ACLr completed!

[knee-will-be-great]

HI Alison,

Congratulations on your new ACL!  Glad that you are doing okay after surgery!  You are on the path to a stable knee ... yipee!

DaveS, hope you have your ACLr surgery soon!  What expectations to set up (surgery) and to then not have delivered!   

KWBG

[miltonc]

Great news!  The first few days are the worst since you are tied up in bed most of the time.  Things get progressively better after the first few days.  Good luck in your rehab!

[Alison_NL]

hey everyone!

It's true what everyone says about the first few days being the worst!  Yesterday I could only manage 3 leg raises and today I did all 10! haha, I'm proud of myself!!
Any word on Dave S?

Alison

[jb-knee-geek]

well done alison, keep the swelling down, don't try to do too much at this stage. you're on your way back.

[Alison_NL]

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all the kind words.   The knee is doing great!  Its getting easier and easier to get around everyday.  I feel like I can walk, but I'm not going to risk it.  I have had very little pain.  I haven't taken a thing for pain since July 22 and I definitely don't need it.  My swelling is nearly non-existant!

Just one concern...  I get a shower sitting down today using one of those extendable shower-head things.  My knee is covered with a water-proof bandage so I didn't put a bag or anything over my knee.  After getting it wet I noticed that one of the corners was up and water had gotten under.  It's been 10 days since my surgery, so I probably don't have anything to be worried about, just thought I'd see what you guys think.

Alison

[iheartparker]

It should be fine. That has happened to mine a couple times when i was showering. If it starts to stink or get like REALLY itcy then id call the doc. But i have no idea what im tlaking about, but thats my advice..

[poisson]

By ten days the skin should have healed over so unless there was any ooze into the dressing recently you are safe even if water gets under the dressing

[Alison_NL]

Hi!

I had a follow-up with my OS today and she was really happy with everything.  They took all the dressings and everything off and the cut is sooo skinny, I doubt it will even scar! Then I had physio.. they didn't really do a whole lot today where it was my first session.  They said the goal for this week was to get full extension and 45 degrees flexion (I don't have if they are the right terms..)  Either way, I got them both on the first try so I was happy

Alison

[Alison_NL]

Hey!

I'm 20 days post-op and I have 70 degrees flexion and full extension.  I'm still not allowed to hyper-extend or go past 70 and I'm still not bearing weight.

Does this sound on schedule compared to everyone elses rehab?

Alison.

[Rob_W]

Hi Alison - I think everyone is different so it's real hard to say what's normal and what's not.

I had an Allograft and Meniscus trim on 7/17/07 (I think that is right around when you had yours done) and as of today I am 3 weeks and 1 day post op - Flexion last measured at 92 (I could push for more but that was comfortable) and I am at -2 hyper-extension (I was just told to lay off the extension exercises because I don't want to be in hyper-extension territory). I started driving and walking with 1 crutch at 2 weeks and no crutches just a few days ago. I've been doing the stationary bike for about 6 days now (full revolutions) and am up to 6 minutes on it.

Sounds look you are doing great! Good luck and have a safe and speedy recovery.

Rob

PS - I should add that I have read quite a few post-op diaries and it seems like those who were able to do alot of pre-hab before surgery (not everyone can because of their injuries) seemed to recover the fastest (so my guess is you should have a speedy recovery)- but even the ones who often seemed to not recover as fast, if you fast forward ahead a few months/years they seem to be doing great in most cases.

[Alison_NL]

Hey everyone!

I'm now 37 days post op!  I have 110 degrees flexion and full extension.  I'm partially weight bearing (though I feel like I could be full weight bearing.. I should be able to ditch one crutch at the 6 week mark) and I'm wearing a DonJoy brace.  For those of you who wore this brace post-op how long after surgery did you have to wear it full time?

My physiotherapist and OS are both happy with my progress.  I'm doing lots of exercises... they take me a total of 2 hours per day and I go to physio 3 times a week.  It's definitely time consuming but I know it'll be well worth it!

- I do isometric exercises still: clenching my quad and holding for 10 seconds.
- Quad ones where i put a roll (or coffee can in my case) under my knee and lift up my lower leg until my leg is straight. 
- Hamstring curls with a light weight around my ankle lying on my stomach. 
- Straight leg raises
- Flexion.  I sit in a chair and slide my heel in as far as i can go and then when i can't do it myself i use my other foot until i feel a "good stretch"
- Stationary bike to gain range of motion.  at first i could only go backwards but yesterday for the first time i went forwards!  i probably could have done it earlier because i found it pretty easy.

Overall, I still feel pretty lucky to have avoided any major pain/swelling!  I ice 3-4 times a day but swelling really isn't a huge problem.  Its really frustrating though cause I worked so hard to get my muscles strong before surgery and now they're tiny again

For the first few weeks i found getting my leg straight really easy and comfortable, but now that i've starting working on my flexion more aggressively it takes much longer for my leg to go completely straight and it really hurts under my knee.  Does this sound familiar?  I'm really worried that I'm going to lose my extension!

Alison!

[cmvsm]

Hey Allison,

Sounds like you are doing fantastic!  I'm 6 weeks post op myself and have full extension and roughly 135-140 flexion. My OS said don't worry about the flexion any more, as too much can stress the knee a bit. As long as you are doing your extension exercises faithfully, you won't lose anything by working your flexion. Extension is the most important part, and it sounds like you have it beat! Just remember to avoid going into hyper extension for now.  I was also told to avoid any leg extensions to 0 degrees with my foot off of the ground. I found that one out the hard way. ;-)

I do most of the exercises that you have listed.  I also do toe raises as well as mini squats (less than 30 degrees), treadmill (forwards and backwards), and hip movements.

I also have a Donjoy Defiance brace that I wear during the day and with my exercises. My OS is conservative in this area and I'll probably be wearing it until my next visit which isn't for two months.  I just saw him this past Thursday, and the next visit will put me at 14 weeks post op. Almost time for running at 4 months!!

Good luck!

[Annika]

Hi Alison,

Sounds like all is going well for you. I agree with CMVSM that you need to continue your extension exercises as normal and you should then not loose your extension. The reason why you are sore behind the knee is muscle growth! That is perfectly normal and to be expected after starting those exercises. When a muscle grows it often also tries to become shorter - that is why stretching when you do normal muscle building exercises is so important. Your protocol is quite different from how mine was (I had two crutches for 3 weeks and then throwing both simultaneously as well as no brace - not even for my first hobble! and full weight bearing pretty much immediately) but it sounds like you are coming along nicely. It sounds like your OS and PT are very happy too. I found myself in a litle funk around week six but by end of week 7 I had grown out of it.

Good luck
Annika

[Alison_NL]

Hi friends!

I don't know how many of you are still kicking around Knee Geeks... hopefully all those knees are better and it's no longer necessary! I have had a relatively flawless few years with my reconstructed ACL! I'm posting today to seek some advice:

A couple weeks ago, my knee gave out laterally. I felt a lot of instability and significant pain at the time. Since then, the discomfort has come and gone, usually worsening after exercise, walking up stairs, standing up or taking an awkward turn. The pain I've been experiencing has been a "gripping" pain. It feels like a locking sensation at the top of my patella, and sort of feels like there are marbles grinding against each other inside my knee.  A small bump has formed on the MEDIAL side of my knee. It feels fairly mobile, firm and very tender to touch. It's directly in line with the centre of my knee cap.

I went to see my family doctor (my 2007 OS was paediatric and I'm now an adult!), and he immediately felt the bump. He recommended that I got an x-ray, and I'm still waiting to hear the results. I'm hoping that he'll refer me to an OS as soon as he sees that the x-ray is useless...

My "googling" has led me to suspect that this small "bump" could be a meniscal cyst. Can any of you Knee Geeks with meniscus troubles offer information? Does the placement/feeling seem characteristic of this? Will the x-ray be informative? (I feel as though a MRI will be necessary to diagnose)

Thanks in advance, and I hope your knees are doing well!

Alison