ACL Reconstruction Hamstring Graft

[Ron Da Silva]

Greetings all,

Had my ACLR with hamstring graft now 10 days ago and wanted to share my experience so far and hopefully get some advice! No brace or passive motion machine used at all, just standard physion techniques and I am already at just about full range of movement, slightly short of full extension and walking with a slight limp without crutches. Pain from removal of hamstring is quite intense at times and for some reason starting to get pain in back of calf but overall I don't think it has been as bad as I expected.

I do have a potential issue that I am not sure about in that when walking, if i straighten my operated leg, it still feels like it will give way as it did before the surgery but much more severe, would anyone know if this is normal?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Ron Da Silva]

Hi All,

Just following up from yesterdays post. Any advise would be welcomed!!!! Woke up this morning and most of swelling I had managed to shift is back and I seem to have lost quite a bit of the range of movement that I had, Knee feels very stiff and painfull again! Could be that I have done too much or is it likely to be a tad more sreious?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[JoJo Knees]

Hi Ron
Considering I just had my acl surgery (patella graft) a week ago I probably don't have much advice but your recovery sounds pretty impressive
My doc and pt are all about getting the swelling down and say that's what keeps me from flexing as much as I know I can...soo I've been elevating and icing even more and yesterday the pt massaged my knee to move the swelling out and i definitely already feel better and more flexible. So I'm sure you are fine...and will have that range back once u get the swelling down. I wish we could just have needles to suck it all out every morning.

Wish I could help with the straightening...but I'm still just learning it all too! My extension is pretty good though from spending a lot of time with a pillow under my ankle letting my knee sag down. It's painful and uncomfortable but I kept doing it as much as I can. Doctor said that was good and the pain was a good stretch so maybe you just need to keep working it. You are pretty early in too...good luck!!!!!!

[Ron Da Silva]

Hi Joanna,

Thanks for the reply! Sounds like we are in a similar situation, hope your going well! Spoke to my PT earlier and it sounds very much like I have been doing too much on the leg too soon (Not used crutches for 3 days and being cleaning and cutting the lawn) not a good idea so gonna take it easy. Sat with bag of frozen peas on the knee as I write this.

Good luck with the recovery and if you have any issues or want to share problems with a fellow recoverer please feel free to post and I will always reply ASAP.

[gardemo1]

Not sure what you mean by straightening the leg and feels as if it would give way. Is this a strength issue? What i mean is that your quads can go rather weak after injury and then surgery. Maybe the feeling is more of a giving away in the sense of losing the strength.

I went about 4 months with no ACL before my last surgery. They had taken it out completely in a stage one surgery and when i noticed what I would call "slipping" would happen when I turned, stopped suddenly, or twisted in any way. Usually when the knee was bent. I could hyper extend my knee (pushing it downward) but that was minimal.  At other times in a straight gate my muscles would "give" and I would sort of lose my balance. The PT person I worked with explained that it was mostly quad and hamstring strength that would cause that, an not the graft. The ACL is a twisting / loading liagment.

My 2 cents.

[NIGAV]

Hi Ron

im at the 20 week post op stage now after ACLr with hamstring. I also had no brace and no CPM.  Seems to be the normal protocol here in UK.  You are still in the very early stages of the recovery process. Dont try and rush the recovery. There is no quick way around it. I know what you mean when you say you feel unstable when trying to walk with normal walking pattern.  I was the same as in i felt unstable as if my knee would hyperextend after id stopped using crutches at the 10 day point.  Just be very careful on all surfaces you walk on and where you plant your foot.  All the muscles, particularily the quads will be very weak and unable to help support the knee like they should normally.  Just stick to the ROM particularily regaining the full extension if you want to loose the limp, and strengthening activities and you WILL see steady improvment in time. 
All it takes for swelling and pain to return is a small over stretch or slip etc and the joint could be aggravated.  Happened to me twice but as the leg muscles returned, i had more control over my knee and gradually the swelling dissappeared and didnt return
As i said im at 20 weeks now and running regular with no problems or pain including interval sprints, jumping and rebounding exercises, one legged hoping and rebounding. I saw big  improvement after the 9 to 10 week mark in terms of agility, strength, balance and muscle mass in my quads building quicker

Good luck with the recovery

[Ron Da Silva]

Hi Nigav,

Thanks for the post, good to hear that you are doing well. I have had a big improvement since my last post (Im now 3 weeks post op), walking pretty good and got full range of motion. Swelling gone down a hell of a lot and got the ok from my P.T yesterday to start on the stationary bike which im sure will help with the strengthening a lot.