MPFL reconstruction April 4th 2012

[allyd]

SLR’s early on definitely ‘hurt’ some early on for me. Especially if I tried to do them to quickly or did to many. Not sure what your PT told you, but I was always told: do what you can and work on quad sets. My PT was just happy I could actually do a SLR at my first appt. As you heal and get more quad strength, it should pass.

What direction were you given for bracing, etc?

[krismvinson]

I am impressed that you can do a SLR...my PT has to do most of the lifting for me when I do mine...and at home my husband has to do the lifting..they tell me that they can feel my muscle engaging on the way down but I think it will be a while before I get there on my own.

[Tiggs1986]

I can't really but on a few my PT randomly took his hand away (kinda like when your teaching someone to float) and
made me try to lift or keep it lifted. I could a little bit but holy cow I bet everyone in hearing distance thought I was in labor.  My sister tried to lower her hand so I could try to hold my leg up for the 5 seconds like I had tried in therapy and due to my obvious struggle and pain, refused to do it again.

[Lorikeet]

Sorry the SLRs have been painful so far. I've not done one yet but I haven't found my attempts painful as yet...just uncomfortable and jarring as the muscles tighten around the patella. Hope it starts to get easier for you soon.

[Tiggs1986]

thanks Lorikeet they're getting better it seems there's a spot on the way down that from there until my leg touches the bed it's just tight and sharp  .
   My follow-up went well. The PA was impressed at how much the swelling has gone down and how far I can bend it (80 degrees in 90 seconds!) Also says my sites look ok and I could start removing the steri-strips in the shower if  I like, but I think I'll just let them come off on their own (because of my pets). He also said he wasn't suprised I had been spasming the first week and that there really is nothing that can be done about it, just try and cover-up the pain. I also was told the MPFL was torn, which makes me wonder if that happened when I dislocated the second time (we were under the impression it had just stretched out as the MRI after the 1st dislocation didn't show anything. We went over a couple of my arthroscopic pics and hopefully I'll figure out how to post them on here so you all can see the difference and possibly let me know which way the pics are supposed to go! (He told me which one my femur was but I forgot to write it down and now am confused.)     2nd PT session was this morning and with constant tapping on my quad and help with the 1st couple of inches I was able to do half of my SLRs and all my hip adductors "on my own" also was able to lift my lower leg up a few inches when it was bent over the table so that was encouraging. Was exhausted when I was finished though. Next PT appt on Monday, here's to hoping that once I get warmed up I can do the exercises completely on my own! 

[Tiggs1986]

Before...and After! (I don't know if this is the orientation these pics are supposed to be in or what's what. If anyone could help with that I'd be grateful! I get the concept of it but don't recall what's what as far as my knee anatomy goes! It's the left knee)

[Lorikeet]

I can't provide any information on what you're seeing but I can see there's quite a difference between before and after shots.

My steri strips are also still on and I had surgery the same day as you. I think they serve as good protection against one of my puppies who likes to jump and has sharp claws. It was too early at my first post-op to remove them but I assume my OS will do that when I see him next Friday. Unless they come off before then, that is...

Well done on those SLRs. It seems a few days can make a lot of difference so maybe it won't be long until you are doing them without help. I'm not doing PT yet so making do on my own. It was suggested elsewhere on the boards to try using a towel for support so I might start trying that soon to get that little bit further along. I think sometimes half the battle is dealing with impatience (at least on my part). 

[Tiggs1986]

Post-Op Day 16.
        Was super frustrated and disappointed this morning with my at home PT. I could only do one SLR with the tapping and such. It was like it wasn't even working at all. My mom would help me lift and slowly remove her hand to have me hold it and it would flop to the bed, dead weight.         and I was doing SO good yesterday!  I've been in a horrible mood ever since. Hoping that tonight will go better. Also this itching is driving me mad! Why does the healing process haveta itch so bad!

[Tiggs1986]

I removed my steri-strips today, but had to but some small bandages on the incisions as they didn't seem like they were healed enough to go without support (though I strips were fallen off). Also I think I may be allergic to steri-strips as I developed horrible hives where they had been! 

[helencatherine]

Hey x

Try a little antihistamine tablet to help with the itching, it's what I was advised to take by nurse cu the hospital to help with the itch from my healing wounds under my cast, so far so good! X

Your war wounds look really neat! I hope mine are as tidy as yours lol, I won't find out until Thursday xjdm I have my appointment to have cast removed :-)

[Tiggs1986]

thanks helencatherine, the antihistamine worked wonders on my sanity.
     PT this moring was awful. I tried the recumbent bike and could not get my knee to bend passed 60 degrees! Also When I told my therapist how much of a struggle SLR's have been this weekend he decided to electrocute me!      It wasn't so bad. He turned it up until it was just tolerable and it cycled from zapping to resting for 15min, I wanna say it was 10sec zap with 15sec rest and I had to make my foot raise off the bed while it was zapping (there was a roll under my knee). It was neat though at 1st I couldn't get my foot to do anything and by the time it was over I was lifting my foot into the air all by myself! 
     I also had my 4wk appt with OS today (and yes it's only been like 2 and a half weeks but he wanted to see my rash and blisters 1st hand.) He seemed pleased with my bending (though I couldn't bend it nearly as far as last week) and the mobility and tracking of my patella. Thinks the incisions look great (besides the hives) AND told me I could try sleeping without the brace! A good night's sleep IS within view!  
      I'm now pretty sure I know who the rude nurse on the phone was. I had her today at the Ortho Clinic and she was as rude as ever! I had a couple small bandaids on some of my incisions that looked like they maybe weren't ready to have the strips removed and she was all "take off those bandaids if your allergic to steristrips your allergic to bandaids!" (not necessarily it's a different adhesive, I tolerate bandaids and tape just fine). Also when she asked about allergies and I listed the two I have she got all mad and defensive because one was adhesive to a medication patch and they didn't have it listed (like I was blaming them for my current situation or something). When my mother brought up the fact that my knee was more swollen then it's been she made a remark about "well you need to elevate it" in a nasty tone of voice. I told her my leg is NEVER down unless I'm walking or doing my PT. She just kept interuppting me and not listening to what I was saying! Ugh. It definitely earned her name in my letter to the department head regarding interactions with the Ortho nurses.
     My at home therapy went well tonight. I think my cat appointed herself to oversee my therapy; when she sees I've started she jumps up on the bed and sits or lays down by my feet. Then when I move around for the SLR's (I gotta have my head at the foot of my bed so my Mom can tap the quad muscle) she starts purring. For whatever reason her purring lets me focus better (until I catch her concerned/confused look out of the corner of my eye and start laughing). When I'm done she naps like she has done such hard work!  Haha. Anyway I was happy, tonight I could do 30 SLR's with my Mom padding my quad (instead of tapping). The last few days I've been lucky if after 17-18 attempts I can pull off 3 SLR's.
     I'm not sure which one made my day, my go ahead to sleep without my brace or the 30 SLR's I did!     

[krismvinson]

Sounds like you are making great progress!

I know what the electronic stimulation is for your thigh (that is the one I am in fear of having to take home and use daily) but what is the "tapping" of the thigh that you are doing at home?  I notice with my SLR's (which I can still only do with the brace on) that I can only do them after I do my other exercises as warm up.

[Tiggs1986]

krismvinson: it's kinda hard to explain. my therapist (and now my mother) feel my quad when I'm doing a quad set and the area that's not contracting as well they start tapping with 2 or 3 finger tips quickly and with some force (it's not comfortable and they get tired out) while I'm trying to do my SLR. I guess it's suppose to agitate the muscle or something and it seems to work while they are doing it. Here's a video I found (it's only the 1st 4 or 5 seconds of the video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSPdZmoUKPg

[Lorikeet]

Congrats on the breakthrough with the SLRs! It seems you are doing quite well now so hope that continues over the next few weeks.

A definite thumbs down to the rude nurse. There is no excuse to treat patients like that. At least you should have a name for one of the nurses giving you grief.

[yc_angel]

Wow good for you that the SLR's are going great...keep up the good work 

I hope that nurse gets a warning or somehing from her boss....thats no way to threat patients I'd have told her off for talking to me like that....

Xx

Angel