Ruptured Patellar Tendon Surgery

[Zlou58]

Hey all!!!  So it's been awhile since last update. ROM is so much better. Topping out at 105-110 about with assistance. By myself I am at 100 easy. Strength is TERRIBLE. any ideas on strength would be sweet!!  I have a little problem with a crater of somE sort. It almost feels like when I tore it but at the end of the sOft spot it is hard unlike the first go around. I am able to do a let extension from sitting on a chair but cannot get it all the way straight yet. No clue If I am cleared by doc to do that. I don't want it happening again but I think I'd have to fall for that!  Strength ideas would be solid at this point.  Or ideas about anything ha. Take it easy



LOU

[John42]

Hi Lou



Remind us how long it is since you sustained your RPT injury?


JohnK/ Manchester UK

[redspudder]

Hi Lou

I am 19 weeks post op and have 135 degs ROM,i am now working on strengthening at my PT sessions i now do a circuit in the gym at PT steadily building up on leg presses,calf presses,hamstring stretches,theraband,wedge raises,bike,x trainer,i just keep working each session slowly building up the weights as and when i feel ready,i can feel i have come on leaps and bounds the last few weeks but if i walk any type of distance my knee feels as though it is going to collapse at times,my PT said this is due to my quads being weak and this is what we are working on and this will go on over the next few months.Just keep working through as your PT advises and as people have advised on here listen to your knee,i do work at home on my excersice bike about 30mins a day just on level 1 i find this helps, you might not be able to get a revolution on it yet i couldnt until a couple of weeks back,have you bought a small floor bike it helped me loads i cant recomend it enough you can just sit on a chair and the bike on the floor it is much easier to get a revolution on this and you can even sit and watch TV whilst using it although i just put my ipod on and away i go for 10-20min bursts again listening to my knee,it helps so much in loosening my knee and tearing up that scar tissue.
I still have trouble up and down stairs and go one at a time not one foot above the other if you know what i mean,i am very slow up and down the stairs.

Andy

[Zlou58]

13 weeks post op!!

[John42]

Hi

Patience is the keyword - you still have a long way to go - just DON`T push it, the tendon is still in the healing process.

Take care

JohnK/ Manchester UK

[DErickson]

Lou,

I'm struggling with the strength in the leg as well.  I am 8 weeks post-op right now.  My ROM is coming along great.  I got to 127 on my own today and have been seeing about 3-5 degrees improvement every other day.  Unfortunately, the strength is coming back slower.  I'm able to go up stairs albeit wi some trouble.  The down part - not so much because the quad isn't strong enough.  We are doing the bike, leg pressese, and a few other strengthening exercises plus I've been trying to walk as much as possible.  I'm not going to push it too much, just let it recover at its own pace.  I'm leaving in two weeks for our Disney trip and I've decided to rent a scooter..I just don't think the knee can handle the walking... At least I'll be able to get on all the rides with my ROM.  I hope you continue to see improvements.

Dave

[CSM4thCAV2014]

Greetings all, just checking in at my 10 month post surgery mark. Not much difference from last report. My ROM remains pretty decent, hi 130’s on both legs and the constant pain and swelling has diminished quite a bit thankfully. Of course I still have considerable pain when stressing the knees, most notably when I engage in any weight bearing activity such as climbing steps. My gait has improved and I walk quite well. I can now do such things as crawling into my crawlspace under my house to change the furnace filter. I always use knee-pads for anything like that, but just a few short weeks ago, I wouldn’t have considered doing such a thing.

That’s about it for the good stuff, my other issues remain: patella alta, buckling at times(without any warning most times), great difficulty rising from a seated position, improper patella tracking despite wearing braces for a good bit of the time and still have poor extension on both legs. I cannot run at all and cannot walk faster than a average walk pace. Steps are painful and slow both ways. Even walking on a downward slope scares me to death. I continue water therapy primarily and utilize both a stationary bike at home and a real bicycle on the road at times…both help my knees a good bit I feel. I still do the dreaded straight leg lifts, but both my therapist and doc agree for me to avoid things such as weighted squats until such time as the patella alta is corrected. The popping in both knees is still just as prominent and painful as ever.

Currently my OS is planning for me to receive hyaluronan fluid injections. This hopefully will ease the pain enough to allow more aggressive therapy measures. Besides the troublesome after affect of patella alta following the PTRs, I also suffer from practically zero cartilage remaining on both knees. My OS has said my main problem overall is the patella alta which will have to be corrected surgically. He is not going to do it, but has told me he will gladly recommend a couple people he feels has the necessary skills and experience in that particular procedure which will be uncommon for a bilateral. I’m thinking more about going to Vanderbilt or Johns Hopkins or somewhere like that when I have that done. I’ll have to wait on that until after I retire as I will not be able to take off for the weeks of recovery and therapy following a procedure like that. I’m hopeful to be approved for an early retirement from job by the end of the year or sometime in 2013 at the latest. Meanwhile, I just keep plugging on.

JC

[tonestone]

Tomorrow 3/8/12 makes my 8th month post op mark for me.  I have to say things are going very well for me ; I just got back from my annual softball trip/vacation to Puerto Rico with one of my softball leagues.  I played 4 rounds of golf and 6 softball games.

The first 2 games of softball I took it easy and just batted trying to get a feel for the game and how the knee would react to running on dirt.  During the other 4 softball games I played my normal position of 3rd base, I was a little rusty fielding but things became a little easier as the games went on.   In all 6 games I hit a few singles; a couple of doubles and 1 triple, my biggest concern was how my knee would handle running the bases and to my surprise it held up just find.  I had a little swelling after the games which I took care of with ice…

My wife and friends were surprised that I was running as fast I did, they were very concern for me asking how my knee was doing after each at bat or after each inning.  I am glad to have people around that care, it helps…

My golf game was a little off which wasn’t too bad considering I haven’t picked up a club in almost 10 months but it is what it is, I had a great time.

This has been my best vacation by far and I am looking forward to having a great summer.  I will continue to go to the gym 3 times a week to make my body stronger and not just the knee because now it’s a way of life.

I wish all a speedy recovery; make the best of what we can because this injury is no joke.  To all the newbie’s good luck this injury requires a lot of patience and hard work once you are cleared for PT.  Listen to your OS, PT but most important yourself it’s your knee don’t overdo it.
   
FYI - I use a patella brace on both knees when I play softball and one on my PRT knee when playing golf.  Until my next post - Best wishes and good luck to all.

[John42]

Hi Tonestone

Great news, that`s what we like to hear, however, continue to listen to your knee and take care.

Best wishes

JohnK/ Manchester UK

[Amsterdam_Paul]

Playing football last wednesday (29th Feb - the "LEAP DAY" which is ironic as i wont be leaping for a while..... ) and in a challenge managed to rupture my Patellar Tendon. Was ZERO pain, just a hole where my patella used to be. got someone to drive me ot hospital and luckily for me, the doctors in the AMC hospital in Amsterdam did a great job and i  had surgery 16 hours later.

Day 1 - No real pain, just rest.

Day 2 - Given some instructions on crutch use with leg in brace, no real pain, can put full weight on left leg, not easy to move around and cant do it for long, but seeing some posts here I think I am lucky.

Day 3 - Doc checked and changed dressing, no real swelling and released form hospital, only 500mg Paracetamol for pain control - which is enough

Day 8 - Now and just keeping it up, resting apart to stop a numb bum etc... Waiting for the doctors appointment on 21st March when they take the 27 staples out and see where we go from there.

One question based on your experience - I have a holiday planned to Orlando with friends on May 11th. what chances do you think I have to make this? not thrilled with 10 hour flight, but in ROM brace with only potentially 6.5weeks of PT and using ROM brace.... Will obviously check with docs and all that good stuff but 2 weeks till then...

Paul

[John42]

Hi Paul

Welcome to this exclusive club for RPT patients -

In immediate response to your question, book and Isle seat - and get a wheel chair at Amsterdam and Olando airport.

You are in for a lot of walking in Orlando - I assume that you are making for Disney, and suggest that you hire a wheelchair, otherwise your legs on crutches will not get you far, and it`s a big place.

I have sent you a set of documents which outline the details of your RPT injury and the rehab process.    You have sustained a very serious injury, and you are faced with quite a long rehab.

Read with care as many previous posts as possible and ASK questions - we are here to help you along.

Best wishes

JohnK/ Manchester UK

[Amsterdam_Paul]

Many thanks John.

Holiday is a mixed golf and theme park. Maybe I will be able mange some crazy golf but that will be about all !!!!

I dI'd not think past the can I go part' so thanks for the tips on wheel chair,

I will have a good scan thought the web site and will post anything I can think of.

Paul

[ketdizzle]

Hello all. Long time (4 weeks) reader and finally posting.

I ruptured my patellar tendon on 2/2/12. I have played sports my whole life (28 year) and can say I am fairly aware of many sports injuries, but I never heard of this injury until 2/2/12. I was playing indoor volleyball and went to jump serve. As soon as I jumped I heard a loud pop and looked down to see if my patellar tendon band snapped off, but it had not. It seemed as if I was floating forever...felt like 10 seconds before I hit the ground. I did my best to land on my left leg to brace my right from any impact, which I did but as soon as I went to put any weight on it it collapsed. I had no idea what had happened except I knew I had to get to the hospital ASAP.

If you do not life stories please skip to next paragraph =). The friendly staff at the gym brought in a wheelchair and took down an incident report, but the only thing on my mind was how am I going to get to the hospital. Let me go back to mention I am new to this gym...this city...this state so I do not have family/friends close by whom I can call immediately. I tried talking to one of the other volleyball players who have lived here a long time and he said they are probably going to tell you to ice it and go home. I actually wanted to punch this guy in the face because he was not understanding the severity of the injury. I hate going to doctors, unless I have to. Anyhow, my wife and I moved not too long ago and love it so far. Now back to the RPT...I had the car, with me, at the gym....our only car. I called my wife and we tried to figure out either call a cab or walk over to the gym. Before I have people yelling at me for allowing her to walk (it was 10pm)...we live in a quiet and safe residential area. She quickly jetted over and I kept her on the phone all the way for some sense of safety. We head to the ER confirm its RPT detached from tibia and I have surgery scheduled 4 days later because it was over the weekend.

I had surgery 2/6/12. I was given norco and took it for the first 2 days,  but as the pain wore off I stopped it because it is extremely potent. During the first 2 days I had 1 or 2 extremely painful twitches that occurred while I slept, but those subsided after 2-3 days. I had staples removed 2/13/12 showing good healing, however, as the time passed a small part of my wound would not close. I went into the doc on the 17th thinking it might be infected, but the doc said some skin is folded under (it is hard to explain) not allowing it close. Basically the layers of the skin on both sides of the incision do not match up because the right side of the incision is folded down. This is no real big issues, just cosmetics and he said he can fix it with general anesthetic. I said I will think about it and my goal is to heal the RPT and get back into action.

I started PT 2/23/12. For the first 2 weeks (just completed) simple 30 deg flexion and quad sets/extensions. I have run into one snag, but not sure if this is common. My knee cap and such feels fine, but I feel super tightness in my IT (iliotibial band), which is pretty much stopping me at 30 degs. Its actually painfully to even go more and worries me for next week I start 60 deg flexion. My doc said that my knee cap is slight lower (closer to tibia) because of the nature of the rupture so I wonder if that plays a role.

Overall though I am happy with my progress and am eager to get back to my activities.

[John42]

Hi Ketdizzle

Welcome to the exclusive RPT thread - you have found the right thread to learn all about your rare and serious injury ( a typical sports injury).

Important that you ask questions - lots of buddies on this thread to help you along - essentaial that you read previous posts.   You are in for quite a long rehab.

Where do you live?

I will be pleased to send you a collection of documents, which I have built up over the years, which covers your injury and the rehab procdure - just let me have your e-mail address.

Keep posting on your progress.

JohnK/ Manchester UK
Jkramrisch@aol.com

[Zlou58]

Anyone have ideas on knee brace to wear AFTER  the big one comes off???