6-12 week "danger period"

[Alla]

Ooooohhhh... into week 9... still going ok....swelling seems to have supsided a little this week... my petella is looser, which I guess is good, but the whole knee feels a little looser.  Poor petella copped a poking and a proding at PT this week...it was feeling ok before PT but since it has been naughty.... so it paining me and the loosness of my knee has provided a new level of carefulness..... PT thinks that I might have petello-femoral syndrome because every time I see him the petella plays up... but it seems ok at other times.... I think I'll be asking my OS about that.....

Having said that I've been on my first road bike ride this week, and have been tempted to start running carefully (PT said I could), but Im not quite confident on it yet.... I still can only just walk on it ok... I think I need to get more confident doing that first!  I might stick to water running for now..... but all is ok... Im quite content with my knee a the moment... havent been like that for a long time.

Alla

[Gab]

Hi Alla, at a year post-op my strenght is about to 90% of my other leg, my knee is strong and stable and my patella STILL mis-tracks from time to time (it sticks a bit too much on the medial side). I'm still strenghtening my leg but I sort of gave up on it..

[Alla]

Hi Gab,

I guess that I am to expect a little mistracking etc with all this.... its been a bit of an ordeal for my knee I guess.... I've been fortunate to have very little problems with them in the past.... I guess that it couldnt last forever. Well done on getting back to 90% strength... I hope Im at that strength when Im up to the same stage you are...

Alla

[BubblyC]

Hi Alla and Everyone,

Just thought I would check in to let you know that it is now 5 days post-op for me and as far as I can tell all seems well (yes I am still counting days).  I am still bandaged, am seeing my OS on Thursday to get it off (I hope), but the pain is getting less and less everyday - yeah!  Am seeing my physio for the first time tonight, but have been doing my static quad exercises when my stiches will let me and am walking with only one crutch and my ROM brace over the bandage at the moment.  So am not too disappointed with everything. 

Am amazed how quickly the messages from my brain are being ignored by my leg muscles, have tried to see if I could do a small SLR or move my leg on the bed from side to side, but that takes incredible effort.  I still can't lift my leg straight off the bed - its crazy!

Anyway, I know from this thread that it all takes time, but I'll get there in the end.  Congrats Alla on the bike riding, I never rode a bike before I tore my ACL, but maybe the static one in the gym will count.  Keep up the good (hard) work!!

I'll be reading...

[Alla]

HI Bubbly
Congrats on your progress so far.  Keep doing the static quad exercises even if you thik they arent working.... it still all helps underneth.  It took a long time for me to get control back over the muscles of my knee..... and it comes back little by little..... keep going, you'll get there..... Keep us posted and all the best!

Alla

[Alla]

Hi guys,
Well I had a reminder about getting too careless...... I was taking a walk last night and got chatting with my hubby a bit too much and forgot to concentrate on where I was putting my feet.... and you know when you misjudge the distance that the ground is away from you and it is further then you thought??  Well that is what I did and I've jarred my knee a little. It seems ok, and Im no where near fretting about it too seriously, but it is a bit sore today, especially under the top of my knee cap.  It was a bit swollen too, but I've iced it tonight and it has gone down heaps and feels better.  I'll see how it feels tomorrow, I think (hope) that I've just gone back a day or two....
Alla

[Alla]

PS. 10 must be a bad number for me.... Fall at 10 days and jar it at 10 weeks!!!  I jinks myself when I thought about that the other day!

[eco49rvra]

Ouch, Alla, hope that feels better for you soon. I do that occasionally, too... Today, I was at work and did this pivot move to grab a ringing phone, then went, "Awww crap!" when I realized what I had done, and kept waiting for the pain, which thankfully never came.

It's really not my week... Monday, I got rear-ended. I totally lucked out in that there was very little damage to my truck, I didn't hit anyone else, and I'm totally fine. I got in the car today and realized how close my knee is to the steering column when I drive. Yipes. Then, Tuesday a bee flew out of a mailbox and stung my face. Both are pretty funny in retrospect, but I could really do without all the excitement...

[trekker05]

Alla,

     What type of construct do you have?  While the 6-12 week period may be crucial for a cadaver graft, it has been shown that a tendon graft does not go through remodelling (Dr. Shelbourne did some of the seminal work on that question).  There have been athletes that have gone back to competition 4 months after ACL reconstruction.  I don't know what your strength was like, but in terms of the graft, if it is a patellar or hamstring tendon graft,  not sure what they are talking about.  It does not get weaker after the surgery.

[Alla]

Hi there

I had a hamstring graft.... I assume that it is pretty strong... I had a fall at 10 days post op, and was certain I'd damaged it... surgeon checked it and said all was fine, and I was worrying too much....being too careful.  This was a much lesser fall/injury this time.... so I think that it is nothing to worry about.   My strength before the surgery was pretty good for a chick I believe. My PT and my oesteopath both says that I have pretty good tone for a girl.... especially in my quads and calves.  My sports Dr commented on how my leg tones in my good leg were that of an elite athlete, but by bad leg was crappy.... he only saw me in my injured state.  Im not sure about the getting weaker comment after surgery.... but I beleive that it is vital to not over do it while the tissues revasuclarise... or so Im told.  Having said that... my OS also commented that the new ACL is way stronger then the one I had.... Having said that.... I'd not even consider going back to sport at 4 months..... apart from the fact that Im only just walking ok....   I'd not be confident enough to start a full training regime just yet, strength wise. 

Alla 

[njjones1]

I reached the 6 week point on Tuesday.  I had an appointment with my OS for that day and he also told me that the 6-12 week period is the danger point and the graft is at its weakest.  The reason for this is that the hamstring muscle which was used for the graft has "used up" all the blood supply which it had from when it was part of the hamstring but the body hasn't quite figured out it has it there as an ACL and that it needs to be supplied with blood etc.  After week 12 it should be being fully supplied with blood etc and back upto full strength.  I may not have got the terminology quite right but that is the reason we are told to be extra careful as although my knee is now starting to feel a lot more normal it is also its weakest and I need to make sure I don't put any pivot force through my knee.  Saying that I plan to stat hockey training again with practise matches at 4 months - I don't intend to do full matches then.

[Alla]

Thanks for the clarification NJ,

It's funny, I've been extremely careful with my knee.... and at 11 weeks tomorrow....it seems that I'm back to where I wsa before I slipped in the grass the other day... so I'd say that was a minor "slip up" hee hee.  I've noticed that it seems my graft has its own nerves now and they are operational..... accidentally twisted slightly the other day.... glad there wasnt any force involved as I was able to stop the motion before my knee really let me know about it... but it seems that it is all coming alive in there now.  Had a great day in the pool on saturday.... had the place to myself, and was really able to work hard for 40 minutes.  Knee was tired after, but it really did it good.... Spent yesterday at the airport picking my parents up from an overseas trip.... so I was up and down stairs all day.... good for the knees, although the crowds were a little annoyed at my speed!  And best bit was I got to see my fav footy team while they were waiting to get on the plane back to Sydney... all of them  (they are all so tall!!!).....after I'd watched them win their game on saturday night.  Fantastic....   

Alla