I got knee surgery yesterday.
- Thread starter RangerWickett
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RangerWickett
Legend
I'm doing okay. My muscles are weak, but I'm making an effort to flex them intermittently, so they don't atrophy. But I can't do much until the swelling goes down. Still, it feels good to even slightly straighten my leg.
I tore it jumping in basketball. I just went up, landed without bending my knee, and began screaming. Nothing dramatic. Kind of pathetic, honestly.
I don't have a digital camera, other than my phone. But I went to see the doctor today, and he said that it looks like it's healing great. I actually have more extension in my leg than he would expect. So I'm going to make sure not to put weight on it, but I do intend to start the meager physical therapy I can do on my own. I go see the actual physical therapist on Tuesday, and he'll get me started on the hard core stuff.
I tore it jumping in basketball. I just went up, landed without bending my knee, and began screaming. Nothing dramatic. Kind of pathetic, honestly.
I don't have a digital camera, other than my phone. But I went to see the doctor today, and he said that it looks like it's healing great. I actually have more extension in my leg than he would expect. So I'm going to make sure not to put weight on it, but I do intend to start the meager physical therapy I can do on my own. I go see the actual physical therapist on Tuesday, and he'll get me started on the hard core stuff.
Been there myself. Mine wasn't torn all the way through though. Was playing in a soccer match (on my birthday of all days) and punted the ball away and it felt like I "threw out" my leg. Like if you throw a ball too hard and the ligaments and such just feel weak. Well, that's exactly how I felt and it was in my leg. I could walk...barely, and finished the rest of the game.
A month later, I was on a bike riding and getting strength back. The first week is the worst. Physical therapy is code for "torture," just so you know.
The inactivity when you are used to being mobile is also very annoying.
Good luck. You can come back from it. Move at your own pace; if you feel strong enough to push it and your doc says its okay, then do what you can. The sooner you get back to your routine the better.
A month later, I was on a bike riding and getting strength back. The first week is the worst. Physical therapy is code for "torture," just so you know.
The inactivity when you are used to being mobile is also very annoying.Good luck. You can come back from it. Move at your own pace; if you feel strong enough to push it and your doc says its okay, then do what you can. The sooner you get back to your routine the better.
I tore my ACL & MCL playing no-pad tackle American football.
(Apparently, the zombies had already gotten my "brainnnnzzzz")
It was a freak accident- I was making a tackle on a guy a little smaller than myself (who was wearing someone else like a cape as he ran with the ball) and instead of the turf giving way, my knee did.
The pain of the injury was bad enough...but rehab was the killer. (My surgery used patellar material to rebuild my ligaments, FYI.)
I'll say this much, though. If you follow doc's orders, it will all work out fine.
However:
1) Stay ahead of the pain. I forgot to take my meds on schedule, missing by about 1.5 hours more than I should have. I was sitting down and sitting still, so I didn't notice anything. When I finally did move, the pain was excruciating. The 8', 1 leg + crutch walk to take my meds seemed like doing a marathon with nails in my foot. I never missed another dose time again.
2) Be prepared for your painkillers to do weird things to your perceptions. I was functionally illiterate for almost a year during my rehab. Every time I looked at the printed word at the size usually used in books or newspapers, it literally looked like the letters were hula-dancing on the page. Since I couldn't read books or papers, I wound up watching a lot of mindless TV.
3) Keep an eye on your blood pressure. That kind of pain & rehab can cause it to jump a bit.
4) After your physical recovery is complete, expect about another year of mental rehab. The whole year after my rehab, I was skittish while playing volleyball or bowling- my mind kept telling itself that the knee was about to give out. While technically completely recovered, the muscles around the joint weren't up to full pre-injury strength, so it felt just wobbly enough to erode my faith in it.
5) Wear shorts whenever able- chicks dig the scar & your story will get you ...sympathy...
(Apparently, the zombies had already gotten my "brainnnnzzzz")
It was a freak accident- I was making a tackle on a guy a little smaller than myself (who was wearing someone else like a cape as he ran with the ball) and instead of the turf giving way, my knee did.
The pain of the injury was bad enough...but rehab was the killer. (My surgery used patellar material to rebuild my ligaments, FYI.)
I'll say this much, though. If you follow doc's orders, it will all work out fine.
However:
1) Stay ahead of the pain. I forgot to take my meds on schedule, missing by about 1.5 hours more than I should have. I was sitting down and sitting still, so I didn't notice anything. When I finally did move, the pain was excruciating. The 8', 1 leg + crutch walk to take my meds seemed like doing a marathon with nails in my foot. I never missed another dose time again.
2) Be prepared for your painkillers to do weird things to your perceptions. I was functionally illiterate for almost a year during my rehab. Every time I looked at the printed word at the size usually used in books or newspapers, it literally looked like the letters were hula-dancing on the page. Since I couldn't read books or papers, I wound up watching a lot of mindless TV.
3) Keep an eye on your blood pressure. That kind of pain & rehab can cause it to jump a bit.
4) After your physical recovery is complete, expect about another year of mental rehab. The whole year after my rehab, I was skittish while playing volleyball or bowling- my mind kept telling itself that the knee was about to give out. While technically completely recovered, the muscles around the joint weren't up to full pre-injury strength, so it felt just wobbly enough to erode my faith in it.
5) Wear shorts whenever able- chicks dig the scar & your story will get you ...sympathy...
L
Lewis526
Guest
I have a cadaver tendon for an ACL also. I didn't have any of the freakish sounding "issues" that Dannyalcatraz says goes along with his surgery's rehab. Honestly, I hardly felt any pain worth mentioning after the surgery, and ended up throwing out most of the Oxycontin the doctor gave me for the pain. So my advice would be just the opposite. Don't take more painkiller than you need. The stuff can sometimes do more harm than good, especially if it's addictive. But I also had a pump put in my knee that squirted meds into it for the first 48 hours after the surgery. Apparently that's not done very often, and I was a guinea pig.
Anyway, by far the worst part of the rehab process for me was this electric contraption that I had to lie down on and put my knee in. It slowly extended and flexed my knee over and over, for hours on end. What a horrible bore! Find a good book, find some good TV to watch, and make sure you follow the doctor's orders!
It took about a year for my swelling to go down, but I was living a normal life well before that. Apparently the cadaver tendon only gives you about 90% of the original ACL's strength, so you might want to ease back into your sports after you heal, to see how well the replacement will hold up under pressure. It still feels a little "gimpy" when I'm playing a rough game of basketball, but other than that, my good knee hurts more often than my bad one.
Anyway, by far the worst part of the rehab process for me was this electric contraption that I had to lie down on and put my knee in. It slowly extended and flexed my knee over and over, for hours on end. What a horrible bore! Find a good book, find some good TV to watch, and make sure you follow the doctor's orders!
It took about a year for my swelling to go down, but I was living a normal life well before that. Apparently the cadaver tendon only gives you about 90% of the original ACL's strength, so you might want to ease back into your sports after you heal, to see how well the replacement will hold up under pressure. It still feels a little "gimpy" when I'm playing a rough game of basketball, but other than that, my good knee hurts more often than my bad one.
RangerWickett
Legend
Thanks for the comments, folks. I'm off the medication now, had physical therapy yesterday, and have very little pain, except for right in the middle of my joint. I guess flesh heals faster than bone.
Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
RangerWickett said:
Bone heals pretty quick. It's the attachments that seem to take forever. I broke my arm once; six weeks in a cast and I was good to go. I badly sprained the other arm early this year, and there are still days when it gives me a twinge or two.
Getting old I guess.
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