Spent a weekend resting the knee having felt I might have been pushing it at work a bit much. Luckily plenty of sport to watch and weather pretty bad so didn't feel I was losing out too much. Knee still has swelling and thus difficult to bend at the extremes.Had a good physio session today. Real focus on the straight leg extension and hyper flex of the knee. Rather alarmingly though I was told not to continue with straight leg raises which I have started doing after the last physio session. Need to sort this out as this has been worrying me that I could have been doing some unnecessary damage.
Physio has suggested that we up the routine. Knee flex now upto 113 degrees and 3 degrees of neutral when straight. Physio very encouraged. So another session at the end of this week and then two hour long sessions next week. Also suggested getting going on an exercise bike and shoudl be able to go swimming soon.
It is hitting home a bit that the recovery of this operation is a long haul. I am missing going for walks or doing any serious exercise and worried about what if the graft doesn't work. This has been manifesting itself into a pretty short temper at times with the kids which I guess is a result of general tiredness as well.
Knee does get tight at work and the only way to solve this is good rest and ice and trying not to do much, a difficult thing to do when there is stuff to do at work.
Wednesday 10 June 2009
2nd Surgeon Visit - Thursday 4th June
This was my 3rd week check up. Quick 10 minute consultation. Wound seems to be healing ok and just need to wear a small plaster for one remaining sore spot, otherwise no problem with showers now. Emphasis on straight leg extension and getting knee to go flat and heel lifted. Otherwise just keep out of trouble. Still some swelling around the knee but if that persists then he may drain it at 6 weeks, nice! It was a reassuring meeting though and he said the swelling on the fornt of the shin was dissapating and not to worry about it. So far so good.
I feel like there is good progress and walking is getting better but sitting at desk at work does make knee stiff especially round the front under knee cap which must be related to the patella graft.
Getting frustrated at times and would like more mobility. Also the front right of the knee is very numb as a consequence of the surgery. Hopefully this will return in due course.
I feel like there is good progress and walking is getting better but sitting at desk at work does make knee stiff especially round the front under knee cap which must be related to the patella graft.
Getting frustrated at times and would like more mobility. Also the front right of the knee is very numb as a consequence of the surgery. Hopefully this will return in due course.
Tuesday 2 June 2009
2nd Physio appointment
Back for more punishment.....
Achieved the 90 degree knee bend!
Hamstrings have never been my strong point so plenty more work needed and new exercise devised where you lie on a table with lower leg dangling off end and elastic band attached to table leg and you ankle. The aim is to stretch the hamstrings and increase knee flex.
Why doesn't anyone tell you to work on your hamstrings before the op? Perhaps it wouldn't really matter considering the nature of the op.
Achieved the 90 degree knee bend!
Hamstrings have never been my strong point so plenty more work needed and new exercise devised where you lie on a table with lower leg dangling off end and elastic band attached to table leg and you ankle. The aim is to stretch the hamstrings and increase knee flex.
Why doesn't anyone tell you to work on your hamstrings before the op? Perhaps it wouldn't really matter considering the nature of the op.
No more crutches
Really pleased that I have managed to drop both crutches after Day 12. If I go far I generally take one with me to ward anyone off who comes too close and as assistance as I can only really do about 200 yds.
Walking with a limp and trying to do heel /toe as much as possible.
Walking with a limp and trying to do heel /toe as much as possible.
First physio appointment
After one week I visited my physio Stephanie at Pea Green in Bicester. I had spent the first week just doing the basic gentle heel slides, heel compression and leg raise over the towel.
I came away after 30 mins with new instruction on a whole range of other basic hamstring stretches and the aim of going from the 65 degree leg bend to 90 degree when I see her next in a weeks time.
I have been trying to do 3 session a day and have managed to keep it going. Pain not too bad but some discomfort on the knee cap with some heel slides and heel raises when pushing it. I do feel much more mobile afterwards though.
I came away after 30 mins with new instruction on a whole range of other basic hamstring stretches and the aim of going from the 65 degree leg bend to 90 degree when I see her next in a weeks time.
I have been trying to do 3 session a day and have managed to keep it going. Pain not too bad but some discomfort on the knee cap with some heel slides and heel raises when pushing it. I do feel much more mobile afterwards though.
2 weeks in....
After Day 5 I think the anaesthetic completely wore off and I started to get some pain but not throbbing, just awkward when I move around. I also started to get a really painful sensation at the front of my shin when I got up and started to move around. It was like shin splints but would wear off after about 4 steps. My shin was also very red and felt very tight. I had spent some of the day walking around on crutches to see an event at my daughters school and probably not rested enough. In the end I got in touch with the hospital and my Consultant rang me and arranged for me to see him the next day. By that time I had rested up solidly for two days and the pain and swelling was much less, but he put it down to fluid from the knee draining down the leg and that it would dissipate. I think it is called a pitted edema. Anyway a week further on it has gone and I'm completely off pain killers after about 12 days.
Thursday 21 May 2009
Day 5
Very happy with progress. Doing physio exercises about 5 times a day.
Pain relief still ok but I think the femoral block must have warn away completely now as the front of my shin in quite sore. This must be entry point for drill!.
Knee itself is fine. Stiff, but no throbbing pain which I had been expecting. Just taking paracetamol still.
Found a great link on youtube which shows the operation as an animated cartoon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q96M0jRqn7k
Also surfing around I came across an interesting new site called www.aclcentral.com which has been set up in the US. It is looking to share experiences with other ACL patients.
Pain relief still ok but I think the femoral block must have warn away completely now as the front of my shin in quite sore. This must be entry point for drill!.
Knee itself is fine. Stiff, but no throbbing pain which I had been expecting. Just taking paracetamol still.
Found a great link on youtube which shows the operation as an animated cartoon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q96M0jRqn7k
Also surfing around I came across an interesting new site called www.aclcentral.com which has been set up in the US. It is looking to share experiences with other ACL patients.
Tuesday 19 May 2009
ACL Reconstruction op
Saturday May 16th was the day agreed at The Manor.
BUPA efficiency and I was in theatre at 1030 and out by 1215.
The op fascinates me and full film clips can be seen on You Tube but basically they take your patella ligament with a bit of bone attached from your shin and a bit of bone from your knee cap. They then drill a hole through your upper and lower leg bones and insert this new ligament which they fix with screws.
You come out fully bandaged up and after a couple of hours see a physio to start straight away with muscle strengthening exercises and getting circulation going.
You then progress to sliding your leg towards you to flex the knee gently.
On day 2 I was out of bed on crutches and hobbling around and no problem putting weight on the knee.
Day 3 and I'm now back home and have been generally resting and getting better on the crutches.
Great thing has been virtually no pain or significant inflammation of the knee. Just taking paracetamol. I have bought this expensive cryo cuff knee ice pack on the basis that although it is £130 its worth it for a better knee but am sure ice packs would do.
Sleeping is the only real issue as you have to lie on your back to ensure you don't twist your knee
Hoping to get knee flex beying 45 degree in the next day.
BUPA efficiency and I was in theatre at 1030 and out by 1215.
The op fascinates me and full film clips can be seen on You Tube but basically they take your patella ligament with a bit of bone attached from your shin and a bit of bone from your knee cap. They then drill a hole through your upper and lower leg bones and insert this new ligament which they fix with screws.
You come out fully bandaged up and after a couple of hours see a physio to start straight away with muscle strengthening exercises and getting circulation going.
You then progress to sliding your leg towards you to flex the knee gently.
On day 2 I was out of bed on crutches and hobbling around and no problem putting weight on the knee.
Day 3 and I'm now back home and have been generally resting and getting better on the crutches.
Great thing has been virtually no pain or significant inflammation of the knee. Just taking paracetamol. I have bought this expensive cryo cuff knee ice pack on the basis that although it is £130 its worth it for a better knee but am sure ice packs would do.
Sleeping is the only real issue as you have to lie on your back to ensure you don't twist your knee
Hoping to get knee flex beying 45 degree in the next day.
Shaggy Knee story
I always thought I was lucky....for the last 20 years I have always played hockey for 6 months of the year (Sept-April). Very little has kept me from playing and my wife, Kate, and I even agreed it was a good release for me to get some time off at the weekend when the kids arrived. Basically Saturday became a write off whilst I travelled the globe (or home counties) with the glorious Oxford Hawks 4th XI. Training in the week never got in the way as we never did any. The only thing that troubled me was the odd muscle pull and astro burns.
Then in Feb 2008 everything came crashing down. On a family ski trip to Andorra I was innocently guiding my daughter Charlotte back down the slopes. She was 5 and she was skiing between my legs - very cute stuff and lots of fun - until we slipped on a patch of ice and my right leg went outwards and Charlotte fell onto it. Her body weight was on my knee and my binding didn't break - but instead my knee gave way with a slight popping sensation and then we fell. I got up and knew I had done something to my knee but could put pressure on it and we skied off again. That night I put ice on it as it was a bit swollen and we flew home the next.
I decided to rest hockey for a couple of weeks.
3 weeks later I went back skiing armed with a tubi grip and skied hard for 4 days without a problem with the exception of a mad dancing injury when my knee gave way as I was pogo-ing.
A week later I was having a muck around game of basket ball when I twisted and turned and got a knife sharp pain in the knee. But rubbing it better seemed to sort it out. I decided to see my GP about it in case and was referred to have an MRI which was inconclusive and I did a bit of physio and retrained gently.
Throughout the summer of 2008 I played the odd game of hockey or football and kept just nicking my knee.
In September 2008 in the first training game of the season I played a full 50 minutes hard-ish hockey and then when chasing for a ball I checked and turned direction at a good speed and my knee just went - sort of wrenching sound and a sensation that your leg has moved more than it should and then falling smack on the ground with explosive knee pain. Having studied knee symptoms in some depth now I think I can safely say that I ruptured my ACL. The knee swells instantly and stiffens quickly and is painful . I managed to drive home -just and get some ice on it and then went to the pub and found I couldn't move. In the morning I was driven to A&E and after an X-Ray proved nothing was broken I was sent away with a pair of crutches.
Luckily also playing that day was John Black and A&E specialist from the JR and he suggested I see a chap at the trauma unit at the JR called Richard Keys. Another MRI scan ensued but nothing conclusive showed apart from minor cartilage tears. The ACL was still intact but stretched and lax but difficult to pick up. I went away with a course of physio booked and advised to try and strengthen the leg again and see how things progressed. So off I went again and from October to December started to rebuild knee strength.
Frustrated at not playing hockey I decided to do an umpiring course to get me out but during the course of the practical I was jogging backwards when my knee went again. I was also having pain fully flexing the knee
So back to see Mr Keys and this time we agreed that an arthroscopy would enable him to investigate the knee better. So, in late January 2009 he had a good look around and nibbled away at a tear in my medial meniscus and also found that my ACL was completely 'floppy'.
The reluctance to operate straightaway and give physio a chance is standard stuff as there is a chance things will improve and invasive surgery I guess is not always best.
Mr Keys went through the options and suggested if I wanted a passive existence I could survive without the ACL but to play active sport again then the option was the ACL Reconstruction.
I had had a bit of scan through YouTube and found various clips showing surgeons with drills and chisels. More Black and Decker than key hole but success rate of 90% for a full recovery.
So we agreed to go ahead but in the meantime went on a family ski trip to Morzine in early April. Mr Keys confirmed that I might as well try this with a knee brace.
Having researched knee braces you soon discover that the range is wide and the ones recommended (Don-Joy) are about £400 for ACL sufficient ones. I did a bit more web reserch and came across physioroom.com and got a Don Joy ACL brace which was only £175 for a bit of neoprene, velcro straps and two bits of aluminum. With a week to go I proudly went to my phsio and showed her my prize purchase to be told it was not the right thing. But determined I decided I shoudl try it out and play in at least one game of hockey that season. I played 15 minutes, scored a goal and then got a bit more involved and turned my knee, so I guess the physio was right!
Skiing though was fine and I used the brace and had no problems.
Then in Feb 2008 everything came crashing down. On a family ski trip to Andorra I was innocently guiding my daughter Charlotte back down the slopes. She was 5 and she was skiing between my legs - very cute stuff and lots of fun - until we slipped on a patch of ice and my right leg went outwards and Charlotte fell onto it. Her body weight was on my knee and my binding didn't break - but instead my knee gave way with a slight popping sensation and then we fell. I got up and knew I had done something to my knee but could put pressure on it and we skied off again. That night I put ice on it as it was a bit swollen and we flew home the next.
I decided to rest hockey for a couple of weeks.
3 weeks later I went back skiing armed with a tubi grip and skied hard for 4 days without a problem with the exception of a mad dancing injury when my knee gave way as I was pogo-ing.
A week later I was having a muck around game of basket ball when I twisted and turned and got a knife sharp pain in the knee. But rubbing it better seemed to sort it out. I decided to see my GP about it in case and was referred to have an MRI which was inconclusive and I did a bit of physio and retrained gently.
Throughout the summer of 2008 I played the odd game of hockey or football and kept just nicking my knee.
In September 2008 in the first training game of the season I played a full 50 minutes hard-ish hockey and then when chasing for a ball I checked and turned direction at a good speed and my knee just went - sort of wrenching sound and a sensation that your leg has moved more than it should and then falling smack on the ground with explosive knee pain. Having studied knee symptoms in some depth now I think I can safely say that I ruptured my ACL. The knee swells instantly and stiffens quickly and is painful . I managed to drive home -just and get some ice on it and then went to the pub and found I couldn't move. In the morning I was driven to A&E and after an X-Ray proved nothing was broken I was sent away with a pair of crutches.
Luckily also playing that day was John Black and A&E specialist from the JR and he suggested I see a chap at the trauma unit at the JR called Richard Keys. Another MRI scan ensued but nothing conclusive showed apart from minor cartilage tears. The ACL was still intact but stretched and lax but difficult to pick up. I went away with a course of physio booked and advised to try and strengthen the leg again and see how things progressed. So off I went again and from October to December started to rebuild knee strength.
Frustrated at not playing hockey I decided to do an umpiring course to get me out but during the course of the practical I was jogging backwards when my knee went again. I was also having pain fully flexing the knee
So back to see Mr Keys and this time we agreed that an arthroscopy would enable him to investigate the knee better. So, in late January 2009 he had a good look around and nibbled away at a tear in my medial meniscus and also found that my ACL was completely 'floppy'.
The reluctance to operate straightaway and give physio a chance is standard stuff as there is a chance things will improve and invasive surgery I guess is not always best.
Mr Keys went through the options and suggested if I wanted a passive existence I could survive without the ACL but to play active sport again then the option was the ACL Reconstruction.
I had had a bit of scan through YouTube and found various clips showing surgeons with drills and chisels. More Black and Decker than key hole but success rate of 90% for a full recovery.
So we agreed to go ahead but in the meantime went on a family ski trip to Morzine in early April. Mr Keys confirmed that I might as well try this with a knee brace.
Having researched knee braces you soon discover that the range is wide and the ones recommended (Don-Joy) are about £400 for ACL sufficient ones. I did a bit more web reserch and came across physioroom.com and got a Don Joy ACL brace which was only £175 for a bit of neoprene, velcro straps and two bits of aluminum. With a week to go I proudly went to my phsio and showed her my prize purchase to be told it was not the right thing. But determined I decided I shoudl try it out and play in at least one game of hockey that season. I played 15 minutes, scored a goal and then got a bit more involved and turned my knee, so I guess the physio was right!
Skiing though was fine and I used the brace and had no problems.
Kneeding Help
I thought I would set up this blog in the hope that my knee experience might be of interest to others. There are lots of web sites dedicated to knee injuries and I have now come across lots of people who have had ACL reconstructions, but it is fairly daunting stuff and I wanted to put my experiences down on a blog especially regarding the recovery process.
One minute your happily playing hockey or skiing and the next your off games for a long time but I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel....
One minute your happily playing hockey or skiing and the next your off games for a long time but I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
