ACL REPAIR....1/19/09

[mtnbikerskierchick]

It will come!

If it's any consolation, my quad on my first ACL surgery 12 yrs ago NEVER got to the size of my other quad. It was always noticeably smaller. But no worries. Your quad will rebuild in time

[Woodlandclown]

after a year my quad is still not equal to the other. My PT said it probably never will be.

Agree on staying away from leg extensions. I still dont do them. Do lots of leg presses, lunges though--good quad builders.

[montanaskier]

I measured wrong...it is only 1.5" difference....whew.

[montanaskier]

I skied today BITCHES!!!!!

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Good for you!!! How'd it feel?

[montanaskier]

Good for you!!! How'd it feel?

I was nervous when I got started but the knee felt good. I made a few turns and while I did not have good form, it felt good to be sliding again.

Saw the PT today. My quad registered 810 on the meter so that is good. Quad fatigue comes very quickly. PT says my ACL is solid and yes I could skin/ski but no need to push it when I don't need to. Going to keep working hard in the gym throughout the summer. PT says that lighter weight and many more reps is the way to go. Gonna be a long summer but I'm as stoked as I've been since the beginning.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Glad to hear things are going better and better! So good to hear! I feel like I could pretty much ski now if I had a brace, but I don't want to push it. For now, I'll stick to riding my bike for hours at a time outside. At least the weather is much better now

[montanaskier]

just an update. Next week will be 5 months since surgery. Knee is feeling fine. Quad is getting stronger. Lots of gym time and lots of bike riding. The rain we have had has not helped my outdoor riding but I've still been able to get out a bit. I have done a couple of big climbs. The knee still swells after tons of activity but that is no surprise, I've been swollen the entire time.

I can jog a bit now and it feels ok. I have even done a little sidestep back pedal like a QB dropping back to pass. I've been on two or three hikes so far, nothing huge....4 miles or so. I do great going up hill but struggle a bit coming down, it is getting better however.

I tried to get out of the saddle today on the bike....that was kind of funny. REALLY hard, mostly due to muscle memory I think.

I think I am still going to ski on the 4th of July, I said I would when I got hurt so I think I'll stick to that. We leave for two weeks in Africa on the 14th so when we get back I'll be ready to lock in for one more day.

[Punkmouse]

i hear ya on getting out of the saddle. I tried yesterday while I was on my trainer. MAN! that was hard it took so much just to get it to go. uhhhhh lots of practice on that for me i guess... GOOD JOB on all your progress. One day at a time and then soon enough you will be skiing again ... oh wait you took on molly hogan's headwall ;-)

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Glad to hear you are making good progress! I've been riding out of the saddle the last few days. It's not totally smooth yet, but it doesn't hurt, which is good. Still, I don't have the control I wish I had with it yet. That's great you've been hiking and jogging too! Even the thought of that makes my knee hurt

[montanaskier]

Almost 6 months since surgery. My knee feels fine and even found myself not thinking about the knee the last couple of weeks. Some things are still hard, others are easier now. Haven't been rehabbing like I should the last couple of weeks as I was in Africa. I did do lots of swimming and that felt fine. Going skiing on Saturday, my first peak and first actual dropping in since the injury. Nervous but excited. I'll wear a brace just for confidence but don't anticipate wearing one next season. Quad still isn't back but is getting better every day.

On a related note, most know I had bad swelling issues after surgery. My swelling has been gone except for after long bike rides or a hard gym session. Apparantly 31 hours in a plane isn't good for swelling. On the way home from Africa my entire leg looked like a tree trunk. It was so swollen I thought I may have had a clot. It felt like my skin was going to rupture. I got home, iced and elevated it and it is better now. More sore however this week so far than it has been in awhile. I'll try and post a steezy skiing pic from my attempt on the 4th.

[montanaskier]

6 month post op and last visit with the Dr. on Friday. Knee is fine, quad getting stronger. Ramping up the gym time to 5 days a week to try and get the quad back by October. What a long ride this has been since that day in December when my ACL popped. Thanks for all the support and good luck to those of you recovering now. See ya on the slopes!

[Nick_C_123]

I love happy endings. Best of luck and enjoy those first pow turns.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

So excellent to hear! And so jealous you were able to ski on the 4th of July Continue on working that quad. After my first ACL surgery, it took about 9 or 10 months for it to get to be the "full" strength that it ended up being. It never got as strong as my other knee, and you could see it if you looked hard, comparing the size of my quads. Now that I've hurt both knees, I should be even though, right?