ACL Reconstruction Surgery Pics (mildly disgusting) [Archive]

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 03:32 PM

Sequenced pics from my hamstring graft ACL surgery on 11/16/04. Don't let this be you.

1 of 6: First look at and checking out my medial meniscal tear comparing it to the good one. Taking a peek at the completely torn acl:

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/acl1.jpg

2 of 6: Poking around at the slightly torn meniscus, luckily it wasn't all that bad so they left it alone. Bottom pics show the notch wear the acl is suppossed to be. They drill this out later...pretty gnarly in the video.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/acl2.jpg

3 of 6: Here comes the first of many drills. Drilling out that notch from above. Wear that Acufex thing is pointing to at the bottom is basically the top of my tibia...there will be a new hole there soon where they'll thread the new acl through.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/acl3.jpg

4 of 6: Note the tip of the drill pit poking up through my tibia in the top two pics. Bottom pics is making sure this hole in the tibia lines up with the hole they drilling in the femur. Making sure its the correct length, width, etc.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/acl4.jpg

5 of 6: The bottom left pic shows them threading the new acl up through the tibia into the femur. Bottom right pic is my new ACL!!! Wohoo! Ain't she pretty!?!! Nice and bomber looking eh? ;)

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/acl5.jpg

sicks of sicks: And there's the new ACL rockin out in place. Here they're flexing my knee to make sure everything clears. New knee now ready to unleash hell on the slopes in about 6 months.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/acl6.jpg

phUnk

12-04-2004, 03:36 PM

Sweet merciful crap! :eek:

Looks like you picked up Acuflex as a sponsor. Sick. :fm:

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 03:38 PM

Looks like you picked up Acuflex as a sponsor. Sick. :fm:

Photo incentive check is on the way.

schuss

12-04-2004, 04:03 PM

neato. Nowhere near as gory as my chronological progression of a third degree burn. What's all that crap just floating around in there? The bone mass left from drilling?

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 04:14 PM

What's all that crap just floating around in there?

Snow.

seriously though, yeah bone schtuff. cartilage stuff. all kinds of stuff. in the vid, they do a lot of vacuuming up of little bits and pieces of the old acl and whatnot.

Stoysluttie1

12-04-2004, 04:17 PM

I lost my appetite.

Trackhead

12-04-2004, 04:36 PM

pfft, disgusting? That's not disgusting. :cool:
Looks like the hardware store tool section

But hope you recover quickly.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 04:38 PM

yeah I didn't think it was too disgusting either, but thought I'd put the warning in the title so sally's like Stoy wouldn't lose their appetite ;)

GT40

12-04-2004, 04:46 PM

:cool: I like every itme you guys post these surgery threads. I keep learning new stuff all the time.

Hey Ty, are you hitting the PT like AG? If you are, I'm impressed. :cool:

Alkasquawlik

12-04-2004, 04:48 PM

So do you got a dead dude's ACL in there? Cause ya know that means dead peoples are all getting up inside you. So that means you're a necrophiliac, right? Sicko

Hope that gross oyster looking thing holds up through years of Kirkwood flat-landings. Keep it up in PT and you'll be golden for the April Showers and May dumps.

Lance_K

12-04-2004, 05:02 PM

I just did the ACL/MCL reconstruction 3 months ago with the hamstring. The recovery has been three times faster than my other knee ACL/MCL patella replacement.

You will be kickin' ass soon.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 05:42 PM

gt -- hittin the PT like AG? I dunno 'bout that, she's hittin it pretty hard, but I'm trying to follow her wake. I'm in PT 3 days a week now, and doing lots of stuff on my own now too.

alka -- I got the hamstring graft. And Kw's landings aren't all flat?!!!....oh wait, yeah I guess they are....

lancekoudele -- yer recovery with a hammy graft has been quicker eh? That's cool. Aside from the first week post-op...this hasn't been to bad. Was on crutches for only the first week and I can already walk without limping. Almost got a full revolution around on the stationary bike in PT the other day...can't wait to start pedaling again.

1 year ago this very weekend I ran a marathon....now I can't even a pedal a bike. Frustrating as hell....but that anger & frustration is fuel.....

Ski Monkey

12-04-2004, 06:17 PM

That's cool as hell. Ok, not cool as hell that you torn your acl obviously, but cool that you got it on vid and pics. You have something other than scars to show for it. When I had my appendix taken out about ten years ago they gave me a copy and I was pretty stoked. First time I watched it I couldn't believe it was me with all the cutting, cauterizing, etc.

Lance_K

12-04-2004, 08:11 PM

So Tyrone where'd you get sliced?

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 08:14 PM

So Tyrone where'd you get sliced?

UCDMC -- University California Davis Medical Center which is in Sacramento.

Dr. Richard Marder (Sacramento King's ortho) was/is my surgeon.

(killer pics on your site btw).

Lance_K

12-04-2004, 08:30 PM

UCDavis med center must have the skills. Sounds like you are making good progress.

I went to the orthopedic surgen of the US ski and snowboard teams- Dr Cooley in Park City. WAY kick ass if/when you do the other knee. Not cheap but fuck I never would buy cheap gear for the mountain.

Stick with it man it'll be over before you know it.. ducking ropes on Thimble Peak. Your Kirkwood right?

Mrs Roo

12-04-2004, 08:30 PM

[QUOTE
1 year ago this very weekend I ran a marathon....now I can't even a pedal a bike. Frustrating as hell....but that anger & frustration is fuel.....[/QUOTE]

You keep going, sweetheart. the PT will do it in the long run. I remember seeing an ACL reconstruction live when i was a baby physio. The pics bring it all back.

splat

12-04-2004, 08:31 PM

Dude, I hate to bring it up now, but it appears that Boy Scout jacknife you lost 16 years ago is in the very first photo of your kneecap.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 08:33 PM

Lance -- yeah Kirkwood. Was able to get in 2 pow days there in October before surgery thanks to those super early storms.

Mrs. Roo -- Thanks. PT will be a different sort of marathon me thinks.

splat -- hahaa...yeah I saw that thing in the background of the first pic. don't know what the hell that is. Doc only gave me the highlights when he ran through the pics.

Lance_K

12-04-2004, 08:39 PM

What's Andrew Boucher been doing lately?

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-04-2004, 08:43 PM

What's Andrew Boucher been doing lately?

Hmmm...can't say that I knew an Andrew Boucher...but I've only been skiing Kirkwood for about 3 years. Splat's been skiing there a hell of a lot longer than me though and maybe does...Splat?

Keoni

12-04-2004, 09:15 PM

Dude, it's just like the Discovery channel. I think I can see the face of the Virgin Mary in one of those pics. Are you sure that one pic is a drill and not a router. ACL graft using a router would be core.

hop

12-04-2004, 09:16 PM

(killer pics on your site btw).

What? you mean the MH Meadows Ropetow Extremo gnar photoshoot(complete w/ slutterific green Norrona bibs) didn't have anything good enough to make the website? Geez... looks like I have to start kiteboarding to get any play! ;)

splat

12-04-2004, 09:22 PM

What's Andrew Boucher been doing lately?

Drew's reppin up a storm, gettin married, and being schwank after tradin the dream for a cloud.

Lance_K

12-05-2004, 12:12 AM

What? you mean the MH Meadows Ropetow Extremo gnar photoshoot(complete w/ slutterific green Norrona bibs) didn't have anything good enough to make the website? Geez... looks like I have to start kiteboarding to get any play! ;)

Hey Adam don't write yourself off yet- a few of those shots of you are coming up on the new site. Getto-fabulous man.

Glad to hear Andrew B is alive in kirkwood.... so is he repping boards or poles? Damn that boy could cut the tightest lines I ever saw on a snowboard. Glad to hear he's found a nice cloud to nest in.

splat

12-05-2004, 12:28 AM

He's dialed on a bunch of products, bought a house down the west side. End up on the chair with him from time to time. Three time national xtreme snowboarding champ and never got any respect cause he used poles. Shame.

Lance_K

12-05-2004, 12:31 AM

Three time national xtreme snowboarding champ and never got any respect cause he used poles. Shame.

That is for sure.

jonski

12-05-2004, 04:24 AM

...Was on crutches for only the first week and I can already walk without limping. Almost got a full revolution around on the stationary bike in PT the other day...can't wait to start pedaling again...

Mang, it sounds like you'll be back on (one of! :D ) your bike soon, and getting good to go. Hell, by the time all the SA threads start coming to fruitition, you'll be wishing you still had the SuperNobis' to go rip up LL! (although I'm sure the Bro's will do you fine... :wink: )

keep at it

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-05-2004, 12:13 PM

Hell, by the time all the SA threads start coming to fruitition, you'll be wishing you still had the SuperNobis' to go rip up LL! (although I'm sure the Bro's will do you fine... :wink: )

yeah I have my eye on South America for sure. I hope I can be 100% for that if I go. I wouldn't want to go down there, look at all that amazing terrain, and only feel like 75% or whatever...so I'm going to work really hard with that in mind.

The SuperNobis's are missed already. I was just out in the garage and it looks so empty without them ;)

Lance_K

12-05-2004, 01:00 PM

Chile or Argentina?

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-05-2004, 04:13 PM

Chile or Argentina?

Most likely either Bariloche or Las Lenas. Or Both. I'll get serious about planning this in the spring I guess.

basom

12-05-2004, 04:40 PM

we should get the killer green braces together at lenas ty.

nice pics... you surgical slut.

i had my first productive day on the hill yesterday. felt strong to quite strong, which was surprising. finally back making turns at speed, feels sooo good. i'm confident i'll be charging again in 6 weeks or so. the last six months of work and pain and unknowing are now forgotten. a mere bump in the road. i can see the finish line, i feel so good. soon you will be where i am ty, and you will be just as excited. keep the faith, keep working, and keep keeping shit in perspective.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-05-2004, 04:59 PM

i had my first productive day on the hill yesterday. felt strong to quite strong, which was surprising. finally back making turns at speed, feels sooo good. i'm confident i'll be charging again in 6 weeks or so. the last six months of work and pain and unknowing are now forgotten. a mere bump in the road. i can see the finish line, i feel so good. soon you will be where i am ty, and you will be just as excited. keep the faith, keep working, and keep keeping shit in perspective.

YES!!! that's awesome....

...I'm not here right now. I'm 6 months down the road. Visualize. I see it.

(gotta get this compooper outta my "gym".....now back to work....)

Lance_K

12-05-2004, 10:55 PM

Most likely either Bariloche or Las Lenas. Or Both. I'll get serious about planning this in the spring I guess.

Dude Las Lenas as I've heard is the shit. Been to Chile a couple times... gotta make it over the Andes next time.

Speaking of knee progress; went for 3 mile run today... no problems running on asphalt, even downhill.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-06-2004, 08:24 AM

Speaking of knee progress; went for 3 mile run today... no problems running on asphalt, even downhill.

That's awesome...keep at it.

Lot's of people from here go to Las Lenas every summer. If you do a search for Las Lenas here, you'll pull up tons of trip reports and images.

altagirl

12-06-2004, 08:30 AM

I've been contemplating the same thing. Maybe we'll have to do a SA trip for knee people who will be fixed this summer...

I danced a little bit in heels this weekend at my sister-in-law's wedding and despite that and the round trip flight to Houston, no new swelling, pain or problems. :D

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-06-2004, 08:42 AM

I danced a little bit in heels too this weekend....ooh wait a sec....did i say that?

xboat

12-06-2004, 08:58 AM

basom

12-06-2004, 09:01 AM

i'm hoping to only miss 2 or 3 days of work after surgery. what do you think the chances of that are?

minimal. depending on what day you get cut, and if you can sit in one palce with an elevated leg all day, and if you don't have to drive.

edit: your steelers got mad lucky last night. you guys are going down in the afc championchip game, again.

altagirl

12-06-2004, 09:03 AM

oh my freakin god. my knee was feeling pretty good until i saw those. i'm going to have visions of that drill dancing in my head for a month now.

glad you're doing well. i'm hoping to only miss 2 or 3 days of work after surgery. what do you think the chances of that are?

What do you do for work? I missed 3 days, but I work at a desk, and currently am only working 4 hours a day anyway. So it wasn't a problem. Surgery Tuesday afternoon, back at work the next Monday with my foot up on top of my desk with ice.

xboat

12-06-2004, 09:19 AM

i have surgery on monday - which kinda sucks. i'm at a desk but the worst part about it is that my office is up about 20 stair steps. once i get up here though, i have a bathroom, fridge and everything. shouldn't have to go down until the end of the day. it's my left leg so i'm hoping i can drive no prob after a few days. i live by myself so that's going to suck. unfortunately, i don't have much help at work here so the more i miss the longer it's going to take to get caught back up.

not looking forward to it :nonono2:

oh yeah B - if the steelers will let ben throw the ball, no one is going to stop them. they played like crap and still pulled it off.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-06-2004, 09:23 AM

xboat --I "officially" took only 2 days off of work. Which were the day of surgery and the day after. "unofficially" I took 4 off...but I work out of a home office and I was checking emails and whatnot while laying on the couch with my knee elevated and iced.

To be honest with you, aside from missing the ski season, this isn't all that bad. Granted, the first week SUCKS....just be sure to get yourself a good book or something and do everything you can to ensure you'll be comfortable. But after the first week (at least for me), you start progressing, and that makes you feel much much better. After about 7 - 10 days I was pretty mobile without crutches and go pretty much anywhere I wanted within reason.

Big E

12-06-2004, 10:22 AM

I had surgery on a Tuesday and returned to work the next Monday. Didn't work full 8 hours for the first week or two back, mostly because it took so long to do everything with that boat anchor of a leg. I seemed to take a bit longer to get completely off crutches than all you doctor's pets :wink: but whatever, everyone's surgery and recovery is slightly different.

Are you going to be by yourself that first week? Cause that would really suck. I don't think they'll even allow it the first night. Seriously, you definitely want to find someone(s) to help during that first week. I mean, just getting your leg up into bed will be awful that first day if no one's around.

Good luck, though, life (eventually) goes on.

altagirl

12-06-2004, 11:04 AM

Are you going to be by yourself that first week? Cause that would really suck. I don't think they'll even allow it the first night. Seriously, you definitely want to find someone(s) to help during that first week. I mean, just getting your leg up into bed will be awful that first day if no one's around.

Good luck, though, life (eventually) goes on.

If you set everything up well and have someone come to check on you, you'll probably be fine. I was in that situation the first surgery. They did NOT let me come home the first night even though I had a friend who said she'd come and check on me and stay if needed. I was nauseous for an hour or so after waking up that time too, though so it was probably the combo that caused my doc to make me stay in the hospital overnight.

Anyway for that solo knee recon, I had my computer/sofa/phone/remotes/cooler/puke bucket just in case, etc. all set up ahead of time. Along with a bag to carry stuff with my crutches, food in containers in the fridge so I could carry it, the freezer filled with bags of ice, and the numbers to every restaurant I knew that delivered, etc. And then I had friends check in and bring me anything I needed until I flew out to Mr.AG's parents house at day 4 or 5. (I wouldn't recommend that, but the Army gave me 5 weeks convalescent leave so I went to Tampa as soon as my doc let me fly and I did PT there.) Anyway, once you get past the first day, you'll probably be fine on your own. Just make sure you have a nice clear path where you can crutch from the sofa to the bathroom.

basom

12-06-2004, 11:10 AM

Just make sure you have a nice clear path where you can crutch from the sofa to the bathroom.

and dont fall down. especially in the shower.

altagirl

12-06-2004, 11:18 AM

and dont fall down. especially in the shower.

You probably won't be taking a shower for a few days anyway, but yeah - you've gotta be super careful with that. We now have a walk in shower that only has a couple inch lip to step over with a seat in the corner so it's no big deal, but if you have to step over the edge of a tub and stand there the whole time... that's not easy. Make sure you have non-slip mats and maybe a rubber footed stool to sit on or something. If you're alone, I'd stick with just using a washcloth outside the shower for a while.

basom

12-06-2004, 11:24 AM

You probably won't be taking a shower for a few days anyway, but yeah - you've gotta be super careful with that.

i took one on day three. fuck it was hard. old tub, big step in. i wore my brace into the shower and then took it off because i was so scared. have no non slip mats, but do have a burly towel holder that i white knuckeld the whole time. getting out was just as hard. man, i think that was the hardest thing for me. way harder than any of my exercises or walking without crutches. just getting the confidence to swing that leg over the tub and put full wieght on it while swinging the good leg in and not collapsing from the pain rush was really a big deal. [/flashback]

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-06-2004, 12:00 PM

oh crap yeah forgot about the shower issue (i think I blacked it ou actually). Pain in the ass trying to hold your leg out of the water while it has a garbage bag over it.

Posi news: Just got back from PT and I got a fULL ROTATION ON THE BIKE!! WOHOO!! (it hurt like hell though)

basom

12-06-2004, 12:06 PM

oh crap yeah forgot about the shower issue (i think I blacked it ou actually). Pain in the ass trying to hold your leg out of the water while it has a garbage bag over it.

trash bag? hold leg out???
i just dumped the brace and goter wet. steri strips can get wet. was told to not scrub the inciaion, but soapy water was supposed to be good for it.
west coast post surgical cleansing must be different that esat coast post surgical cleansing.

gincognito

12-06-2004, 12:18 PM

Posi news: Just got back from PT and I got a fULL ROTATION ON THE BIKE!! WOHOO!! (it hurt like hell though)

Congrats! I can still remember how good that felt...grinning like an idiot over something that once seemed so simple...good times.

SaAaH (and progression feels good),
d.

altagirl

12-06-2004, 12:56 PM

My doctor said don't get it wet until the stitches come out. So I used trash bags and packaging tape - I didn't have to keep it out of the water though - the tape kept it dry. I've heard different things from doctors on when you can get stitches wet though - I don't know why the difference though.

basom

12-06-2004, 01:00 PM

I've heard different things from doctors on when you can get stitches wet though - I don't know why the difference though.

yeah. all my stitches were inside the incision, just a knot sticking out at either end. i was glad to be able to wash that smelly fleash grapefruit that was my knee. smelled like homelss dude after a few.

mildbill.

12-06-2004, 01:22 PM

smelled like homelss dude after a few minutes.

story of your life?

altagirl

12-06-2004, 01:27 PM

My stitches were all internal too - just the one long thread they pulled out. Could just be like how long to use crutches - the answer is whatever your doctor thinks it should be.

Lance_K

12-06-2004, 01:30 PM

Shower? I just sat in my funk for the week.

basom

12-06-2004, 01:35 PM

story of your life?

god its so true. i need a bath every hour and a half.

and altagirl i'm sure you are right. the little things often freak me out, like why do i smell like the inisde of a pigeon's digestive track only one and a half hours out of the shower? And why doctors have different opinions?

scoober

12-06-2004, 01:45 PM

It's cool to see everyone is doing relatively well.

With the showering, I was told the same thing, keep the stitches dry, even though they were mostly under the skin. First shower was day 3, with a garbage bag. That sucked mainly just because of the bag. After that I went to using Saran wrap, wrapped tightly and sealed top and bottom with wide tape. That works pretty good because you can really minimize the amount of your leg that's covered.

I have realized that there is nothing more I hate than sitting in my garage on my bike spinning on the trainer. It's funny though how quickly I learned to take that for granted given two weeks ago I had to had to spend 5min cranking forward and back to work up to one rotation. My dog was looking at me like I was having a coronary. It's nice to do that in a room of the house where you can swear.

gincognito

12-06-2004, 01:52 PM

.

I have realized that there is nothing more I hate than sitting in my garage on my bike spinning on the trainer. It's funny though how quickly I learned to take that for granted given two weeks ago I had to had to spend 5min cranking forward and back to work up to one rotation. My dog was looking at me like I was having a coronary. It's nice to do that in a room of the house where you can swear.

Try doing it in the basement of a decrepit gymnasium with cracked walls and dusty pipes overhead. Talk about motivation: I actually believed that if I stopped pedalling, the lights would go out.

SaAaH (and swearing is good too),
d.

basom

12-06-2004, 01:55 PM

.

With the showering, I was told the same thing, keep the stitches dry, even though they were mostly under the skin.

thats it! my doctors a quack! i'm calling the athourities on him this instant.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-09-2004, 04:21 PM

xboat

12-09-2004, 10:12 PM

i've been wanting to get back to this thread, but haven't been able to find the time 'til now. first off, i feel that i have a pretty strong tolerance for blood and guts and looking through those pics knowing that i'm going in next month...i can't sit still. {shudder} doing leg lift exercises with ankle weights right now to ease things.

some history: i'm 33 now, tore first ACL waterskiing on antique skis at age 15 or so. skinny, growing kid and they waited for about 2 years to operate. my leg shrunk and surgery (patella tendon) sucked so bad i swore i would never go through it again no matter what. i was in the hospital at least 3 days. rehab was the devil and i never took much of it seriously. a few years after that i moved to the 'boat and logged 300+ days in 4 seasons. no problems, but i wasn't hucking much, just pow seeking. my leg was stronger than ever. moved back to the flatlands and fast forward to this past spring. non-skiing / slipped on wet bar floor and knee buckled, wasted bigtime after my brother's wedding while physically picking up a good female friend in shitty tux shoes. second torn ACL and neither was on snow. :mad:

ok, so this will be my second time around and i have to tell you that i know jack shit about how things are going to happen this time, or how it was done the first time for that matter. i only found out how my first surgery was done when i saw the x-rays for my re-injury this past spring. in those pics it shows some kind of toothed clamps with one or two screws each going into each bone holding the new ACL in there. i hope someone knows what i'm talking about, i'll post the x-rays in a couple weeks. the doc said the hardest part would be getting those screws out of there but it wouldn't be a problem. those fuckers looked long. what kind of after effects does this have? he says "cadaver tendon, hardware removal, you're not overweight - piece of cake." i have an appt. with him on the 27th so i'm planning on learning more about his procedures. different young doc this time. i didn't even want to see the guy that did it the first time because he's gotta be getting old now. i have never heard anything about drilling holes through each bone and threading a new ACL in there. wow. what do you think he'll do this time?

to be honest, if it wasn't for this board fueling my love for skiing i probably wouldn't be doing this again. i played tons of golf this summer and have been hiking cornfields/hunting my ass off all fall and other than my leg being weak, all is pretty well. i do hope to move back west soon though, and i realize this needs to be done to keep me skiing.

oh yeah, i'm looking for a new or good used full suspension mtb and a trainer to ride indoors. i am a mtb jong. what can i get for a grand or slightly less? any leads?

altagirl

12-09-2004, 10:41 PM

Rehab Update:

I seem to be hitting a wall.

It's about 3.5 weeks post-op and I'm having major problems (at least they seem major to me...every setback is major at this point imo) getting my extension to 0 degrees.

A positive is that I can hop on the stationary bike at PT or my mtn bike on my trainer in my garage and pretty much start pedaling immediately. It hurts like hell, but I can do it....and the pain get's much more bearable and nearly compeltely subsides as I warmup. So that's good. It's great in fact, 'cause it feels wonderful just to be able to spin.

However, I'm having a hell of a time with this extension. I'm only getting to like 6 or 7 degrees on my own...and that seems to pretty much suck. The reason I can't go any further is because I get MASSIVE pain in my hamstring...it just feels like a rubber band about to snap. At PT, my therapist can press on my knee and get my extension down to 4-ish, and she says it feels like the knee can go further, but the pain in my hamstring is holding it back. So frustrating....so damn painful 'working' it.

Hammy graft people -- did you guys have these problems? My PT doesn't seem too worried that I'm this far away from 0 at this point.....but I sure am.

I went through the same kind of phase. I was so good on extension, then BAM - tight - couldn't get it straight anymore and I was freaking out over it. (And let me tell you the freaking out doesn't help you stretch...)

Have you tried heat, ultrasound, and or massage on your hamstring? I didn't even have a graft taken from anywhere and my hamstring felt tight and cramped when I was working extension. The other thing that helped me was to do basically standing quad sets with the little e-stim type machine. Like stand with your legs just slightly bent, foot flat on the floor, contract the quad (with or without the e-stim machine assisting), and lean forward and think about stretching your hip/glute. I think because I was thinking about the hip stretch, I was able to relax my knee/hamstring and all of the sudden I got my knee back to zero, when my PT couldn't push it straight on the floor. She was shocked, but because of the pain, I was fighting her when she was pushing on it, so getting myself to focus on contracting the quads and stretching my hip rather than relaxing the hamstrings made it easier for me.

All I can tell you is to chill - know that you'll get there - it just takes some time and work. It'll come back - don't go too crazy trying to get it all back in one day or you'll just end up stiffer. Don't worry - you're doing just fine!!! Congrats on the spinning!

And you might want to try some slow backwards walking (helps a bit with extension) or backwards elliptical if your PT allows it. Both let you get the leg straight vs. the bend you always have on a bike, so it's good for extension to do other movement than just the bike, I think...

altagirl

12-09-2004, 10:59 PM

i have never heard anything about drilling holes through each bone and threading a new ACL in there. wow. what do you think he'll do this time??

Don't worry about it. Aside from the incisions in my leg, after both surgeries I had a little pinhole where they basically threaded the graft through and I guess like a needle pops out through your thigh. You're going to get some holes drilled no matter which type of graft you go with - then they have various methods of attaching the graft into the tunnels (and it depends if your graft has bone at the end or not). I think many now use bioabsorbable screws these days, but having old screws removed isn't uncommon. I wouldn't worry about that if your surgeon thinks it's no big deal.

to be honest, if it wasn't for this board fueling my love for skiing i probably wouldn't be doing this again. i played tons of golf this summer and have been hiking cornfields/hunting my ass off all fall and other than my leg being weak, all is pretty well. i do hope to move back west soon though, and i realize this needs to be done to keep me skiing.

oh yeah, i'm looking for a new or good used full suspension mtb and a trainer to ride indoors. i am a mtb jong. what can i get for a grand or slightly less? any leads?

It will be a lot easier this time around. You're learning what to expect, and know how important rehab is - that's huge. I made some mistakes my first time around - didn't elevate high enough, etc. and it made it more painful. You can learn from everyone here and avoid all that stuff... It'll be worth it!

For info on a bike deal:
http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19629

Link right to the bike:
http://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?LPROD_ID=25539&lsubcat_id=7&lcat_id=7604&referpage=

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-09-2004, 11:19 PM

I

All I can tell you is to chill - know that you'll get there - it just takes some time and work. It'll come back - don't go too crazy trying to get it all back in one day or you'll just end up stiffer. Don't worry - you're doing just fine!!! Congrats on the spinning!

that's prolly the best advice.....just have to take it as comes, but keep working. I'm goingto be doing cartwheels when I get to a pain free 0...hell, just any 'ol 0 actually.

haven't really tried heat or massage yet.....I had actually planned on massage, but I just hadn't thought about it awhile. I'll definitely work that into the routine.

thanks.

Arnold Babar

12-10-2004, 09:02 AM

I'm at 3 weeks and doin' aiight! My pt says I'm ahead of schedule, and will start to get in the pool next week. I've got great rom (full extension and like 130 flexion). I actually got scolded yesterday for hitting the lifecycle too hard. I felt so good, I ramped up the resistance and started spinning like I was doing time trials. The doc was like, "woa, if you do too much too soon, you're going to backslide" but it felt sooooo good to get the heart rate up. My docs are way cautious. I feel totally ready to be crutch free, but they say stay on 'em for 6 weeks :frown: .

basom

12-10-2004, 09:16 AM

i wish i had acess to a pool for my rehab. thats sposed to relly help, the aqua jopgging.

xboat

12-10-2004, 09:22 AM

AG, i very much appreciate your time and responses. you rock.

i forgot to add that my folks live in town and i was planning on staying with them for the first two days after surgery.

that bike looks to be exactly what i'm loking for, thanks!

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-10-2004, 09:43 AM

altagirl

12-10-2004, 10:21 AM

i wish i had acess to a pool for my rehab. thats sposed to relly help, the aqua jopgging.

They have this treadmill in a pool kind of thing at my PT. The other day I asked why I don't get to use it and the assistant said I'm not missing anything. :confused: (It seems to be reserved for old people who can't walk and bear weight.) I did go to the gym one night and walk laps in the pool. I think I'd have to do it more often to tell if it does anything or not.

basom

12-10-2004, 10:27 AM

They have this treadmill in a pool kind of thing at my PT. The other day I asked why I don't get to use it and the assistant said I'm not missing anything. :confused: (It seems to be reserved for old people who can't walk and bear weight.) I did go to the gym one night and walk laps in the pool. I think I'd have to do it more often to tell if it does anything or not.

hmm. well, it sounds funner than just spinning endlessly and elipticalating forever. little change of pace, i could use that.

my gym is lame, no pool. stupid golds.

Big E

12-10-2004, 11:27 AM

Ty, do you ever do chair bridges? Basically scoot out to the edge of a chair, put your foot on the edge of another chair, and <gulp> try to relax. Hahaha, yeah right.

My doc (I had patellar, so this may be different) had me doing these the day after surgery, and I kid you not I had full extension 2 days after surgery. Oh, it hurt like hell, way worse than the straight leg lifts, but I guess it worked. His opinion was that as long as you got to full extension, you would be fine. He actually said that if you got full extension and you didn't care about returning to sports, you could almost skip PT completely. On my first checkup, he didn't even check to see how much I could bend it, just that I had full extension.

Maybe gin can weigh in on this, I recall him saying getting full extension was a real nightmare.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-10-2004, 12:39 PM

Ty, do you ever do chair bridges? Basically scoot out to the edge of a chair, put your foot on the edge of another chair, and <gulp> try to relax. Hahaha, yeah right.

haha...funny you mention these. I just got back from a PT session and we were doing something very similar and guess what...it worked!! sort of...

I'm still not getting full extension, but I'll get there soon....on Wednesday I got onlyto 7 degrees extension on my own. Today, I was able to get to 3 and my PT pretty much had me there when she forced it (ouch!).

My flexion on Wednesday was only like 97 degrees, today it was 115!

PT says that my tissues in my upper calf, behind my knee, and in my hamstring are just extremely tight and with a bunch of massage, my numbers improved drastically.

So I'm psyched....hoping to make more gains next week :)

Arnold Babar

12-10-2004, 02:19 PM

Whoa! that's awesome! Yer kickin my ass!

And you had a hamstring graft like me too right? Do you have any hamstring pain at full extension?? That's what's holding me back and its driving me nuts.

Just got back from a pt sesh. My doc's really happy, sez I'm a fast healer :) :fm: .
I don't have too much hammy pain at all. Sometimes I stiffen up a bit, but then I just apply pressure and I'm back to full. I still have a little bit of fluid that hampers my flexion :rolleyes: but overall I'm really happy. He took me off crutches today, too. Gave me a little speech,"Guys like you are dangerous. You heal fast, and start feeling good, and then you screw up and you're back to square one. TAKE IT SLOW!" okay, okay.

Arnold Babar

12-10-2004, 02:24 PM

haha...funny you mention these. I just got back from a PT session and we were doing something very similar and guess what...it worked!! sort of...

I'm still not getting full extension, but I'll get there soon....on Wednesday I got onlyto 7 degrees extension on my own. Today, I was able to get to 3 and my PT pretty much had me there when she forced it (ouch!).

My flexion on Wednesday was only like 97 degrees, today it was 115!

PT says that my tissues in my upper calf, behind my knee, and in my hamstring are just extremely tight and with a bunch of massage, my numbers improved drastically.

So I'm psyched....hoping to make more gains next week :)

There ya go, Ty! Just keep pushin' it. I want to be measured again, dammit! I don't know my numbers :mad: I needed a little help to get back to full extenstion today :eek: oh that was nice, thanks doc.

scoober

12-10-2004, 04:33 PM

Shoot Shoe, I didn't see this about your extension pain until just now. Like I mentioned in the other thread, I used my own patellar so maybe that's why I'm not having much hamstring pain at all.

I'm actually sort of a freak in this regard, my knees naturally hyper-extend several solid degrees past zero. Because of this as soon as my femoral block wore off 3 days post I was at 0 deg extension no problem. What we are trying to do, and I'm on my way there is to get the original hyper-extension back so it matches my other leg and feels normal.

So... for a little wiener waving... anyone at 144deg flexion at 3 weeks post? :D

Kidding... I know that's not what it's all about.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-10-2004, 04:45 PM

So... for a little wiener waving... anyone at 144deg flexion at 3 weeks post? :D

I don't think I can get that much flexion on my healthy knee :D

Really interesting to "watch" everyone's progress through this and how everyone responds differently to the trauma that is acl reconstruction.

My wife went skiing at Kirkwood today....part of me still wishes that I held off surgery but whatever....there's always next season. I would be psyched if I could even just go and skin around at some point (no downhill).

altagirl

12-10-2004, 06:44 PM

I don't think I can get that much flexion on my healthy knee :D

Really interesting to "watch" everyone's progress through this and how everyone responds differently to the trauma that is acl reconstruction.

My wife went skiing at Kirkwood today....part of me still wishes that I held off surgery but whatever....there's always next season. I would be psyched if I could even just go and skin around at some point (no downhill).

No kidding.

Hell I was psyched with 2 degrees hyperextension and 133 flexion today at 8 weeks. I did get a glowing report to take with me to my OS appt monday that I'm doing advanced proprioception and only lost 1cm on my surgical leg to atrophy, which my therapist said was fantastic. (I lost 4cm on my first ACL). I still have .7cm of swelling around my patella though. My body just sucks when it comes to getting rid of swelling - it wants to stick around. That's what makes ROM so miserable. But it's coming along...

Arnold Babar

12-10-2004, 08:33 PM

Huzzah for everyone! We're all going to be ready to rip next year. It's going to suck for us all as we start to get better and have to watch the big powder days pass us by. But thanks to Ty, and ONS, we'll always have "Gimp Central " :biggrin: . Heh, sounds like the title to a new series on UPN, "Next week on 'Gimp Central' Babar gets jealous of Soober's hyperextension. How far is he willing to go to match it. Stay tuned." :biggrin:

LAN

12-10-2004, 08:36 PM

my quad atrophy is rampant. the poor thing just wobbles and wiggles like nothing. maybe thats why ROM is coming back so fast because i have no muscle left to hinder it.

scoober

12-10-2004, 08:44 PM

my quad atrophy is rampant. the poor thing just wobbles and wiggles like nothing. maybe thats why ROM is coming back so fast because i have no muscle left to hinder it.

yeah, that was me, logged in as LAN....

obviously

Telepath

12-11-2004, 07:27 AM

...part of me still wishes that I held off surgery ....
Don't! Coming back with a new strong knee is going to be worth it.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-11-2004, 11:27 AM

Don't! Coming back with a new strong knee is going to be worth it.

i know, you're right.....
;)
http://www.aspectjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=808#post808

Telepath

12-11-2004, 12:08 PM

i know, you're right.....
;)
http://www.aspectjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=808#post808
Hadn't seen that one. Thanx for linking. Nice :yourock:

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-14-2004, 09:52 AM

4 Week Post-Op PT Report:

7 AM Pain Therapy sessions ssssuuuuckkkk. Hopped on the stationary bike first and spun for 15 minutes...by the end of this cycle, could finally pedal a full revolution with proper technique (i.e. keeping the heel on my injured leg flat, rather than pointy toed), so that was good.

Then hopped over to doing quad sets on a pilates machine (a reformer). Banged through 3 sets with higher tension than I've ever done so that was good. Doc has me on orders to keep motion doing these between 40 and 90 degrees though for the time being so that kinda sucks....so tempting to keep pushing and extending further.

Then did hamstring curls. Two legged and one legged (with the injured leg). 60 lbs two legged and 30 lbs one legged with 2 sets x 15 reps each. Felt good.

Did a bunch of balancing exercies too on the balance boards. Proprioception feels weeeeiiiird, but by the end of this session I could easily balance for 30 seconds which was the goal.

Finally went to work on knocking out the pain in my hamstring which has been the bane of my rehab from the onset. After some masssage, was able to get to 2 degrees extension and 123 flexion which was an improvement over 3 and 115 respectively from last Friday.

See the orthopod in a week for my second post-op visit....hoping to take in some even better numbers for him and see what he says about getting clearance for longer cardio sessions and weight training.

Arnold Babar

12-14-2004, 07:30 PM

Everyone's hittin' it sooooooooo hard, I love It! :yourock:

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-19-2004, 12:33 AM

...and the roller coaster keeps rolling...up, down, up, up, climbs, climbs, crests, falls....

...pain...

...hamstring..
...ughhhh....

getting beyond frustrating now. the pain in my hamstring when I flex / extend is really getting to me. it's always there. I know I can flex beyond it's limits, but the pain stops me and it usually takes a few bangs against its wall to push on through.

finding out that heat helps it though. spent nearly this entire Saturday alternating between cold packs on the knee, then hot packs wrapped around the back of my thigh, then hop on the stationary bike, repeat.

took some measurements at PT yesterday...lost 2 mm girth from my quad. One month post-op visit with orthopod is Monday.

Arnold Babar

12-19-2004, 10:07 AM

Damn, that sucks, Ty. Is the hammy pain where they took the graft from? I've been waiting/expecting to experience hammy pain, and it hasn't come (knock wood). You should try to get into a pool or a hot tub. Doing rom exercises in the warm water has really been good for me. I feel great after a session, and stronger every day so far... I hope your hammy loosens up soon, delays suck.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-20-2004, 05:16 PM

Is the hammy pain where they took the graft from?

yeah right where the graft was from.

Just saw my orthopod for the 1-month post-op visit. Despite the hammy pain, he says I'm right on track and the new acl feels "solid". Heat packs really make it (hammy) feel better and he said just to keep on doin what I'm doing.

Good news is he gave me clearance to road ride. Sweet. Now all I need is my insurance policy check to come after I destroyed my road bike ramming it into my garage when I tried pulling into in with the bike on the roof rack :D

Go back to see him beginning of March...and he says at that time, if things keep progressing as they are, I'll be able to start running. cool.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-23-2004, 09:47 AM

5 Week Post-Op Report:

Getting better! All that hamstring pain that I was bitchin and whining about earlier is getting MUCH better. Treating it at home with heat packs and then lots of stretching is helping (in addition to all the stuff at PT).

I'm now at 127 flexion max (with PT help), but still at 1-2 extention...grrrr...must-get-to-ze-ro-....the hamstring pain is pretty much gone in flexion, but is very limiting in extension...getting there though.

Can finally hop on a bike and start pedaling with good technique (no hip cheating or toe pointing) with no discomfort, so I'm out pedaling around my neighborhood everyday for an hour for lunch. No hills or no super hard workouts yet, but soon.....contemplating signing up for the death ride (www.deathride.com) in July and then maybe even the Park City Endurance 100 mountain bike thang in August too to give me some extra motivation.

Balance is feelin excellent....did a lot of one-footed balance exercises on the bosu ball today while throwing a small medicine ball into a horizontal trampoline and then catching it. Was doing pretty well at this until I started telling my PT a story, lost attention to what I was doing, and the medicine ball game back off the tramp and hit me in the nads :D......but I kept my balance through it!!!! :D

Looking forward to a relaxing, long-ish (for this stage in the game) smooth fireroad mountain bike ride this weekend. Can't wait to get back into the woods.

Snow Ranger

12-23-2004, 10:30 AM

Nice. I envy you being able to ride a bike. I am 3 weeks Post-Op and can't even get on a stationary one yet. My Flexion is 106 so 14 more degrees until I get to pedal.

the medicine ball game back off the tramp and hit me in the nads That is always so funny when it's someone else.

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-23-2004, 10:37 AM

Nice. I envy you being able to ride a bike. I am 3 weeks Post-Op and can't even get on a stationary one yet. My Flexion is 106 so 14 more degrees until I get to pedal.

When I was at this point, I would just sit on the bike and rock the pedals back & forth as far as I could tolerate...in no time (but definitely with some pain & discomfort) I was able to get 'em around. It was definitely easier getting over the top while pedaling backwards then forwards. Once you can get 'em over going backwards, just keep working on that until you can go forward.

Arnold Babar

12-23-2004, 08:20 PM

I missed my pt session today due to attending my wife's level two ultra-sound. It's a girl! That'll be Babar daughter #3. I did drive to New Jersey yesterday in a 24 ft. rental truck :( , Picked up 22,000 yards of fabric, then drove back to CT and unloaded the 24 foot box truck (about 500 rolls). Lots of bending, twisting, lifting, carrying, hoisting, probly walked about three miles inside that damn truck :mad: . Does that count as pt? Good news: I'm back to work. Bad news: I'm already slacking on the pt. Oh well, gonna have another mouth to feed, and so far nobody's offering to pay me to ride the eliptical machine :rolleyes: .

Tyrone Shoelaces

12-26-2004, 11:25 AM

ahhhh.....back on the mountain bike.....Christmas Day, 5 and a half weeks after surgery....went for a 10 mile mellow, fireroad ride along the lakes & hills near my house. Stayed in the saddle and didn't mash the big gears, just spun at a healthy rpm. Slowed way the hell down for any corners, and got off walked some off-camber sections that you'd normally not give a second thought too, but can't risk even the slightest slip. Anyhow, it felt so damn good.....Prolly won't need anymore updates here for awhile.... :cool:

Arnold Babar

12-26-2004, 12:32 PM

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!! I'm gettin' on the bike soon too, though they say snow's comin' to these parts so maybe not. Nice goin' keep 'em spinnin...

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-05-2005, 11:15 AM

haven't had a rehab update in awhile sooo....

it feels good to look back through this and see progress. Things are going great. I have my 3-month post-op visit with the orthopod on Wednesday and my PT thinks I should get clearance to start jogging a little.

I can get to 0 degrees extension on my own no problem and my walking gait looks fine. My normal knee goes to about -1 or -2 hyperextension, but as long as my injured knee can get to 0 on it's own i'm psyched...it goes hyper with a little help...

For flexion, my injured leg is only about 4 degrees off from my normal knee (137 vs 141 roughly)....tightness in my quad of all places actually hinders it from going further now, since it hasn't been stretched that far in so many months.

I'm riding my road bike nearly every day. It's been so warm (60's) down here in the valley it nearly feels like spring. Days are gettin a little longer so I cut out of work around 4 PM and then ride for an hour and a half every day. Take a day off here and there if I push it too hard, because if I do (say if I start hammering hills or something) my hamstring is sore the next day so I'll just rest. Put my name in the hat for www.deathride.com and will know if I got picked to ride that sufferfest at the end of Feb. Saturday's & Sunday's I started pushing my saddle time up to about 3 hours - 4 hours a day...which is where I'm going just after I finish typing this...

Trying to get to the pool 3 times a week too, but that's getting tough to fit in with PT, the gym, bike rides, and work.

Some odd things I've noticed is that there's still some bruising behind my surgery knee. it's nearly 3 months and it's still there! i guess it's slowly fading though...

Also, my knee cap is popping and cracking like crazy. PT says it might be IT band tightnees. Mentioned that it could be crepidus (sp?)...which i guess is the patella getting pulled out of its normal groove from tight structures? It sounds like i'm cracking my knuckles sometimes when I stand up after sitting for awhile. Doesn't hurt..just sounds like rice crispies. PT says there could be a way to tape it when I start running to ensure it doesn't get worse.

took my skis to the shop last night to get mounted and tuned...not really sure why....but just felt I had to do it.........maybe I can XC ski soon...I wonder how Stockli DP's with Freerides & alpine boots will do as an XC set-up :D

LegoSkier

02-05-2005, 12:01 PM

took my skis to the shop last night to get mounted and tuned...not really sure why....but just felt I had to do it.........maybe I can XC ski soon...I wonder how Stockli DP's with Freerides & alpine boots will do as an XC set-up :D

Thats a little like asking how an erupting volcano will do as a cigarette lighter.

Nice job on the rehab. Hope I can be that motivated when the time comes. I just got back from finally getting an MRI. I won't see my ortho to analyze it till the 17th though. My PT wasn't so sure it was fully torn but the ortho suspects it is and I just have so much muscle that it dosen't feel like it (he compared me to Maori rugby players he worked on while in NZ).
I'll also be getting a real functional brace soon so maybe we can go XC and stare longingly at the mountains together as due to time constraints for my research I probably won't be going under the knife till mid May.

Vinman

02-05-2005, 12:56 PM

Ty that bruising might be there for a while. I had a bruise on my tibia for more than a year after my first one. Really it isn't anything to worry about.

With the cracking of the patella. Make sure to get that taken care of. Have your PT check your patellar mobility and hamstring flexibility as well as the IT band as these are 2 or 3 likely causes of the crepitus you are feeling. Don't let that go until it becomes painful or else it could be there a while.

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-05-2005, 03:54 PM

With the cracking of the patella. Make sure to get that taken care of. Have your PT check your patellar mobility and hamstring flexibility as well as the IT band as these are 2 or 3 likely causes of the crepitus you are feeling. Don't let that go until it becomes painful or else it could be there a while.

cool will do.....it's really started up a lot in the past week, but I haven't but all that vocal about to my PT, but I'll start to bring it up more. thanks.

altagirl

02-07-2005, 09:49 AM

Glad to hear that you're getting so much riding in!

I get some popping in my patella too - though lately it's gone from popping to just an occasional feeling of tightness like it's going to pop, and if I do a couple quick patellar mobs it's gone.

fineline

02-07-2005, 04:28 PM

well- im a little late jumping on this bandwagon... But Im getting ACL replacement surgery on Thursday, so in 3 days. Im taking it from my pateller and am just trying to work hard to get my knee in shape before they cut me open. All your info has been very informative, thanks to all for the updates and such. Hopefully my rehab will go as well as all of yours has. Im a little nervous but seeing as this is my third big surgery its nothing new. I was really surprised that one of the doctors I went and saw actually asked me IF I wanted surgery... I didnt know that not getting it done was an option, my knee hurts too bad to do much anyway. But was tempted because I missed and am missing a lot of really important comps and opportunities this year, it was supposed to be my big year. But as long as this gets fixed and I can rip it this summer and be back at it next winter... thats the most important thing.

So a few questions (if anyone still reads this thread,) How did you cope with not skiing for so long? I haven't gone this long without skiing for probably 15 years, since my first day on skis when I was three. Its my life, now I dont really know what to do with myself and am trying not to let this totally devistate me. I understand injuries like this are really common among our kind and it was probably bound to happen to me when I ski 100+ days every year. Plus everyone keeps telling me that females are a lot more likely to tear theirs... so it was probably in the cards for me sooner or later. But im 18 and before this happened I felt amazing, stuff was finally starting to happen for me. This is just a really big setback and its hard to deal with... I just need to keep thinking to get strong and healthy to charge even harder next season.

Is there anything I should make sure to concentrate on before surgery/the few days after surgery that I should make special note of? Im trying to keep everything strong and get my range of motion the best it can be, but what really makes a difference?

Well apart from that.. I am just going to stick through it... Oh, and anyone have any ideas of how to drive a clutch with only one good leg?? Cuz thats all ive got. Maybe attatch a ski pole to it? hah, hmmmm.

Anyway, hope you all are doing well with your rehab and such, any tips would be good... hah im super familiar with back and ankle rehab, but knees are totally new to me. Thanks!

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-08-2005, 12:18 AM

.

So a few questions (if anyone still reads this thread,) How did you cope with not skiing for so long? I haven't gone this long without skiing for probably 15 years, since my first day on skis when I was three. Its my life, now I dont really know what to do with myself and am trying not to let this totally devistate me.

The best way for me to cope was to channel the energy I would normally put into skiing into rehab. I figured if I became as passionate about rehab as I am about skiing, then I'd come out of this fine, and it seems to be working. The thought (or in my case, fear) of not being able to do the same things you once did at the same level will drive you.

I understand injuries like this are really common among our kind and it was probably bound to happen to me when I ski 100+ days every year. Plus everyone keeps telling me that females are a lot more likely to tear theirs... so it was probably in the cards for me sooner or later. But im 18 and before this happened I felt amazing, stuff was finally starting to happen for me. This is just a really big setback and its hard to deal with...

I was thinking the same thoughts as well post-op. And everywhere kept telling me that i'd come out of all of this stronger and better off in some way. At first I thought, "yeah right whatever, i'm still missing the season, whatever"...but now, 3 months into rehab and I'm finding that they're absolutely right. I am going to be much stronger coming out than I was coming in (and you will too so long as you turn that "ski drive" into "rehab drive"). And honestly, it really does just boil down to one season...heck in your case, it might even be less than that. You'll have many, many, many, many more ski & pow days with your friends in your future. You will be in excellent shape to kick some ass next winter.

Is there anything I should make sure to concentrate on before surgery/the few days after surgery that I should make special note of? Im trying to keep everything strong and get my range of motion the best it can be, but what really makes a difference?

Keep your quads strong. They will atrophy some, so the stronger they are going into surgery, then the easier it will be to come out.

Well apart from that.. I am just going to stick through it... Oh, and anyone have any ideas of how to drive a clutch with only one good leg?? Cuz thats all ive got. Maybe attatch a ski pole to it? hah, hmmmm.

hmmmm, ski pole would work. And it would be like a pole plant as you shift into a left hand turn :D

All the best.

altagirl

02-08-2005, 08:32 AM

Well apart from that.. I am just going to stick through it... Oh, and anyone have any ideas of how to drive a clutch with only one good leg?? Cuz thats all ive got. Maybe attatch a ski pole to it? hah, hmmmm.

Ditto to what Ty said on all of that stuff. Think "rehab is my life" for a while. And find something else productive to do too. I got my real estate license - there's only so many hours in a day you can spend in the gym before you're overdoing it and it starts to be counter-productive. If I'm busy all day and tired from working out, I'm not freaking out that I didn't ski. Much anyway...

About driving - Which knee are you having done? I had a hamstring graft on my left knee years ago - I didn't drive for probably 4 weeks, but I got tons of paid sick leave and had people that could shuttle me around and it wasn't a big deal. This time I went back to work in 4 days - drove the truck the first couple days because it's an automatic, and I was back driving my Subaru (manual) in under a week. But this time it was my right leg, which is easier for that anyway.

Good luck!

Arno

02-08-2005, 10:58 AM

I'll jump in late too. My biggest problem has been getting full flexibility back. The hamstring etc had shortened a lot post op (wasn't able to straighten my leg due to cartillage damage). But the flexibility is mostly back and it's all pretty functional.

I had my first bit of skiing about a month ago - just over 4 months post op. Not strictly recommended but I felt OK and I was confident that I would know whether I was steady enough not to fall. I told my physio about it after, however! Didn't do anything too exciting but it's very motivating to realise that , basically, I can still ski. Will be doing some more demanding stuff in March (just over 6 months post-op) and can't wait.

Sometimes it's been a bit depressing on the rehab. But I've been quite lucky in that it has been quite a steady progression so I've always been able to look back a few weeks and think how much I've improved.

Hope this provides a bit of encouragement and good luck

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-08-2005, 11:52 AM

I had my first bit of skiing about a month ago - just over 4 months post op. Not strictly recommended but I felt OK and I was confident that I would know whether I was steady enough not to fall. I told my physio about it after

that is sweet! Maybe a little risky eh?...but sweet nonetheless. I assume you wore a brace?

I actually plan on noodling down a groomer at about my 4.5 month post-op to get up and watch the IFSA big mountain comp at Kirkwood in early April. Gonna be so hard to just cruise a groomer over to the venue and just hang out all day.

Arno

02-08-2005, 02:14 PM

Possibly a bit risky but when justifying it to my physio I said it was like a soccer player starting to run again - a step on from what I'd been doing before but not the full activity by any means. I'm a good enough skier that I know when I am not feeling stable and I didn't do anything too committing. Just some nice smooth groomers. Avoided bumps, soft snow, hard snow, people etc etc

The most noticeable thing was how quickly I got tired.

I did wear a brace, although not a very sophisticated one. My knee does feel very stable now so I don't know whether I'll bother on my next trip.

As I said, though, the first day back may be a pretty boring day by normal standards but it feels so good to be up in the mountains sliding again that you probably won't mind. :biggrin:

Arno

02-08-2005, 02:22 PM

Actually, one interesting (maybe) debate I had with myself was which skis to use. I have Atomic SX11s in a 170 and a pair of the old Dynastar Intuitiv Bigs (the ones with the semi-swallow tail) in a 188.

I knew I was going to be staying on piste all the time and spent a while thinking about whether the Atomics would be best because they were shorter or whether the fact that they are stiff and want to be on an edge all the time meant that they might be a bit too much to handle. One of the many virtues of the Bigs is that they react quite well to lazy technique!

Went with the Atomics in the end and lived to tell the tale...

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-08-2005, 02:23 PM

Possibly a bit risky but when justifying it to my physio I said it was like a soccer player starting to run again - a step on from what I'd been doing before but not the full activity by any means.

funny you use that as an example...because that is me. I'm also a soccer player (that's how I tore mine), and I'm about to start running again next week.

hmmm....so tempting. :)

Vinman

02-08-2005, 02:28 PM

I did wear a brace, although not a very sophisticated one. My knee does feel very stable now so I don't know whether I'll bother on my next trip.

As far as braces go some docs don't even Rx them anymore. A few studies have shown a simple neoprene sleeve is as good as a brace for preventing re-injury. this is mostly due to the abililty of the neoprene to give some sensory feedback and what position the knee is in, (proprioception).

Now I'm not saying that you should just stop wearing your brace or anything but just another piece of info to think about. Talk it over with your doc or PT sometime.

I personally think a brace is a good idea for the first year until the graft fully matures and then after that it is kind of a personal prefernce kind of thing and for some it is even kind of a mental crutch that just makes them feel better. Anyway....

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-09-2005, 02:20 PM

Just saw my orthopod for 3-month post-op..aaaannnddd....

I GOT CLEARANCE TO RUNNNNNNNNN!!!!

sOoooooooooooooo PSCYHED!

Finally starting to feel more like training rather than rehab now :) :) :)

Arno

02-09-2005, 03:12 PM

As far as braces go some docs don't even Rx them anymore. A few studies have shown a simple neoprene sleeve is as good as a brace for preventing re-injury. this is mostly due to the abililty of the neoprene to give some sensory feedback and what position the knee is in, (proprioception).

Now I'm not saying that you should just stop wearing your brace or anything but just another piece of info to think about. Talk it over with your doc or PT sometime.

I personally think a brace is a good idea for the first year until the graft fully matures and then after that it is kind of a personal prefernce kind of thing and for some it is even kind of a mental crutch that just makes them feel better. Anyway....

Well, they do say that once you're fully rehabed the graft should be pretty much as strong as the ACL was. I agree on the mental crutch point - everything just feels a little tighter with it on.

Interesting about prioproception - hadn't thought of that but I certainly see what you mean.

Great news on the running, Tyrone. Having been doing it again for a couple of months, I'm still amazed by how nackered it makes me! All good though

altagirl

02-09-2005, 05:30 PM

Just saw my orthopod for 3-month post-op..aaaannnddd....

I GOT CLEARANCE TO RUNNNNNNNNN!!!!

sOoooooooooooooo PSCYHED!

Finally starting to feel more like training rather than rehab now :) :) :)

Awesome! Congrats!!! :)

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-10-2005, 07:17 PM

First Time Running Post-Op Report:

About 11 weeks post-op...almost 3 months. (First time running in about 4 mos. actually)

Ran for 25 minutes @ slow-ass 10 minute/mile pace....

...Knee felt focking BOMBER

can't wait to start ratcheting that pace back up to normal. Getting closer....

that is all.

fineline

02-11-2005, 01:47 PM

Tyrone Shoelaces

02-11-2005, 02:07 PM

I had my surgery yesterday... my knee hurts :( It went pretty well though, but like I said.. my knee hurts- I am on lots and lots of painkillers though so thats keeping me together I suppose. I got some pictures too so I will post mine (I had pateller) when i can get access to the scanner that my brother stole from me.

well, you're on your way to getting a stronger knee already. keep ice on that sucker as much as possible and keep it elevated as much as you can too. Elevated as in propped up somehow so that's it's above your heart. That, combined with constant ice will really help the swelling, which will really help the pain.

scoober

02-11-2005, 03:21 PM

EDIT: Glad to hear you are relatively killing it, Ty.

A little update on my progress, my PT put me on a running program about 3 weeks ago, and it feels good. I'll go to the track, lay down a few laps then just dork around with a soccer ball getting the touch back. Combine that with some miles on the bike and things are coming along OK.

I had my surgery yesterday... my knee hurts :( It went pretty well though, but like I said.. my knee hurts- I am on lots and lots of painkillers though so thats keeping me together I suppose. I got some pictures too so I will post mine (I had pateller) when i can get access to the scanner that my brother stole from me.

There's no doubt about it, day after surgery sucks big time. One thing I was glad I did was keep ahead on my pain meds. I got the femoral nerve block in my leg (so it was completely numb for 48hrs) but made sure to keep up on the pain meds so that when it wore off (you can't really tell when it will) I wasn't shocked with the pain.

You'll be back on it in no time. The first couple weeks seem to drag on, but after that time flys by and you are back running and riding.

milton

02-12-2005, 07:45 AM

I had my surgery yesterday... my knee hurts :(

fineline - we had surgery the same day. I just saw your perkaset induced post over on the padded room, bwahahah! Mine was a patellar graft also....and yes i also had perks for breakfast today.

Ty, great thread thanks for sharing. Way to get your jog on.

fineline

02-12-2005, 09:57 AM

fineline - we had surgery the same day. I just saw your perkaset induced post over on the padded room, bwahahah! Mine was a patellar graft also....and yes i also had perks for breakfast today.

really??? wow thats cool! We will have to keep in touch and help each other out with rehab and stuff.. Haha we can make it a race!! Haha yeah I like perkaset, and oxycotin or whatever it is. I got some pretty cool pics and video that I will try to post once I figure out how.

Arnold Babar

02-12-2005, 06:02 PM

[QUOTE=scoober]EDIT: Glad to hear you are relatively killing it, Ty.

PT put me on a running program about 3 weeks ago, and it feels good. I'll go to the track, lay down a few laps then just dork around with a soccer ball getting the touch back. Combine that with some miles on the bike and things are coming along OK.
QUOTE]

I can't believe how conservative my docs are compared to yours. I don't see my ortho for another month. Last thing he said was to hold off on running. I dropped my pt, and have just been doing my own thing, mostly super long bike rides where I mash alot of hills. But I've also been using the soccer ball. Been doing a lot of juggling, and passing it around with my daughter. It feels really good and I got control back really fast. I thing that soccer is a great rehab activity. We'll have to put together a gimp central all-star team: VIctoire! Victoire! Victoire! :D

Arno

02-14-2005, 01:30 PM

Snow Ranger

02-14-2005, 02:04 PM

skiing 4 months post-op
Arno you skied after four months. How did it feel? are you going again or waiting? Did you wear a brace? I am at week 10 post op and feel strong enough to snowboard with a brace, I still feel a little to weak for skiing.

Arno

02-15-2005, 12:45 AM

It was very mellow skiing! Just sliding around on some easy groomers - more details up the page.

Going again in about 3 weeks which will be just over 6 months post-op. Hope to ski some more challenging stuff - longish off piste runs if the snow's decent. Still won't go mad but it'll be a bit closer to normal :)

altagirl

02-15-2005, 08:19 AM

I was talking to my PT about speed of rehab (after I owned up to skiing 4 months post-op). She said there are huge differences in views as to what you can do when. Apparently some college football players are running and cutting 1 month post-op! :eek: Having the best medical attention money can buy, daily MRIs etc etc probably helps...

The other thing that my first doc explained to me when I kept asking about this over and over and over again is that if you're a pro athlete, it's sometimes considered worth the risk of retearing or causing permanent damage that you'll pay for in the long run. And they just will not advise anyone else to risk it unless they've got big bucks on the line or some race/event/opportunity that will never come again. Are a couple extra ski days worth re-tearing it and having to go through surgery all over again, starting from a weaker point than you did the first time and possibly with more damage, and also meaning you might be missing out on a lot more good future ski days while you're rehabbing all over again? Probably not. But the Olympics, or a bowl game or whatever else probably is.

Arno

02-15-2005, 09:08 AM

Good point. Judging from my experience, it isn't that hard to tear a healthy ACL so you can understand them being conservative about a newly replaced one.

Also, apparently the football players on that program had hamstring tendon grafts with the graft taken from the strong leg. Apparently this means you need to rehab both legs, but neither is weakened as much as the single leg if the graft comes from the weak leg.

Arnold Babar

02-15-2005, 09:11 AM

Well put, AG. It's all about risk/reward ratio, and I gotta say that mine has changed since this event in my life. The look on my kid's faces when they understand that I can't run around with them any more or ski with them or join them on the skating pond hurts like hell. My four year old actually thought that I was going to be on "crunchers" for ever. I don't think she actually believed that I was going to heal until she saw me hobbling around without them. Now every night when I carry her upstairs to her room, the limp is less and less pronounced, and by spring, hopefully, I'll be the old active dad that she probably doesn't even remember. When I'm coaching soccer again, and running 5ks with my 10 year old, and taking long bike rides with the little ones in the tow trailer, I'll think twice before I jeopardize all that for some extra air or a faster steeper line on the mt. bike or skis. You don't know what you've got till it's gone, and sometimes you don't realize who you're taking it away from. Sorry for the rant. I can't wait to get better. That is all.

Tyrone Shoelaces

03-13-2005, 09:26 PM

Ok...nearly at 4 month's post-op (just a few days away) and here's where I'm at:

Went mountain biking yesterday...not just lame fireroad strolls, but muddy semi-tech long singletrack with a few grueling climbs and lots of fun fast downhill. Knee felt freaking bomber. I was a little sketched taking turns fast, so I kept the speed down pretty low in spots just in case. I did have one instance though that sketched me out pretty good....I was maneuvering through a tight little hairpin turn, got messed up, and got thrown forward a little and had to quickly click out with my "bad" leg and stomp my foot down to catch my fall. Just before I stomped my foot down to catch my fall, I thought "NO!", but then nothing happened. I stomped it and knee felt fine. Phew! Well, at least I know it can handle that. :)

Woke up this morning expecting my knee to be a little sore from the previous days mountain biking, but nothing. Cool. So went on a 35 minute run and it was the best run I've had yet. Knee felt completely normal. Hamstring felt normal and I ran at a near normal pace. Also threw in a few hills and everything felt great. Got back home and threw a leg over the roadie and spun 40 flat miles. At 4 months, my knee feels nearly 100%.

However, there still seems to be an upper limit to flexion. I think flexion is pretty where it was before surgery, but it just isn't comfortable yet hanging out there. Should work itself out over the next month or so.

Feeling like I'm getting sooo damn close....

Vinman

03-14-2005, 04:21 AM

don't stress over the flexion thing. It may take some time before it comes back fully.

Congrats on the progress and breaking through that first psychological barrier of trusting the knee to support you in a fall.

Arnold Babar

03-14-2005, 07:05 AM

Rock on Ty! I can't wait for the snow to melt around here so I can hit the trails myself. I need to test it.

Snow Ranger

03-14-2005, 11:58 AM

Feeling like I'm getting sooo damn close....

You are man. What like 1 month and you can ski again?

Congrats on the running. I am about 2.5 weeks from running. I've never really done any running in the past but as soon as the Doc ok's it I will.

Tyrone Shoelaces

03-14-2005, 01:56 PM

You are man. What like 1 month and you can ski again?

Congrats on the running. I am about 2.5 weeks from running. I've never really done any running in the past but as soon as the Doc ok's it I will.

Well, I think I'm 2 months out from skiing. 2 months from now would be 6 month's post-op and that's what have been told since day 1 to get back on snow. I do have an upcoming visit with the ortho on 3/24, so I will see what he says then...maybe I ski groomers cautiously at 5 months...who knows.

My advice on the running...is to just take it real slow and listen to your knee. I used to run quite a bit prior to surgery and things felt weird at first. i.e. hamstring felt tight, knee proprioception seemed a little off, etc. etc. Just take it slow...maybe jog a little, see how it feels, then walk a little, then jog again, take yer time and take 'er easy.

Snow Ranger

03-14-2005, 03:59 PM

Well, I think I'm 2 months out from skiing. 2 months from now would be 6 month's post-op and that's what have been told since day 1 to get back on snow. I do have an upcoming visit with the ortho on 3/24, so I will see what he says then...maybe I ski groomers cautiously at 5 months...who knows.

I was told 5. But really I think that I will let my body decide. I am planning on snowboarding untracked powder/skiing groomers cautiously at the 5 month mark. However, I would hate to come back to early in May and tear the damn thing again.

Arnold Babar

03-15-2005, 02:01 PM

I've been slacking. With two kids and a pregnant wife there is little time or motivation for rehab. The roads around here are covered in sand, and there are no shoulders due to all the snow. A little xc, and a few bike rides and thats it. Is there anything more boring than lunges and squats? But that's what I need to be doing more of to get where you're at, Ty. Good goin', I'm jelous.

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-01-2005, 01:07 PM

4.5 month update (just updating as this has become a little journal of all this for me...no need to reply..will probably just update about once or twice more after this)

Alternating days of run/bike/run/bike....Running 30-35 minutes every other day and bumped it up to 40 minutes for the first time yesterday. Felt fine, but hamstring felt pretty tight that everning afterwards. Happy with the progress since @ 3 months I had to stop running after like 10 minutes to walk a little. Goal is to be able to go on runs of an hour @ 8 minute/mile or less pace at the 6 months mark. We'll see...might be too aggressive pace wise...gotta shoot for somethin though.

Still riding road mainly 'cause I can log more miles and get a better work out than mountain. Lots of hills on the weekdays after work with longer rides of 3 hours or so on the weekends. Gotta get those longer rides...longer...with the Death Ride coming up in July.

Watched my soccer team play the other night. Was passing around with them before the game and the knee felt fine with passing and just generally knocking the ball around. I decided to rip a shot....and it felt GREAT. Definitely will not return to really playing though at least for another month and a half (6 months) to be safe.

Skiing for the first time since surgery...tomorrow. Making a coupla groomer runs and then watching the comp mainly. Will probably be favoring my non-operative leg, but we'll see. Will be wearing brace of course...

altagirl

04-01-2005, 01:22 PM

Arno

04-01-2005, 02:34 PM

I'll echo Altagirl!

I've been skiing a couple of times since my first effort 4.5 months in. The difference is huge but not really going for it yet. That'll have to wait until next season. Still, 6mths post op, I managed a long off-piste descent at Gressonney (1700m) vertical with a bit of walking, mixed snow and some billy goating at the end which was really motivating.

Hope that provides a bit of encouragement!

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-03-2005, 04:51 PM

(x-posted from a thread in the main forum...wanted to keep this in this thread)

Quicky First Day Back TR

Got there around 8:30 and was immediately met by skier666 who pulled in right behind me after a 2 and half hour cruise from downtown SF. He was all jacked up on caffeine, speed, and loud D&B music from his drive, was talking about gnar descents in OB Thunder Bowl, and this being my first day back I'm like, "Hmmm...I think I need to take a few runs with no one around & no one watching".

So I was off to ski the ultra kickass radness that is Chair 5. For those that don't know, Chair 5 at KW has some of those most extremely, gnar flats around the mountain. Chair 6, 10, & the OB might get all the press, but mustering up the courage to risk the chance of being seen lapping the bunny pancake flats of Chair 5 takes balls of steel I tell you. Balls of steel.

So I clicked into my bindings, took a deep breath, and skated up to the Chair. Truth be told, I was pretty apprehensive. I didn't know what to expect. With the exception of coming back from a fairly serious head injury when I was 15, I had never come back from an injury before. Would my knee hurt? Will it feel unstable? Did I rehab hard enough for the extremo terrain of Chair 5? Will I damage it if I angulate too much into a turn...if I ski too fast? All this plus more flashed through my mind simulataneously.

Riding the lift I had the chance to watch some racer types & IFSA competitors getting some early warm-up runs in slashing deep fast carves coming down from the top of the mountain. ( I think I used to ski that fast. I think I used to turn like that. Can I still do that? What if I can't?)

So I get off the lift, slide down the ramp, (Hey this feels familiar), and start slowly on down. Naturally I turn right with my 'good' leg downhill and weighted (Hey that's a carve, that feels right), then cautiously unweight, roll the knees, edges, and skid out a quick left with my 'bad' leg weighted (ok no pain, I turned, sorta, great, let's go faster), carve back to the left, swivel to the right, carve, swivel, carve, skid...(faster, start arcing 'em, angulate that knee in, holy shit things feel fine)...carve to the right, (c'mon no more skidding out, weight that knee, you've done enough, go faster), roll the edges across the fall line back to the left, weight that downhill leg, pressure that tip (more more, tuck that knee IN, feel it touch the uphill boot, fuck I'm carving, I'm flying, I'm fucking skiing again!!).....approaching the last steep pitch coming down to Chair 5 & 6...snow is softer here....arc 'em, carve 'em, lay 'em down, hold 'em, fast, faster, go faster........

I'm not seeing the slope anymore, but I'm on the bike, back in December, or January, coulda been February, I'm on the trainer in my garage, it's dumping outside, it hurts, but I'm pedaling sweating cursing fighting through it, cursing my knee, cursing the lost season, telling my surgeon to F-off, swearing my fucking ass off that I'll never stop pedaling and feeling the pain until I come back, so that when I come back it will be like I never left. Like I never missed a day. Like I never even got hurt in the first place.....I skied that last pitch like I knew I could. It felt like I had been skiing all year and my knee felt so damn good. Screw chair 5...get on 6

So I head up 6 to the top...Zachs, Janek, Olympic, and Sentinel were all groomer corduroy. Take a run down Janek exloring how the knee feels. Exploring how my feet feel again in my boots. Exploring how it feels to pressure an edge and hold it through a fast arc. Exploring how the wind feels in my face & through my jacket. See 666 riding up as I'm heading down. I waited at the bottom for him....it was back on......

:) :) :)

Huckwheat

04-03-2005, 06:59 PM

Congrats Ron.....that had to feel amazing.

I am glad that it didnt swell and you could road ride today. Definately continue to take it a bit easy (or at least short days). Britney came back at exactly 5 months (opening day at Kirkwood), and we skied short days both Sat and Sunday. Then the next Sat (Halloween) we skied all day at Squaw (off piste and just all over), and it was a real setback for her. Her knee swelled like crazy and she had to take two weekends off (couldnt even ride the exercise bike).

So, dont do that.

I would like to hear what kind of lateral exercises you did to prepare for actual skiing? Britney had been running 10 K races, riding around lake tahoe, all kinds of stuff.....but skiing was a different ballgame all together. I need a good game plan for months 5-8 (Sept + Nov).....thinking "Reebok Slide" thing, maybe some blading, and hiking (with sticks). Thoughts, anyone?

altagirl

04-03-2005, 09:35 PM

I would like to hear what kind of lateral exercises you did to prepare for actual skiing? Britney had been running 10 K races, riding around lake tahoe, all kinds of stuff.....but skiing was a different ballgame all together. I need a good game plan for months 5-8 (Sept + Nov).....thinking "Reebok Slide" thing, maybe some blading, and hiking (with sticks). Thoughts, anyone?

I did a lot of balance work (on an Xerdisc), in combination with cariocas, lunges in a circle (where you step forward and then out at clock positions, firt with your foot pointed straight forward at each one, then with your foot pointed out in line with your thigh.) I did some work on a skier's edge (which would be about the same as the reebok slide thing), but mostly the other stuff.

I've yet to have my knee swell up from skiing, but I've been careful to quit at the first sign of being tired and weak. It was a little tender after the last pow day (the high T was a freaking mess and didn't feel so great), so I took 2 days off to rest up, but I was able to XC ski and bike and everything right afterwards, I just didn't want to risk overdoing it going too nuts with regular skiing. But even soft bumps (the kind that show up on a groomer mid-afternoon on a soft day) have felt great too.

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-03-2005, 11:20 PM

So, dont do that.

Well, I may have already done some of that....what I didn't mention in my TR above is that as the day went on, I started slowly venturing off-piste. Into the crud. By the end of the day, I was making cautious turns off the wall ridge and then all the way down through Waterfall.....this is all off-piste. Was skiing pretty fast through all this too...keeping up with the crew and all that. Knee felt fine the entire time and didn't really swell, but I probably did ski a bit more terrain-wise than I should have....er, maybe not, because everything is fine.

As far at lateral stuff, I haven't been doing any too specific. I guess the closest thing would be a ton of Bosu Ball exercies. I got one to use at home and spend a lot of time on that thing working on balance. You can also do lots of ski specific movments on it...think like sideways lunges (probably a better name), jumping on & off of it side-to-side one leg and two legs, etc. Also do the standard one-footed balancing exercises on it and stuff.

Huckwheat

04-04-2005, 01:15 PM

I guess the closest thing would be a ton of Bosu Ball exercies. I got one to use at home and spend a lot of time on that thing working on balance.

That sounds key....I love that thing. How far in where you when you started using it?

Glad the off piste went well for you. Hope you spring season continues to be great. We got over a foot last night, so the spring base is continuing to build. :)

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-04-2005, 01:52 PM

That sounds key....I love that thing. How far in where you when you started using it?

Hmmm...not sure how far in. My PT had me on the Bosu pretty early...definitely within the first month...maybe a couple weeks post-op? Granted, at this point, I was only standing on it, to work on proprioception and balance. I'd stand on it with two feet and hold onto a bar for balance. Then I let go of the bar and see it felt. That was pretty easy, so then they had me standing on it with one foot. First time I did one-foot was pretty tough...I was doing 30 second 'reps'...gave your ankle a heck of a workout too as it was trying to compensate for the instability in the knee.

Once balance on one-foot on the bosu became no big deal, then they had me progress to doing squats while standing on it and such.

And actually, the place I ordered my own Bosu gave me the option of getting a free workout DVD with the ball. They had sport specific DVD's that run you through Bosu exercises specific to your sport. So I got the skiing DVD and the soccer DVD...which are actually pretty similar. I'll ask Mrs. Shoe where she got it from...

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-21-2005, 04:02 PM

Well my 5 month post-op date has come on and gone...this will my last update here until I hit 6 months in about 3.5 weeks, then this thread is killed.

Right at 5 months, went on some lift accessed OB skiing @ Kirkwood. Lot's of yo-yo'ing..lots of skinning & touring. Knee felt great but with all the skinning/touring I was a little worried about what it feel like because this was something new that I hadn't tested it out yet. I was a little sketched keeping purchase on a few steep-ish switchbacks, but mostly everything was fine. The only time my knee felt remotely weird is when I had to do a 90 degree kick turn on a slight uphill...twisting my knee that much 'caused a stretching sensation, but nothing dramatic.

On the downhill, we encountered all kinds of conditions...lots of corn, and lots of heavy mank as the day wore on...knee felt a little weird in the mank, but I just slowed it down and was ultra-careful...on the corn, I was opening 'er up :cool:

Best thing...no swelling or soreness whatsoever the next day! Wohoo!

One bad thing though is I found skinning with my brace sucks. This one strap kept digging into the back of my thigh and I have a painful "burn" cut thing there now...ouch.

Flexion seems like it's nearly back to 100%....there's only just a slight discomfort say if I were to squat all the way down to the floor and hold it...but that's it.

I'm still heeding the docs orders though and not playing soccer until 6 months. I have been shooting around though with my old team, and blasting shots and passing feels good. Can't wait to get back out there. And I'm sure I won't really be letting loose on skis (i.e. crazy straighlines, any type of hucking, billygoating) 'til next season, but that's fine. My skills are rusty anyway from a winter off and my head has to find it's way back...but for most intents and purposes, the knee isn't such an issue anymore, and soon this damned "winter" will be memory...

Telenater

04-21-2005, 04:23 PM

Skin without the brace, and put it on for skiing.

basom

04-21-2005, 04:29 PM

i dont have any issues skinning with my brace.
but if i did, i dont think i would take it off, unless the skin track was super mellow and had no areas of exposure where anything could take me down the mountain (icefall, rockfall, partners falling into me, undermined snowpack collapsing suddenly). lots of things can still go wrong going up where you leg is at risk.[/worrywort]

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-21-2005, 04:32 PM

Yeah I should probably wear it while skinning....besides, it would be too much of a pain in the ass anyway taking it on and off. Maybe I'll just rig some more padding to the back strap or something.

0BernhardFranz

04-21-2005, 04:32 PM

O.K., kill this thread, the discspace is such a harassment.Can you understand your thread is interesteing to me ? That we are doing ACL since yaer only? That I can´t walk anymore properly ? That I want to know how it fels etc and don´t care if some grasshopper hopps 1 yard or 1000, his romance , schispringe as they say here, please keep posting as much about it as possible.I am interested not in the ten-aidis or tän-nointies or whatever comes after them - the tenhundreds probably ? If since I was skiing 15 years ago when I had peace in an alpendorff till today this mad fighting spirit had not broken out that made people so aggressious I am now waiting for an operation.What medications did you take ?
I have Chondroitin, Saponin was considered, homoepathic stuff, calciumpowder, glucosamin ... some more arginin and other growth hormon excitators, MSM ...

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-21-2005, 04:36 PM

Ummmmm.....

I've been taking a Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM combo product 3x a day since I was diagnosed and all through rehab. Other than that, just Ibuprofen if I worked it too hard.

altagirl

04-21-2005, 04:36 PM

Yeah I should probably wear it while skinning....besides, it would be too much of a pain in the ass anyway taking it on and off. Maybe I'll just rig some more padding to the back strap or something.

And I know it would be hot when you're skinning, but like long running tights or something might help with that.

0BernhardFranz

04-21-2005, 05:06 PM

i used a soft brace often when i would stress it bauernfeind but i thought up my injury came from the "stylisch" not wearing jet pants that keep the knee compressed so it stays a little more stable so i bought some odlo like tights to compress the knee and stabilise knee leg while stressing it

0BernhardFranz

04-21-2005, 08:47 PM

harvard seems to be working on growing them that is better than allo or auto type in anterior cruciate ligament harvard main page search then around the top

skifox

04-22-2005, 03:32 PM

In 91' had my left ACL done, and it was like butchery. Morphed up for a week in the hospital. Hardcore physio though and it's still pretty solid. Managed to tear the right in 02', and the procedure was way better. Recovery time was like cut in half. I think I skiied on it too quickly though, and had some setbacks. Bike, bike, bike. The best thing for it I found. Stationary at first with not too much tension, then out on the road. Just try not to giv'r on the trails too quickly. I thought I F'd it up again (flat landings anyone?) and had an MRI done last fall. No new tears, and the new lig. is still there, just suffering from the original trauma. They used part of my patellar lig. to fix my left, but I don't even know what they used this last time. Could I have part of a dead guy in me? Sick. :eek:

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-27-2005, 12:53 AM

Forgot to add this pic...

This is what my leg looked like after I pulled my brace off from skiing for the first time since surgery. 4.5 months post op. Looks worse than it was. The bruising color was just dye from the brace straps...and my leg looked normal by the time I got home.

Needless to say I don't crank the brace down like this anymore, and it doesn't come out like this anymore :redface:

Arnold Babar

04-27-2005, 06:55 AM

Did it swell at all?

Tyrone Shoelaces

04-27-2005, 08:38 AM

From the looks of my shin in that pic it looks like it did, but it really didn't....if it did, it didn't last very long at all. No swelling issues at all any of the other times I've gone as well.

Arnold Babar

04-27-2005, 01:27 PM

Well then, you are back! :yourock:

Tyrone Shoelaces

05-01-2005, 11:32 PM

OK...I'm ending this short of 6 months. Here's the 5.5 month post-op report:

My lines on Nov 16th '04:
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/acl5.jpg

My line on April 29th '05 (this photo isn't mine, but I just found it on biglines and drew my line in)...the climb up was more of a challenge than the descent by far. Me, slim, skier666, telenater, & Geoff Small hiked up along the lookers left ridge and it was a hell of a rocky scramble on the ridgelines. If it weren't for slim and smally helping me out with pole assists to get me over some rocky cruxes that I couldn't get my knee over, I wouldn't have made it. Then at the top before dropping in I was like, "WTF am I doing here? I haven't skied anything significant in nearly 6 months.". But following the tracks of 666, slim, and Smally helped with confidence and it felt so damn good descending. Snow was boot deep mid-winter pow. Kinda sloughy but well-bonded. I wasn't able to completely rip it like I wanted, but just a few months earlier, I didn't even think I'd be skiing til next year. so I'll take it. Thanks again guys for the help and motivation on the climb up...wouldn't have made it to the top without 'cha.