About 3 months and 2 weeks post op

**PenguinLancer** · 06-06-2007, 08:05 PM

What should I expect stability wise. I'm scared to push myself to much because of hurting myself again, but I hate to restrict myself. Everyone here is an athlete, and not being able to compete is killing me.

**Vinman** · 06-07-2007, 05:53 AM

at the 3.5 mo mark your knee should be starting to feel pretty good. You should be well into your rehab and doing a lot of strengthening and balance/neuromuscualr training.

If the surgery was successful your knee should also feel stable without any giving way.

Usually for the regular joe you would begin runnning at about the 4 month mark.

As far as competeing goes, what is it you want to compete in? Competeing in any type of twisting, turning, cutting/change of direction sports will not usually happen until at least 6 months, maybe more depending on how your leg is doing and or graft choice(allograft takes longer to vascualrize).

Also being scared is pretty normal. As tough as rehab is learning to trust your reconstructed knee is tougher. The little gains you make in rehab and the sport-specific progressions you will do to lead up to return to sports will help that apprehension subside over time.

**PenguinLancer** · 06-07-2007, 01:23 PM

I can run already and I had an allograft done. I wanna wrestle again...so yeah. Damn, 3 more months sucks. Strength wise, I'm not even close though, (102 injured leg, 172 non injured leg, for leg extensions on a cybex machine)

**amyzilla** · 06-08-2007, 12:52 AM

Penguin, just be careful that you don't overdo it. Before I had my allograft done, my doc explained that the knee would feel really good somewhere around the two months mark, but the graft is actually weak because it hasn't revascularized yet. Or something like that.

**Buzzworthy** · 06-08-2007, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by amyzilla

Penguin, just be careful that you don't overdo it. Before I had my allograft done, my doc explained that the knee would feel really good somewhere around the two months mark, but the graft is actually weak because it hasn't revascularized yet. Or something like that.

Yep, I am at my 2 month mark just about and was told the same thing. Don't get cocky is what he said, even though it feels strong and good, it is not yet.

**Vinman** · 06-08-2007, 05:12 PM

for an allograft and with your choice of sports you might want to wait even longer than 6 mo. An allograft does not get fully re-vascualrized until around 12 mo.

**drmark** · 06-08-2007, 05:23 PM

It takes a minimum of 12 months to vascularize. Most often it takes longer, and many retrieval studies have shown it to be incomplete even at 3 years.

**PenguinLancer** · 06-09-2007, 04:04 AM

So what does that mean? That even if the 6 month mark is passed, I won't be able to do heavy squats and wrestle?

**drmark** · 06-09-2007, 06:21 AM

Those who return to sports before 12 months after an allograft reconstruction are cruising to have it done again.

**PenguinLancer** · 06-09-2007, 11:38 AM

Even with a brace? Also, does that include squats?

**drmark** · 06-09-2007, 12:41 PM

A good rule is whatever one can do at the health club is during this period is safe for the revascularizing allograft, although I tell my patients to avoid the leg extension machine.

Braces, despite being a billion dollar industry, have never been shown to decrease the incidence of re injury to the ACL reconstructed knee.