Knee Surgery

I've just had surgery on my knee on my ACL and medial ligaments 2 months ago. Knee is still swollen but it has gone down compared with just after surgery. Still can't apply 100% pressure. Just wondering about other peoples experiences, knowledge etc on the same... Just wondering if this knee will ever be like it was!

p.s. does anyone know much about recovery times for knee recons??

I've had three knee surgeries, two of which were ACL Reconstructions on my right knee. It takes 9-18 months before your knee is completely stable after such a traumatic surgery.

Luckily, I had fantastic therapists while I was recovering from my surgeries and the most important thing to know is TAKE IT SLOW! As soon as you feel resistance or pain, stop. ACL and other main ligament injuries take a long time to heal and there's a lot of pain that comes with the recovery process, but I promise you it does get better.

I'd recommend you get an ACL Brace if you don't have one already. I had to wear mine during therapy, it gave my leg stability so I could concentrate on strengthening the muscles around my knee.

I still experience pain in my knee whenever the weather changes from cold to hot or if I have to move something heavy. It's been a year and a half since my last ACL Reconstruction and my right knee still looks a little bit more swollen than my left, but that's really not a big deal. I am able to go jogging and do things that I used to do just fine.

Hang in there! If you have any other questions about ACL Reconstructions, feel free to email me at
SteffanySkelley@yahoo.com
:)

I had knee surgery on sept 11, 2008. Istill feel some soreness and pain. I had a patellar realignment, patellar debridement, and a lateral release.when i sleep on my side it will get sore after a while. if im laying in bed with my knee bent it will get sore after a while. My job requires me to stand for 7 hours and it will get sore. After work i work out on the bike, walking on treadmil, and using the elyptical. I also do half squats. so after my day i have moderate soreness and some pain. I still cant kneel on it with my full weight. and i still cant bend it all the way like i used to. when my knee isbent at a certain angle i feel like i can push down on my knee cap and feel it pop...i hope it all goes away in time.. i really dont want another knee surgery. they suck =)

Yes, knee surgeries do suck. I too had a lateral release and then a year later a realignment of my left knee. It has been about eight years now and I am still in pain and experience the feeling of my knee popping now and again. For me, there is nothing else they can do except a TKR and the docs say I am too young (35) for that. I live on pain medications and from the knee surgeries my back is now having problems. Do you have problems walking down stairs? I haven't walked down stairs the correct way in years. It's embarassing when I am out in public but there's nothing I can do about that. Anyways, rest assured you are not alone. I sympathise with you and good luck.

hi Kaybee. sorry for the late response. I have some slight problems walking down stairs. Before the surgery i can zip down the stairs very fast with pain now after surgery my right knee doesnt fully bend like it used to so i gotta take it slow and hold on to the hand rails. I have this sort of limp when i go down the stairs, if that makes any sense. and I can sympathize with the embarrasing part because im 34 and when i go down the stairs i go it like an old man. I recently saw my orthopedic surgeon for my last follow up. I told him about the pain and soreness I was feeling in my previous post and some new symptoms i was feeling. When my knee is bent at a certain angle and i can push straight down on my knee cap and i feel a popping sensation underneath. He said it does that because of some "divot" and he said i have some bursitis because of my ligiment rubbing against the bone. he told me two stretches i can do to make it better and he told me to take naprosin (Aleve) to help with the inflamation. He also mention that my scar is still a purplish color which means there is still some inflamation and swelling inside and it will go away with time. The scar should be white when all swelling and inflamation is gone. Overall, he says my knee is doing and looks good. and the pain and soreness is normal because it takes time for ligaments to heal. I do work out after work. I go to the company gym and do the elyptical for 3 miles, sometimes 2 miles then 1 mile on the treadmil. Then i do upper body weight lifting and crunchess. I told him i get so sore after my workouts. He said its normal because im really working my knee out and its good because it needs it but to not overdo it where it will cause me immense pain. I was hoping for the pain to be 100% gone after the surgery... but its been 3 months 17 days since i had my knee surgery.

It's not what you do but how you do it. I'm a firm believer of this I've had 4 total knee surgeries (an ACL on each leg and 2 seperate meniscal repairs)- one each year for 4 years! Of course, soccer will do this to us women. Recovery is what you make of it. Physical therapy needs to be started immediately. You have to remember that after and ACL reconstruction, your knee is stronger than it has ever been before! Your brain says it hurts, but no pain, no gain! It may be really painful, but that's simply a side effect of the wonderful way they fix our knees. (go see a surgery at your local hospital- you'll understand after you watch it!) The first few weeks are the hardest- doing the home therapy is most important at this stage. Simply sitting on the ground and trying to lift your ankle off the ground is painful, but helps tremendously with keeping the muscles from atrophy.
Also, the leg slide shown by your PT helps with flexibility. Rubber bands are wonderful! Remember that your doctor will not release you to play sports again at 100% until you can do the duckwalk. This being said, keeping strength in your other leg muslces (and core) and getting the flexibility back are the 2 most important factors in a fast recovery. Remeber to ice after any sort of exercise! My PT showed me to fill up a small bathroom paper cup with water and freeze. When frozen, peel off the top rim and rub the giant ice cube all over the knee. This way the cold isn't concentrated on simply a pressure point created by an icepack. I was able to come back to 100% and play soccer again (I played for the state of GA) after 3 months! Not kidding, the second surgery was the same lenght of time because I followed the same regimin. After surgery, the elliptical machine and stationary bicycle will be your best cardio friends. Pools are wonderful too as they work your muscles in 3D. I might add, that you MUST eat well too!!! Fruits, veggies and lean protein are a must- I have my dietetics degree. Don't over eat as you won't be burning as many calories as you used to in the first few weeks. Eat lots of colorful berries and veggies- the antioxidants in these foods work wonders! This way you are not burning mainly fat, but are working on the protein to get your muscle back. Don't get frustrated- you will come back!