It's officially been two weeks since my knee surgery. It has gotten a little better every day so far.
I went to my Orthopedic Surgeon last week, and he told me everything was moving along nicely. I was concerned about some inflammation I was having around one of my incisions, so he gave me a prescription for some antibiotics just in case. It has gotten better, so probably nothing to worry about. I had several questions for the surgeon when I saw him, and though he seemed a little put out, he answered them. For those of you going through or preparing to go through an ACL reconstruction, here is what I asked and the answers.
1) Was there any indications of risidual damage to my cartilage or any signs of arthritis?
Not much. My cartilage looked pretty good, a little soft in spots. There was a bit of fraying behind my kneecap, but nothing too bad.
2) When can I start physical therapy?
Next week. He gave me the prescription and I am just waiting on my insurance to catch up so I can start.
3) With the meniscus repair, how much (if any) should I be trying to bend my knee other than the CPM?
As much as possible, but not more than 90 degrees for at least 4 weeks.
4) When should I expect to be full weight bearing?
It depends. The rule of thumb is when you have enough quad control to hold your leg straight with no lag. The average is anywhere from 2-4 weeks.
5) When should I be able to release the brace from 0 degrees? When can I get rid of the brace?
Not until you start PT and get enough quad control. I can get rid of the brace when I get my NEW brace, which he put the order in for and I should get in a couple of weeks or so.
It has been two weeks, and I do not have enough quad control to walk very far without crutches. I can get around a little bit, like taking dishes from the dinner table to the kitchen, or going to the bathroom, but only if I have the brace on. If I try to walk very far, my quad gets tired and I start to feel like it is giving way. A few sessions of pt and I am confident I will be free of the crutches.
I am doing all the exercises my doc wants me to do. I can get my knee all the way straight and even a little hyperextended. I can bend it on my own to about 70-75 degrees, but I am up to 90 on the CPM. The knee doesn't really hurt when I try to bend it, but the muscles on the outside of my quad tightens up so bad that I can't force it any further. The only real knee pain I get is what feels like where he drilled through my tibia, but even that is very minor most of the time.
All in all, I feel pretty good about this knee thing. I will feel even better when I can start pt and get off of these crutches. Getting around campus is a pain in the butt!!!
I went to my Orthopedic Surgeon last week, and he told me everything was moving along nicely. I was concerned about some inflammation I was having around one of my incisions, so he gave me a prescription for some antibiotics just in case. It has gotten better, so probably nothing to worry about. I had several questions for the surgeon when I saw him, and though he seemed a little put out, he answered them. For those of you going through or preparing to go through an ACL reconstruction, here is what I asked and the answers.
1) Was there any indications of risidual damage to my cartilage or any signs of arthritis?
Not much. My cartilage looked pretty good, a little soft in spots. There was a bit of fraying behind my kneecap, but nothing too bad.
2) When can I start physical therapy?
Next week. He gave me the prescription and I am just waiting on my insurance to catch up so I can start.
3) With the meniscus repair, how much (if any) should I be trying to bend my knee other than the CPM?
As much as possible, but not more than 90 degrees for at least 4 weeks.
4) When should I expect to be full weight bearing?
It depends. The rule of thumb is when you have enough quad control to hold your leg straight with no lag. The average is anywhere from 2-4 weeks.
5) When should I be able to release the brace from 0 degrees? When can I get rid of the brace?
Not until you start PT and get enough quad control. I can get rid of the brace when I get my NEW brace, which he put the order in for and I should get in a couple of weeks or so.
It has been two weeks, and I do not have enough quad control to walk very far without crutches. I can get around a little bit, like taking dishes from the dinner table to the kitchen, or going to the bathroom, but only if I have the brace on. If I try to walk very far, my quad gets tired and I start to feel like it is giving way. A few sessions of pt and I am confident I will be free of the crutches.
I am doing all the exercises my doc wants me to do. I can get my knee all the way straight and even a little hyperextended. I can bend it on my own to about 70-75 degrees, but I am up to 90 on the CPM. The knee doesn't really hurt when I try to bend it, but the muscles on the outside of my quad tightens up so bad that I can't force it any further. The only real knee pain I get is what feels like where he drilled through my tibia, but even that is very minor most of the time.
All in all, I feel pretty good about this knee thing. I will feel even better when I can start pt and get off of these crutches. Getting around campus is a pain in the butt!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment