Banner - Hide this banner
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Hi all,So I had PT this morning, and we were able to get my ROM to 52 degrees with my leg hanging of the end of the table and my therapist supporting/bending my leg to the point of tolerable discomfort. I will be 5 weeks post op this coming Wednesday, with a visit to my surgeon scheduled for this Friday, and so far I'm very happy with the progress. I've been able to walk around without my crutches for the last two weeks (with my Bledsoe knee brace locked at 0) and I'm pretty happy with the mobility. -Dan and Kerri- Since you guys seem to be on a similar timeline as me in terms of PT and surgery dates (I know you were a bit further back on your surgery date Dan) what my therapist has me doing is some hip flexor work with raising my injured leg to the side and behind me, trying to get that stretch in the hip area. He also has me doing side step drills and walking forward and backwards (with my brace on) to get my gait back to normal and my injured leg firing off with what it should remember how to do (walk). And I'm still doing the usual stuff (quad sets, heel pumps/calf raises, hamstring sets, and some hyperextension work), I do these in sets of 3-5 (10-45 reps depending on the fatigue level), 3 times a day.It also sounds like you and I had the same type of patellar tendon repair Kerri (sutures and holes drilled into patella where sutures were threaded through) without the use of the wire, and it seems that for this type of repair they're a bit more aggressive with PT (starting PT 1-2 weeks post op), which seems to be ok for my knee so far.Darrell
Hello all. I had posted here a while back, and I wanted to give an update on my situation, ask a couple questions, and also give a bit of advice and encouragement based on my experience. I'm going to start off by saying that my tear was no a full rupture, but partial tear of 3/4 of the patellar tendon. A lot of people have the quick onset of injury with the complete rupture, whereas my situation was more of a longer term chronic type of issue. In October of 2014 I started noticing a difference in my right knee compared to the left. I didn't think much of it. It continued to get worse to the point of severe pain, cramping, and stiffness. I went in for an MRI in December where I was diagnosed with a huge partial tear of the knee. I basically caught it just in type to prevent from a full tear. Being that I am 19 years old, 7 feet tall, and a basketball player my surgeon believed that surgery would be a better long term option over the conservative treatment. I had surgery 12/04/15. I am now 16 weeks post op and doing pretty well. I am on an elliptical, doing tough strength stuff, and a bit of light jumping and jogging. I still have a bit of swelling in the knee, and I am not to where I want to be with range of motion. I can't quite do a hamstring stretch on my repaired leg. From my experience, I would tell everybody that is going through this situation to make small goals and take things 1 day at a time. As humans we like to see the big picture and look towards the end goal. But when we do this it really makes things worse because we see how far we still have to go. It sounds cliché but you have to take this 1 day at a time. What I mean by this is to have a goal of being better today than you were yesterday. When you have a small goal and you accomplish it, it will give you a sense of confidence in what you're doing. The first 2 weeks are going to be tough. In my opinion the 4-7 week stage is the hardest. This is the time where you will start to really work on PT and you get tested physically and mentally. I became very depressed during this time because it is easy to doubt yourself and question if you can get back to where you were. It's a bit of a hopeless feeling. But I can tell you that it IS temporary. It can be a devastating injury. But that's only if you let it. Try to find a positive from it. When it's all said and done you will be stronger in a bunch of ways, and you will also have a greater deal of appreciation for little things, and it's a good time to learn more about your body and health to prevent or help with these type of things in the future. Patience is a key to recovery. Listen to your body and don't rush anything. If you aren't comfortable with something, tell your PT. Only you know how you feel.Now I do a couple questions, and If anybody that is reading this can answer them I would really appreciate it!Is it common to be swollen and have some range of motion limit at 16 weeks?Has anybody else had a feeling of a 'cramping pain' or stiffness during or after exercise? Sometime when I am doing PT exercises my knee will feel like it has a cramp in the knee and I have to move it to loosen it up. It's hard to explain but maybe somebody can relate.Lastly, how can I stretch my quads and hamstrings on my repaired knee-leg when I have limited range of motion. By limited I mean about 120 degrees. This isn't enough to pull my leg up for a hammy stretch, or to lay on my back and pull my knee to my chest. I am having back pain from tight leg muscles.Stay positive everyone and feel free to ask me anything you may need help on! I might not be able to relate to full ruptures, but I can definitely help with the mental or spiritual side of the injury! I am studying phycology in College to become a sports psychologist later on. I enjoy this stuff. Good luck!