As nobody else (docs, physios) came up with a good explanation, I'd like to try here:
In Feb, I had the second ACL tear on the same leg while tomahawking with my ski still attached to my boot. It tore off right at the femur, ACL itself was intact. This was fixed (together with the meniscus) by reattaching the ACL to the femur (Healing Response technique). This technique was also used the time before that. Before the operation we had agreed on using the semitendinosus, if needed, but they told me that they could see that the procedure had worked very well the last time they did it (same people doing the operation as well).
Rehab went very well, I was back to mountain biking in no time. Strength on the leg is excellent. Stability was excellent, but I developed movement patterns avoiding a specific movement... because:
Since the second op (but not during rehab after the first op) and through rehab I never got rid of a nasty pain in the VLL and VMO, as well as on the medial side of the leg below the knee.
There is only pain when I quickly squat down single-legged with my body over my toes. The quicker the eccentric movement the worse. If I squat down in slowmo, it hurts alot less. Also depending on the day, walking down stairs hurts.
It does not hurt at all when using legpresses or doing lunges with weights, for example.
The is no swelling and nothing to see on the ultrasound.
The pain is not always in the same place. Sometimes it's only the VMO right above the patella, sometimes the whole VMO, sometimes around the quadriceps tendon and VLL, sometimes even the biceps femoris plays a part.
And yes, this movement is part of skiing....
Docs and physios tried strengthening, but it didn't take. I got stronger, but the pain didn't go away.
I went skiing two weeks ago, but every turn with heavy loading of the affected leg was hell. I stopped after two hours and went home. On the next day, I was surprised to find my knee feeling much better than before skiing and I had considerably less pain while walking stairs etc, but I didn't try going out skiing again, because I was too afraid of the pain. Also the pleasant effect didn't stay that way for more than a few days...
Now my physio's new (and last) plan is to aggressively stretch my really short hamstrings (like 4 times a day) which I started doing two days ago. I think it's a little bit better now, but this might only be my imagination
So,
ANYONE ever had, seen, diagnosed a similar condition? Have to had good experience treating too short hamstrings?..anything, please?
-chris
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