ACL SURGERY RECOVERY: Recovering from ACL surgery

1 Year Post ACL Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Well, its been a little over a year since my ACL surgery back on May 22nd 2008, and for the most part, my knee has been feeling pretty good. I competed in a 5 km placed me 1st in my age group (35-39) and 29th overall out of over 1,100 people. I've also been doing a lot of rollerblading this spring which has not aggravated it at all. Overall, most of the activities I have chosen have been very good on my knee.

One thing I have found my knee does not like is Squash. I've played about 20 games this year and the last game I played, I felt a little "give" on a quick stop. I was able to keep playing but the next few days following, my knee was a little sore and i could feel some very minor swelling on the inside. So needless to say, I'm retiring from the game of Squash and will concentrate on Running, Mountain Biking and Rollerblading this Spring/Summer/Fall and also will be looking for new activities to participate in.

I'm glad to see there are a lot of readers out there posting, asking questions and answering questions. Keep it up people. I'm happy this blog is turning out to be a good read for a lot of you out there.

If you're new to my blog and are about to have ACL surgery on one of your knees, be sure to check the blog history on the left hand side of your screen for some very helpful information.

Hopefully you all have a great summer. I will continue posting thoughout the summer and try to answer whatever questions I can so be sure to leave some comments.

11 Months Post ACL Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Well, just a short update here for the readers out there. Im closing in on a year post ACL surgery and Ive started Rollerblading and if you've read my earlier posts, you know Ive been doing some jogging. I've got three 5km races under my belt in the last 3 months. My best time was 21:27 just last weekend finishing second in my age group (30-39). The knee feels pretty good. I do suffer from Shin splints when i run or roller blade long distances. Even to this day I still feel a bit of the "Jumper's Knee" on my patella, but so far, it has not stopped me from keeping active and with the Summer weather not too far off, I'm hoping for a very eventful "Summer of Steve".

Anyway, I plan to continue posting the odd time here. A lot of people have been posting comments helping out one another and thats great. Hopefully that will continue and I will also try and give some advice when i can.

Good luck to anyone reading this and about to go through ACL surgery. Be sure to scan through the history of this blog for some helpful tips on how to get through it all.

10 Months post ACL surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Well, its been almost a couple months since I last posted here and around 10 months since my surgery and since i started this blog. It appears that this blog is helping out a lot of people. I see a lot of comments being posted and a lot of people offering advice as well. Good luck to everyone who is having their knees operated on. Its not the end of the world. Remember to stick with your physio program and you'll be fine. Hopefully you will find some helpful information as you navigate through this blog.

An update on me, I ran my first post ACL surgery 5 km race last weekend. I finished at a time of 21 minutes and 48 seconds. I placed 3rd in my age group (35-39) and 19th overall out of about 400 people. Not too shabby. I did feel a bit of the "Jumper's Knee" discomfort for a couple days after the race but all in all it felt good. I have already signed up for another 5 km race in Toronto for April 4th. I'm currently running distances of about 3.5 to 5km for my training and concentrating on speed more than anything.

I also started playing squash again today for the first time in years. I didn't go all out but the knee felt stable which is a good sign.

That's it for this post. Feel free to continue to leave comments or questions and I'll try my best at responded to all of them. I'll also try to post something new from time to time.

Getting Ready for my first 5 km race post ACL surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:26:00 +0000

If you're new a new reader to this blog and are looking for information about what the rehab process is like after ACL surgery, then be sure to check the BLOG ARCHIVE on the left hand side of the screen. I've blogged my progress on a weekly basis after I had my ACL reconstructed. Hopefully you will find it helpful.

Well, Im still only running about 3 km at a time at this point but I have been consistant trying to run 3 times per week. I've started bringing my dog along on these runs as she forces me to run faster. Eventually i'll work up to 5 km. I have about 5 weeks until my planned race.

The knee feels pretty good. I still have some mild soreness in my lower patella after runs where the jumper's knee problem was but it usually goes away the 2nd day after running. I have to remember to massage the tendon when it gets sore. I'll work my way up to 3.5 and 4km per run in the next week or 2.

Getting back into sports is a different issue. It is really a mental issue at this point. I definitely don't have the confidence to go back and start playing anything that requires quick turns and cuts since that is what got me into trouble in the first place. Having to go through another knee injury is not in my immediate plans. Summer registration is coming up in the next couple months so hopefully I will have the courage to go out and give sports a try again.

8 Months after ACL surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Well, its been about 5 weeks since I last reported on my ACL surgery recovery process. All seems to be going well. I did take a break from training over the Christmas holidays which I think helped my Jumpers Knee a lot.

I have started up some running again. I ran about 3 km straight the other day without any breaks and I am happy to report that was not that much discomfort at all in my patella during the running or the next day. Today I managed to do some sprinting on a treadmill with no ill effects either.

So the plan from here on in is to continue with some quad, hip and hamstring exercises that I've outlined throughout the past 8 months.

For those of you new to my blog, be sure to check out the Blog Archive on the menu portion of the screen. Hopefully it will help people out. I will try to report back from time to time on any new activities I try and how my knee feels afterwards. I do have a 5km race planned for March 2009 so I will work towards getting in shape for that.

Week 28 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:32:00 +0000

If you're a new reader to this blog and are about to have reconstructive ACL surgery on your knee, be sure to check out the "Blog Archive" for previous posts which will give you a good idea of what the first few weeks are like to go through.

At this point, I'm 28 weeks in and the my recovery process is now all about being able to return to sports. For the most part, my knee feels good and if I did not intend on playing sports, I could get by without the physio now. But my goal is to get back to where I left off so, I keep plugging away.

There is still some swelling after intense drills and exercises and I probably do not ice my knee as much as I should. Also, after an intense workout with running and plyometric drills, I can feel the Jumper's knee slightly act up a bit. When this happens I usually have to tone it down for a couple of days.

Today, I'll show you a new running drill from physiotherapy which is to help you get use to the quick start and stop movements needed to play in a lot of competitive sports. Again, I've constructed a very crude diagram but hopefully you'll get the idea of how it should be performed. Line up 6 or 7 pylons only a few feet apart in a straight line. The pylons I use for this drill have thin 6 feet polls sticking out of the tops. You want to run in and out, around pylons (following the arrows) and make sure you don't touch the polls.

Looks easy? Well, what makes this drill difficult is while I'm running through the pylons, the therapist will randomly yell the word "switch" which means I am suppose to turn around and run backwards in the same pattern. Its actually pretty crazy. By the time you run through it back and forth 5 times without stopping, you're very beat.

That's it for this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

If you have a similar blog or site which you'd like to promote here, then please don't spam my blog posts full of your links. It would be better to contact me and ask me about maybe posting a link to your site on the side bar menu.

ACL Surgery Recovery - Week 27

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:51:00 +0000

So its no secret that the recovery process after ACL surgery on your knee can be long and boring, doing the same exercises every week and only seeing small amounts of progress at a time. It's definitely good to change things up a bit each week if you can. I'm trying to show you different exercises as well as variations to freshen up your weekly routines. Remember before trying anything you see on my blog to get the green light from your physiotherapist.

This late into the recovery process, a lot of people will be running and doing sprinting and cutting drills. These exercises are even good for people who are training to compete in sports such as basketball, soccer, hockey, tennis and more.

A couple weeks back, I showed you how to do the "H Drill" which is really good for your cardiovascular conditioning, reaction time and helps get your knee use to the quick start and stop side to side movements again. This week I'll show you a variation of the "H Drill" and its simply called the "A Drill".

The running pattern is almost similar to the H drill except, obviously, you're running out the pattern of the letter A this time.

Step 1 - your starting point at the bottom on the left hand side. Run the full length up to the top at a good speed and make a quick stop (2).

Step 2 - run backwards as fast as you can to the middle pylon (3)

Step 3 - from the middle pylon, side shuffle to the right across to the other middle pylon (4)

Step 4 - run forwards to the top of the A (5)

Step 5 - now run backwards again all the way to the bottom right (6)

Step 6 - run forwards to the middle pylon (on the right) (7)

Step 7 - from the middle pylon, side shuffle to the left across to the other middle pylon (8)

Step 8 - run backwards back to your starting point (9)

Think that was easy? well add a couple of steps to it before stopping.

Step 9 - side shuffle to the right again to the bottom right pylon (10)

Step 10 - side shuffle back to the starting point (11)

Try this 5-10 time during your workout with a 30 second break in between. Your heart should be pumping pretty good by the time you've done 5 of them. Repeat this drill about 5-10 times depending on what recovery level you're at.

As for my progress, I'm doing running and these cutting drills twice a week. I find my patella area gets a little sore the next day which is probably due to my Jumper's Knee issue. So i make sure that the soreness is totally gone before running again. As far as my running goes, I am up to about 18 minutes of 1 minute sprints and 30 second walking on the treadmill. I'm still not comfortable with flat out running for that period of time without any walking breaks again due to my Jumper's knee issues. I'm being very cautious and if there is any discomfort what so ever, I stop so it doesn't get aggravated again.

That's it for this week's ACL surgery recovery update. If you have any questions, comments or information you'd like to share, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. I always like to hear from people who read my blog and you may also be able to provide helpful information to others at the same time.

Week 26 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:40:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog. I've been going over my recovery process from ACL surgery week by week since May 22nd 2008. In this blog I talk many related knee injury issue and about the exercises I have learned at physiotherapy. Please be sure to consult a medical professional before trying any of the exercises you see on this blog, especially if you yourself are recovery from the same type of knee surgery.

Ive just realized that I've hit the half a year mark since my surgery. 26 weeks. Amazing. Generally, It feels good but there is a lot of hesitation on my part with some of the training. Mainly when I'm trying sharp turns at fast speeds on some of the plyometric cutting drills. Obviously the reason why is because the injury first happened with a similar type of movement. It is something I will have to mentally overcome if I'm going to start playing sports again. If I wasn't planning on going back to sports, I probably would be able to get by at this stage of recovery but it is important to keep up your training.

This week I took it a bit easy as far as running and cutting drills go. I'm still a bit worried about my "Jumper's knee" acting up. I was feeling it a little bit last week so I laid off anything that aggravates it. I am still trying to improve my strength so I'm adding some heavier weights to certain exercises like leg extensions, hamstring curls and backwards lunges.

This week, I've got a new cutting drill for everyone. Please excuse the crudeness of my diagram below. I put it together rather quickly but hopefully you'll get the idea. Its not overly complicated. Basically, you have 2 rows of 4 or 5 pylons set up like the diagram below. The 2 rows are about 15 feet apart from each other. Starting at the bottom and following the arrowed lines, you want to start by running at top speed around the pylon immediately to the left, then turn and run to the pylon on the right. Repeat this pattern without stopping until you get to the last pylon and then run at top speed down the middle back to your starting point. It was suggested physio that I do 5 of these to my routine with a 30 second rest in between.

Well, that's all I have this week. Remember, to ice and elevate your knee after doing your exercise routines to keep the swelling down and don't forget to add in some massaging to break up the scar tissue. Doing these little things consistently will help you in the long run.

On a side, but related note, If you follow NHL hockey at all as I do, the latest ACL injury to occur happened to Dallas Stars forward Brendan Morrow who snapped his ACL yesterday and is now projected to be out of action for 6 months which will mean he misses the rest of the NHL season.

Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog. If you have any questions, comments or would like to share your similar experience, please feel free to leave a comment. Also, don't forget to check the "Blog Archive" on the left hand side of your screen to see any of my previous posts.

Week 25 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:07:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog. If you're about to have, or have just had your ACL surgically repaired and are looking to get an idea of what the recovery stage is like, you've come to the right place. One the left hand side of your screen (Scroll down a bit), you'll see a Blog Archive that goes through my personal recovery stage week by week. Hopefully some of you will find this information some what helpful. Its hard to think during the first week or two after knee surgery that you'll ever get your knee back to the condition it was in prior to your surgery but with a lot of hard work and proper direction from a physiotherapist, it is almost certainly possible.

I'm up to week 25 and generally the knee feels pretty good. This past week I've incorporated 3 days of treadmill running into my routine, but only 10 minutes. I will run for 1 minute and walk for 30 seconds and repeat. Yesterday I increased the running to 13 minutes at my physio appointment. My knee is a little sore the next day but not too bad. I still feel the jumper's knee a little bit which is expected. That's not something that goes away quickly apparently. I don't plan on pushing it too much more until the Jumper's knee is not bothering me at all anymore.

I'll go over a new "cutting" drill that I've learned at physio this past week. If you're currently in the post surgery recovery stage, please don't try this unless you've got a medical professionals consent. If you're knee is not at a stage where it's not strong enough to handle these kinds of movementes, you may re-injure it.

This drill is simply called the "H" Drill. I've drawn up a rough diagram below of how it is performed. This drill is great for people who are trying to get back into sports like basketball, soccer, tennis just to name a few sports. It will help your surgically repaired knee get use to quick start & stop running and cuts again.

Line up 2 rows of 3 pylons. Each pylon in each row is about 15 feet apart and the 2 rows are about 20 feet apart from each other.

Step 1 - your starting point at the bottom of the row on the left hand side. Run the full length of the row at a good speed and make a quick stop (2).

Step 2 - run backwards as fast as you can to the middle pylon (3)

Step 3 - from the middle pylon, side shuffle to the right across to the other row's middle pylon (4)

Step 4 - run forwards to the top of the row (5)

Step 5 - now run backwards again all the way to the bottom of the row (6)

Step 6 - run forwards to the middle pylon (7)

Step 7 - from the middle pylon, side shuffle to the left across to the other row's middle pylon (8)

Step 8 - run backwards back to your starting point (9)

Repeat this drill about 5-10 times depending on what recovery level you're at.

That's it for this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog.

Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog. Be sure to check back next week for another update.

ACL Surgery Recovery - Week 23 & 24

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL knee surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery process since my anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.

If you're new to my blog, check out the blog archive on the left hand side to read through my previous posts.

Week 23 did not see much progress or difference in my workout. Frustrated, i decided to add some additional stretching and massaging to my routine.

If you've been following my blog you'll know that I've developed jumper's knee in my patella tendon after my knee surgery and I've been struggling with it for quite some time. The strength in my knee is improving on a weekly basis but the jumper's knee issue is a tough hurdle to get over. Quadriceps stretches are really suppose to help so I've decided to increase the frequency in which i do these stretches.

This is your basic Quad stretch (above). Grab a hold of your ankle and bring it up behind you. If you're stretching your left side, use your left hand. Right side - right hand. Use the opposite arm for support if need as in the figure above. Then, as the arrow shows, slightly swing your leg, using your hip backwards. Do NOT perform this stretch using your opposite hand. Remember - left leg, left hand, right leg, right hand. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times. For those who would like to try more advanced stretches, check the pictures below.

The other thing i started doing more of this week was simple massaging of the patella tendon. Massaging increases blood flow through the tendon. The proper way for you to massage the patella tendon is in a left - right movement in the area where you feel the pain. NOT up and down or in a circular motion. Just left to right.

So now I'm at week 24 post ACL surgery and my therapist decided that right from the start we would try running drills first and she was going to try taping up my knee again before we started. Taping the knee is suppose to help reduce the pain. We had tried it before by it i found in the past it did not help much. Well, this time it was a lot different. I actually made some progress. Very little pain doing forwards and backwards running drills. Then i went to the treadmill and did 1 minute jogs with 30 second intervals of walking in between. Surprisingly no pain. I did this for 8 minutes and could have kept going but my therapist did not want to push it.

So finally some progress to report. I think it was all a combo of the massaging, extra quad stretches and taping up the knee that really helped in the last two weeks. Hopefully, I'll have more progress over the course of the week as i do my daily routines. If my knee holds up, next week, i'll be trying a few more running and cutting type drills at physio which i will report on shortly after.

Thanks for reading my ACL surgery recovery blog. Please feel free to post a comment or question and I'll try to respond.

ACL Surgery Recovery - Week 22

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 13:05:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL knee surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery process since my anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Please keep in mind, I am just writing this blog to give people an idea of what the recovery process is like. If you've had or are planning on having ACL or any type of knee surgery, make sure you go to a therapist for a proper workout program.

We're up to week 22 now. For the most part, my knee is fairly strong. The majority of movements are easy with the exception of running. I'm still dealing with the development of Jumper's knee or patella tendinitis in my surgically repaired knee so I have to be aware of what is aggravating it.

There were a few new exercises this week at physiotherapy in addition to my standard routine. First, we used the Pro Fitter 3D ski & balance machine.

Holding on to ski polls, you just slide from side to side. There are adjustable cables underneath to increase or decrease resistance. This is suppose to improve core and leg strength as well as improve your reaction skills. It's also good cardio and has a number of other different exercises you can. Its not just for knee rehabilitation. Checking prices on line for this it actually runs about 600 bucks. ouch! Anyway, I did this for about 10 minutes. It can get boring but not much different than any other cardio machine i suppose.

On to the Shuttle MVP machine (below), I have been doing one legged jumps. Its very much like a squat machine. The pad that your resting on is on wheels and slides back and forth as you squat or jump. There are cables to add resistance.

This week, we added one leg jumps but, with me laying on my side (i couldn't find a picture of this) making sure my hip is flat on the board. It actually was a lot more difficult than when I was doing it lying on my back. I did 3 sets of 10. I like doing the jumps on this machine because it does not bother my "Jumper's Knee"

Next up, we did another plyometric exercise Zig-Zag hops. Placing two rows of 10 pylons parrallel to each other but one slightly a head of the other. You jump side to side with both legs. Turn around and start over again. I did 10 of these.

The good thing about these exercises is you can do them at home, and you don't need any fancy equipment to do them.

Finally, we did some sprinting, but a little different. I would start of running forward and my therapist would yell "switch" which ment i have to, very quickly, stop and start running backwards. Next time she yells "switch" I would stop and start running forward. This goes on randomly for about a couple of minutes then i took a break and did it again. This exercise is to get my knee use to the quick stop & start movements that I need to play sports like ball hockey & soccer. Its also good to improve your reaction time.

My knee was a bit sore the next day and i think it was from the last two exercises i just went over. The discomfort was in same area I've been complaining about for the last 10 weeks or so. The tendinitis seems to be where the patella meets the shin bone. After a couple days it was not so bad. An alternative to these plyometic exercises is that they can be done in the pool. I may try that instead next week.

Thats it for this week. Again, please do your homework before attempting any of these exercises. The purpose of this blog is to give an idea of the workout programs and recovery process after knee surgery. Everyone is different and can do different levels of exercises at different points post surgery. Consult your doctor or therapist.

Thanks for reading my ACL knee surgery recovery blog. Check back next week for another update.

Week 21 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:41:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL knee surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery process since my anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.

Week 21 and running has taken a backseat since it's been determined that I've developed jumpers knee (see the Week 20 post), I have to do exercises that do not aggravate it.

Its hard keeping things fresh doing the same exercises over and over, week after week. So, I've started to incorporate the Bosu ball into my knee workouts to make things a bit more challenging. A lot of local gyms should have one as they've become quite popular over the last few years. Its a great tool to help improve your balance when doing exercises.

So, the Bosu ball is basically half of an exercise ball with a flat bottom. Its very good for performing your balancing exercises as well as squats and lunges. Balancing on one leg is not too difficult at week 21 but, it can be when you add throwing a tennis ball against the wall while doing it. You can also flip the Bosu on the ball side and stand on the flat surface. This will make it more difficult.

Squats are also more challenging. You can really have to use your leg and core muscles more when doing this stuff. Of course, you have to make sure you're keeping the correct form when using the Bosu.

To make squats even more difficult, flip the Bosu with the ball side down, stand on the flat part. Just watch that you keep proper form and dont squat too deep. Once you master this, you can add dumbells.

For lunges, you basically step forward onto the ball part and lunge down and make sure your knee does not go over you toes as you would a normal lunge.

To do backwards lunges, it would be the same idea. step backwards onto the ball or if you think you can handle it, flip the Bosu over and step back onto the flat part. Again if you master this exercise, just add dumbbells for add weight.

Okay, this seems like a promo blog post but Im really just trying to show different options of how you can do your re-hab workouts because they can become very boring. There is a wide variety of exercises you can do with the Bosu for you knee and for overall body workouts. It can be kind of pricey if you want to buy one for yourself. It does come with a DVD that goes over how to use it. Retail price for the Bosu can be between $75 and $130 bucks at your local exercise equipment stores. Sometimes eBay has deals for as low as $55.00. To find the Bosu on eBay, click here. Just watch out for the shipping costs. You can also find the Bosu Ball on Amazon and there are knock off brand names for a bit less as well. I've added a banner on the left of your screen if you want to check out prices there. Like i said, if you go to a gym, they should have one or two there but if you're into doing your re-hab exercises at home, this is a great tool to help with a lot of your knee exercises and also can be used in other exercise routines.

That's it for Week 21. Thanks for reading my ACL KNEE SURGERY RECOVERY blog.

Week 20 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:09:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery since I had ACL reconstructive surgery on my right knee on May 22nd, 2008.

For you newbies to my blog, be sure to check the blog archive to read my older posts, especially if you're going to be having ACL surgery soon.

Okay, so week 20 is finally here and I had my follow up appointment with the surgeon on Oct 7th. X-rays showed my knee has healed properly. I questioned the doctor about the pain I've been experiencing in the lower patella area below my knee and he simply stated that it was "Jumpers Knee". He gave me a loose number that about 1 in 20 people will experience it after ACL surgery so of course, I'm one of the lucky ones. He wasn't overly concerned about it stating that it goes away after awhile. So, of course I had to go home and google it.

Jumpers Knee or Patellar Tendonitis is when the patella tendon comes under a large amount of stress (perhaps stress from the surgery??) mostly in individuals who actively put extra strain on the knee joint like those who participate in sports on a regular basis involving direction changing and jumping. With repeated strain, micro-tears as well as collagen degeneration can occur as a result in the tendon. So here's a picture of where you would experience pain if you had Jumper's knee.

Now this is not quite where i feel the pain. My pain is lower where the tendon meets the shin bone which is consistent with Osgood Schlatter Disease. Osgood Schlatter Disease is when you get pain and swelling directly over the tibial tubercle (shin bone). Pain is aggravated by loaded knee extension activity, especially activity with power or impact characteristics (according to Wikedpedia). The problem with this self diagnosis it that Osgood Schlatter Disease is caused by adolescent growth spurts and is mainly a problem for growing children. Since I'm 35 years old, this can't be the case.

Regardless, the healing process for Jumper's knee and Osgood Schlatter Disease can be a slow process and requires rest and rehab for months (great!). The quadriceps muscle need strengthening specifically with eccentric strengthening exercises. Also strengthening the calf muscles and other surrounding muscle groups are suppose to help. Top it off with massage therapy and lots of icing. This sounds pretty familiar......Its basically the same stuff that I'm doing to heal my knee from ACL Surgery. This is becoming VERY frustrating.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has had Jumper's knee...specifically after ACL surgery but also even if you haven't had the surgery. Please leave me a comment if you have any knowledge on the subject.

Well, that's it for this week. Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog. Hopefully it was informative for some of you. Be sure to check back for more updates.

Week 19 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:27:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery since I had ACL surgery on my right knee back on May 22nd, 2008.

If you're new to reading my blog, you might want to check the blog archive to read my older posts. Especially if you've just had or planning on having ACL reconstructive surgery on your knee. The archive list is on the left hand side towards the bottom.

Torn ACL ligaments in the news recently, St.Louis Blues defenceman Erik Johnson. The funny thing is, that he apparently tore it at a team golf event. The season hasn't even started and they've already announced he'll miss the entire season. (He tore his MCL ligament too).

Okay, on to my personal recovery process. We're fast approaching week 20 and still no running. As I mentioned last week, I'm not going to try again until i see the surgeon again on Oct 7th and get some x-rays done. Its also looking at this point that my 5km race at the Toronto Zoo on Oct 18th, will be a not so competitive 5km walk for me since I've already dropped $40.00 to participate. It bothers me but I trying not to concern myself about it at this point. Even the best athletes have troubles recovering from anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery.

This week at Physio I did a couple of new things. They are plyometric movements. First was on the trampoline. It is just basically getting a bit of height in my jump and then jumping off the trampoline to the side and landing on the ground, making sure to bend my knees when I land to absorb some of the pressure.

The other new exercise was using this squat machine that they have. You're actually laying down and simulating a squat. It using cable resistance to increase difficulty levels. I don't know exactly what the machine is called, nor can i find a picture on the Internet of it. Anyway, on this machine you're actually doing jumps. I have been doing jumping with both legs but this week I've advance to one leg jumps. The key on this is to land with your knee and ankle aligned properly making sure the knee doesn't lean inwards or outwards.

We did some strength testing on the Kin Com machine and it did show that my strength has improved over the last week. I still continue to hit the gym hard and challenge myself with reasonably heavy weights on leg presses and leg curl machines as well as the hip abductor machines. I'm also keeping up with my 30 minute sessions on the elliptical machine. I'm even keeping a set of exercise band and ankle weights by my TV in the living room so if I'm just sitting around, there is no excuse for me not to do some work on my knee while watching the tube.

My next post will be after I see my surgeon for my 4 month check up. So I'll report back then. Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog.

Week 18 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:13:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery since I had ACL surgery on my right knee back on May 22nd, 2008.

The "run watch" continues. Still having trouble with all running at this point. There is still pain in the lower part of my patella tendon or somewhere around where it attaches to my upper shin bone. At this point, I'm not pushing it. Not until i see my surgeon and get x-rays done on Oct 7th to rule out anything. Physio still insists my hips muscles are weak which could be causing more pressure in the knee. I'm fine with that diagnosis but I'm kind of paranoid that its something else. I'd like to hear my surgeons opinion.

This week at physio, a couple new exercises with some of the same equipment I've been using. First, on the FitVibe, i did side steps with an elastic exercise band around my legs. 10 sets of 30 seconds. Then, i also added an exercise band for when i do the floor slider thingy.

I've also been hitting the gym harder. Concentrating on legs and using some very challenging weight, I've been doing, Leg Presses, Leg curls, Hamstring curls, and also using the Hip Flexor machines. 3 sets of 10 each. Hopefully this will help improve my leg strength. I'm also trying to incorporate 20-30 minutes on the elliptical machine (3 times a week) to keep my cardio up. I find that there is no pain when i use that machine.

Well, that's it for this week. Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog. Hopefully this blog is still helpful for some people.
Take care.

Week 17 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery since I had ACL surgery on my right knee back on May 22nd, 2008.

I guess ACL injuries have been in the news the last couple weeks due to another major athlete going down with one. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is the latest victum this month. With hockey season around the corner, I'm sure we'll see a few more in the coming months. Usually, professional athletes take anywhere from 4-6 months to recover from ACL reconstructive surgery. For your regular Joe Lunchbox, who doesn't have personal trainers working him out 7 days a weeks, its a bit of a different story and usually will take more time to fully heal.

Recovery is still going slow for me. Funny how i had such a great start and now i've leveled off. Im at Week 17 and still no running. Im not even attempting it at this point due to the discomfort it causes. It looks like I'm going to miss my first post surgery 5km race which i had planned to run on Oct 18th at the Toronto Zoo. Its still a month away, but i think it's safe to say that even if I am running by that time, that 5km might be a bit too much.

So, basically right now, I'm still working on strengthening my hips, gluts and hamstrings more. The one new thing i did this week was using a slide board. Its basically a board with a slick surface and it has bummers on each end. You put on some nylon socks over your running shoes and just slide from one side to the other. Its suppose to simulate ice skating. It is for "Lateral training that improves power, change of direction, endurance and balance " according to the product description. I didn't find it overly difficult but it can get your heart rate going if you push yourself a little. You can also use excerise bands around your ankles to make it harder which ill try next weeks at physio.

The challenge continues.........

Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog.

Week 15-16 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery since I had ACL surgery on my right knee back on May 22nd, 2008.

Okay, so as i mentioned a couple days ago, I'm still not able to run. I keep getting a pain somewhere in the lower part of my patella from the pressure of running. The physiotherapist has suggested that my gluts and hamstrings are still weak so i should be really focusing hardcore on strengthening those areas. My quadriceps are strong so they are not much of a concern. So for now I am concentrating on squats, lunges and anything that hits the upper and back of my legs.

So my workout started once again with 1/2 on the exercise bike. From there i take my exercise ball and some 20 lbs dumbbells to do some squats. 3 sets of 12-15 (leaning the ball against a wall). After that lye down on the ground and then play my ankles on top of the exercise ball and bridge my body on a diagonal. Then i roll the ball with my legs inwards towards my body. This works the hamstrings good. 3 sets of 12.

Moving on to the exercise bands, i place them around my ankles and just step left and right until my hips can't take it anymore. Next, lying down on my side, almost like in a fetal position with my knees bent, i place the bands around my knees and keeping my feet together just raise the upper knee about 8 to 12 inches. 3 sets of 12 on both sides. Then i place the bands around my ankles and still lying on my side, straighten my legs and lift the upper leg. Again 3 sets of 12 on each side.

On to the lunges. I do forward lunges stepping on a Boso Ball. And i do backwards lunges, 3 sets of 12 each leg both forwards and backwards. Fun Stuff.

After that i move to the trampoline and do one legged hops. 3 sets of 30 hopping forwards and backwards and same hoping left and right.

They did a pit of ultra sound treatment after my workout as well.

So I'm gonna have work hard the next few weeks concentrating on my weak areas. I see my surgeon again on October 7th for x-rays and a check up so if I'm not running by then, hopefully something will show up on the x-rays that might suggest something else is wrong.

Anyway, that's it for this week, thanks for reading my ACL surgery recovery blog. Please feel free to leave comments or stories about similar experiences you might have had.

Week 15-16 - ACL Surgery Recovery - Coming soon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who is reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog. Sorry, I haven't posted a full report in the last two weeks. Been kinda busy. Thanks to all the well wishers and good luck to everyone going through the same thing. Please continue to leave your comments and stories. I will update this blog hopefully in the next day or two. (I'm still not running yet....argh!!!).

Take Care
Steve

Week 14 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery since I had ACL surgery on my right knee back on May 22nd, 2008.

Progress is still slow and i have not tried any more running at this point. I've been given some extra Plyometric exercises to do. One thing i have noticed is that my co-ordination has really gone in the tank. It usually takes me a few times to get these exercises right.

The first one is Power skipping. Not with a rope. Skipping like you use to do as a kid. You're pretty much jumping as high as you can off each leg and lifting the other knee towards your chest, keeping your abdominals tight and swinging your arms. This is suppose to be a low impact introductory plyometric exercise. I am suppose to do this exercise for 30 second intervals.

The second is similar except you're skipping sideways.

The third exercise was another school yard type activity. Hop-scotch, using this familiar floor pattern below:

You start by hoping on your left leg in the middle of the first square, then jump again with both legs landing on the outside of the lines, right in between the first and second square. Then, jump landing on your right foot in the 2nd square. The again jump landing on both feet outside of the lines just in between the second and third square. Repeat to the end, turn around and do it again.

The final new exercise was using the same pattern and it was just basic running in and out of each square. So you'd start looking at the pattern which is perpendicular to you. Start at one end and run in one square with both feet, then backwards out of the square. Then same thing in the next square and continue that in and out in a fowards/backwards, zig-zag motion until you reach the end. Then do it all over agan going back the other way.

So add those to the list.

I still experience a bit of minor swelling. Nothing really that you would notice looking at it, but i can feel it after i do my routines. Icing is still needed.

As far as scarring goes, at this point it is hardly noticable but that is something I'm not even concerned about. Its only about a 2 1/2 inch scar and quite frankly if my knee is working properly, it was a small price to pay.

Anyway, thats it for my week 14 report. Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog. Take care.

Week 13 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:48:00 +0000

Welcome to my ACL surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery since I had ACL surgery on my right knee back on May 22nd, 2008.

This is week 13 post surgery. Cycling is my main source of cardio exercise right now. I ride my bike hard for about 40 minutes as many times a week as I can get in. My physiotheropy program hasnt changed much in the last couple weeks. We're still focusing on the early stages of running which I am still having difficulty with due to the discomfort in the patella area of my knee. I am suppose to do fast walking on the treadmill for 4.5 minuites and then jog for 1/2 a munite and repeat for 30 minutes. The first week i tried it was week 12 and i had to stop after 20 minuites. This week, I did manage to go the full 30 minuites however, the discomfort was still there. Not as bad, but still there. My knee was sore for a couple days afterwards too.

Also at physio, they put me on this machine, which actually looks kind of old. It is called the Kin Con. I tried googling it but found very little information on it. Basically, it can test you knee's strength doing a variety of resistance tests. It looked like an expensive piece of equipment and seems to get the job done but as i mentioned it looks dated.

Thats it for this week. Next week, I'm suppose to start on a few new plyometric exercises and i'll also report on any progress with my running. In the last couple of weeks I've dropped down on my physio appointments to once a week. At $60 a session, its starting to eat into my wallet. Ive just had to make sure that i continue to do the perscribed exercises on my own.

Thanks for reading my ACL Surgery Recovery blog. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions.

Week 12 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:19:00 +0000

Im at 12 weeks in the recovery stage of post ACL surgery and this week in physio was the big week where we introduce a little bit of treadmill running into my regular routine. So after 30 minuites of biking and all my other exercises i got on the treadmill and started at it. Unfortunately i did not have the greatest results with this test. The treadmill routine is intervals of fast walking for 4:30 and then only run for 30 seconds - repeat for 30 minuites. Well right off the bat on my first interval of running i could feel discomfort in the front of my knee i would suspect in the patella and also the back of my knee a little bit. I was able to do these intervals for 20 minutes and my therapist suggest i stop due to the pain. I could've kept going but she did not want to take any unnecessary risks. Sure enough, the next couple days i was a bit sore and there was a little bit of swelling too.

Very frustracting considering the rest of my body was ready to push the running and wanted to keep going but my knee just couldnt handle it at this point in the recovery stage. Its probably the first thing that the theopist has given my that i was not able to complete.

The theropist suggested that i could try it again on my own during the week if i wanted but i might just stick to cycling for the rest of the week and hit the treadmill again at my appointment next week.

Thats it for my report this week. Thanks for reading my ACL SURGERY RECOVERY blog.

Week 11 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:44:00 +0000

11 weeks post ACL surgery and my physio schedule is still pretty much the same. There weren't any new exercises but outside of physio, however, i was able to start riding my mountain bike. Of course, not over any rough terrain or tough hills but it was good just getting out there. I was able to do a 15 km ride mostly through public parks and paved pathways but i was able to ride fast and hard. My knee was sore the next day...all over my knee, the back, the sides but it passed and 3 days later, I went out for the exact same ride, this time I was not sore at all the next day. I did have to be careful however. My knee is not totally stable yet at this point.

I'm also using an elliptical machine as well with no trouble at all. I started using this a lot after i had my left knee's ACL fixed in 1999 and eventually bought a higher end one of my own. Its a good non impact exercise. You just have to make sure you get one that has a wide enough stride for your body type.

Anyway, I've been told that this coming week i can start running on the tread mill. I will start of doing a 30 minute interval routine of walking for 4.5 minutes and then jogging for 30 seconds. Eventually the plan is to work up your jogging time and decrease your walking time. I'll report back at the end of the week.

Thanks for reading my ACL SURGERY RECOVERY blog. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them and I'll be happy to reply.

ACL Surgery Recovery - Week 10

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:03:00 +0000

10 weeks post ACL surgery in at this point. Progress is slow but steady now. I'll be taking my Mountain bike out this weekend but Im not allowed to climb any big hills or ride any rough trails. Mostly just path and street riding i guess. I'm seeing small improvements but i still dont think i'm ready to run yet as i get a pain in my patella if im moving too fast.

Just a quick note that i hope nobody out there plans to reference my posts as an alternative to getting proper care for their surgically repaired ACL. The best thing to do is to get your ass into a physio clinic for the proper training. Yes, it costs money but its worth it. The purpose of the blog is to give you an idea of what it will be like for you.

My phsyio routine this week was not too much different from the previous week. I started with 1/2 hour of exercise bike. Then about 15 minuite on the trampolin just doing basic forwards/backwards and side to side jumping. Then i move to this squat machine they have where you're lying on your back doing squats. I dont remember what the name of the machine was. It uses cables for resistance. Anyways, i do jump squats on it. 5 sets of 10. After that i move to the bungee cords which i explained in my previous post (Check out week 9 for details). Next, a bit of hip work with the exercises bands and then some balancing work on wobble boards. Then i move on to the treadmill for 10 minuites of fast pace walking with an incline.

New exercise of the week was on the "FitVibe" machine. For more info: http://www.fitvibe.com/main.php?lang=GB

Basically its a vibrating platform and i did squats and calf raises on it. Its suppose to work your muscles a lot more. Check out the link for more info.

After that i move onto the Swimex pool for some Jump-squats and Lunges then doing some pool running against the current.

Add Ice to Knee for 15 minutes. Going through this routine takes about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Repeat one more time during the week. $120 bucks later and thats it for the week. Of course this doesnt include the exercises you're suppose to do at home.

Anyway, thats it for this week. Sorry thats its bit of a rushed report. Thanks for reading my ACL surgery recovery blog.

Week 9 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:46:00 +0000

This past thrusday marked the 9th week after ACL surgery on my right leg. I'm still going to physio 2 times a week plus doing the assigned exercises daily at home or at the gym. My sessions are about 2 hours long. This week i did a spin class for the first time since my surgery. There was a little discomfort around my patella but overall it wasnt too bad.

I had started doing spin classes prior to the surgery to help keep my legs strong. I found it helped. Normally i just like doing some moutain biking but when the weather is not so great, a spin class can work your legs pretty good.

Here's a little bit of news on ACL surgeries using Cadaver tissue. It was posted on the Washington Post's Web site about a week or two ago:

"ACL Reconstruction With Cadaver Tissue Risky in Younger Patients

Using replacement ligaments from cadavers for reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) may have a failure rate as high as 24 percent in active patients under the age of 40.
The finding, from researchers at the Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, which were to be presented Thursday at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine annual meeting, in Orlando, Fla., raises the question as to whether other alternatives would be better for younger ACL patients.

An estimated 800,000 ACL tears occur each year in the United States......"

Here's the link if you'd like to read the full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002041.html

Bottom line is, it looks like they need to do more research.

Anyway, on to this week at physio. I was able to do a few new exercises in addition to everything else i've been doing to date. The first was with bungee cords. The cords are attached to a wall and the other ends are strapped around my waist. There are two pilons set out infront of me making a "V" shape. Step one - walk (no running yet) out to the first pilon. The resistance of the bungee cords makes it mildly difficult. I can add more cords to make it harder. Step two - side shuffle to the other pilon. Step three - walk backwards to the starting position. Repeat 10 times then redo starting at the opposite pilon.

The next new exercise was trampolin jumping. With this one, I'm not allowed to do with my full weight so my theropist has me leaning over a railing while doing the jumps to take some of the weight off my knees. its basically just forward/backwards jumping on both legs and then side to side jumping.

My new routine in the Swimex pool consists of Squat jumps. see the little picture below. Remeber im doing this in about 5 feet of water, not outside of the pool yet. Doing it in the pool takes pressure off the knees. 3 sets of 10.

The other water exercises is a full lunge. I actually have "water weights" which look like dumbells but float. It adds resistance when your bending into the squat or lunge as you basically have to push the floating dumbells down. Again, 3 sets of 10.

Previously I was doing backwards running against the current in the Swimex pool. Now i've graduated to forward running. I do about 8-10 minutes of this. The pool is not that back, so with the current going against me, i can do about 12-15 steps before i reach the end of the pool.

So, I've been told that i can start running (outside of the pool) in the 10-12 week range. Im just one week away. In addition to these new exercises, I 've started some fast pace walking on the treadmill with an incline to help get me ready for running. Only 10-15 minuites at this point.

The running thing is big for me. Most of my favorite sports involve running. When i originally torn my ACL (which was 2 years ago next month), i couldnt play any sports but i wanted to keep up my cardio and so i took up jogging. The lack of side to side movement made it easier for my knee to handle at the time. I didnt have any pain so i kept at it. I ran about 4 days a week - no too much maybe 3 to 5 km and then to satisfy my competitive edge, i did a few 5 km races.

There is a 5km run at the Toronto Zoo on October 18th and Im hoping i can run in it. I don't know if i'll be able to break my personal 5km record of 19:27 (which i did with a torn ACL) but i'll be happy to be able to finish it with no discomfort. The way I'm progressing, i don't see why that wouldn't be possible. Thats still about 10-11 weeks away.

Anyway, thats it for this week. Thanks for reading my ACL surgery recovery blog. To anyone out there reading this who are about to go through the surgery, good luck. If you have any questions, just leave me a comment and make sure to check back later for my response.

Week 7 & 8 - ACL Surgery Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:38:00 +0000

Recovering from ACL surgery seems to be different for everyone judging by my observations and by my own experience since I've had both knees fixed. On my first week of physiotheropy i was able to ride the excerise bike with no problems. Recently, i was observing another patient at the physio clinic who also had her ACL repaired over 8 weeks ago and she was still having difficulty peddling. She had to raise her hip off the seat every time her repaired leg was at the top of the peddling cycle. One thing to keep in mind when you're reading my blog that if you're about to go through with the ACL surgery, your progression may be a bit longer than what i'm experiencing and reporting.

Now, since my last post i've had a routine follow up appointment with my surgeron. It was July 8th and lasted about 5 minutes. It wasnt really informative as he just moved my leg around to make sure my knee joint was tight and he seemed pleased with my progress. I've got another follow up in October where i'll get x-rays to make sure everything has healed nicely. I mentioned some minor discomfort in my patella but he didn't seem too concerned at this point since it was only around the 7 week point.

In Physio at week 7, in addition to the routines i've described in my previous posts, i started doing some forwards running in the Swimex pool which was more challenging than the backwards running I've been doing. Outside of the pool, I've added some zig-zag walking patterns with the exercise bands rapped around my ankles doing about 40-50 steps forwards and backwards and then side to side. Also, I've added some hip raises where i lye flat on the floor with my knees bent and holding a ball in between my knees. you slowly raise your hips above the ground so that your body is in a straight diaginal from your knees to your head while at the same time, squeezing your knees together. All these exercises are great for strengthening your hip muscles. The stronger your hip muscles are, the more weight they can handle and the less pressure on your knees.

That was it for week 7. This past week which would technically be week 8, i spent with my wife in Punta Cana - Dominican Republic so i don't have much to report. I took my exercise band with me, used the gym at the resort and did a lot of swimming to keep my knee going. I've been told that i'll be starting Plyometrics soon at physio so i'll report on that at the end of the week.

Sorry, no pictures this week. Thanks for reading my ACL surgery recovery blog.