Sudden pain below the knee cap 3-1/2 months after aclr + medial meniscus repair

[nehalmishrak]

Hi,

Hope you guys are well.

So i had aclr + bucket handle medial meniscus repair on 26, march 2018. A Week back from today it started paining right below my knee cap whenever I walk, pain is at the left lower end of my knee cap. I think it happened right after I tried putting weight on the leg and I heard some popping, there is no major discomfort except when I walk. Icing helps the pain go away also pain relievers work wonders.

Oh and one more thing i am still using crutch as I am unable to bear weight fully on the operated leg. I think my recovery has been slowest. Now I also need to return to my job.

I still have swelling from the time of surgery. Also my left thigh is like polio struck when compared to my normal right thigh. The closest description to my issue is here - https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/viewtopic.php?t=8

Is this it? Has my surgery failed?

[BornToRun]

Hi OP, was your surgery on the left or right leg? And therefore is the pain on the outside or inside of the leg?
I'm not a specialist, but it sounds to me like your muscles are very weak. If the pain is on the inside (medial) side, close to the tibial incision, it could be the hamstrings, or the VMO, or likely both.

Are you seeing a physio? If so, I would suggest checking with them if that's the case. They should be able to reassure you, but also to give you exercises to address those issues without endangeringyour graft. I can't stress enough just how important it is to have a physio who has experience of ACL rehab and to follow their protocol exactly - listening to both what they tell you to do, and NOT to do! The shrunken appearance of the operated leg is because of muscle wastage after surgery and is completely normal. Only consistent physio and rehab can rebuild it though. My surgeon always says the surgery is 20% of the ACL recovery, and the rehab is the other 80%. Good luck and keep us posted!