acl reconstruction

Speak to a physio, if there is pain during movements then you should only speak with a professional (i.e. not a PT).

Hi Louise.
Im 7 months post op ( didnt have the cart repair) and im back to full running.
You shouldnt have any pain at 8 months and should certinaly have a full range of motion without any pain.
Id go back to physio or your orthapedic surgeon
Good Luck

My son had an allograft a year ago and was doing well and seemed to be a poster boy for post knee surgery recovery.... he was strong ... vertical increased -touching a basketball rim-.. faster....-running a mile in less than 8 min-.... the ortho that did his surgery here in Louisville, KY at Ellis & Baudenhausen's office Sports Medicine favors using donor tissue of that of a cadavor...... I have read conflicting info on whether that is the best option for an active fella of his age..... he is now 16 and due for his second knee surgery to hopfully be able to have a Senior football season and be 100% for baseball come mid Feburary. It seems on many internet sites and thought in general is unless you have more extensive damage an autograft is the way to go ..... particularly using you patella tendon of your good knee..... he did decide to go without his brace the first day of doubles after I told him to take it with him before he left the house and felt a pop then..... the therapist evaled and then the doc and he was given the go and told to wear the brace.... after that he was in two scrimages and a varsity game as well as daily practices and drills ..... his knee popped and has since not been able to practice as he cannot run during a JV game and there was no direct contact only blocking on the line and he then was told by his coach to stretch and run down the sideline and get loose.... was put back in on defense as an end and it popped again as he was persuing the runner....... I am struggling to make the right decision to get him back to were he was before.... a competitive high school athlete...
thanks
Ed Boze

An allograft does seem a rather strange decision.

As far as I was concerned the graft is normally taken from your injured knee - either the patella graft or the hamstring one.

I had the hamstring graft in Janaury - and as you can imagen - your hamstring basically turns to Jelly- I couldnt bend my leg backwards at all and I couldnt lift any weights at all on the hamstring curl when I first went back to the gym.
People say the paetella graft is better, but apprantly there is a lot of pain as well in the front of the knee if they take the cutting from here.

I take your point about running well before the knee went again, before my operation I could run 3/4 miles no problem and probably do 100m in 12/13 secs. At this point my ACL was about 20/30% in tact. However when i returned to football/soccer, my knee went again within 5 minutes. it simply wasnt good enough to withstand a sharp turn.

In the same game, I wore a knee brace, but to be honest they are a waste of time, a standard knee brace wont carry a knee which is seriously injured - I cant recall any atheletes returning to sport following this injury, wearing a brace. mines now in the bin.....

I hope things work out, I would'nt wish this injury on my worst enemy :?

Thanks for the reply and info with regard to pesonal insite..... I will say that the hamstring graft is not favored due to the deficit and the fact that it does not heal as the patellar graft does.... and I have read that that type of graft autograft is the "Gold Standard" and is used more and more until the recent synthetic replacement .... although I think we are not quite where we need to be in that regard..... however it seems as medicine keeps advancing...... we will see a reconstructed knee that will rehab within a few months and will be 100 percent and maybe even stronger than the original itself....... my son who now has will miss his second season of football due to an acl injury will have his surgery performed using an autograft.... patellar tendon of his good knee and the md who I am consulting in about a week has performed over 4000 surgeries ..... about 300 yearly..... has pioneered the patellar tendon graft... it makes sense and seems to have reserch... studies and follow-up to back it up .... and the md's who perform this procedure do not mandate a brace..... no need for it since you will have a stable knee that after rehab should be stronger and with the exercises that are preventative should be ready for competition

hi...i had acl op using my hamstring in september,doing alot of physio at home 3 times a day and at the gym also...in alot of pain still and have trouble bending my knee when doing knee dips..the pain is dreadfull during this...i have alot of grinding noise also.would be grateful of any suggestions.sallyann

Hi sallyann,
I'm sorry to hear that you are still in pain. I also had acl reconstruction along with medial and lateral meniscus repair of my left knee in September. However, I had a cadaver graft and not a hamstring graft. I am starting to feel vascular blood flow back into my knee and rarely feel pain. I have been swimming 4 times a week and biking in spin class twice a week. Have you tried swimming or biking? It's really helped me to build up my muscle. As for the grinding, you may want to consult your doctor or PT to make sure everything is ok. Also if you can find a friend to massage your knee and hamstring (or do it yourself, but not as relaxing) daily, that is a real bonus. Wishing you a more painless recovery.

i had my op three months ago using the hamstring graft,my knee feels great but the left side clicks and i get pain when i walk.why is this?

My 17-year-old son is almost 4 months past acl reconstructive surgery from an (American) football injury. The graft was from the patellar tendon on the injured knee. The doctor, who has done roughly 15 of these surgeries a week over a couple of decades now, does not like to "injure" a healthy knee in order to harvest a graft. Basically, allograft (cadaver) is easier on the rehab since there's no additional surgery other than the actual acl repair. But for contact sports and high-intensity athletes in general, the patellar tendon, from what I've learned (and by all means check out the facts for yourself), seems statistically to be the strongest replacement for the original acl--stronger in fact than the original ligament. That said, there is the possibility of developing tendonitis in the patellar tendon from which the graft was harvested: which really is the bottom line on acl options--everything has an upside and a downside.
Anyway, good luck to all. My son has done remarkably, is back squatting over 200 lbs (he was in the mid-400's preinjury) and beginning now to run in short bursts and do agility and balance drills. But he still feels a slight soreness at times and, frankly, until we see him back on the field and getting knocked around etc, the jury is still out on the degree of his recovery. This injury's a bitch but there's good reason these days to believe it can be overcome entirely. The success stories are everywhere. But nothing's guaranteed.

it almost 6 months back my left knee cartilage damage during doing exercise . then i gone through an acl reconstructive surgery in india. after that i moved to uk . Doctor said it on the top of the bone , when i stand for long time its painful, its painful when i bend on my leg. i am not professional sportman. i am doing streathing exercse regularly. but its 6 month gone . i am not recover its. yaah pain is less but not fully recover.

tell me ur view , it will be fully recover or not. can i go through an phiyso, its helpful for me.... walking is good for me .......

i am waiting for ur reply

thanks