View allAll Photos Tagged ACLreconstruction
#SexyLegs #Depilation #Knees #Legs #ACL #ACLReconstruction #Surgery #Orthopedy #Orthopedics
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Per my instructions, I'm supposed to keep it wrapped up as much as possible until my follow-up appointment with the surgeon. I think Aaron did an excellent job putting everything back together again.
Have to wear this brace 24/7 except when I need to ice it or go shower. Makes me look like a cyborg.
After two weeks of little recovery and continuing pain, they did an MRI. They determined that I have multiple bone contusions, micro-fractures, and a destroyed ACL. They gave me a new brace to help with walking, physical therapy exercises, and an appointment for reconstructive surgery, which I will have on 5/13/2008.
ACL Reconstruction, 8 days post-op, wearing my custom G2 Paradigm brace.
My new ACL was made with a semitendinosus autograft.
It's still healing, although not in a speed I have hoped. I've been doing light jogging, proceeded to tougher agility drills and walking faster. My PT has cut down my physio sessions to once a week (from twice a week), but I'm working out on my own at the gym twice a week on other days.
But I still have these complaints:
* Stiffness after sitting down for a while
* Pain/Aches in the ITB when trying to get extension after sitting down for a while
* Still haven't reached full flexion (about an inch before my heel can tough my butt)
* Still haven't reached hyper-extension
* Still can't squat fully
* Pain when walking down stairs
* Clicking/cracking of the kneecap
It was very inspiring to see Michael Owen playing again. He looks stronger and looks like he had never done any knee surgery. I'm so looking forward to be able to forget that I had a reconstructed knee, but until then, I continue to work hard on my rehab.
That's my right knee post op day 1. 5 incisions were made. The black thing underneath is the knee brace that I have to wear 24/7 as much as possible.
The PT came earlier and said the doc said my leg could go full weight-bearing! So she made me walked a bit, up and down the stairs even, without the clutches. She said I should be walking without them as much as possible. I was quite amazed myself. I thought I would need the clutches for the first week at least. Guess all the hard work I did at physio pre-op paid off.
I injured my knee playing football and went in for an ACL reconstruction. It was a hamstring graft - they take a bit of your hamstring and screw it in to place where your ACL should be. Clever stuff.
Doctor's review today was rather positive, although we both agreed it wasn't time to go back to work yet, mainly because my knee is still very stiff and swollen which makes flexion difficult, and the need to wear the brace when I walk. I don't think it is possible to wear the huge brace in my work clothes.
I realise now that the surgery was the easiest part. The recovery process is the meanie. One must always find motivation to keep going; to keep doing all the exercises assigned no matter how boring or tough they might be. And then there is a constant fear that the graft gets torn or not implanted properly, scar tissues forming under the patella, why another guy at PT was doing better than you, or just basically not able to get the full ROM back.
It is both physically and mentally straining.
I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.
post surgery and in my own room. nice of them to ace wrap it for me so I don't have to see the huge swollen thing I used to call my knee :-P
Whoever thinks that muscles turn into fats when you stop pumping irons should go through a knee surgery and experience muscle atrophy. My calf and quad muscles are significantly smaller on my right leg than the left. And that considering I was already walking without crutches on day 1 post-op, and I had never gone through weight training on my left leg before.
So, muscles shrink when you don't use them; they don't turn into fats. You get fat simply because you stop exercising and eating the same or more amount of food.
PT yesterday made my knee really sore until now. I think it was because of the extra exercises I did. This week I was put on the treadmill although walking at a snail-pace of 3.3km/h (haha!).
These are the exercises I'm doing at PT now:
- 10min on exercise bike
- 10min on treadmill @ 3.3km/h
- 20s x 3 sets of stretching on calves, hamstrings and quads
- Knee Extension (not on the machine); 10lbs; 3x10
- Hamstring curls (not on the machine); 3lbs; 3x15
- Leg Press; 70lbs; 3x10
- Calf Press; 70lbs; 3x10
- Rotary Hip Abductor/Extention; 37.5lbs; 3x15
- Step Board (up & down); 3x20
- Wall-sit
- Stabilizer (blue); slight knee-bend; 20"-30"x5
- BOSU; single straight leg; 10"-20"x10
- Drills; ladder & cones; very slowly
- EMS (Electronic Muscle Stimulator); 15min
This is me using the Electrical Simulation machine at PT. It contracts and releases my quad muscles by sending electric current to my quad. I used to hate it but now I'm grateful for it especially when the quad muscles shut down after the surgery.
Still pretty swollen only 5 days following my first anterior cruciate ligament (acl) reconstruction and medial collateral ligament (mcl) redo. Acl was done by keyhole (2 clips are visible) and the mcl through the big scar.
Back at home. I could sleep much, much better without the noises waking me or nurses coming to check my blood pressure and temperature every hour or so.
Have been trying to walk around the house without clutches. But when the knee feels tired, I'll use them. Also have been doing a simple exercise to contract the quad muscles and icing the knee afterwards.
Pain was bearable since I discharged - only last evening when the painkiller wore off and I couldn't take another dose because I haven't taken my dinner.
Can't wait for my first physio session post-op next week.
ACL Reconstruction, 14 days post-op. It looks worse than it really was... my recovery was excellent!
My new ACL was constructed using my hamstring tendon (semitendinosus) graft. It's my understanding that most of the surgeons in the Vancouver area use this type of graft for this type of surgery.
Went for my 1st post-op physiotherapy today. Managed to increase a bit of my flexion with the help of a towel. Also did leg raises with ankle weights and wall sit - all without problems. The knee was quite achy at night though.
I picked up my drug assortment in preparation for the surgery:
1. Vicadin
2. Antibotic
3. Anti-inflamatory
Quite the little cocktail.
Time seems to fly. It's been a week already since my surgery. I decided to go off the painkiller. So far so good.
The best part of the PT - icing the knee with Cryo Cuff at the end of the session. I wish I can be in it forever but we are limited to just 10 mins each.
Today at PT, I managed to get 85 degree of flexion. I was put on a bike but I couldn't peddle a full cycle; only managed to use the good leg to "push" the peddle a little bit more each time so that the right knee was bent more. But after that, the knee felt super sore and puffed.
The knee still feels a bit warm to touch. I'm afraid of scar tissues forming and/or infection. I'm gonna ice it more often.
The measurement of my flexion was 90 at PT today. Although every measurement was an improvement, I feel a tad bit frustrated that I still wasn't able to peddle a full cycle.
The knee still feels so tight to bend; it's like it's made of rubber bands and when you bend the knee, the rubber bands are about to snap.
I also complained to the therapist of clicking in my knee when I practice walking. She didn't seem to be too concerned about that.
Felt lots of pain when doing leg extension exercises.
Since I am now able to peddle full cycles on the exercise bike, I add that routine to my daily home exercises, as I have one at home. It warms the knee up faster than plain heel slides.
Feel like I'm walking better today. Also realised that my calf and ankle are tender and swollen too. So you can't tell there's an ankle, a calf and a thigh, cos' they are almost the same size!
Today at PT, for the first time since post-op, I was able to peddle full cycles on the exercise bike! So happy! My flexion was measured at 110 - 10 degree more than the last measurement. Hope to gain another 10 this coming Friday.
On the other hand, the additional 5lbs added to my leg press was tough. I experienced more pain than previously in my patella as I extended and bended my leg on the machine.
Here's a shot of the leg four days after the surgery. It looked a little better than I expected. I thought that there would be more swelling and more bruising from the initial surgical trauma, but there is only minor swelling and the incisions. It is feeling pretty good, as long as the muscles don't spasm (which they do about 10 to 15 times a day). I went off of the pain meds on Saturday and can put weight on the leg without too much pain. We are hoping to go out to dinner tonight, as five straight days stuck in this house is a bit dull.
Exactly week 7 post-op today. At week 6 during PT, they did a strength test on the difference between my good leg and the operated leg. The difference was more than 60%. Crap. Still a long way to go.
The swelling has come down quite a bit. The definition of the petalla is more visible now. But there's definitely still swelling which is hindering the ROM, although it is getting better. I cycle on the exercise bike every day and it really helps in the flexion.
The problem now is with the extension. Spoke with the PT about it yesterday and she reckoned it could be due to the hamstring curls that she had added for me in my exercises, because I'm getting the hamstrings to work now so it may be tighted up. Hope this gets better.
The swelling has finally gone down a bit (I can see the veins on my foot!) but the bruises on my ankle are still there.
2nd PT session today. From my therapist's measurement, I had gained 10 degree of flexion - from 60 to 70. I aim to achieve 90 without assistance, but the stiffness in the kneecap makes it very difficult.
Originally, the ER doctor thought that I had a mild sprain in my knee. They gave me an ace bandage and an ice pack, then sent me home. However, when I went for my follow-up a few days later with my regular doctor, there had been little to no improvement. He sent me to an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon thought that I had damaged cartilage. Sadly, it turned out to be much worse. This picture was taken right after I got home from the ER, before I knew how screwed I really was.
Now that I get more flexion, I have a bit of difficulty getting extension. On the floor, the back of my knee doesn't touch the floor, which I had no problem with. I have to do a lot of hamstring stretches just to get the back of the knee to touch the floor slightly, because the hamstring gets very tight. And if I sit with the knee bended for a while, I'll need to do the hamstring stretches again before I can extend the leg fully. Damn.
Now that the swelling has gone down a bit, I can see that my thigh and calve muscles have shrunk a lot. Hard work is needed to build them up again.
Saw the surgeon for my 2nd post-op review today. He seemed to be pleased with my progress so far. However, I'm rather surprised that the review was nothing more than just Q&A, as was the first review. I thought he would at least check my ROM and test my graft. He finally did the Lachman test after I asked if he would test my graft. I also complained about my extension and he thought that it was most likely be the weak quad muscle. So I need to work harder on my quads now.
Back to work tomorrow too.