Cruciate ligaments :
3 months post op - is this normal? - - Posted by Wookster (Wookster), 7 January 2005
I'm now three months post op (hamstring autograft) and while my leg feels much better but I do still get periodic pains.
I had a very very stormy first week after the surgery and that set me back quite a while as I couldn't do much with my leg for 2.5 weeks and so lost a great deal of muscle.
At 5 weeks I was mostly walking normally, though I wasn't having an active life (driving into work) and only doing my physio program. I changed jobs at the end of Novmber and have to commute into work (in London) this involves tubes and about 30 mins walk, together with a fair bit more walking around at work. Since then my knee has become somewhat more painful and swollen. Its mostly sore inside the joing, where my femur and tibia meet and under the portals one either side of my patella. The underside of my knee is also quite painful, where the hamstring ligament is. My physio thinks the pain is due to all the extra activity I'm doing.
My definition was first visible in my quads about 4 weeks ago and I'm now doing about 20 mins daily on the excersise bike. Incidentally when I get on the bike I always here a crikking noise just after I start cycling, like when you pull your fingers and the fluid in the knuckles pops).
I've not had any event that could have damaged the graft. I have a full ROM with no locking though if I have my knee straight for an extended period it is stiff when I try and bend if again.
Is this sort of thing normal? Where were you 3 months post op?
Posted by Gab (Gab), 7 January 2005
Hi, ACL reconstruction recovery is very though and nobody's rehab seems to be similar. At 3 months I had very weak quad muscles still and a lot of klunking/clicking/crunching in the knee which have been persisting and now at 7 months will require a scope to hopefully fix the problem. It could very well be that your knee is still settling down and 're-adjusting' itself.
From what I gathered, if your rehab goes well, you should be able to return to sports after 9 months but it can take up to a year and over for you knee to feel 'normal' again. So do not underestimate how long and tedious the rehab is going to be, you're still at the beginning..I got used to my knee not being normal now although I can see progress from time to time.
Anyway, do you have a 3-month post-op apointment with your surgeon? He'll be the best person to gauge how well your knee is doing.
Posted by Wookster (Wookster), 7 January 2005
Thanks for the reply.
I am still becoming aware of just how major the recovery from this surgery is - its truly a major operation and recovery is such a long process.
I guess I'm just worried as my knee seemed to have settled completely before I'd started the new job and where as now its somewhat painful. But if most other people are still getting some pain and strange noises coming out of the knee at this stage that puts my mind at rest greatly.
I have my 3 month follow up with my OS Friday week after next and I'll make sure he gives my knee a full examination. And in the interim I'll be working hard on the excersise bike to try and bring muscles back.
I saw your post RE your scope - I hope it all goes well.
Posted by Gab (Gab), 7 January 2005
Oh thank you very much 
Yeah it's the fragile balance between pushing hard in rehab and not overdo the knee. I've had some episodes of iliotibial pain (inflammation in the tendons on the outer side of the knee), patellar tendon tendonitis since I had an patellar graft and all sorts of issues related to quad wasting and the possible scar tissue which gets in the way of my extension.
I for one totally underestimated just how brutal, lenghty and frustrating the whole surgery and rehab processes would be. On the other hand it's so satisfying when you notice some sort of improvement.
Good luck next week.
Updated Wed Oct 15 2008