MACI - six months later

[blue_ezzie]

Hi Hathor

Funny you should say that about the taping - I saw my physio yesterday and she has recommended that I should start taping my knee whenever I do my exercises (which I am back to doing, spending about half an hour every day after a long period of neglect!). She thinks that the one-legged squat may be causing me pain because my IT band, running down the outside of my left leg, is far too tight. She thinks the IT band is pulling my knee cap over to the left so it causes me pain at that 30-40 degree mark when I do a one-legged squat. Visiting a physio to see the best way to tape your knee is a really good idea - there are different taping techniques but my physio has showed me how to drag my left kneecap over to the right and secure it with some of that brown elastoplast tape.

I am also focusing on improving my glute and VMO muscles to reduce the tightness in the IT band. Also, I am doing glute stretches to try to stretch out the whole IT area, but it is a difficult part of the body to stretch!

I too have a major problem in building up my VMO muscle on the inside of my knee. My surgeon tells me this is because he had to cut through it twice and he doubts whether I will improve on what I have so far. I (and my physio) are a little more optimistic because I know that with hard work this muscle increases.

I am still a little reluctant to have the extra surgery and haven't properly investigated it further at this stage, but will definitely think about it. Thanks to you and fp for sharing your experiences. I think too that this has some problem with my pain while squatting, as I am worried that my patella will move around...it has a tendency to skid or rock from one side to the other - not a dislocation but it definitely seems unstable - at about the 30 degree mark when I'm trying to do the one-legged squat, or when I'm sitting in a chair and trying to raise my leg up and down. It is very uncomfortable, although not acutely painful, and I avoid moving my leg in this way by supporting it with the other leg. This can't be good in the long term.

How often are you doing your exercises with the weight and your cycling? How are you finding running?

Good to hear your progress and let me know how you find the knee taping!

ezzie

[hathor65]

ezzie

In answer to your  question, I am trying to exercise 6 days a week. I ride 4 times a week for 1 1/2hrs on average. The other days I do some shuttle runs for 20 mins in the morning and weight training for 1 hr in the evenings. As mentioned before, I also do leg raises with weights most days.

I am trying to get back into the shape I was before the op where I was training 2x 1hr most days either bike or run. It feels like it's taking forever. Every time I start to ramp up cos the knee is feeling good I have to back right back off again because it starts to ache.

I still haven't got round to seeing a physio re the taping but will soon. I have noticed that in my daily routine, I tend to avoid all the situations which aggravate the knee, ie going up too many stairs, squatting on one leg etc. Having said that, I am going to go skiing again for a day in 2- 3weeks so will see if things have improved under pressure (it's still winter here in the southern hemisphere)

How are you going with your exercising. Are you back into a routine ?

H