlifts, GHD back extensions (including adding weight over time- carefull on the progression), deep back squats (thigh below parallel- once ROM and lack of pain allow) and even kettlebell swings.  When performed properly (and with progressively increasing loads over time), all of these exercises promote active hip extension and will thus help develop your hamstring (and with the exception of the back extension, your quads and glutes as well- great for skiing).

 

Continued good luck on your rehab!

 

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post #80 of 285
6/14/10 at 7:08am

Thanks bgove for sharing your experience.  I am definitely in this with the mindset that it will get better little by little as long as I stick with it and I have been making steady progress.  

 

KCXD - to answer your question, I never really had any hamstring pain.  The only time I would notice any pain was when I would try to engage it for a hamstring specific exercise, which is still the case.  But the more I work it, the stronger it gets and the pain is less.

 

I spent one day this weekend moving rocks by hand to build a firepit in my backyard and my hamstrings are both sore like I rode a hundred miles.  Probably a good indication that the deadlift will target the hammys just fine.

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post #81 of 285
6/18/10 at 5:43pm

kcxd its getting close to your surgery date is it not?

 

I am now at 7 weeks.  On Monday a couple days past 6 weeks they sprung me from PT as in, no more PT until I see the doctor on the 29th.   Seems I am one of the lucky ones in that I have my full range of motion back (136 degrees), no pain and near full strength back in my leg but according to the schedule they cannot add anything new to my routine until 12 weeks.  They said there was nothing they could further do for me until clearance so I am out of PT at the moment.

 

I did get a Bledsoe ZF 14 brace that is really quite comfortable so that I can actually do things like bike ride.  I am going for a nice long bike ride tomorrow.  Its very frustrating to seem 100% normal yet realize that there is virtually no healing of the graft yet.

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post #82 of 285
6/19/10 at 10:24am
Thread Starter 

It is...just under three weeks to go! I've been cycling and swimming and working on my leg strengthening like crazy, and am now back to full flex (140 degrees) and extension, with just a little bit of stiffness at the very end of the flex range. Both quads are now bigger than when I started out, though the left (injured side) is still a little smaller than the right. I'm hoping this means I'm in as good a shape as I can be for the surgery.

 

I'm glad things are going so well for you, and that you've at least got clearance to ride the bike while you wait for the magic 12-week mark. Patience is definitely the most challenging part of rehab - my PT is already cautioning me about being mentally prepared for that side of things and being willing to hold back. I'll be taking 8 weeks off work, so fortunately will have plenty of time to work on rehab and focus on the knee.

 

Vermonte - sounds like you have exactly the right approach and that it's paying off. That's good news about the hamstrings; weakness is understandable, but I was concerned about pain from the graft site. It's good to hear that it hasn't been too bad for you.

 

bgove - thanks for the extra info - that's really helpful, and will be good to keep in mind once I get through surgery and into my rehab.

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post #83 of 285
6/22/10 at 8:28am

3 months post surgery tomorrow.  All is going well.  I ran for the first time yesterday and ran about a mile without issue.  Dr. said I could have a month ago, but I was a bit apprehensive.  Once I read bgove's post, I figured I'd mix some running in to my routine.  Hamstring strength is coming.  I could do a set of hamstring curls yesterday with almost no discomfort and for the first time without cheating with my other leg.  All of the range of motion is back.  I can squat down now normally without pain.  Now I just need this damn graft to heal! 

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post #84 of 285
7/3/10 at 8:19pm

Hi , I am 10 days after ACL surgery Pattelar Graft, My healing is going great , I would like to share what I did before and after the surgery. Hoping to help you because I know how it helps to read someone’s experience

 my physical therapist told me that one week after my rehab I am where good patient gets after 4 weeks.

My extension is great ( nearly as normal), my flexion is more than 90, walking without crutches, I can even walk without brace just in the house for now

When I found out I torn my ACL skiing, I was very unhappy as anyone else.

I am 35 years old female and very active, my doctor recommended surgery.

Before the surgery its very important to gain back your strength on your injured knee (leg); this helps the recovery after the surgery. I was working out even the morning before surgery and extending and flexing my leg muscles in the hospital few hours before my surgery ( helps the muscles memory)

Of course its important to find a good sport orthopedist. I have a great sport doctor . He recommended that Pattelar graft is the  strongest. I will be honest its suppose to be the most painful too.

My surgery went well, I also had my meniscus fixed .

The day after surgery I had lots of pain, but as long as you take your medication you will be fine, take it religiously even every three hours first couple of days.

Don’t be afraid trying to move your leg right after the surgery in general moving makes the knee feel better! Keep the knee Icing and elevating often,

It is essential to keep your leg elevated about your heart as much as possible to allow the excess fluid and blood to exit the knee

While your leg is elevated try to do passive extension as often as you can.

Its very important to get extension back in first couple of weeks

Food - plenty of protein and iron, multivitamins supplements

Drink plenty of fluids !

Three days after the surgery I started to do exercise on my Quad muscles, Hamstring muscles, You can find out about all this I a book KNEE SURGERY by Daniel Fulham O’Neill

When you get prepared for your surgery it will be much easier, trust me.

Good Luck

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post #85 of 285
7/12/10 at 4:21pm
Thread Starter 

Hey folks! Giga102, glad to hear your surgery went well and thank you very much for all the tips.

 

I'm now three days post-op, and recovery seems to be going smoothly. I was quite nervous before the surgery, but it went very well; the surgeon said afterwards that I'd had much larger hamstring tendons than normal in someone my size, so he thinks the graft will turn out really strong.

 

The first 24 hours post-op were pretty miserable; I was in a lot of pain and didn't get on the post-op meds quite quickly enough when I got home from hospital, so the pain definitely got ahead of me the first night. Saturday and Sunday I just took things very easy and rested on the couch with the foot propped up and the leg in passive extension as much as possible.

 

Today is the first day I've felt a real improvement; the pain is definitely more manageable and I'm now able to get around on just one crutch, bearing full weight through the operated leg. I get the bandages off Wednesday and will be starting some gentle exercises at that point. It's hard to tell exactly where my flex and extension are because the bandages are bulky and in the way, but it looks as though I've got flex to about 80 degrees while seated.

 

My surgeon's goal is release to full activity in 8 months - maybe I'll be able to catch some spring skiing after all. :)

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post #86 of 285
7/12/10 at 10:03pm

Hi

KCXD I am glad that you are doing well.

Thats great that you can bear weight on the leg three days after the surgery.

I started my physical therapy 5 days after my surgery, I am already three weeks post op.

My doctor said that I am doing well, I have nearly full extension, 120 flexion. I go to physical therapy twice a week and I also started going to gym on stationary bike and very light weights to build up back my muscles.

The knee is still swollen but that come with the package

I am suppose to use the brace couple of more weeks.

I was told if everything will go well I will be able to be back on the slopes in december.

Well every surgeon has their own way and different approach for the rehab

We know that recovery after this kind of surgery is a long process so we really have to be patient and not to push it.

I have a friend who was doing great after his surgery felt very comfortable and fall of the stairs and end up under the surgeon's knife again three weeks after his first surgery. This is the last thing we all want to happen to us.

Giga

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post #87 of 285
7/15/10 at 10:55am

I tweaked my knee running on a treadmill last week.  I was about 3 1/2 months post surgery and rehab was going great.  Nothing really happened.  I was just running and on one stride felt it crunch and it has felt awkward since.  Never any swelling, but some pain when I am working out and a bit more laxity that wasn't there before.  Feels a bit unstable at times and just feels generally strange.  Not like when I injured it, but I am still concerned about a re-tear.  I see my ortho for a routine follow up on Tues.  I am hoping it is just scar tissue breaking up.  Is that possible?  Anyone have an experience like this during their rehab?

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post #88 of 285
7/15/10 at 3:39pm
Thread Starter 
Giga - wow, that's very impressive for 3 weeks post-surgery - sounds like you've made really good progress. You're right, it seems like patience is key for recovery from an ACL reconstruction. No matter how much we wish we could get back to normal activity quicker, it's not worth rushing and having to go through this all over again!

Vermonte - sorry to hear about the setback. I think running at 3.5 months post-op is supposed to be a safe enough activity, and given that you didn't slip or stumble hopefully it's just another muscle responding to the unaccustomed exercise. I think you would have to be really unlucky to have hurt the graft just on the treadmill. Fingers crossed your OS will be able to set your mind at ease at your appointment.

I'm at 6 days post-op now, and making slow, steady progress. I'm pretty much off the crutches now, though my walk is very slow. No problems taking weight through the operated leg, though it does pull on the staples a bit. Extension is close to normal - maybe 5 degrees off. Flex is still very limited, but I still have massive swelling in the knee which is really hampering the bend. I imagine it will improve as that goes down.

Working on a few gentle exercises - heel slides, SLRs, lots of quad flexes, steps up and down on a low box, and seated knee extensions. PT proper will start on Tuesday, after my staples come out. I've also been given the okay to swim with a float to keep my legs still once the incisions have healed, so hopefully at 2-3 weeks post-op. Can't wait to get back in the pool.

Hope you're all doing well!
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post #89 of 285
7/15/10 at 9:23pm

I found some ACL club on a facebook, it was so scary reading how many people retorn their ACL some even 3-4 times, so scary !!!

Well, Vermonte dont go and read it now; its very important that you are going to see your doctor right the way, I hope all will be ok, good luck.

Kcxd, your progress 6days post-op sounds good. As they say extension its the most important part on the beginning of rehab, yours is close to normal thats great. Flexion is suppose to be easier to do but in my case extension was much easier.

I live in NYC; its also interesting to see how in this city my orthopedic and many other doctors are predicting the rehab for their patients faster than the doctors outside of New York City. I thought we are the same humans; maybe in NYC people dont have enough time to put in healing process. I am originally from Europe people after ACL surgery stay in the hospital 7 days...they take time for everything.

Giga

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post #90 of 285
7/16/10 at 8:28am

giga1002, 

 

I couldn't resist reading the ACL club stuff.  It actually made me feel better because every re-tear story involved some twisting type accident.  My knee feels a bit better today.  Hopefully it was a minor bump in the road, because the rehab has been going so well.  We'll see what the doc. says next week.

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EpicSki › The Barking Bear Forums › Ski Training and Pro Forums › Fitness, Injury, and Recovery › ACL tear - looking for thoughts on recovery time