ACL pop, surgery, and beyond...

[Mtn Man]

Thought I should start my own thread about my journey. It started with this TR of how the ACL rupture and meniscus tear happened at K on 3/12/05 :
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26794&page=1&pp=25

The MRI showed a total rupture of the ACL, torn posterior horn of the lateral meniscus, bruised tibia plateau bone, osteochondral impaction fracture of posterolateral tibial plateau, MCL and hamstring sprains, and lots o' edema all throughout the knee.

Almost two months out and a few weeks of pre op PT under my belt, the surgery is set for May 11th at 7am. This should be interesting since I've never actually had surgery or been out of work/school for 2-3 weeks in my life. I just put in for short term disability at work and have been stocking up on quick cook food, spill proof coffee mug, DVDs, and anything else I can think of for post op. The doc ordered an Iceman and CPM for home, we'll see if the insurance will cover them. Pretty freaked out about the surgery, but know that it's gotta happen. I already told them that I want to be knocked out cold. Huckwheat definitely has balls of steel for going through that awake.

The one confusing thing that happened so far is that my first ortho told me to go with the surgery. I went for a second opinion and the guy told me that I should just do a lot of PT and that I don't need the surgery. After a ton of deliberation, age factor, agressiveness in sports, research from people first hand, etc, I decided to go for it. I'm the last one who would want to have surgery, but I know it's a necessary evil to enjoy the white stuff that we love. I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL OPENING DAY!!!!!!

I'll probably update this while riding the couch, stationary bike, blades, and eventually sticks in Novemeber :biggrin:

B)

[Mtn Man]

Woo hoo! 1.5deg extension, 120deg flex aided, 95deg unaided. Last day of PT is set for Wed, then cut next Wed. I've got the free busted stationary bike all fixed this weekend and waiting downstairs.

Question about pain meds, what is the best stuff? Vicotin gives me a good buzz but doesn't really kill the pain. Tylenol w/ Codeine didn't do a thing.

Do you get a Anestesia hangover? Anything you can do to avoid it? I have Transderm Scop patches, was wondering if anyone used them for post surgery nausea?

Thanks!
B)

[Kellie]

Good luck on the surgery - just about to join the elite club. You're doc will likely prescribe whatever he's used to - I had percocet, but was only on them for a few days. You'll probably be similar, as that tends to be the case around here.

Some get the anesthesia hangover, I didn't. You're pretty much on the couch anyway . . . take altagirl's advice and keep the leg in the air . . . it's some painful swelling in your lower leg and knee if you don't . . .

Best of luck and keep us posted!

Kellie

[Plakespear]

Never had knee surgery, but the times I had anesthesia I didn't have a hangover. I had lots of pain in other places, like where I was sliced and diced...

But if you want a hangover, I'll take a trip to NJ with the beverage of your choice. And I've got some new Mtn. Bike DVD's to help pass the couch time (as well as Spinal Tap...)

[basom]

best of luck mtn man. i had no hangover. just woke up, hour later i took a leak and they sent me home. i say go for the epidural. it really helps to get home and settle in before you have to deal with the real pain. (my epidural lasted about 20 hours).

i got sent home with surgical stockings to help controll the swelling in my lower legs. they help a lot, so be sure to wear them for a few if they give em to you.

i'm not going to lie, its going to be wierd for awile. but you'll be stoked to be on the way back.

[Mtn Man]

Never had knee surgery, but the times I had anesthesia I didn't have a hangover. I had lots of pain in other places, like where I was sliced and diced...

But if you want a hangover, I'll take a trip to NJ with the beverage of your choice. And I've got some new Mtn. Bike DVD's to help pass the couch time (as well as Spinal Tap...)


May take you up on that, but I actually got Spinal Tap DVD for Xmas from my pop :D Ski porn, comedies and a lot of popcorn are ready!

Plakes, you never got a hangover or withdrawl from the Morph drip they had you on while at JH? That pic still haunts me. You gotta go back and beat the living shit outta that tree :)

B)

[Mtn Man]

best of luck mtn man. i had no hangover. just woke up, hour later i took a leak and they sent me home. i say go for the epidural. it really helps to get home and settle in before you have to deal with the real pain. (my epidural lasted about 20 hours).

Can you get the epidural and knocked out, or is it one or the other? I'm sure I'll ask this the day of, but thought I'd ask here too.

B)

[basom]

Can you get the epidural and knocked out, or is it one or the other? I'm sure I'll ask this the day of, but thought I'd ask here too.

B)


you can get them both, i did. and was glad. i hate pain, and watching myself get surgerized - so i minimized that stuff.

[Mtn Man]

take altagirl's advice and keep the leg in the air . . . it's some painful swelling in your lower leg and knee if you don't . . .

Best of luck and keep us posted!

Kellie

Thanks for the well wishes. Definitely learned the RICE technique worked the full week after it happened. My leg was a sausage when I didn't elevate it properly. I probably went back to work too early on it, because my leg looked like it was going to burst when I got home. Stayed home the next day, it was just too painful. Already put in for the time off, so it's a done deal, except for the occasional trips to the fridge, bathroom, and PT.

B)

[milton]

Can you get the epidural and knocked out, or is it one or the other? I'm sure I'll ask this the day of, but thought I'd ask here too.

B)

Yep, I had both. As it was explained to me, i wouldn't actually be knocked-out and they could wake me if they had too. But about 2 mins after the drip started i was in la-la land, last thing i remeber is getting rolled on my side for the epidural, which i did not feel at all.

One mistake I made was not keeping my leg elevated on the ride home after surgery. I didn't get released until about 4 hours post op, but my lower half was still pretty numb. Unfortunately I had an hour+ ride home and didn't keep the leg iced and elevated. When everything wore off the pain kicked in big time. My percs did nothing for it, but at least knocked me out for a couple hours at a time. But you get through the first night and everything after that isn't so bad.

You may notice a deep bruise on your upper thigh about 2 or 3 days after, it's from the torniquet. Man that thing hurt worse than my knee did for a couple days. Dunno, maybe i was a bleeder and they had to crank it way down.

Goodluck to ya!

[basom]

^good point

when anticipating comming off your epidural be sure to be well medicated. do not wait for pain brfore taking drugs. managing your pain correctly for the first few days is important for your sanity. always stay ahead.

[Mtn Man]

I'll make sure to stay ahead of the pain, that sounds like a plan. Went to my last pre op PT session this evening. Got to .5 deg extend and 123deg flex aided, 105 unaided. I think that's about as good as it's going to get with the damage that is inside my knee. We think the damaged meniscus and ACL are partially blocking the movement inside. He gave me a few exerces to do right after surgery, which is in a week from now. So I just have to keep the knee mobile this week, I can't wait to get this damn thing over with. Been staying late at work just to cross train people and catch up on all the stuff on my desk so it doesn't sit there for a couple weeks while i'm gone.

T-minus 6.5 days...

B)

[milton]

>>T-minus 6.5 days...

Mt. Man under the knife today?

+++vibes, let us know how it went.

[spanky]

>>T-minus 6.5 days...

Mt. Man under the knife today?

+++vibes, let us know how it went.
he went in today. i'll try to call him tomorrow.

[Mtn Man]

Back from surgery, been in and out of conciousness a better part of the day. Percs are definitely my friend, no problems with hurling, although balance is a challenge. If I miss the 4 hour time on the meds, it REALLY hurts, so I have to keep up with them.

The docs and nurses were great there, made me feel comfortable. Although, waking up in recovery, the knee hurt a lot, so they gave me demerol, good stuff. I have a cold therapy machine strapped to my leg underneath my brace, so that's helping with the healing and pain too. They took pics of inside my knee, looks purty in there.

The good news is that I can put some weight on it already, I guess the meniscus repair went well. I'll start doing some of the exercises that they gave me tomorrow, just sticking to the gas pedal pumps right now.

A big thanks to all for the positive vibes today. All of the advice is greatly appreciated, made the whole experience much more comfortable knowing what I was getting into.

Now for the recovery, bring on the womens, booze, and ski porn!!!

B)

[Mtn Man]

Anyone get a lot of pain at first from the CPM? Doc told me to get on it right away and I did it for about an hour last night before the pain got to me. They told me I should be doing that thing for 6-8 hours a day :eek: when only an hour killed me. I have a call into the doc to ask about it. Barely slept last night, the percs only worked off and on. I could walk on it before the CPM arrived, but it hurts like hell when I get up now.

B)

[truth]

Is the CPM set up properly? I had some pain due to the sling not allowing my calf and hammy to move freely during fexion. They gave me a diff sling. I really had no pin in the CPM. The pain was really only bad when trying to stand up.

What ROM are you using on the CPM? Being on the CPM actually felt pretty good for me except the first 5 minutes after raising the ROM. A trick I used was to start with a lower ROM and add 1 degree every few cycles until I got to where I was supposed to be. Kinda like a warm up.

Get going on the quad flexes ASAP! It's all about getting the quads to fire again that allows you to be able to limp / walk without the crutches.

[Mtn Man]

Is the CPM set up properly? I had some pain due to the sling not allowing my calf and hammy to move freely during fexion. They gave me a diff sling. I really had no pin in the CPM. The pain was really only bad when trying to stand up.

What ROM are you using on the CPM? Being on the CPM actually felt pretty good for me except the first 5 minutes after raising the ROM. A trick I used was to start with a lower ROM and add 1 degree every few cycles until I got to where I was supposed to be. Kinda like a warm up.

Get going on the quad flexes ASAP! It's all about getting the quads to fire again that allows you to be able to limp / walk without the crutches.

Well, the CPM is doing better now, I've been using a lower setting. I was starting at 40 and it killed me in an hour. I've been doing 30 for about 2 hours and still going well. I'll try to ramp it up later tonight. PT starts tomorrow at 11am, have a feeling this is REALLY gonna hurt. We shall see. Starting the quad, hammy, and glut flexes today. Gas pedal pumps every hour.

B)

[truth]

Focus on the gas pedal and the quad flexes...do them whenever you can. I mean like every commercial break. My CPM protocal was started at 30 degrees and called for me to increase by 10 everyday until 90. I was able to bump that up by dialing in 1 degree at a time every couple cycles until it felt like it was just enough. ;) You'll know when cuz yer knee will feel like it's gonna rip open. ;)

With the CPM, the most important part is actually extension. Make sure the straps are snug enough that when the machine goes down your leg goes with it. Serioulsy bro, getting your full extension will be the toughest part of rehab. It took me 4 weeks to get to a real 0 degrees. Sounds like you're hanging in there, keep the faith, it does get better.

[Mtn Man]

Got in about 7-8 hours of CPM yesterday and 2 more hours this morning before PT.

First PT was pretty rough today. Got there at 11am and we took the gauze and cotton off. It surprisingly didn't look that bad. It's definitely not from the horror show that I've seen from some ACL surgeries. I'll take a few pics the next time I take the stuff off. Swelling itsn't too bad either. So we did a few exercises, electric stim on the quad, then ice and stim. It was good to get out of the house for a while, the sun was shinin' today. Then the problems came. Got back to the house and had subs to eat. Just after that, I got bad chills and weak all over. So I just rested in bed and tried to stay warm. I was back to normal after about 2-3 hours. My only guess is that I went through slight shock from all the electric and stress on the knee from PT. Still going strong with the Percs, but may try to go down to one every four hours and see how it feels tomorrow. Next PT is Monday, just chillin' with TIVO through the weekend.

B)

[Kellie]

I had the same shock response to my first PT - only it happened at the office, and I was dizzy and nauseous for awhile afterwards. It sucked royally.

All I have to say is that the others are right. It does get better soon (esp after the first week), although the mind games start soon, which are a challenge in and of themselves . . .

Best of luck, keep your chin up [kellie <-- feels like a hypocrite], and keep us posted!

Kellie

[Mtn Man]

One week down, post op......

Went through 2nd PT on Monday and 3rd today. Getting 80deg flex and 11extention. They seem pretty happy with that, especially the strength in my ankles, calves, and pushing and resisting them while applying pressure to the bottoms and sides of feet. Did the stim, many exercises, had a good work out today. That surprising considering that I had a pretty good fever going the entire day before, where everything hurt, either extremely hot or shivering, and my head felt like it was going to explode. Talk about a 180, I feel so much better today. Pop came to help me out with a few things, it was good to get out of the house for a while.

First post op doc appt tomorrow at 10am, can't wait! I think they're going to take the stitches out, will be soooo cool to actually take a real shower. Keeping up with the home exercises and CPM now, trying to make up for yesterday's set back with the fever.

B)

[Mtn Man]

Post op doc appt #1 today:

They seemed pretty happy with the results. Had an xray, they showed me the bio screws in my leg and explained the ortho pics they gave me the day of the surgery. Looks like they cleaned up the knee quite well, inside out out. They took out the stitches. they actually only had a stitch on each side of the knee, then one long subcutaneous stitch down the middle of the knee (about 2") and that was it. They said that they've become less invasive over the years, and that they stitched it up so I wouldn't even have a scar :eek: I was actually looking forward to having that scar/badge of courage on my knee, I guess I shoulda told them that before going in :biggrin:

So they told me do as much CPM and Cold Therapy as possible before they take the machine away (1-2 weeks more of it) and go to PT twice a week. PT is trying to sign out a stim handheld for me so I can use it on off days. They ordered a Donjoy knee brace(hinged) that prevents your knee from going past a certain angle that you preset. They told me that once I get on that in about a week, I shouldn't need crutches. I've heard that before, so I'm not holding my breathe just yet. The knee is still a little unstable when I put my weight on it and there is still a little pain involved in that too. No percs today though, just hitting the Advil and Naproxen now.

I guess a general question to all, how long before you were off crutches, how long on the CPM and Cold Therapy? Anyone go through this less invasive procedure (two small incisions on each side of knee, one port up top on quad, and 2" incision down center of patellar)?

B)

[dbldmnd]

I have got a similar set of incisions and I had the hammy procedure.

I was off crutches on day 6 and haven't looked back. No crutches and no brace. They wanted me to do full weight bearing asap. At my first PT I was around 115 deg. I've been trying to walk more normal, I'm still gimping but getting better. I still do the cold therapy every few days when it really hurts.

Just keep moving...

[Vinman]

Cruthes: average crutch time is about a week-2 weeks or so. Depends on the doc, depends on what was done to the menisci and depends on the person. I was off them in 3 days after my second.

Ice as much as you want as many times a day as you can. The faster that swelling is out the better.

A little pain with weight bearing at first is normal. That should go away.

Work on extension first, don't stress about flexion. Flexion will naturally come back as the swelling reduces. But if you can't extend your knee fully you won't be able to walk without a limp.

[Kellie]

My doc wanted me weight bearing asap as well - was off in under a week. Ice and elevation will be your friend for awhile; I"m almost 2.5 months out, and still icing/elevating a few times/day. Sounds like you've got good PT and will make good progress. I wouldn't beat yourself up over missing a day here and there - it will happen :)

[Mtn Man]

Strange day at PT today. Had a pretty productive week with all the exercises and cold therapy, been doing them religiously and pushing it. Was getting 70deg on the CPM on a regular basis the last two days. Even walking around on one crutch with the immobilizer on. So I go to PT this morning, thinking that I've got to get 90-100deg on flex. Well, after much stretching, exercising, and finally pain and cursing, he only got it to 82deg....2deg better than last Wed. Wasn't happy with that outcome. The plus side is that I got to 5deg extension, better than the 11deg from Wed. I think I could have made it to 2-0deg if I really pushed it, but he didn't want me to almost pass out like I did while he did the flex.

More CPM right now, but my leg is hurtin' from PT, felt like he was going to rip my knee off

PT guy says you have your good days and bad days. So we'll see how I do on Thursday.

B)

[Mtn Man]

3 weeks post op.

I had 5deg and 95deg on Tuesday, went back to work yesterday and the leg is not liking it at all. Not being able to elevate and ice all day took it's toll and it was pretty inflammed by the end of the day. Hopefully, it'll get used to it by Friday. PT tomorrow morning, hopefully that will get me over the hump. I saw the bill for the Donjoy Legend Brace, good lord!!! I hope the insurance covers it.

Actually got to Killington over the holiday weekend to pack things up from the ski house and move it out for the summer. Went to a few good parties included our own house closing party. The drive back sucked, knowing that we won't be back until November.

B)

[Kellie]

I feel your pain on that one - all too familiar memories. Once you get into the rythm of work and your body recovers from the surgery trauma, I am sure your knee will cooperate. I definitely have continued to find benefit with ice and elevation . . . and as much as I fought it, resting is probably the best "treatment" . . .

Best of luck :)

[Mtn Man]

Gotta admit that things sorta clicked today. Had PT this morning and we stepped it up to the bike, squats, and a few more additions to the initial post op exercises. Finally got my own E Stim handheld to use at home, so that's a big plus too. At the end, I was hitting 4deg and 105deg, woohoo!!!!

Leg wasn't as bad today at work, starting to ice it while there and it's helping. Was actually walking around the house without the crutch for the first time this evening too. Granted, I've read accounts of people getting off crutches a lot earlier, or getting much more extension and flex quicker, but I'm just happy to see this progress today. My hyperextension was pretty severe and the PT guy keeps telling me that it'll take longer than others, but I just keep pushing it.

Today was a good day :biggrin:

B)

[Mtn Man]

Had a pretty hard weekend on the knee, spent most of in packing boxes and cleaning my place up. I gotta move in a couple of weeks, so started packing now. Did do most of the exercises and electric stim through the weekend though, so that helped a little.

Hit PT today and it was really rough. Knee was inflammed big time from the weekend and work on Monday, and it just didn't want to bend a whole lot. After all the exercises, he got it to 110 and 4, which I was pretty happy with after cursing my head off during it. The bike and squats seem to help it out, so I'll probably do more of that on my own.

Heading to SFO tomorrow for a validation seminar during the week, may have to find a few of you mags to down a bev or three whilst I'm there. Prolly drive out to Tahoe for the weekend, then conduct an audit in Vacaville, CA before heading back to the EC.

B)

[Kellie]

Glad to hear you're progressing, despite a few setbacks . . . if your drive from SFO to Tahoe/Vacaville takes you through the east bay (Walnut Creek), let me know - we can swap war stories. :cool: PM for digits, etc.

[altagirl]

I feel your pain on that one - all too familiar memories. Once you get into the rythm of work and your body recovers from the surgery trauma, I am sure your knee will cooperate. I definitely have continued to find benefit with ice and elevation . . . and as much as I fought it, resting is probably the best "treatment" . . .

Best of luck :)

Yeah - that was the hardest thing. I'd get into a groove of really pushing myself at PT and doing all the extra rehab I could and all of that, and then I stopped making progress - and what I needed more than rehab was rest. And then I busted through the plateau no problem. You've got to find the right balance.

[Mtn Man]

Yeah - that was the hardest thing. I'd get into a groove of really pushing myself at PT and doing all the extra rehab I could and all of that, and then I stopped making progress - and what I needed more than rehab was rest. And then I busted through the plateau no problem. You've got to find the right balance.

That seems to be a theme in my life, overworking. I told the PT guy that going in, I have a problem slowing down and have a high threshold for pain. He's definitely found that threshold on a few occasions, almost making me pass out ( I was seeing stars during the last session). But moderation is a fine line with everything, including sports, mental health, work, and rest. I tend not to put a lot of emphasis on the last one...

B)

[Mtn Man]

Glad to hear you're progressing, despite a few setbacks . . . if your drive from SFO to Tahoe/Vacaville takes you through the east bay (Walnut Creek), let me know - we can swap war stories. :cool: PM for digits, etc.

PM sent, hope all is well! We need an update :cool:

B)

[TonyR]

Man do I wish I had mine in the age of better arthroscopy! Had a triad injury back in mid 80's, ultimately got operated in '87. 5 days inpatient, 4hr demerol IM's (no pain pump, no knee anesthetic catheter), fully open procedure with cadaveric tendon graft. Hurt like hell for the first 48hrs then on to no/partial weight bearing for 10 - 12 weeks. Swore at the time that if I ever had to do it again I would pass. With todays less invasive surgery the recovery seems way better. My only advice is rehab as hard as the orthopedic surgeon & PT will allow.

[Mtn Man]

Thought I'd give an update:

Off the crutches last week, but took one with me during a bidness trip to SFO. Only used it when I needed to, but it blew up pretty big after walking the hills in SF for a couple hours. Totally off them the last three days and then hit PT today. Getting 5 and 115 assisted, 105 unassisted. I've been keeping up with the exercises and E-stim everyday, but I think I haven't been icing and elevating it enough. The PT guy is recommending to the doc, 3 times a week instead of 2, I guess I'm not moving fast enough. Don't know what else I can do, he almost made me pass out during the stretch and compression, actually had me cursing pretty loud near the end when he cranked the knee in half one last notch or two. Of course, I joked around about it afterwards, but DAYUM I thought he was going to pop the kneecap across the room like a bottlecap. The one plus is that I do feel it flexing quicker and with less pain while in my range. I thought I was making progress until he did the measurement. I don't have a whole lot of feeling on the outside part of the knee, but that sounds normal from other people's accounts.

So I guess I'll step up my exercises at home and ice it more, maybe that'll help. I really don't feel like going 3 times a week, it's tough mentally and physically. But I'll do what the doc says. Got an appt on Tuesday, so we shall see.

B)

[Mtn Man]

The doc seemed to be happy with the progress, but took the PT guy's advice and gave me the option of 3 times a week as needed. Still some swelling in the knee, so I can't quite get the ROM needed to do full revs on the bike. I have been getting reverse revs occasionally with pain though.

PT on Monday gave me 4 and 120deg, 105 unassisted. I got 98deg unassisted at the docs office without warming it up. Another PT session tonight.

B)

[Mtn Man]

Back from PT, getting 1 deg and 127deg flex, so we're on our way. I went back on anti inflammatories again, using Mobic. I think it's helping because the swelling has gone down some in a week. Getting fairly good reverse pedals on the bike after warming up for a while. Still can't get forward motion though.

Moving day in 1.5 days, been packing all kinds of boxes. Funny thing is, I may get that interview out in CO next week. If I actually get the job, I would be moving twice in the same month....with a bum knee :biggrin:

PT tomorrow at 7am, time to rest up for more torture...

B)

[Mtn Man]

FINALLY got full revolutions on the bike yestday and today. It's about damn time. I think I can hobble faster than the slow bus right now, go figure. Anyway, hitting 1deg and 130deg right now and can do full revs after warming up for a couple of minutes. Moving residence and work has been beating the living shit out of me, so that could be holding my recovery back a little. Hopefully it'll calm down a little, would love to start hiking soon, we'll see.

B)

[Mtn Man]

Things are definitely picking up now. Been doing 30-45 minutes on the bike fairly regularly with only a little stiffness in the first 30 seconds. Getting 1deg and 132deg extension right now. Still having trouble with steps so I'm trying to take stairs more often now just to torture...I mean train myself. Started strength training last week and it's kickin my arse....and I'm loving it. I can't wait to get this puny left leg back to the size it used to be. Being that it's my dominant leg, it should be a little easier....hopefully. Picked up some yoga stuff as required in the gimp forum, I hope to start that this week too. PT guy says I'm track for opening day, CAN NOT WAIT!!!

B)

[Mtn Man]

Thought I'd give a little update to keep this thing flowin'.

Doing PT twice a week now and hitting the stationary bike almost everyday for at least 30 minutes. Getting 135 flex and 1 deg extension. Went off the Mobic (anti inflammatory) for a while and the knee stiffened and swelled a bit the whole week, so I'm back on it again. As per maggot suggestion, started power yoga and it feels pretty good so far. Damn do I work up a sweat and I'm not even moving that much!

Going up steps is a still a little tough but doable, going down steps is still a problem and can't quite get the flow yet, doing a half hobble/hop thing.

When were you guys cleared for biking, hiking, rock climbing? I have to wait until Aug 29th for my next doc appt to ask. PT won't give me their opinion because they don't want to be liable. A new climbing gym just opened up near me and I'm dying to try it out!

B)

[here2day]

I'm 14 weeks post-op. I was on vacation at 12 weeks and spent an hour every day out on a road bike. It was f'ing great; I didn't ask my PT (he wasn't around). I can't stand in the pedals yet and avoided steep hills. Other than that I had no issues and the workout was good for my leg and my mind (hours on a spinner inside is becoming very dull). Now that I'm back home I've got to get stronger to get back outside as the hills around here are pretty intense.

[Kellie]

Stoked on the roadie and spinning . . . definitely the way to a strong recovery and happy knee . . . keep after it!

How's your recovery MtnMan?

[Mtn Man]

K, it's update time. Went to the doc's and asked a butt load of questions. It looks like my recovery is right on track, he was pretty happy about the movement, flex, and stability of the ACL. I can start road biking, but will have to wait until 6 months out to mtn bike, climb, ski, etc. That kinda sucks since I wanted to start climbing soon, oh well. He told me that I would put undue stress on my ACL since my quad is not back up to strength yet. I'll have to wear the brace doing athletic activities until 1 year post op. I may try to do some light hiking this weekend since I'll be up at Killington, we'll see how it goes.

He did give me a little more insight on the pics that were taken inside my knee. It looks like my interior meniscus is perfect, no damage whatsoever. But the outside meniscus before surgery was pretty nasty looking. They had to take a chunk off and shave the part that was left.

So the magic date is......Oct 31st. One of my favorite days of the year. Can't wait for that doc appt!

Edit: Hitting 2 and 140deg right now. Lots of weight training right now.

B)

[Vinman]

Congrats on your rehab so far. Sounds like things are going well enough. But I kind of agree with your doc. 4 mths is a bit too soon to start doing some of the more advanced stuff especially if your quad is not stong enough yet. Keep up the hard work. 10/31 will be here before you know it.

Pretty common for the lateral meniscus to get torn up a bit. I had 3 meniscal(2 lateral, 1 medial) tears after the 1st ACL tear and 1 during the second (lateral). And I prolly have a tear in my left lateral meniscus right now but it doesn't hider me much except for the fact that I can't fully squat on that knee.

[Kellie]

Glad to hear of your progress . . . you have made it to 4 months, and the next two will fly by. I think that's the way it's been for me. Was your doctor worried that you still don't have full extension, or did you mean -2 instead of 2 degrees? I haven't had mine measured in forever . . . maybe I should go back to PT one more time, just to see what they say . . .

Good luck on the hiking - you'll kill it on the way up and be brought to your knees (no pun intended) or your ass, if you're anything like me. It amazes me how hard it is/was to walk downhill!!! Slow quad control has been a challenge for me.

Ski season is just around the corner, and it sounds like you'll be ready :cool:

[Mtn Man]

The sun finally decided to come out, so I figured it time to test out this knee. Did a short but steep hike in Bear Mtn state park. It's one of my favorite short but sweet hikes that I take a lot of people to, Popolopean Torne near Bear Peak.

The knee felt pretty good on the approach up. It doesn't quite flex as well as I'd like, and I had to compensate for that since parts of the hike are more scrambling than walking (scramble=one level lower than rock climbing a 5.5). It was extremely windy up top, prolly around 40-50 mph gusts that I was leaning into. But it was just good to be on a peak under my own power again.

The hike down was a bit challenging, but the knee held up well. Had to do a few crab walks over a few steep or wet areas, but I was leaning on the cautious side this time around. All in all, very pleased with the day.

Took a few pics at the top with the camera phone, please excuse the quality.

View of Bear mtn bridge, not a whole lot of color yet:
http://www.killingtonzone.com/albums/JHole_2005/Pop_hike_101505.jpg

I'm not a fan of graffitti at all, but I though this was an appropriate pic at the top:
http://www.killingtonzone.com/albums/JHole_2005/Mtnman_hike_101505.jpg

God damn it's good to be back!!!

B)

[Mtn Man]

I guess I'll add my TR, it was a great weekend and the knee is doing great!

Tyrolean Skier and Phantom joined me in Bay 1 on Friday around 1030am. We hiked up Bunny and Chute to the top of Snowdon. On our way, Lamb stated that Upper Flush was pretty sweet so we headed that way. And he was right! Stood at the top of Middle Flush and a "Reserved" sign was up already. I told them to go and I would go around on Bunny or Mouse Trap. After seeing Ty and Phantom make the first few turns, I made the executive decision to go for it. It paid off, prolly the best turns of the day. We decided to head over Racer's Edge and try Highline from there. Racer's had a few waterbars, but not too bad. Highline was fairly untracked and you had to do a few hop turns and keep your speed before sinking to the bottom (kneeish deep heavy stuff). Near the end, linked 4-5 turns that were sublime....just brought a big grin to my face. We headed back to the car for our first official Bay 1 beer of the season and did it taste like the nectar of the gods!

The rest of the crew showed up that evening to hit the lifts early Sat morning. The gondi started about 20 minutes late, so everyone was chomping at the bit. The snow up top was sooooo nice and fluffy. They have a few problems with the Glades triple so we spent most of the day over at Snowdon. We proceeded to do the circuit (Vagabond, Northstar, Great Bear, Chute, Bunny, Mouse trap, Highline, etc) until my knee stated to bother me from the small bumps on Northstar. I decided to play it safe and call it a day around noon. Gsmashed and I headed back to the car for a Bay 1 bev and people started showing up every 10 minutes. Needless to say, we didn't leave until around 3pm because it was so sunny and beautiful out. Eventually, everyone headed to Jurrasic Park for happy hours and stories were shared through out the night. Port was consumed before hitting the hay.

Woke up with an extra hour of sleep (woooohooo) and had hearty breakfast of eggs and pork products. Hit the mtn a little after 8 and the lift lines were non existent the whole morning. The bump line were becoming bigger and I was starting to get the hang of them again (granted, I took them very slowly and didn't zipperline). Eventually, I decided to check out the Light since it isn't that long of a woods shot. It was like paste, the sun was baking it and the snow on the trees made it into a rainforest. Cascade was soooo nice though after that. Chalky soft bumps all the way down, I enjoyed every turn down before heading back home.

Here is the link for the pics from all three days (slideshow in my folder):

http://www.killingtonzone.com/forums/modules.php?set_albumName=Opening-weekend-05-06&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=slideshow.php

Damn, it's good to be back! The Gimpinator is officially retired!

B)

[Mtn Man]

I'VE BEEN CLEARED TODAY, WOOOOOOOHOOOOO!

Granted, I didn't tell the doc I already skied three days, but that's besides the point. The doc cleared me after 6 months. I have to wear the hard brace for 6 months while doing heavy exercise. He said it's ok to use both the soft and hard brace at the same time too. I just have to keep up the quad strengthening exercises and I should be good to go.

Now where's that damn cliff.....

B)

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

nice man.....i remember that feeling....good on ya.