My brand new hamstring-made ACL thread!!!

7th day post op... almost no pain at all, just shin and some point on the inner side of the knee joint feel painfully when i stand up after some time in horizontal mode - somebody wrote about this already. Took light painkillers only first two days (in hospital), didn't feel need for them no more. My surgeon is the real knee guru, my doctor, who assisted him at the operation, has some lower rank. Anyway, they don't like that thingy for precise measuring of the ROM. So I guess I'm at 0 - 90+ now, with very tight extreme extension and flexion. And it looks like my good knee has some degrees of hyperextension, while bad one doesn't yet. Not that bad, I guess, but not as good as it could be by the 7th day, right?

So, what would you recommend as the best extension workout?

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Originally Posted by duboix

So, what would you recommend as the best extension workout?

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i don't claim to know what is "the best".. but what i do is lay on my stomach on a bed (at home) table ( at rehab) , legs hanging off the bed just below the knee, and have a 1 or 2 pound weight draped over the achilles tendon ....at rehab this is done the very last and they also drape an ice bag over the back of the knee and sometimes they also put a cold water bag under the front of the knee.. anyway just a small weight really stretches me out. i also love the stationary bike , i can contract and extend much more after 5-10 minutes of warm up.. touching my toes either standing up or laying on a table works well also, i just try to keep my back and shoulders as straight as possible ( instead of hunching ) when doing those.

Today I've made a stationary bike from my 4hun - just pulled the saddle up for the full leg extension and took the chain from the chainring. I remembre, that pedaling is good knee workout (at least, for me - noticed this a long time before surgery, while biking with torn ACL). Pedaling helps to extend ROM. So I need some pedaling. It was found out, that I can do a full revolution back and forward, but with some cheating - my bad leg touches the pedal not with the forward or middle part of the foot, but with my heel. But this is not for long, I'm sure to make it right way soon.

The bad news is that it looks like I need a knee puncture (done one already, at the 4th day post-op, right before going home from hospital). How many times did you, ACL'ers, make those punctures? Or your docs prefer you to RICE and wait while swelling dissaperar by itself? BTW, I was surprised, that neither my guru surgeon, nor my doctor in charge, didn't advised any RICE routines for me. My doctor looked like he heard about RICE against swelling for the first time in his whole life!

Anyway, surgery was good, I guess, comparing to your stories about post-op pain, swelling and other scarying stuff. They didn't immobilize my knee to give me opportunity to work with it already on the 2nd day post-op (before that there was some drainage tube in my knee for the first 48hrs, but i was foot pumping like crazy every few minutes), while some surgeons in st.Petersburg used to put your leg in plaster cast for a week or something like that. I don't feel much pain since the 2nd day, and first two days were not so painfull as I expected. My swelling is not so bad (I guess it's because of 48hrs of drainage), and it is not so bruised. So, I believe, my knee guru is very good specialist, and because of that my knee will be in good shape and ready for the incoming season. At least it won't be worse than it was during february-march, when I was hitting some small park jumps with torn ACL.

I'm sorry for writing so much shit with bad english, but I think this is because I'm actually stoked with my new knee and I see the objective, the goal, purpose for me, my soul purpose!!!

So, I'll repeat my question - how many punctures did you have during post-op period?

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Originally Posted by duboix

So, I'll repeat my question - how many punctures did you have during post-op period?

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One pre op, none post op. I take it that you mean that they drain the fluid from your swelling knee? They took 30cc out 2 days after I was hurt. I just stick to RICE everyday.

B)

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Originally Posted by duboix

So, I'll repeat my question - how many punctures did you have during post-op period?

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I've never even heard of such a thing. Didn't even know that was possible (in other words RICE only for me).

hmmm... i had 4th day post-op one and another one today, 8th day post-op... imagine that they punctured your knee with a needle and searching for a volumes, filled with blood and some other liquid... the shit hurts! just got 50cc of blood pulled out from my knee...

I guess I should concentrate on RICE and forget about my brand new stationary 4hun and other rehab exercises for couple of days...

I didn't have anything drained from my knee, before or after . . . I had some swelling, but it went down pretty quickly and I got decent ROM decently quickly. I still have some swelling, but it's decidedly less - I haven't had ROM measured recently, but I can feel the function coming back.

Best of luck, keep your leg in the air and let some of that fluid drain out on it's own . . . let your body be your own ally. Here's hoping the pain levels stay low for you . . . congrats on your new knee and keep up your positive attitued. It will surely serve you well! :D

i had a pt graft, and never had any drainage. i had mid grade swelling, and much of that was in the pt harvest area. still get some swelling around the tendon when i'm on my feet all day.

your docotr never recomends ice to reduce swelling? man, i love ice.

More questions... At 8th day I started to feel pain while passing something like 20 degrees (with flexion or extension - doesn't matter) with my own muscles (i.e. trying to extend the leg while sittin on the chair or table). This pain origin is somhere at the level of joint, maybe inside of it, maybe it's patella (i've got a hamstring graft though). And when I'm passing it to the more extended or more flexed position, the pain disapears. This effect takes place only when I'm extending/flexing my leg with my own muscles. In case of passive flexion/extension everything is nice and smooth. What do you think about that?

Never had the knee drained pre- or post-op. Just lotsa ice and compression. And rest and elevation. So RICE.

You asked about getting extension, what my doc had me do was chair bridges. Basically sit on the edge of a kitchen chair or something, hoist your foot up onto the edge of another chair, and then "try to relax" (haha), letting gravity push down on your knee.

No idea if this is good for everyone, though, you seem to be having a rather different experience from the rest of us. Good luck!

2 weeks behind... stitches off today, no more punctures, just active RICE'ing thw whole day, working on my PC with some cowboy-foot-on-the-table-style (and my work is the translation of the 2005-2006 K2 dealer's catalogue, very stylish thing again).

I'm actually very surprised with how good my progress is (I guess it's good, especially after reading Mtn Man last updates). I got no PT yet, just some exercising at home and not really pushing it - some warmup (swinging with my leg while sitting on the edge of the table or just stationary biking for some minutes), then extensions and flexions with good leg while sitting on the edge of the table again, and some passive extension like Big E said, with additional weight of the ice bag, applied to my knee. I even didn't exercised for two days after last puncture, but flexion was getting a little better every day even without working on it. So now I'm somwhere on th 0-120 i guess, maybe a bit more flexing, and I was at 0-95 after first week and was able to do full forward revolution on the stationary bike. I hope things will continue going in this encouraging way, cause I decided to get new K2 Made'n AK 179 next season :D

Now there is a question: where do the major part of your swelling is located? I've got mine right under the knee cap, like when you fully extending your leg becomes kinda... kinda swell in that place. And this is the place where punctures were taken. I mean if this is caused by some blood in the joint, then could it dissaper by itself if I'll be persistent with RICE'ing?

Once again: where is your swelling?

3.5 weeks... no crutches + hamstring soreness like they are sprained. Yesterday I've finally measured my flexion with goniometer - 125 after warmup and stretching... not so bad, it's time to think about strength.

Sounds like you've got good ROM - I'm sure Mr. Shoelaces could empathize with your hamstring pain, but I'm sure you'll make it through . . . commence with 1000 leg lifts, and see if you can't find your quad!

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Originally Posted by Kellie

I'm sure you'll make it through . . . commence with 1000 leg lifts, and see if you can't find your quad!

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Yeah, I'll do it like it is nothing - not so painful as frightful and slowing down my extension training and strenght drilling like hamstring curls.

I've called my doc and he said just exactly what I thought - looks like I've torn one or more cicatrices (internal scars) which were formed in area where hamstring graft was taken. They will heal by itself - not a big deal, they already did it once right after surgery.

And yeah, right now it's quite hard to find my quad :D

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Originally Posted by Kellie

Sounds like you've got good ROM - I'm sure Mr. Shoelaces could empathize with your hamstring pain, but I'm sure you'll make it through . .

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Yeah I can...I went through a lot of hamstring pain throughout my entire healing process. I basically kept working it too hard and wasn't allowing it to heal...I guess I was tearing alot of the scar tissue from the harvest site.

There were many many times when the pain in my hamstring was much greater than the swelling or pain in my knee and the hamstring was the limiting factor increasing my flexion numbers. It was crazy to see how bruised the back of my knee continually was as I kept at it. There's still bruising there now from hamstring drainage (sounds great doesn't it?) and I'm almost 8 months post-op.

Keep it at though, it sounds like you're doing great. It will get better and you will get stronger.

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Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

It was crazy to see how bruised the back of my knee continually was as I kept at it. There's still bruising there now from hamstring drainage (sounds great doesn't it?) and I'm almost 8 months post-op.

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:eek: oh shit...

But i heard you was ripping quite hard this spring, after 6 months - I was really excited with that. I think I'll do this season! And good luck to you with your hamstrings.

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Originally Posted by duboix

:eek: oh shit...

But i heard you was ripping quite hard this spring, after 6 months - I was really excited with that. I think I'll do this season! And good luck to you with your hamstrings.

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Well, I dunno about ripping....but I was skiing. And it felt great :) You'll be there before long too.

Tomorrow is my first little "anniversary" - 1 month! Now it's 4 weeks behind, 0-135 and some hamstring bruising... pretty good, isn't it?!

Started to use 5% ketonal for additional swelling/inflammation prevention.

135 is great! How's the strength coming along?

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Originally Posted by Kellie

135 is great! How's the strength coming along?

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Baby steps - I've just started to work on it. I'm still too weak to make mini-squats and one-legged step-ups yet - knee hurts while doing it. So for me it's straight leg rises, hamstring curls and low one-legged step-ups (~10cm step). But I'm feeling stronger and more confident while walking - even on stair descents. I'm walking alot - my legs become tired faster then before, but it is good i gues, it means they are working and become stronger as time goes by.

Almost 6 weeks (without 2 days) left behind. Yesterday I've suddenly felt that my leg works almost as if there was no torn ACL and no surgery. Since I've left crutches I was concentrating on normal gait without a limp. And yesterday I've felt that normal gait gives me no discomfort and I don't have to limit joint movements and loads to avoid pain and discomfort. And it felt great!!! Today is the same story, and I'm enjoying with each step on my way to the work, home or shopping!!!

Of course this feeling is there only when I'm walking flat streets - stairs and curbs still require additional attention, but I'm still stoked!

Same here, stairs are still a pain in the arse right now. I can go up steps with a little discomfort, but still cannot go down steps easily. I can walk without a gimp after a few steps to warm it up. Granted, I'm at 10 weeks post op, but mine was pretty major.

B)

It's 6 weeks, and yesterday I was biking outdoors!!! Kept myself in the saddle, no standing on the pedals, no bunnyhopping so pavement curbs were hated, but generally it felt great! Also my buddy gave me his old skate deck so I gonna make balance-board from it.

It's 8 weeks. Just finished my two-weeks magnetotherapy course. ROM (after warmup) is nice - almost can touch my butt with my heel. Strength is bit worse - I can do all that straight leg exercices, hamstring curls with weight, outdoor biking on the low saddle, but squats (even half-squats) are bit painfull in my knee so I think I should wait with it. The bad thing is that I have no time on regular PT even at home after work, I guess if I'd exercised more often my progress would be better.

But there are some good news: I'm going on vacations next monday and will spend two weeks on the sea shore, drinring, tanning and snorkling!!!!

it's 10 weeks... i can do some bunnyhops now! biking became more smooth! can't wait these two weeks to start jogging!

It's for months and it's update time. Today I've visited my doc and he said that my new ACL definetely holds the joint right, my knee is stable, I've got a full ROM, but my muscles are not good enougth. Shit, I know that - I had some financial troubles and just had neither time nor cash to hit the gym :( Now I should care about strenght training really hard...

I was jogging this weekend! About 1.5 miles both mornings. Though my leggs are weak and my lungs were going to explode, it felt great - I didn't run since february! And I think I could do 3 miles!

I reluctantly came to the conclusion that jogging is the best thing - nothing else gives you the same spring. Takes a bit of getting used to though.

Keep up the good work! Reckon you should be able to get some this season