acl surgery

had acl surgery monday and let me tell u...man it freakin hurts. pt is hurting just as bad. does anyone know how long it takes for the pain to subside?

Great! Dont tell me that! Mines creeping up fast, Oct. 2nd. Your freakin me out man.

I had knee surgery on my MCL and meniscus and it was probably at least a month before I was able to sleep through a night. Sorry!

Good luck with PT and the pain might subside quicker than you think.

Can't help you about pain, for me it was minimal to a dull ache.
Plus I had a 3 in 1 nerve block that lasted almost 36 hrs.
Full flexion & extension in <48hrs.
But I also had a cadaver graft too. Hang in there and keep up with the icing and pain meds.
Most important don't try to push yourself into doing things too soon.

Had mine done sep. 5 and still have a uncomfortable feeling. The "ice machine" gets me through the nights. Good Luck!

I'm with Nate on this one -- if you got the ice machine, definitely keep it going 24/7. I swear that was the best thing ever when I went through my surgery.
I was able to stop taking pain meds about 6 days after surgery. Everyone is different though.
Good luck and keep at the pt!

mine really didn't hurt at all, I was on percoset though. I could sleep fine, as long as I popped a pill. I also had the cadaver graft. I didn't go to therapy until like 10 days after.

Grant,

Patella graft here and to tell you the truth where the Patella was taken I still have pain from time to time. Mine was on January 19th. I hurt good for about a week and the more PT I did the better it was. I should be going back for a scope in November.

had acl replaced(hamstring graft i think?) and meniscus repair march 31 2005 and was riding again by the beginning of july.

The pain was bad the first two days, but post surgery the morphine made me super sick,(point of uncontrolllable heartrate, kind of scary) and I had a perscription for vicodin, which had close to the same effect-- throwing up sick. that first night sucked but after that it got better. I had a flexion machine to help start flexing the leg as well!

Grant,

Like Gary, I also had the Patella Graph on August 10th. After the nerve block wore off I was in great pain for 2 days, it felt like a hatchet was stuck in my knee. PT hurt for the first 2 weeks, the ankle, calve and shin massages hurt the worst. Im 7 weeks post OP and my Doctor released me back to work with no restrictions. The time will go fast, youll feel a little better everyday. Work hard at PT and try to work through the pain. I had to keep reminding myself that my knee was fixed and the pain wasnt hurting anything but my mind. Good Luck.

STOP! Stop with the post op pain stories!
Ok
I'll just stop reading about it.

*carry on now*

I had my patellar tendon graft and miniscus done in March. Very painful, especially the first month. Went back to school 4 days after surgery. Six months post op now and have been riding "carefully" since the end of August.
I still can't jump the wake due to pain, mostly in the patella region where they took the graft. My knee always pops when I straighten it out.
All in all, would I do it again, you bet.Can't wait for next season.

Sharon

I had an MRI last week and I'm fine.. no surgery for me.

sorry it's painful but, :P

I'm in a brace right now with a full MCL tear. No surgery but I'm in crutches and no weight bearing for 7 weeks. Then, 6 weeks of PT.

My quad is already the size of my forearm. Kill me.

How about a no pain post op story. Had my surgery sept. 15 2005. Patellar graft. Not a lot of pain post op. leg was real weak though. After 6 months of re-hab and strength training I was charging full speed, no pain. With a cti2 brace of course.

Invest in a "Blue Ice" or recirulating water cooler. It allowed me to have ice cold water flowing around my knee continuously....and made recovery, especially after surgery and therapy way easier and tolerable. It allows you to get rid of the swelling much easier. Insurance even covered it. Also, make sure your therapists are "pro active" and
bent on getting you "better" than you were before. Alot of them just want to get you to walk...don't settle....find a sports medicine therapist. You'll be in way better shape in the long run. Good luck with your recovery.

Bill@ Performance

Bill, how long did you use that "Blue Ice" cooler after surgery? Im trying to figure out if its worth $225 out of my pocket. My insurance doesnt cover it.
I have a few ice packs that are really nice. Do you think this machine is worth the money?

Not sure if you're talking about the Blue Ice that is used in coolers, but I would highly suggest not using any artificial substitutes for ice.
I've seen a nasty skin reaction/blistering to a "blue Ice" bag breaking.
For $225 you can probably buy enough bags of frozen peas to use/reuse on your knee.

Melanie,

I used mine alot the first two weeks. I dont know if its worth $225 out of your pocket, my insurance covered mine but I had a hard time really feeling it through my ace bandage and gauze on my knee.

Melanie -- My insurance covered mine, but looking back, even if it hadn't I would have paid for it. I definitely could feel it through the bandage and gauze. And I continued to use it for a few months after while going through PT. And I'm not talking about the blue ice -- I'm talking about the recirculating water cooler. I personally thought it was the bomb.

When's your surgery? It's coming up soon here, right?

I am 4 weeks out on the replacement ACL surgery and also fixed up my bucket handle tear of the miniscus as well. I was off of pain medicine in 1 week but I did get the donor graft so that helped me out a lot. I still get twinges of pain and I am still in the locked brace when I walk around. PT has been a huge help though and I simply need to strenghen the old leg and get back to riding by spring at the latest.

I go in on oct 17th for ACL ,PCL, Miniscus Replacement all donor grart !!! Should be fun stuff Hopeing like hell it works . If it dose not work my doc will go in and break my Tib/Fib and move it to the right !!!!

WOW Kim! How did you injure yourself so badly? Was it that Whirly 540 you've been working on?
Hope YOUR surgery goes well. Makes mine seem like nothin. Geeeez. OWWY! Are you in alot of pain?
Jen, my surgery is Monday, Oct 2nd. Had Pre-op today. My doc worked it out with insurance, so I am actually getting the ice machine that you speak of for free. Just found out today that someone is coming to my house to set up some kind of mobalizing machine thingy dingy lol.
I got Percoset for pain which should make my posts next week, rather interesting.
Gary, dont know if it was you, sanger215guy, but he was so very kind, and offered to send to me, let me barrow, the ice machine. THANKS GARY! I dont need it anymore, but I so appreciate the offer.

Hey Melanie,
I think I used the water recirculation machine for about 3 weeks and periodically if I had any fluid / swelling on the knee. But where it makes the biggest difference is right when you get done with surgery, if you are put into a Constant Movement Machine (?) if allows you to be in that for hours without having to get up and change "ice packs"........trust me, the last thing you want to do when your have a knee with staples in it is to "get up and go to the kitchen for more ice. The cooler also was a great thing after a hard session of physical therapy. Overall, its just way easier than trying to strap on ice packs with an ace bandage. One tip.....take some tupperware and freeze big blocks of ice to put in the cooler. The solid blocks vs all ice cubes make it last WAY longer. I'd put in 4 rectangular blocks of ice, water to the top of them, and then cubes on top of that, and I could use the cooler for 24 hours without having to replace the ice. Good luck with this and hope you can get your hands on one.

CPM- Continuous Passive Motion
Make sure you are on a firm flat surface if using one.
Make sure your butt/back stays flat on the surface when it's flexing your knee. If you find yourself lifting up do to the pain of the motion, decrease the degree of flexion and/or the speed.
Don't worry about the speed.
Using frozen peas is much easier and cheaper than making your own ice. Already packaged and when the peas defrost, you're done and just toss it back into the freezer. Getting 4-6 small bags is pretty inexpensive and they conform around your knee nicely.

(Message edited by phantom5815 on September 29, 2006)

My son Larry had surgery 1 year ago acl replacement, miniscus repair and 8 mos later blew the acl again. he used ice machine all the time and is still using it when he gets swelling.Pain after surgery was not bad, cpm machine works wonders with the polar ice machine.

CPM? CHECK!
Recirculating ice machine? CHECK!
Crutches? CHECK!
Knee brace? CHECK!
White stockings?? Umm CHECK?
Percoset? CHECK!
Paperwork? CHECK!
Clean panties?? hehehe CHECK!
Book for my boyfriend to read while he has to sit and wait at the surgical center for 6 hours? CHECK!
My own robe they told me I could bring? CHECK! Insurance card? Drivers liscence?
CHECK CHECK!
What am I missing?? lol

I like the blocks of ice idea Performance Ski and Surf. Thanks.
Thanks for all the CPM tips Phantom.
Gordie, why? How? How did he tear it so fast again?

(Message edited by Melanie on September 29, 2006)

He had been wake boarding about a month or so but he was running in gym class on a clay track and it just slip out and completely tore it. should have been wearing his CTi2 brace. Know it swells after 2 or 3 hard sets. does'nt want to fix it until next fall. Good Luck to everyone having surgery, follow your PT's orders! The following photo was taken 5mos after surgery doctor told him some light riding.....

Six hours???? Mine didn't take that long with recovery included. 4 max.

He should get that fixed soon. More meniscus abuse and swelling will lead to arthritis and eventually a knee replacement if he's not careful.

Melanie:

The recirculating ice machine rocks. I used it 24/7 (yes I slept with it on) for the first week and then cut back b/c I started PT.

One thing you did not mention on your checklist; get a sharpie marker and write "fix this one" on your bad knee and "fix other one" on your good knee. I'm not kidding. It's a rare mistake but has been known to happen, and it's not worth the risk.

Good luck.

You'll be able to get some spring snowboarding in, no problem. Use your brace for the first 12 months.

Matt

One thing you did not mention on your checklist; get a sharpie marker and write "fix this one" on your bad knee and "fix other one" on your good knee. I'm not kidding. It's a rare mistake but has been known to happen, and it's not worth the risk.


That's suppose to happen in the preop holding area, when the RNs confirm the site and watch you or your Surgeon mark the correct leg.

BTW- Please don't put writing around the area where the incisions will be made.

Funny you say that matt. I've been thinking about that. I think i'll write, "WRONG LEG DUMMY!" on the right one, the one thats not tore. I might write something like, "HI EVERYBODY!" with a big smiley face, on the correct leg, the left one. Up high on my thigh Phantom, away from the incision.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I'm sooooooo skeered!! Its only a few hours away. I've never had a mjor surgery before so im FREAKIN OUT!

Phantom is right, get the sharpie!

You'll be fine Melanie, it will be over before you know it. Good Luck

The recovery is horrible. Threw up every half hour for about 48 hours. Couldnt keep the Percacet down. I now have anti nausea medicine. Not so painful anymore.
Im up to 78 degrees on the CPM machine. The knee is wrapped very tight with gauze and whatnot so I have no clue what it looks like untill tomarrow when they remove everything. I actually bleed quite a bit through all the gauze/dressing.
Dr. Vest was my "anasleeziologist" lol. Thats what he kept refferring to himself as.
I was all drugged up at one point and felt the need to tell Dr. Vest that I always wear one. I dont think he got the joke.

XGirl, same happened to me. Couldn't keep the pain meds down!! Also got a strep infection and was in the hospital for 3 weeks. Don't worry, only happens to 1 in every 500....

Sorry to hear about the nausea. Usually pain medication adds to the problem. What I find is (kinda funny but are you not using your brain category) that most Surgeons will order oral anti nausea medication
No one likes suppository, but if you're yaking your brains out at home it sure is a welcome relief.
Never had the experience, but it's just a little common sense.

Bad news. I fell today while attempting to get up off the couch to get a breathe of fresh air(stupid percoset!). Heard that lovely loud pop in the same knee. Went to the doc for the Xray then went for the MRI. I'll know tomarrow if I have to have surgery again. He thinks I may have tore my pateller or the clip they used on the pateller after taking some of it to use for the ACL may have come off.

That hurts to hear that, what terrible luck! I promise you it will get better. I had the surgery two years ago, it is a long, tough road, but it will get better!!

Sorry to hear that Melanie, arnt you wearing a leg imobilizer brace to keep your leg straight when walking? My doc kept mine locked for the first weak or so. The only time it was off was during PT.