Ruptured Patellar Tendon Surgery

[tonestone]

Zlou58 - I use the McDavid Patella Knee Support.

[redspudder]

Whats it for Lou?

[Tehtoo]

Hey guys,

Greetings from Sunny AZ, USA.

I am starting week 18 post op. I am running, light jumping, hopping, and strength training. My restrictions are no unscripted movements (sports), trail running (uneven ground), or full speed sprinting. I am allowed to build up to full speed but not maintain it. However, I go to the OS Tuesday the 13th for week 18 follow up. I think he will okay the sprinting but not the trail running... yet. Haven't done hills either.

 I have read several posts where RPT brothers lament about strength. Remember, the first 12 weeks or so is about reduction of swelling and range of motion. That's it. Don't worry about strength til it's time for it. The better the ROM and reduction of swelling the better your strength training will proceed. I still have some swelling and numbness on the outside of my knee. I feel higher than normal fluid from time to time. I can't stress how much the pool work has helped. I first started swimming with a pull bouy at week 2. So, no leg kicking. Week 6 follow up I was able to start kicking with pull bouy. Week 10 I went to full kicking; no frog kick (breast stroke). Week 14, I was cleared to frog kick and had unlimited distance.  At week 10 I started running in the water... prepping for the real thing. Week 14 I started running on land. Week 16, I started doing agility and jumping. Week 18, I assume my OS will ok sprints but I will do high knees/fast feet in the pool... see how that feels... and go from there. 

Have patience with yourself. We have sustained an injury that has specific boundaries that should not be crossed. Perserverance. Diligence.

Good luck!    Tehtoo

[dieselcut]

Zlou58
I am currently using the Neoprene Safe-T-Sport Hinged Knee Brace. My Physio recommended it when out of the immobilizer. Of course, this is not necessarily at the discretion of my OS, so please ask yours if it could work for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Safe-T-Sport-Hinged-Brace-Neoprene-X-Small/dp/B00011CQ9G

[tonestone]

Hello all last week on the 8th was my 8 months post op.

Its feels like spring in New York and this nice weather gets me going 

I had a great and busy weekend.  Bowling Saturday night (3 games) a round of golf first thing Sunday morning then I capped off the later part of the afternoon with softball practice.   I know it may seem like I am pushing it but this is how it’s been for me for as long as I could remember, mind you I will be 48 years old this August but when spring time rolls around the little kid comes out to play

I’m so happy with how I’m feeling that I wanted to share this with you all, I am not 100% yet but it sure feels good to get out and run around again.
 
Zlou58, Redspudder and Dieselcut  I use a patella brace on both knees when I play softball and one on my PRT knee when playing golf.  My PT told me it would be a good idea to use when I play softball to remind me not to slide and I decided to use it for golf just as a precaution.
   
Until my next post - Best wishes and good luck to all.

[abros]

1 year report.

Hi everyone - it’s been a few months and I am now 2 weeks short of one year since my injury.  I am going to keep this short because I am feeling great and can do everything I did prior to the injury.  My bulk is better than my good leg was 4 weeks after my surgery.  It is still slightly smaller than the good quad but you would have to get out the cm measuring tape to see any difference.  My strength is very good probably at least 95% of the good leg.  I can trust it and don’t think about it very often.

I spent a lot of time in the gym.  Dead lifts, squats, cleans, one leg jumping and now one leg squating all under the guidance of a trainer / kineasioligist.  Finally, three days ago I made it to the start line of the first local mountain bike race (my goal for the last year).  I finished 5 minutes faster than last year (two weeks prior to my injury).  It was the same course but more treacherous conditions, wet and snow. 

Too all those in the early stages know that with a lot of work and dedication to getting yourself healthy again you can be better than you were before the injury.

[dieselcut]

Thank you greatly for this post Abros. You and guys like Tonestone make it so much easier for me to feel like there is light at the end. I just had my six week post op follow up yesterday and it seems that my OS is VERY conservative. I can't argue with her work, in that my knee looks pretty good and there has been no sign of infection whatsoever. Unfortunately she still wants me in the immobilizer "anytime that you are going to be walking" until my 12 week follow up. She still does not want to take any chances of me tearing the tendon before it has "fully healed". That was discouraging, especially when reading that different members here have been doing some form of PT as soon as a week after surgery. I have been only allowed to meet and talk with my Physio up until now, and have been sneaking in some rehab exercises at home on my own.
It seems every OS has different levels of tolerance, but I will finally have my first "real" PT session this upcoming Monday and I am hoping he turns me loose to start gaining back some more independence. If I can get back to pre-injury levels, like you have, then I don't think I would ever complain again about the aches and pains that I had my knee prior to it.
Again, thanks to the members of the board who have gone through this and continue to post their progress.

[Dgotti]

Greeting fellow PTR Ppl......18wk post op time
Things have been progressing quite well for me im done with ROM reaching 143 actively and 150 with me pulling at it, strength work has come along as well,...Pt these days consist of alot of circuit training that includes burpess which i hate with a passion, eccentric loading exercises, high kness and running which i can say feels good to do.....my 18wk follow up was monday and my Os was very pleased and gave me the full go ahead with no restrictions at work as athletic trainer and said that i can go to Pt now as needed as long as my therapist feels the same, i gave myself till the end of the month and hope to be done by april which will put me at the 6 month marker......
for the newbies out there, it gets better but patience and determination or a big factor especially when your in the early stages of bending and trying to get that dam str8 leg raise, its the lil things i tell ya......well till the next milestone in 5 wk Be eazy ppl and keep on keep on keepin on
"D"

[abros]

Hey Dieselcut:

6 weeks is very early yet.  I know there is great variability in treatments and post-op rehab.  I was early to motion and lost the brace at 8 weeks.  However I went athletic retraining with a National Rugby team player who was in a cast for 8 weeks (crazy).  He was 2 months earlier in the injury than me and played rugby at 10 months.  Follow you OS guidance and when you can get moving to it with a vengence!!

[dieselcut]

Thanks again for your posts Abros. I wonder how much of your success is coming from your perseverance versus just having such good genes even in your late 40's! I just turned 33 so I am hoping that having some youth on my side will be a great help. I have been blessed enough to be able to return to my job within 9 days of surgery. Kind of a workaholic. Unfortunately, for me it also means that I will not be able to get to as many PT sessions as I would like, so there is going to be a lot of rehabbing on my own.
I know that you do a lot of mountain biking, and have suggested a good recumbent bike once we PTR's are able to achieve the proper ROM. My shifts at the hospital are all 12 hours a pop, but I do get the opportunity to sit down and chart several times a day. Do you, John K, or any other members of the board have a suggestion for a mini-cycle/pedal exerciser that I could get on intermittently throughout the day? I figured that if I can't actually make it out to a "real PT" session, then maybe I could try and keep the scar tissue down and ROM increasing on my own. If I am going to be forced to be in front of a computer I might as well be doing something.

[John42]

Hi

My best exercise came from a " floor cycle " - I just sat in my chair and pedled away - there are a number of suppliers/manufactures in the UK, and suggest that you try and locate one via Google.  Not expensive - about £40 or $60 - I found this much better than a cycle in a gym.

JohnK/ Manchester UK

[dieselcut]

John, is this something similar to what you were referring to?

http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Equipment-Pedlar¨-Workout-Exerciser/dp/B000C4OHXU/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1331856969&sr=1-6

[dieselcut]

Sorry guys, the link doesn't work through clicking on the underlined part; you have to select the entire thing/url and then paste it into a new window.

[John42]

Hi dieselcut

That`s it, it was super.

There was a basic model and a delux model, made by a company in Glossop, Derbyshire - I had the delux model - cost about about £50 or $80 - made a very big difference, made up for a lousy PT who did not understand the injury...

Take care

JohnK/ Manchester UK

[redspudder]

Dieselcut

"If you are in the UK i bought one from Tesco £25,i have put link below but if it doesnt work go to tesco direct and put in One Body tone bike" in the search box at the top of the page, it helped me progress tenfold it has to be the best piece of equipment i have ever bought and cant thank John enough for recomended it,i saw so much progress within a few weeks of using it i couldnt get a full revolution at first so rocked back and forth on it then eventually after a few days got a revolution and i was then away steadily building up TBH the resistance isnt the best but thats not what its about its about getting your legs turning,i put mine against a skirting board and sat on a chair with my legs as far back as i could stretch and at first had to lean to get the revolution and over the weeks i eventually moved the chair closer and managed to peddle faster,i can now sit on a normal excersice bike and peddle away but it took me weeks before i could do this.I still use the floor bike at home now.

http://direct.tesco.com/search/default.aspx?search=One+Body+tone+bike&confirm.x=56&confirm.y=9