ACL Reconstruction
 

Hey everyone,
Just had an ACL reconstruction done yesterday using a patellar graft. Just looking for any advice that'll help me get back to walking around easier. I have some light exercises to do and am on diclophenac and codeine but any other info would be great.

Cheers
Brian

I'm a PT and I tell all the people that come in after surgery that there are three keys to early success status post ACLR.
1: full knee extension, this get it early and maintain it. As long as you don't hyperextend your knee a lot there is little strain on the graft in this position so suck it up and get the knee straight.
2: get strong contraction/control of the quadriceps. Contract the knee as much as possible and as often as possible.
3: control swelling. swelling can cause the quadriceps muscle to be difficult to contract therefore it recommended to ice often with the leg elevated and use compression wrap as needed (be careful to not tighten the wrap excessively).

Yeah I think my plan is kinda covering that. I'm doing ankle exercises every hour and straightening, bending and leg raising exercises every 2 hours. I'm on diclophenac for the swelling and lying with my knee straight in bed. I was told to have my heel resting on a pillow/towel but I think that could hyperextend it? I was givven anti DVT socks this morning and have a kind compression tube wrap on my operated leg. I forget what its called though but its meant to stop swelling. I think I'll start to use ice a lot more though.

If you can find a PT clinic that has a Alter-G, I would highly recommend it. My daughter had the same surgery and used this pre and post op with great success. Her PT team also comsulted with the Raiders and the US Oplympic therapists to work out an aggresive program to get back on the water and ride. A well known coach in Florida was amazed at how well she had recovered. He said that he had only seen one other lady that had gotten their leg as strong as hers was so soon after surgery.
You need to listen to what your body is telling you too a you progress in your recovery. Overtraining can cause setbacks. There were days when my daughter should of taken the day off, but didn't and her knee would let her know it. Being cleared to play sports will not mesn that you have reached full recovery. I have a few friends that have had this surgery and 2- 21/2 years seems to be the healing timeline.

opps forgot to post the link www.alter-g.com

Nah that's not really an option for me. the closest one would be about a 2/3 hour drive away. Does anyone have any tips to get back my full range of motion? I haven't been able to extend my leg as far as I could since the injury and squatting all the way down onto my "hunkers" has hurted for some while. I'm pushing my leg more and more though as the swelling goes down.

Also when I stand up, I can feel the blood kinda pooling around my leg and I get a feeling of increased pressure. Bear in mind I'm lying down most of the day though. The pooling can hurt sometimes. Does anyone know how to stop this. I feel it gets better if I stand up after having done physio, iced and taking diclophenac.

Lay face down on a bed or raised platform with your legs dangling over the edge. Your kneecaps should be the closest thing to the side of the bed even though theyre dangling off. Stay this way for 5 minutes. This will ultimately loosen your hamstrings and get your legs to extend all the way.

Be warned: this hurts like a b**ch but it helped me out tons the first 2 weeks after ACL surgery

I had mine replaced 2 years ago. It is a beast at first and super frustrating. Be patient though, you definitely want to put a pillow under your heel while you are lying down. It hurts way bad but you will be thankful you did it in the future. Other than that stick with your PT schedule, move and walk around as much as you can, when you are cleared to run hit the treadmill as often and as hard as you can. Also, if you can find some sort of sports therapy or recovery program, do it. The stronger you can get your leg, the more comfortable you will be when you get back on the water. Just be warned, its gonna be about 9 months before that happens give or take. Good luck mang!