Lil Needs Some Advice

Hi guys



Although I've chatted to a few people who have torn their ACL, I've yet to speak to anyone who has torn their PCL and needed surgery.

My story is this - I felt something snap in my leg when I was skiing in March this year. My leg went floppy and caused me to fall (I think I hit an icy patch and turned badly but I really don't know). I was stretchered off the mountain and an MRI scan confirmed it to be an isolated PCL complete tear. My holiday was ruined and I was pretty much housebound for five weeks following my return to the UK.

I started with physio and hydrotherapy in April shortly before returning to work and almost (but not quite) have full movement in my knee five months down the line. I still have pain though (mainly on the inside of my knee) and swelling, and some days are better than others - some days I limp, some days I don't. I can sit cross-legged although not comfortably for very long and I can almost touch my bum with my heel whilst doing a hamstring curl - although I have to release it very slowly as it hurts to do so!! I had started to get a cracking/clicking in my knee when walking which I found really uncomfortable and I have no idea what this could be?

I'd started swimming (although sometimes this was uncomfortable but I'm just desperate to get fit again) and had even tried running both with and without the bulky brace. The running was hard though and I've sadly had to pull out of the half marathon I was due to run in a couple of months. Despite this, I thought I was doing ok but then a few weeks ago I stood up, my knee cracked and it completely gave way. It has been very delicate since and I feel like progress has stopped.

My consultant has tried to put me off surgery. I know what's involved and understand it's a tricky procedure and a lot less common than an ACL reconstruction. But because I ski, dance and run he said I'd be a good candidate and agreed to do it. My surgery was booked in for 27 October but has just been brought forward to two weeks time! I'm feeling very nervous about it all now and I just wanted to know that it's all going to be worth it really! If I don't have it how long until my knee will feel as normal as it can do? And will I end up with arthritis, scar tissue and other problems if I leave it? If I do have the procedure, how long will the rehabilitation be? When will I be able to drive (it's my right knee). I'm hoping that since I've been working hard at physio it won't be too bad. What do you think?

Would you absolutely recommend surgery?

It would be really good to have some feedback about it as I feel I've got no point of reference. There's also very little information on the internet.

Any advice you could possibly give me in the run up to my surgery would be gratefully received.

Lil

2 Year Update! KJ's PCL Surgical Success!

I've been meaning to send an update for a couple months now so here it goes: The end of March was my 2-year post-op anniversary. I went in for what I thought was my last PCL check-up ever. They did a KT test and found that my surgical PCL is tighter than my non-surgical PCL. Yay! Surgical success! They also told me that they want me to come back every year for the next 20 years as a research patient. What?! It's free though so I'm willing to do it to help others and also keep tabs on my own knee.

My nemesis since surgery has been patellofemoral syndrome and it has really been a barrier to getting back into serious physical shape (that and my love for food & beer!). I've had tremendous amounts of pain in my knee cap so I asked the doctor about it and he suggested a synvisc-one injection; I scheduled that May 5. It was a simple procedure and similar to a cortisone injection, just a a bit more painful. I have been very pleased with the results! The first 3 weeks I experience a lot of weird, strange, new pains, but that's a normal side effect. I'm a month out which is when the full results should be felt and my knee feels great. Not 100% but mostly pain-free.

Over the weekend I ran my first 5K since surgery. Remember, I'm NOT a runner so this was an important step for me. My husband and I did it in the form of a Warrior Dash so there were 13 obstacles included in the race. We didn't set any records but we had an absolute blast! I did have great difficulty at one obstacle that requires you to crawl on your hands in knees in the pitch dark. Leaning down on my knee still feels awful! But other than that my knee held up with the expected soreness the next day.

I am taking over as head coach for my local women's rugby team and joined the local rowing club. I hope to compete in my first regatta in the fall. It's much gentler on the knees! I hope to get into trail-running this summer as well.

Thank you for continuing to maintain your blog! I attached a picture from Saturday's race - enjoy!
Cheers,
kj

Here Is A Thank You Note From Stanislav Of Russia

Hi, Skinnygurl!
My name is Stanislav, I am from Russia. A year ago I had a severe knee injury while skiing. PCL, MCL and miniscus were completely torn. So, as a result, I had a complex knee surgery in Germany and spent two months in a rehab center.
Naturally, during all this time I'd always tried to search the internet to check how I was doing and what were the prospects. And the best source of information I could find was your blog. Thank you very much for very important and incouraging information!!! Every time I wasn't happy with progress, I checked your situation for the same time ex surgery and usually I felt much better after that, as my recovery went even quicker than yours :)
Now, a year after surgery, my injured leg still looks smaller and I still have some feeling in the knee when walking, but I can easily run a mile or walk 10 miles. So, I believe it's ok.
This week, a year after surgery, I spent several days in mountains skiing again. As it turned out, it was easier for the knee to ski than to walk. I could ski the whole day with minimal sensations in the knee.
Thank you very much again for your blog. Great job.
Stanislav

How wonderful Stanislav, I thank you so very much and glad you found this blog to be helpful. Congratulations on your progress.
Skinnygurl

3 Years Ago Today

Hello and welcome to my blog. 3 years ago today I went to the gym, ran 4 1/2 miles, logged my progress and went to work like any other day. That night I took a fall which changed everything. I tore my PCL.
Prior to that I didn't know what a PCL was. If you're reading this you probably can relate.
I had surgery and after a long recovery, here I am!

I invite you to read my story along with the journey of other PCL survivors.

Stay tuned and feel free to leave comments. If you have a journey you would like to share feel free to email me at sprinter2fun@hotmail.com

Skinnygurl

KJ's PCL Story

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.
Here is another pcl survivor story! Thanks for sharing KJ.
Skinnygurl

First, I love your blog! I just found it yesterday and I'm almost done reading the entire thing! Thank you for sharing your story and giving others a place to share theirs.

My story is a little long because it took me 6 years to get the surgery. A little history: Original tear occurred in April of ’03. I took an awkward tackle straight-on below my knee during our Midwest Rugby Championship match (we won at least).

The MRI showed a partial tear of my PCL so they advised PT only and no surgery. The next 5 years looked like this:

- Played at Nationals in June ’03 right after the injury (dumb & painful)
- Missed most of fall ’03 season due to pain but resumed regular playing in spring ‘04
- Played at the Midwest level in ’05-’06 (grueling training schedule) and attributed knee pain to over-training. I know now it was due to the original injury.

- Tweaked my knee playing volleyball in spring ’07. It sent shooting pain through my knee that radiated out into my upper leg and I had to stay out of activity for 3 days. After that it didn’t hurt anymore. In hindsight I should have had it checked because that’s most likely when I completely tore my PCL.

- Kept playing rugby and played my final season in fall ’08. I barely made it through that season though because of knee pain

I went back to my original ortho who basically did nothing; saw a 2nd ortho who ordered another MRI. Follow-up:
- He saw the complete tear so I tried PT for 2 months at the end of ’08 and cortisone injections but nothing relieved the pain.
- Was referred to a 3rd ortho, Dr. Noyes at Cincinnati Sports Medicine, who happens to do an incredible amount of research on PCLs
- Stress test revealed a 11 mm drop of my tibia from my knee. I was questioned on how I kept playing; surgery is generally done once the tibia drops 6-8 mm. I told him it was easy since I didn’t know there was actually something wrong :)
- I was scheduled for surgery 2 months later (March 25, 2009)

I’m not gonna lie, I had no idea what I was getting into with this surgery because I’d never had so much as a stitch in my life; that’s probably a good thing.
- They used my quad tendon for the graph and surgery surprisingly took under 4 hours.

- The next 2 weeks were full of plenty of tears at rehab because of the pain. I had scar tissue issues and couldn’t hit 90 degrees flexion by the end of the 2nd week so back to the hospital I went for manipulation under anesthesia. That may have been worse than the actual surgery!
- I immediately jumped up to 106 degrees after that and made steady progress from there on out. I never had issues with range of motion after that and never had a problem with getting my leg completely straight. That was the only thing I could do from day 1!
-I spent 9 weeks total on crutches with my hip to ankle brace (I think I got a sleeve the last 2 weeks). The first month my brace was locked straight which is awesome when you’re trying to sleep. In all, the healing process went well though and my knee is solid and stable. My stress test at 1 year showed my tibia only dropped 2 mm which is normal so the graph has held. However, my strength test at 1 year was depressing and still showed a 33% deficit.

I should probably mention that 2 months after my surgery (while still on crutches) I got engaged! I was married 4 months after that so admittedly my rehab suffered a bit from months 3-7! Heck, is suffered the 2 months after we got married too :)
Current Status:
I coach high school girl’s & senior side rugby now and ran around all spring with a limp. It caused enough pain that I headed to a new rehab place in July to see if I could do anything about it. Manual therapy helped some but I think it’s as good as it’s going to get.

I think I'm glad that I didn’t have this surgery at 23 years old but the downside of having a janky PCL for so long: grade 3 chondromalacia of the patella with chondral fissuring and suchondral reactive osteoedema. Basically the same grinding & snap, crackle, pop others have mentioned plus I'm awfully close to being bone on bone (grade 4). I have arthritis in 2 of the surfaces along with effusion (water on the knee) & a baker’s cyst (in the back of the knee) that came back pretty much as soon as they drained it. I've also developed painful tendonitis in my good knee. They say this put off knee replacement an extra 10 years though so I have to look at the bright side.

By 18 months out I was done babying my knee even though I continue to have a lot of pain. I could do quick starts and sprint at rugby but always paid for it with LOTS of pain afterward. I am back to boxing & zumba which haven't bothered my knee too much. Running a 5K isn’t in the picture yet and may never be (I never really liked just plain running anyway - ha!) and I have no plans to return to competitive rugby, although I still feel my 12-year career was brutally cut short. Strength is still a nagging issue but it's better; pain is still my number 1 nemesis!
The Future:
I go back in March '11 for my 2-year and final check-up. I’ve skipped all the strength tests since my 1-year mark because they are expensive and I don't need them to tell me that I'm weak. I may get another one at 2 years just to see where I am. I still have 1 1/4" difference in my quad size and the catch 22 is I can't do extensions because of pain and I'm not supposed to do squats (I still do them with <20 lbs). Tough to get my full quad back with just straight leg lifts!

Unlike you, I'm not always sure if I'd do this again! :) It changed my life forever.

Welcome To My Blog

Just wanted to peak in and say hello. I'm now featuring others with their own story of PCL Surgery and Recovery. If you have a story, e-mail me.

A special thank you to my friend Suhaimi for featuring my story on his blog.
You can read it Here

If there is anything I can do to make this blog better just let me know.

Skinnygurl

Speedy and His Story Of PCL Surgery and Recovery

Two Years Ago Today! It's been two years since my surgery. This blog now belongs to the world. It's my pleasure to introduce to you Speedy.

Walking gingerly on crutches while the two "spotters" look on in case I fall down












I spent a lot of time with this remote







At home 5 months after the surgery
(no contact happen during this game...the guys were kind enough never to tackle me)








Mount Kinabalu.....hope the knee will hold when the time comes






Here is his story..
My PCL incident happened during a rugby practice on 23rd Feb 2006. As a result of the injury I couldn’t run at all, and I normally needed to sit down even after a mere 20-minute walk. I tried physiotherapy for two years without much improvement to my condition. I finally had the PCL surgery on 25 Feb 2008 (at about the same time as the blog owner, Skinnygurl). I discovered during the surgery that my PCL was completely severed from the incident.

Post surgery recovery was agonizing especially the first two weeks when my leg was put on a cast. I underwent physiotherapy religiously at the hospital for about 9 months. Initially, I did a lot of resistance exercises using elastic bands, then slowly migrating to various other exercises to improve muscle strength and flexibility. I started to run again at about the 4-month point. At first I tried doing multiple short distances in various modes (forward, lateral, backward etc.) before gradually increasing the distance.

I have now regained full ROM in my knee. It’s still painful especially after an exercise, but I can now jog for up to 5 km at my own pace and complete a round of golf without too much of a problem. I am also actively involved in rugby coaching which requires me to be on my feet for at least 2 hours for each session. Glucosamine is a supplement I can’t live without now and ice pack is my best friend after an exercise.

My life has definitely changed after the PCL incident. However, I am glad I never gave up, both after the incident happened and especially after I had the surgery (believe me......there were many reasons to do so). The pain is something that I am accustomed to now, and I have to be content that there are many things that I can probably never be able to do again like playing in a full contact rugby match or sprinting after a ball in a soccer game. However, I can’t count my blessing enough for the progress I’ve accomplished now two years after the surgery.

My advice to you guys who are in your own battle towards PCL recovery; be realistic with your target and your chance of recovery, believe in yourself, work hard although the progress is slow and last but not least, have faith........we need a lot of that to keep us going forward.

I wish all the best to Molly, Hamlet, Chris and the rest of you PCL survivors out there. Thanks Skinnygurl for allowing me to share my experience in your blog.


It's My Pleasure To Share Your Story Speedy. I love forward to the day you climb Mount Kinabalu
Skinnygurl
Click Here to read Speedys Blog

One Year Five Months Post Op

What a journey this has been. I'm running and lifting weights again. Every day gets better and I feel stronger. There were some days I just didn't think I could go on but I had no choice. I wanted to get better.

I have found everyone's injury is different. Every doctors protocol varies. Even the rehab team has their own ideas on how to treat the PCL.

I welcome your comments. I will try to answer you personally.
Your journey could be much different than mine so when you read my blog, please remember this is my experience and we're all different. Good luck to all of you.

If there is anything I can do to help make this blog better, please let me know!

One Year Post Op PCL Surgery And Recovery

It's been one year since my PCL surgery. One question is "Knowing what I know today, would I have the surgery and go through the recovery again?"
Yes, I would. Looking back I realize it was one of the hardest things I've ever done but the alternative simply wasn't an option, so yes, I would do it again without question.
I am grateful to my talented and caring surgeon along with his rehab team. I would also like to mention my tissue donor. Words can not express my thanks for such a selfless gift.
So where am I now that a year has passed. I am beginning to run once again. The pain still persists and hope with time that will pass.
I have times in the day where I don't think about my knee. For many months that was the only focal point of my entire day.
I've met so many awesome people through this blog, especially Molly another PCL survivor who flew across the US to compare knee scars and stories. We had a great time.
I hope my blog continues to help and inspire others who are faced with this major surgery. It's about 8 pages now but it's such a huge recovery that it took that long to get through it!
Drop me a line anytime. I'll be sticking around.

Slow And Easy Is The Best Way To Go

My rehab team. Thanks guys, I'll miss you both! We worked rehabilitating my knee three times a week for 33 weeks. 99 Sessions!

I saw my doctor today! Next week marks 8 months post op recovery of this long journey. I'm thrilled with the skill and care given to me by my doctor. I'm beyond words on how to describe how determined, skilled and caring he is.

I'll do another month of quad strengthening but it will be at home. Also no prolong standing at work is permitted. I'm totally on board with that.

So next month I should be reaching maximum medical improvement. I'll be measured at that time. I'll keep working hard. Stay tuned for more PCL fun.


See That Ice Pack? I searched for a long time and finally found one. This is the one I use. I think they come in like 7 sizes but I bought the giant one. Sure did make a big difference.

Seven Months Post Op PCL Surgery And Recovery

I had hoped to say I was running but I'm still struggling with pain around my knee cap. I'm waiting for the orthovisc to be authorized. My rehab has been cut to two days per week. Fridays exercises sent me to bed with ice packs again. The pain on and around my knee cap was unexpected and high level.
Seems like I'm getting used to getting around better without my brace but going down the stairs is still a struggle.
Last range of motion was 137 degrees.
Stayed tuned, I haven't given up and I hope you don't either.

Day 167 Of My PCL Surgery And Recovery

Kind of shaky here and had to back up a little bit. Careful now, don't let that knee go over the foot. It's pretty close there.
Trusty Dagan is still right there at my side every step of the way. What a good dog.



Well today sure brought back some memories. It was almost embarrassing in physical therapy when I was handed 2 pound weights and asked to do wall squats. Before my accident I was holding 40 to 50 pounds and doing skier squats with a burn out of 25 reps at the end. Walking lunges used to be 30 paces holding 60 pounds. Now I can barely do a lunge while holding onto a rail! No worries though. I plan on working very hard and getting back to where I was before this happened. I think running is a long way off but I'll get there. I promise.

I see my OS in two weeks. I hope to surprise him with leaps and bounds! OK, how bout just leaps? My range of motion settled in at about 125 to 130. I have yet to see anything more but I will work hard to get it. More than anything I want to make my surgeon proud and glad he chose me for this special surgery. It's not exactly a cake walk but he believed I could do it and for that I am working hard to make this whole thing a success. The CPM device is still a big part of my life. I am on restrictions for sedentary work only. Last but not least I am stil icing like crazy.

Day 129 Of My PCL Surgery And Recovery

Check it out!!!!!
That, my friends is a whopping 125 degrees!! See that?? Hard work and lots of it got me 125 degrees today!!!

I wanted to mention my friends at physical therapy today and how I could not have gotten this far without their help. I won't mention names but they know who they are. This has been a struggle to say the least for everyone, not just me. I whine, I cry and I struggle but they keep pressing forward and make it happen. Just look at that! Thanks you two. You know who you are. I can't wait to see my doctor to show him how far we've all come. Together. We're doing it! Never give up, ever.

Day 115 Of My PCL Surgery And Recovery

See that against the wall? That's one crutch baby! We're coming right along! My knee was measured while doing this exercise at 95 degrees! Not long ago I was squirming on the table while trying to get even close to that. I can do it on my own now!!! See?


LOOK AT THAT! Wow, are things getting interesting now. Day 115 gave way to 117 degrees range of motion. I was being stretched this morning wondering how I could put into words what that felt like. Um, intense doesn't even come close. Glad when it's over, that's for sure.


I want to welcome everyone that has been following my blog or just found it. Stay tuned for more pcl recovery fun. Some day I am going to tell you that I ran really fast on a treadmill. I promise.

Day 100 Baby!!!!!!!

It's been 100 days since my surgery! WOW! Today in physical therapy after much pushing my knee was measured at 105 degrees. I really thought it was going to be more and I almost broke down in tears with frustration when he told me. I look back on my blog at day 23 or day 44 or 55 and think wow if I only knew then what I know now. This has been a struggle to say the least. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I'm getting better. Slow going but at least getting better. I am still using my ice machine when I sleep. I am working so very hard on my exercises. My ankle is a bit of a concern but with my continued efforts, it will be just fine.
Stay tuned. 80 more days and I can run? Cross your fingers!

Day 95

This is a weight and I have to push my knee straight. It's a strengthening exercise.
Yup, looking pretty much the same.

Hey everyone. Because I'm not putting much weight on my ankle, it's getting a little weak. I have been assigned to do ankle exercises twice a day along with my other tasks to improve my range of motion. Every day I work hard to get my quad muscles firing and every day I'm a little bit closer to recovery.

To update on how my knee is feeling: it still burns like crazy. Some times it aches, deep from the inside somewhere. My leg is still extremely weak and hard to pick up. Stay tuned!

Drop me a line.

100 Degrees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trying to do my normal stuff. My dog almost weighs more than I do.
Pictures are worth 1,000 words!
My knee is not stable because the inside quad is so weak. This tape job really helps support that.
There ya go. My knee is beginning to look like a knee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Today is day #89 post op. WOW! On Friday my knee was bent all the way to 100 degrees! Triple digits baby!!!!! I am working very, very hard on building my quads back up, especially the inside muscle so my knee cap will track correctly.

My knee still burns like crazy and I'm using my ice machine all the time but it's getting better. That's what counts. It's getting better.

I see my doctor again in August. No one ever said this was going to be easy but I do see light at the end of the tunnel. Finally I see the beginning of the end.For those of you that contacted me, thank you so very much, I am thrilled beyond words. If there is anyone else out there following me, drop me a line and let me know!

Day 85 Of My PCL Recovery

Day 82, I'm using my brace but took it off for the picture.
day 83 using 3 pound weight. I think I see a muscle on my leg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See?? Look real hard, I know it's there.


I never would have guessed in a gazillion years that I would still be walking on crutches and in so much pain. I'm still using my Kinex ice machine at night and ice packs through the day. My quad is so small that now my knee cap is tracking wrong. The Knee flat out won't bend. It gets to 98 degrees or so and the pain shoots me right off the table. We're working very hard in pt. Once the hamstring heals, if my knee still isn't bending plan B is to put me to sleep and force it followed by daily physical therapy sessions. Stay tuned.

Today Is Day 77 And I Have Big News From My Doctor

DRUM ROLL
READY OR NOT HERE IS THE NEWS.

Another month of the same. No driving, No working, still walking with crutches. My new prescription is to get my knee to bend but still no hamstring strengthening. Quads need to get bigger and stronger too. Last measurement for my knee was 97 degrees. I'll have to get 120 degrees or more before I'm cut loose to drive and all that fun stuff. So it looks like August before I get my car out of the garage. Drop me a line, is anyone out there?

Day 69

Here is something new! I am pulling my knee back against this rubber band. Physical therapy is still very important to my recovery and I am so glad to be going three times a week. I do at home therapy on days I'm not there. My knee still feels very, very hot so I use a big ice pack through out the day and my ice machine when I sleep. It's a machine that swirls ice water over the surgical site.