Cruciate ligaments :

Easy Surgery! - - Posted by sab26pepp (sab26pepp), 22 January 2005

I have a positive experience to share.  I had ACL reconstruction with an allograft on January 7th in Santa Monica, CA & it went incredibly well.  The first 2 days were quite uncomfortable, but by the third day I was doing great.  I wasn't a fan of the hemovac in my leg, however!  I could put about 70% of my weight on it & was ready to get out of the house!  I was back to work a week later & now, 2 weeks later, I am walking without crutches.  I'm not completely back to normal, but definitely making progress.  

I start physical therapy next week & I'm looking forward to getting my range of motion back.   My OS had me doing the pedlar, leg lifts, & quad contractions right after surgery every hour for 10 minutes while I was awake & it truly helped in preventing stiffness.  My surgeon is amazing!  I was so afraid of this surgery, but it went much more smoothly than I could have ever imagined.  I hope this helps others who are completely freaked out about ACL reconstruction surgery!
Posted by timtlo (timtlo), 22 January 2005

I was just wondering how old you are and why your DR. went with the allograft as opposed to an autograft. I am awaiting the results of my MRI. I see my DR. on Tuesday to find out what the deal is. Anyway I met with a PT yesterday to go over pre-op protocol. The PT was telling me that the DR. I'm seeing does alot of allografts and that recovery is alot easier and faster, so I've been reading about the pros and cons of both. Thanks

Tim
Posted by jbluestein (jbluestein), 22 January 2005

sab26 - thaks for posting,  I am scheduled for an allograft in March. Good to hear about your positive experience.

Do you know if your surgeon used bio-absorbable screws or titanium?

timtlo - check this site. search on allograft, or autograft. feel free to contact the Dr.'s via email. I've had excellent feedback on several subjects.

http://www2.arthroscopyjournal.org/scripts/om.dll/serve?action=searchDB&searchDBfor=art&artType=abs&id=a0190453&nav=abs&special=hilite&query=%5Ball_fields%5D%28allograft+versus+autograft%2C%29
Posted by Ferris (Ferris), 23 January 2005

I too had an acl reconstruction (hamstring autograft) and mine was on Thursday 20 January.  I had a femerol nerve block  which is well worth having as you don't feel a thing for most of that day.  I am now back home and am managing well.  Mimimal discomfort and most of that is from the incisions but I hardly noticed it after the first night at home.  I am using one crutch several times although I always have the second one with me as I need it for stairs.  I am going to venture outdoors today for some fresh air and then I will have to wear my lovely brace!  I suspect that I may have pulled the hamstring on the day after surgery as I felt it pull at the time and I can feel it when I do certain stretches but not at other times.  It almost feels too easy - how easy is it for a graft to become detatched or is it more likely to stay in place but just not take?  I don't feel any worse than just after my orginal diagnostic arthroscopy two years ago but am being a lot more careful!  
Posted by jbluestein (jbluestein), 23 January 2005

congratulations ferris and thanks for posting.

your hamstring autograft has an excellent chance of re-incorporating, if that's what you're worried about.

In some cases, allografts have history of taking a long time to re-incorporate, longer than autografts.

In both cases, it is hard to know whether the graft has re-incorporated, unless your OS needs to re-'scope for some reason.  

your chances of re-tearing your graft depends on how you treat your knee, and how well it it re-incorporates.

From what I've read, the hamstring autograft has had excellent results and is not prone to re-tear as long as you adhere to your rehab protocol.
Posted by Ferris (Ferris), 24 January 2005

Thanks for your reply to my post.  I suppose that i was getting at was whether it was obvious to tell whether you had torn the graft from its attachments especially at this early stage.  I know that I certainly felt it when I partially tore it originally (and it tore further over the next two years) but as the hamstring autograft has just been inserted in its place, I was wondering if it would tear or come out of its mountings with less effort than normally.   I just can't believe how little discomfort I've been having with it - being in the UK, I never had a CPM or ice cuff - I've just iced it regularly and rested it.  I am taking Asprin and anti-inflamatories/painkillers.

Rachel
Posted by Gab (Gab), 24 January 2005

In regards to the original poster, my opinion is that the way your body reacts to the surgery will be the key indicator whether your recovery will be easy or not (second is the shape your knee/quads are in going in surgery). Some people have virtually no swelling/inflammation following surgery. Others like me have a body that will go postal at the first signs of surgery (the body tries to 'defend' itself). I only had a minor scope done for scar tissue removal and within the first 24 hours my knee swole up to about 70% the volume it did when I had my ACL reconstruction done. The knee looked deformed and burning hot. Only after 3 days of non-weight bearing, a LOT of anti-inflammatories and R.I.C.E have I been able to 'cool' it down, so to speak.

So not everybody reacts the same way. For some it's a walk in the park, for others it's a real life challenge, and you won't know in which category you will fall until you go under the knife..

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