4 Years Ago Today Skinnygurl Had Surgery

Hello and welcome to my blog. Yup, that's right. Four years ago today I woke up and wondered what hit me. Had I done the right thing? What happens next? My most nagging question was "When Can I Run Again"? Well as most of you know we all have to learn to walk before we run and oh boy what a journey this has been.
The biggest question after all that? Would I do it again?

YES!













My knee hurts occasionally, I walk up and down stairs normally. I still protect my knee and probably will for the rest of my life. I can run again but don't press it. It feels stable and most of all safe. For that I thank with endless gratitude my tissue donor my medical team, all of you for your continued support and of course my buddy Dagan, who never left my side.

We now have many coming to find answers and seek support. Glad to have you all.

PCL and LCL Injury

Let me introduce Caroline,

In August 2011 I fell off a push bike and hurt my knee the MRI confirmed a Complete PCL and grade 2 Lcl, Finally seen Consultant who told me I had a end point on my PCL and therefore it was only a grade 2 and grade 2 LCL therefore, a unstable knee.
I started Physio weekly and the professional thought I would manage without surgery. It has give way once, but I dont trust it and have had to stop cycling, swimming due to pain. Stairs are a challenge going up and down with pain in the outer aspect and the knee cap pain. Dr now say surgery is my best option he will use Le Prade technique, He is unsure if he will have to do a oestomy first therefore surgery will be in two stages. I have lots of questions

1.How long I will take before I can return to a sitting job then a walking job.

2 Will I after surgery/ recovery be able to cycle, swim and hit a uneven surface most pavements without the pain I get at present.

Thanks any Help or advice gratefully received

Recently my knee gave way half way down a flight of stairs, I would have fallen but lucky grabbed the rail and since then It is more painful than ever on uneven surfaces and really feels unsafe, I have gone back to wearing my brace. Therefore my decision is Surgery

I welcome all comments and thank you in advance.

Jeanette's Journey

On November 5th 2011, I hyper-extended and dislocated my knee. After the results of the MRI came back I found out I ruptured my ACL and PCL and my MCL was hanging on by a thread.. It was no wonder I felt like my lower leg was not connected to my upper leg.. anyway I had to wait 12 weeks before my surgery because I had so much blood in my knee area and all the muscle behind my knee was torn and they wanted to see how well my MCL would heal on its own.. So Physical Therapy started November 30th 2011 for range of motion.. It was amazing, I got full range back before my surgery on January 27 2012.

On January 27, 2012 I went in for surgery, They replaced my ACL, PCL with cadaver parts and tightening my MCL with a screw.. It was a 4 and a half hour surgery with 2 surgeons and they ended up doing a double bundle for my ACL so that was a lot more extensive..
On Jan 28 the first day post op I was not sure I was going to make it. I have never been in that much pain, I was sick to my stomach, the pain pills every 4 hours were just taking the edge off for a little while.. Sunday Jan 29th was a little bit better but not much, I was thinking there was no way I was going to make it out to the car on Monday to get to the Dr’s, But Monday came and I was a little better and I did make it to the DR’s.. Wednesday Feb 1, 2012 I went to Physical Therapy to start Range of motion again.. Thank goodness for the pain pills J.. PT will be twice a week again for just range of Motion. I started Back to work on Thursday Feb 2, 2012 for a half day then back full time on Monday Feb 6th.. Sitting at my Desk all day was a chore but I would put my leg up on a chair, then my desk, then down on the floor, I basically move it constantly J Feb 20th Dr says weight baring as tolerated. That was my OK to get rid of the crutches I had been using since injury date of 11/5/11. By March 2nd I was down to one crutch and by March 9th I was not using my Crutch much at all anymore and I was able to get the peddles around on the stationary bike J Huge Milestone for me. .. On March 13th Dr gave me the ok to start some weight and aerobic exercises with restrictions ( NO Open Chain and NO Plyo) .. I was also given a smaller brace which is nice.
Today is March 21, 2012 I have no crutches, I ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes every other day I am at Zero degrees with my extension but do not have Lockout yet L I am very upset about that.. , and I am at 125 degrees in my flexion. My Knee still is really sore and swells up a lot and gets very stiff but it is getting better every day..


Thanks for sharing your story Jeanette. Keep us posted on your progress.
Skinnygurl
UPDATE...............................
So I had a Dr’s appointment today 88 days since my surgery.. I have gotten to 132 degrees in my flexion and no lag in my strait leg quad sets at Zero extension.. Dr say I can start back to my workouts at the gym just no Plyo and no agility. And the best part is that I can start weaning myself off my brace J On the road to a full recovery.   J

UPDATE....................................  May 21,12
16 weeks post op.. 135 degrees in my flexion and went on my first 3.5 mile hike yesterday J It was so nice to be out in nature again.. its been a long time but I am really felling I am going to make a full recovery after all the damage that I did to my knee.. I still am not allowed to do any agility or plyo but just getting out and hiking is a great improvement from the stationary bike in my office.  J

UPDATE................................September 6, 12
7 months post OP, Went on a 10 mile hike on Monday, Knee was a pretty sore for the next 2 days but that was it. I have been doing some agility work for about a month and have jogged a little.. Things are slowly getting back to normal Still NO Horseback riding which I am really upset about but that will come Also.   J

UPDATE............................October 29,2012
9 Months post Op update , Still in pain most of the time, Knee is very stiff but working on strength every day.. My agility work is not coming a quickly as I was hopping because of the pain but its getting there.. The Dr released me to do anything I feel comfortable with so Horseback riding here I came.. Went on a 10 mile hike yesterday.. Still use my brace when I know I am going to be on rocky, slippery ground but other than that I am brace free.   J

Jordon Has A Question-Let's Help

Hi,
My name is Jordan and I guess the best reason I can give for sending this email is I'm looking for advice. Last September to June (2011), I was captain of the UCLA ultimate frisbee team and known as one of the best ultimate frisbee players in the Los Angeles area. I'm not sure if you know much about the sport at all, its somewhat obscure, but it basically requires the same type of athleticism and movements as soccer, football, and basketball. In May 2011, the last and biggest tournament of our season, I suffered a knee injury. Running at full speed I fell and landed flat on the front of my knee/shin. An MRI revealed I had managed to tear my PCL and only my PCL. It is a complete tear. My orthopedic recommended physical therapy and discouraged surgery because he thinks that intense physical therapy will be able to hold my knee in place. The test for a PCL tear, pushing/pulling on the shin forward and back, reveals about a half inch of movement..... I'm now 5 weeks into my physical therapy and that movement has not gone away at all. I'm beginning to wonder if my orthopedic and physical therapist know anything at all about PCL tears, because they're so rare. Right now my exercises are a lot of holding my leg out straight with ankle weights, and light lunges/squats with just my own body weight. I'm just wondering if I'll be able to return to sports after just physical therapy or if my doctor just doesn't know whats going on.
Thanks,
Jordan

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

3 Years Ago Today I Had My PCL Surgery

Hi Everyone, Skinnygurl here.

Three years ago today I had my PCL Surgery and began the long road of recovery. Instead of talking about me I would like to reintroduce Hamlet! He sent an update and I would like to share it with you. What an inspiration.

(GOOD JOB HAMLET!)

Hello Again Skinnygurl,

It's me Hamlet if you still remember. Would like to share with everybody about my latest development.
Attached is the picture of me with the medal and trophy we have won. I assisted our rugby club to win a state level league.


I played as a winger in most of the games. As you can see, I did taping on my right knee to assist my performance.
I can play without it but it is best not to take any risk. Otherwise, that is just a sign of insecure.


After such massive usage of the knee during the whole 2 months, I did worry about my knee so I scheduled a MRI scan with my specialist.
Thank God, the result was good. No sign of any damage and the previous surgery was a success. Of course I won't get 100% back the state of my original knee. But 90% is good enough to give me strength to continue playing rugby.


I know this is not much of experience to share, but my intention is to inspire everyone to not to lose hope. Faith is important for us to go on and achieve the goal of life. When I first decided to go for the surgery, I was in dilemma, some said better let it be without surgery, some say go on with the surgery.


I listen to my heart and tell myself I can go through this. So here I am, running again in the field with my new strength. This year 2011 is where I am officially back as an active rugby player. 2010 year end was more like a warming up and testing phase.


It is good to be back again after more than 2 years of rehabilitation and sitting as a spectator. Hope this will at least give everyone the motivation to get back on their "knee"