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So I am now six weeks post-op and finally made it to 0 and 135 degrees this morning at PT. This is with on average 3-4 hours working on my knee a day on my own in addition to PT twice a week. Scar tissue doesn’t seem to be an issue, just stiffness, with some possible patellar tendonitis happening. Anyway, I am curious as to how long it has taken some of you others to get full ROM back?
You seem to be a little ahead of where I was at 6 weeks. I'm at 8 weeks now and although I can get to 0, I have to work it a little to get 135...maybe I can get a little past. I'll get a measurement sometime this week at PT. No scar tissue issues, but I've had a ton of hamstring pain/tightness that slowed me down a little (I had a hammy graft).
I was at 0 and 144 at week 3 (some pain), -2 and 156 week 5 (not much pain). I am week 7 now and we really aren't paying attention to flexion anymore, no pain, just watching that I can get back to my -3 or -4 hyperextension.
This was with a pretty good focus on ROM, got on the bike at wk 2 to spin as soon as I could. Basically I just think I lucked out.
135 is on wall slides with weight. I only made it to 126 on my own. I had a cadaver graft, however it seems I have been having some of the issues, such as the patellar tendonitis, that are more common with patellar grafts. I have been doing well with the flex, but getting my extension back has required alot of work, but I didn't have full extension going into surgery.
Edit: I should also note that I didn't start PT until 2 weeks post surgery thanks to the therapist at the hospital (NOT the one I go to now) who told me to do a few exercises at home and start PT after my first doctor visit :mad: . I went into my first PT visit at 15 and 45 degrees, but got worked over pretty hard and left at 4 and 90. I should have know better after reading all the acl reports on this site, but it is looking like I got lucky.
I am at week 5 post op, had the hamstring graft and can hit 0 extension easily. I really have to push hard to hit 120 Flexion. Gaining back my Flexion has been really hard, prolly due to having meniscus damage and not being allowed to bend my knee past 90 until just recently. I finally can pedal a bike and am allowed to do wall slides on my own, hope to hit around 130-135 next week.
edit: Last week I could flex to 120 and today I was stuck around 118, I am thinking this could be due to the recent wet weather. Has any one else that is in a usually dry climate that is now wet experienced anything similar?
Guys don't worry too much about the flexion. It will come back in time. Especially as the swelling in your knee goes away. For those of you with meniscal repairs it is better to take it a bit slower with the flexion anyway. Now I am not saying don't work on flexion, only don't stress about it.
Something you can do on your own to help the flexion. I'm sure you are doing these anyway but....
1. hot soaks in tub, hot tub, whirlpool, hot pack etc before ROM work. Easier to stretch when warm
For Ty: re: the hamstring tightness. Try heating your hammy's before ROM with a hot pack.
2. Don't forget to work on your patellar glides all 4 directions. Tightness of the tissues around the patella can sometimes restrict flexion.
3 patience. I know rehab is all about goals and getting thing done asap. We al want to heal quickly. But there is something to be said for letting things take thier course and not rushing it. Like I said, I'm not saying don't work hard, just don't get bummed out or worried when things are looking like they are at a stand still. It will get better.
This is the most important thing I think, but also something I have a problem with myself. I have really hit the dog days of recovery, where I don't really feel like doing squats and all the other stupid little repetative movements every day when I come home from work, my leg finally looks pretty normal, pain is almost minimal, but yet the leg still feels weak and definitely something I would not want to ski on yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinman
My PT explained to me that ACL patients will see some rapid progression through the first month or so. Our legs go from bruised, swollen and painful to something not so bad. At that point the work that we are putting into it starts to seem so much less fruitful.
Time is on our side though, and we just have to remember that.
Amen to the advice from Vinman about being patient.
I'm at 12 weeks today and I got to 0-145 last week. At 8-9 weeks I think I was at about 0-133. The one thing I've noticed is that trying too hard on ROM was counterproductive for me. I didn't go to PT for two weeks over the holidays - just did cardio and weights and a little gentle stretching on my own, but nothing like the PT torture stretching sessions I'd been doing for the first 9 weeks. I was at a plateau for weeks at 130-133 while I was pushing myself to tears every day, but then I gained those 12 degrees without doing much stretching at all. When I did go back to PT I had no problem getting it to 145 on my own - hardly any warmup required. But as soon as the PT started pushing on it, he went too hard, hurt me and it went down to 143. So then he really started pushing on it I finally told him to quit but then I could barely walk for a few days - I don't know how bad my ROM was but I couldn't come close to straightening it and flexion was way worse too. I'm done with pushing ROM that hard - it just sets me back too much and doesn't accomplish anything. I'm going back for a couple more PT sessions here and there as the agility work and such becomes too easy or if I run into any other problems, but that's about it.
Vinman is very wise. I haven't taken any measurements since the first week, but ROM was acheived relatively easy for me. At week 4 I could move the thing any way I wanted. The strength part is what is getting me down, and I've simply stopped worrying about it. I have no athletic plans until May and that's that. Everyday feels a little bit better and I'm o.k. with that.