ACL + PLC Reconstruction - 23rd March 2011

[DaVinche14]

May = so far so good really. Had my latest (6th week) Physio session on Tuesday. No 'exciting' new exercises, just isometric quads added to SLR & ROM. On the whole the knee feels good! Swelling has gone down lots and muscle strength is gradually coming back, which will come in handy as I've started PWB. I do get the occasional 'twinge' but never more painful than say 2/10 so I've ceased the use of medication. As promised, I'll upload some pics in the next day or so

[Boroboh]

That really is so useful, thanks very much for letting me know about your diary! I was feeling a little lost and on my own with this injury as i know that it is a rare one... its good to hear from someone who has been though it and been positive enough to update a diary as accuratly as this one!

It seems that so far, all is going well with your recovery, you have obviously had the odd down day and i know how that feels after my last op on my knee, its tough to stay positive when youve got such a long term road to recovery ahead of you, but thats where the friends and family come in handy to keep your spirits up! Obviously having your child must help with the motiviation!

I will have to take my decision on PLC reconstruction around christmas time, and have my 3rd specific physio session tomorrow with my next review with the consultant scheduled for mid August. He wants me to try and manage the injury through the use of a brace and physio before taking the decision of the op.

Did you have the same pre-op process of bracing and physio? If so, what was the deciding factor for you with going for the op?

Thanks!

Lee.

[DaVinche14]

No probs my pre-op was very much different to yours as I've been plc deficient since 2003. Although about three months prior to the procedure, I began 'pre-hab' eg. Strengthening leg muscles. This helped loads as the quads diminish rapidly! As we speak I'm stood at work in slight pain, but considering where I've come from I'm pleased with progress. I'm glad I've opted for it (so far) as without the reconstruction the joint would suffer more in the long run. The main thing is that YOU make the choice as it's your body and, to an extent it the op can be life changing. It's a long lonely road of rehab!

[DaVinche14]

Hello to anyone who's been reading... I've not posted in a while as it seemed no one was reading/replying etc, but anyway, coming up to 5 months now and overall I'm happy with progress! As in my previous post, I still have some tibial pain, but no overt laxity (which is good). I've started a twice-weekly knee clinic which seems to have helped reduce pain substantially. My ACL is nice n firm, so too is my PLC, albeit with some notable difference in varus laxity compared to my uninvolved leg.

I've found that it is VERY important to get as near to identical rom as possible to uninvolved leg. When I do ham curls there is a 10-15 degree difference between the two legs. Weak hams and tight quads are the culprit, so atleast twice a day I 'sit on my heels' to keep progress smooth. It hurts at the time, but helps alleviate pain when standing for long periods.

Overall at this early stage though, I have noticed I'm able to do things where I would before of had to think "will my knee buckle". Now I just do it, (low intensity things of course). To anyone out there contemplating this surgery, rehab IS long and isn't as 'exciting' as ACL surgery. Hopefully the rest of my rehab is hitch free, will update soon

[DaVinche14]

Coming up to 6 months now (23rd September), and things are staying on course for a full recovery! Physio has been challenging but getting easier every session. The pain behind my patella tendon has faded drastically over the past week, which has coincided with me taking a jointace collagen and glucosamine supplement as well as cod liver oil. Now I'm skeptical as to whether this could make such a difference, but I've done nothing different in the last week or so! Muscle mass in both legs is more even now, and I'd even say my involved leg has slightly more definition. Long may the smooth progress continue

[DaVinche14]

Well 10 months on now and time for an overdue update I think! Stability-wise there is no issues so far so graft holding up good! In regards to the pain behind my patella tendon, it has plagued me every day to varying degrees  since the op. I had tried everything from eccentric loading to ice packs and nothing worked. I narrowed things down one by one and I found that the heel sits (for flexion) that I head been doing faithfully had been the cause of my pain. My pain had gone undiagnosed as no one I spoke to had a clue as to what caused it, but from what I've read, the symptoms were consistent with deep infrapatellar bursitis.

It was likened to biting the inside of your mouth where, the more you bite it, the more likely you are to bite it. The aggravating factor for me was the heel sits. The pain it caused raised a lot of doubt in my confidence of the strength of my knee, sometimes feeling like it could rip apart! Gladly, my abstinence from heel sits and regular calf stretches have started to get this under control.

I've yet to get back to cutting and twisting as I've got a major psychological hurdle to overcome! I haven't played football since September 26th 2003 so I deffo have some work to do. However, I have an appointment (only my second since the op) with my ortho on feb 13th so I'll seek some reassurance and post the outcome.