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Author Topic: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab  (Read 7410 times)

Offline madmary66

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #45 on: July 10, 2012, 10:09:33 AM »
I've been to Les Arcs a few times now and stayed both low down (Peisey Villandry) and Arcs 2000 (not so pretty but much closer to lifts) and last time we did manage the Vanoise Express to La Plagne whcih was great but SO busy as it was Feb half term and everyone seemed to have the same idea that day!

My employer (small to medium pharmaceutical co.)  told me that if I was signed off by my GP, I wasn't allowed to work at home (I did offer!) as I wouldn't be insured and they would therefore be liable if I then, for example, tripped over a laptop wire or something. That was fine by me but I am very lucky with my company/boss as they are just fab and very supportive so I don't think anyone really expected me to work at home really but at least I offered. I've been here 16 years now so they know me well and I have a very good sick record so I guess they just accepted it as one of those things although my boss ( a non skier!) did ask me whether I had finally been put off skiing yet!  Despite having been here so long, would you believe I only signed up to the company private healthcare scheme exactly 9 days before I went skiing (nothing to do with impending ski trip just a feeling that I wasn't getting any younger and perhaps I should take advantage of it at last) so all of my physio and surgery has been private and fully funded which has been great and so nearly didn't happen.   At last, a bit of good luck amongst all the crap!

Have you started physio yet?  I would be interested to hear what they get you to do as it seems to vary so much from person to person.  I have got a reasonable number of excercises to do whcih were initially taking me an hour morning and evening when I first went back to work which was  a right pain but now that I'm going up and down stairs completely normally, some of those exercises (stepping ones) have been removed so now it's mainly cycling, squats and hamstring strengthening exercises.


Getting in and out of the car was difficult but, like lots of things, has become so much easier now. One of the things I still find hard is getting up from lying/sitting on the floor - I feel like an old lady!

Make the most of that time at home...
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Offline ricoshay

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #46 on: July 10, 2012, 11:31:15 AM »
Aah, private healthcare - I am part of the Company scheme, but found out once I had the injury that it doesn't cover winter sports! So it was a trawl through the NHS system for me, and that was probably the biggest nightmare of the whole situation!  At least my travel insurance sorted the costs out whilst abroad, and got me home in comfort and refunded my lift pass  :D
I've been with this company 7 years, but my boss doesn't beleive in people being sick or incapacitated - he was quite supportive when I had to work from home for a couple of weeks when I got back, but because I've been pretty moblile more recently, and back at the gym, he can't understand why I need the op  ::)

I started physio 5 hours after the op  :o The PT came to the bed to get me up and gave me some leg straightening stuff to do. Then I had my first proper session last Wed (op was Fri), and I'm back there tomorrow. I'm currently doing quad sets, straight leg raises, the same on my side, calf raises, squats with a ball (they're hard), heel slides and gentle hamstring curls laid on my front, but these are really difficult a the moment. I was also encouraged to get on an exercise bike. I'm keeping a post op diary on here too (its in the under 50 posts section). I use the 'rests' between sets to do sit ups and stuff, just to keep everything going. I do 3 lots a day, and they take about an hour each time. I struggle to get up off the floor too so I scramble back to the sofa, get on to that, and then up!!! I now know how my grandma feels!!!!

I guess the challenge will be fitting in physio when I do go back full time. I'm thinking a 'phased' return may be in order, because the way my diary gets filled up, it'll get neglected.....



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Offline Lee272

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #47 on: July 15, 2012, 07:27:38 PM »
9 Months Post Op

Just a quick post to say that I'm now 9 months since my operation and everything is going fantastically well. For those people out there that have just had their reconstruction or are just about to, believe me when I say that there is light at the end of the tunnel!

My knee is now very strong and I'm quickly returning to my pre-injury level of fitness. I can pretty much do everything that I could do before my injury and very rarely give my knee a second thought. I've not returned to any contact sports yet but I'm 100% confident that I'll be back playing rugby or racing motocross by next season (march) so I'm over the moon!  ;D I've even signed up to do my first ever triathlon in September this year.

There were times during the first couple of months when I questioned whether having the reconstruction was the right thing to do, but now I'm certain that I made the right decision. For those of you who are now going through those first few tough months, good luck!
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Offline ricoshay

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #48 on: July 16, 2012, 08:05:49 AM »
That's great Lee, well done, and thank you for the update with such good news!
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Offline madmary66

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #49 on: July 16, 2012, 09:31:46 AM »
Hi Lee, thanks for a great and inspiring post!   9 months for me will be when I am skiing again (already booked before my ACL rupture!) so fingers crossed all will be as positive for me as it is for you!   I didn't do any exercises at all yesterday as I was at a wedding all day and I felt SO guilty when I went to bed and worried that my recovery will be reduced as a result - I think I'm getting a bit over cautious these days!   How often did/do you do exercises, I am hopeful that there will be come a time when it won't have to be as regular as it is now!  :o Mary
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Offline Lee272

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #50 on: July 19, 2012, 08:29:47 AM »
Hi Madmary,

Missing your exercises for one day isn't going to make any difference, don't worry. It's easy to become obsessed isn't it? In the early days I was doing my exercises between 3-5 times a day but this was when the exercises were very basis floor based things like heal slides. After about 6 weeks I started doing shallow bodyweight squats and stuff like that at home once or twice a day. There were obviously the odd day that I missed though and as time went on the exercises gradually progressed until at about the 4 month mark I started doing proper lower body weights in the gym 3-4 times a week and was cycling and swimming regularly. At about 6 months post op things just 'clicked' and I found I no longer needed to be so religious with my physio. I am a bit of a fitness fanatic anyway and I found that I no longer needed to do specific physio exercises because I was able to return to my pre-injury activities of rowing, swimmining, cycling, running and weights 3-4 times a week.

As a result, I no longer do any 'physio' as such. I just do my normal activities, which have always involved weights for my lower body at least once a week too. The only difference is that I now do as much as possible single legged so that I can make sure that my right leg isn't doing the work for my left leg.

Good luck with your recovery.  :)
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Offline madmary66

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #51 on: September 06, 2012, 08:52:39 AM »
Hi Ricoshay, I was just wondering how you were getting on with your recovery/physio as it's been a while since we posted.  Hope all is well?
 ;D
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Offline ricoshay

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #52 on: September 12, 2012, 08:39:56 PM »
hi there!!!
All going reasonably well, thank you Madmary. Not getting to the gym as often as I'd like, but walking well and am trying to walk the dog a lot and get out on the push iron plenty too. still hoping to ski in February subject to surgeon's approval. Physio is  6 weekly, but there are knee classes which i try to get to. Still have the odd moment due to the lack of muscle strength, and not running yet :-(
But back on my motorbike!!!!!!
Need to work a bit on flex, can nearly kneel, but not quite.....


How's things with you?
...ricoshay
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Offline rainman14

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Re: ACL reconstruction surgery & rehab
« Reply #53 on: September 24, 2012, 05:02:04 PM »
Hello guys,

i am at 27th day post-op for revision on my left knee with patellar tendon autograft.
I am doing pretty good i think except for one think that makes me sad...

While at CPM i have full extension and flexion up to 145-150 degrees,when i am walking with my crutches i feel the area around the incision of the patellar tendon quite stiff and this prevents me to bend it without extra force.It feels like something there prevents my knee to bend smoothly.
Is this normal?I am really afraid but i think that since the patellar tendon is half now,it should be normal.
Will this stiffness go away?
My physio massages the area there,it is quite stiff,it feels like i have rock underneath the skin.
Should i be afraid of scar tissue?

Ouf,many questions...

Any experiences?

Thanks in advance

G.
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