ACL Surgery Recovery - How To Not Favor Your "Good" Knee

I am now about 7 months out of Acl Surgery and everything is going well. I was just wondering how I can trust my left knee again in sports and not rely on my right knee for most of things. Any help is appreciated.

There is no easy answer to this. I struggle with the same problem all the time. The only way I have found to get through it is to start slow, be aware you are going to favor your "good" knee and constantly work on balancing it out. 

For example I play volleyball now in a semi-competitive league and when I first started playing after ACL surgery I really found myself always jumping off my "good" knee. During warm up and eventually in the games I would put extra focus on jumping evenly off both legs when I should. 

Although this isn't an easy answer I have found its the best way. The frustrating part is that when you master doing one activity with your recovered knee and move onto another you will be faced with the "favoring" problem again.

Best of luck with your ACL surgery and let me know if this has helped.

Reduce Swelling and Pain After ACL Surgery

Do you have any tips on reducing swelling or pain on day 2 my daughter is miserable -any help you have for day 1-10 would be great/ thx!

Here is my answer to this commonly asked question.

Swelling and pain are definitively some of the biggest challanges faced early on after ACL surgery.

Here is my best advice on how to deal with both...

Pain Management - http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/12/7-tips-to-manage-pain-in-the-first-week-after-acl-surgery/

Reduce Swelling in Knee - http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/21/knee-swelling-after-surgery-my-number-1-tip-to-reduce-swelling/

Let me know if you have any more questions...best of luck to your daughter

Jon 

Running After ACL Surgery

I had my Surgery last Friday and managed to walk on the 5th day. It seems to be improving every few hours seems a little better.  I noticed though that it feels like I've had a little bit of a charlie horse ever since I got out of surgery until the 8th day and the muscle at the back of my knee seems like it's hurting when I go to extend my leg. Other than those seems like it's doing well 

Thanks for the information you put up on your site. I've been doing those exercises along with what the hospital gave me.

Good luck on your recovery. from the looks of it I imagine you are just about running after knee surgery by now.

3 Months After ACL Surgery

3 months after acl surgery and being able to do single leg jumps from a step! that is really remarkable, it can be done but you must be doing an exceptional job with recovery! 

I don't know the %'s but you must be in the top 10% based on recovery time. Keep it up but don't push too hard and ruin this great recovery.

After my first surgery I thought I was a champ skiing after 4 months but then didn't continue my physio and when I went to play soccer at 8months I tore my ACL again. I don't tell you this to scare you but hopefully motivate you to continue doing the things that you are obviously doing right until you are absolutely 100%. 

Fix it right the first time and with the great start you are having you should be able to recover 100%!

Just curious to know your opinion on my recovery.
I torn my ACL and did some cartilage damage playing a hurling game in July this year and got the ACL operation (hamstring graft) on the 23 Aug last.
Since the operation recovery has been going well, in fact brilliant!
I am well ahead on all stages of recovery. I lost very little/ no muscle from my thigh/calf muscles. It is nearly 11 weeks now and I have I can not only jog but can twist and turn jogging. All done with no pain/ swelling.
In the gym I can leg press over my own weight. Do single leg jumps from a step on the operated leg...etc etc.

Is this common for an ACL recovery to be going this well ?
Do you know of similar examples ?

My ACL Surgery Recovery Story

Here is my ACL surgery story, I was just recently "diagnosed" with a torn acl and am needed to do the surgery. The doctor who is doing my surgery is not seeing patients until January. I was a sports clinic today and have a follow up appointment next week so they can look at me knee a little better (it was too swollen for some of the test, my injury happened a week ago). I will be starting physiotherapy soon but am still required to be on crutches. My question mainly is: Will I be able to walk before my surgery, and attend physio still on crutches?

c

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/09/my-acl-surgery-recovery/

ACL Test - Find Out If You Tore Your ACL

I am six months post-op everything seen to going ok, no pain or instability. But I am always checking my knee by doing the "anterior drawer" test on myself. I can really move it out a ways compared to my other knee. I would say at least 5mm or more. I had my own patellar tendon as the graft. Everyone I know that has had there acl done never tried to do this, so I have nobody to compare this to. Do you think it's bad to keep checking my knee that way? It has been that way since day one. Do you think I stretched the graft out by doing that? My injury was from a MVA and I had a tremendous amount of swelling in my knee and I lost 2/3rds medial meniscus. I am going to see my surgeon this week to ask him these same questions. Just wanted your input.

My Answer:

I have been doing the same thing on my knee especially since I had a little ACL problem early on.

Here is how you can test your own ACL.

To answer your question on Laxity in your ACL after surgery I have found the same thing. My right knee after 2 ACL surgeries is not as tight on the anterior drawer test as my left knee.

For me since I am no longer a competitive athlete is not a significant problem I just need to make sure I continue to do exercises to keep the hamstring and quads as strong as possible to compensate for a potentially "looser" knee.

Hope this helps.

ACL Surgery Recovery Exercises - 3 months after ACL Surgery

It sucks when you cant see a physio because of insurance but dont fear...you can do everything on your own.

At the 3 month after acl surgery mark I really recommend working on balance by doing single leg activities which forces you to start improving your balance on your knee. Make sure to always be in control when doing these exercises.

A few good exercises...

lunges

running after acl surgery

light cutting drills (running side to side)

lateral lunges

single leg squats (be very careful and in control doing these)

Hopefully these exercises along with my favorite (biking) will get your knee strength and balance back.

Best of luck and let me know how it goes!

Can you try and answer the muscles I should be working on building I goto a gym and do exercise and Cant PT because insurance wouldn't cover it. I'm 3 months in after surgery knee is good but still a little weak and wobbly when lifting,doing lounges,and sqats. Will I ever be able to bend all the way down Around 6 months in?

ACL Surgery 12 Weeks Post Op Question

Here is my 12 week update....http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/06/recovering-from-acl-surgery-3-month-rehab-progress-update/.

At the 12 week after ACL surgery I was starting to get into joggin on even surfaces and lots of biking. The biking was in my mind the best thing for the knee to get some strength back and lots of circulation.

Hopefully your recovery continues to go well.

Hey I messaged you before, soon after my operation, when I couldnt bend it straight, your exercises helped me alot, and im 12 weeks post op my knee feels good, still going to physio strengthening and doing balancing and etc. Do you have any exercises that would be good to do at home for the 12 week point?
Thanks alot!

How To Diagnose ACL Injury Symptoms

The only way to know foresure if you have an ACL injury is to get an MRI but seeing the ACL Injury Symptoms may help you determine if you should go and get a..

Lachman Test
Pivot Shift Maneuver Test

From a doctor or even an MRI

Have a look at a recent post on ACLSurgeryRecovery.net regarding ACL Injury Symptoms to learn more...

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/01/5-acl-injury-symptoms/

ACL Allograft

I had arthroscopic ACL allograft reconstruction surgery on July 27th.  About a month later I started to have a close-to-the-surface medial lump/rope that is popping with every step, both when I bend and straighten.  It is near the medial port.  It does not seem to change with anything, anti-inflammatory, RICE, massage.  My swelling is down, but they say it is from the port and layers underneath healing, but I am worried it is plica.  Have you heard of anything like this?

ACL Allograft

Unfortunately your question goes beyond my knowledge based. Where my port is there was a bump that went away with time...it may be the same thing but like I said its beyond me.

How To Reduce Knee Swelling After ACL Surgery

How to reduce knee swelling after surgery I'm going to have to try that icing/warming method as my knee (the upper portion above my knee cap) is still quite swollen at 5 weeks. The regular icing doesn't seem to be taking it down. Although, I do have to admit, I've only been icing it 3 or 4 times a day, for 20-30 minutes. Thanks for the tip!! http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/21/knee-swelling-after-surgery-my-number-1-tip-to-reduce-swelling/

ACL Surgery Pain Management

 recently (6 days ago) had a full ACL reconstruction using the hamstring graft on my left knee.

It's the first surgery of any type I've had & before the surgery i was very active doing plenty of leg workouts at the gym, running, bike riding etc.

Now the first few days weren't that bad the pain was a 4 or 5 and was managable, but as yourself would wake me up during the night. I've been doing the rehab the physio and surgeon recommended, eg. quad sets, leg raises, hamstring stretches, calf raises etc. and have been walking around the house with crutches. However last night I woke up (night 6) in the worst pain I've had since the operation, The pain was around the wounds and running down on my shin and front of calf which I hadn't had before. I've been in bed all day taking the meds and I just can't'handle this pain. I'm looking through websites & can't seem to find any reasoning for this. What do you think I should do? And when will my pain stop all together? What can you recommend that will help me?

My Answer....

Not sure exactly what the problem is but you may have kicked or something in your sleep which has increased the pain. My recommendation is to ice take the meds and take it easy for a day. Hopefully the pain will start to dissipate. 

I dont know the physiological reasons but once the pain is there it takes much more medication to get rid of than it would have in the first place.

Here is a post on ACL Surgery Pain Management that may help.

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/10/acl-surgery-pain-management-2-week-update/

3rd ACL tear on Left Knee

Fantastic site for ACL Surgery Recovery  Thank you!
I had a work incident which led to tearing my ACL and other dammage going on. WSIB is a pain all on its own, never mind the injury.   This happened July 21/11.  I can't even get into see the surgeon until Nov. 24/11.  Although I have seen the triage Dr. at Fowler Kennedy Clinic - London, Ont.  Triage Dr. has confirmed surgery needed, any thoughts where they may graft from?  First 2 were sports related in early days. I just turned 50 and not happy as still on crutches.  Does that even seem normal?
Thanks and again great job on site.

 ACL Surgery Recovery - Timeline and Exercises http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net

5 ACL Injury Symptoms

Here is a new post showing you the 5 most common ACL Injury Symptoms. These symptoms will help you determine if you have torn your ACL or merely injured it.

The details of the 5 ACL Injury Symptoms can be seen at http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/01/5-acl-injury-symptoms/

• Popping Sound/Feeling
• Swelling in Knee
• Instability after injury
• Moderate to severe pain
• Limited movement

ACL Knee Surgery Testimonial

Hi! First wanna say thanks for this site. It has helped me so much and many others I'm sure. I had acl knee surgery and meniscus repair just under 4 weeks ago. I can't afford physical therapy so I have just been trying to do it on my own as best I can. I'm concerned that I may be very behind where I should be by now. I still can't lay my leg flat and I don't have full range of motion. Do you know how I can measure my own range of motion and are there any tips you might have on getting this swelling down and catching up on my recovery? Thank you so much!

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/14/acl-knee-surgery/

Help With Knee Problem

You have a good thing going on here,helping others with knee problems.

I had two operations on my right knee ,the first one was made without any investigation,so I took a bad decision with the doctor.The second time I went to a prestigious doctor that took care of my cartilage problem.

On the 10th of October I'm scheduled for ACL surgery at the same doctor but for the other knee.

I'm working on my checklist.

Just wanted to thank you for your effort in helping others.

Knee Swelling After ACL Surgery

acl operation on 28 th july. my right leg as you see in picture some kind of fluid is in.how can this cure.please write me. 

 Hi RAJ KUMAR BHARGAVA

Thanks to many of the readers of this website they had a few questions regarding my Pre ACL surgery Checklist. Below I have provided answers to each along with a surprise tip on the number one way to reduce knee swelling after surgery.

First Question:

Do I need to purchase the Aircast Cryo Cuff Knee System with Cooler before surgery?
My Answer:
Yes you should purchase the cryco cuff as soon as you know you will be having surgery. If you wait until days before your surgery you may have a hard time finding one in time.
In my opinion the Cryo Cuff is the MOST IMPORTANT tool for recovery after ACL surgery and the most important part of the Pre ACL surgery Checklist.

Second Common Question:

Do I need to do physio before surgery?
My Answer:
Although you dont need to do "physio" before surgery its a really good idea to build up muscle and get your leg into as good a shape as possible before the surgery. The better shape your leg is going into surgery the better off you will be after surgery!

Number 1 Tip To Reduce Knee Swelling After Surgery

If you are having a hard time reducing swelling after knee surgery I have a tip for you which involves...

• Cryco Cuff

• Ice Pack

• Warm Pack

The process is simple and uses gentle heat and cooling to pull the blood out of the knee. Everyone knows that if a door seperating two rooms one warm and one cool is opened the two rooms temperature will equalize...all reasonable things being held constant. Using this principle you can use physics to suck the swelling out of your knee...here is how...

Step 1 - Warm up a Hot Pack
Step 2 - Put on your Cryo Cuff
Step 3 - Get an ice pack from the freezer
Step 4 - Elevate your knee
Step 5 - Put the warm pack on your upper thigh
Step 6 - Put at least one ice pack on your ankle
Step 7 - Hold for 15-30 minutes (watch for frostbite)

icing-knee-after-surgery

Why Does This Work?

What is happening is you are using the laws of physics, gravit,y and the laws of Thermodynamics (Second Law of Thermodynamics or Entropy for the engineers/geeks, like me, reading this) to have the cool blood flow to the warmer area and cause circulation within the knee.

This technique is especially helpful for the stubborn swelling that remains deep inside the knee which standard icing is not able to reach.

Try this out and let me know if its as helpful for you as it was for me!

ACL Knee Surgery

Here are my 7 tips on how to pick the right surgeon for ACL Knee Surgery.

1. Ask Former Patients

Pick Someone Local

Ask your doctor

Ask your physiotherapist

To read the rest go to ACL Knee Surgery

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/14/acl-knee-surgery/

Tennis Knee Injury Question

Your ACL Surgery info is a big help-  my surgery is coming up this Thursday.  I almost wish I was in pain now-  feels odd to face major surgery and not be in pain, knowing full well that I’m going to be in a world of hurt post-operation.  Have to say, though, that not playing (tennis)  hurts worse than anything right now.

I didn’t need any prehab -   I’ve continued my upper body weight work,  I have a pilates routine to work on, and I have started swimming.  My surgeon figures it will be 2-3 weeks post surgery before I’ll be able to get in the pool again but I at least wanted to get in a swimming mindset because goodness knows it doesn’t do for me what tennis does.

My response...

I hope you surgery went well and you are recovering without problem.

Obviously you are a pretty driven person(I understand) like me your biggest problem will likely be not pushing too much to get back into your chosen sport of tennis.

Good luck with recovery!

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/

Two Weeks After ACL Surgery

Hi there, im two weeks out of my acl surgery hamstring graft, i can limp around without crutches. Ive been trying to get my leg straight by using that sitting on ground and pushing down on your knee method, but it is uncomfortable. It is also uncomfortable to bend it while laying down, is this all normal for where im at( 2 weeks in) my knee still has swelling i do try ice it a few times a day. When i try walk sometimes my leg if im not careful can kind of snap back to being straight and it does
Hurt/confortable. Should i just keep pushing on my knee as much as possible?

Sounds like you are having some knee range of motion issues, what I recommend is some of the 5 exercises listed here: http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/23/top-5-knee-range-of-motion-exercises-to-do-during-acl-surgery-recovery/

The one I think you would most benefit from is exercise number 1.

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net

Rehab After ACL Surgery

Should I still be going to Rehab after ACL surgery? The answer will likely surprise you...

It has been 5.5 months since my surgery and I have been working hard on recovering from it so that I can fully return to activities such as running, mountain biking etc...

Have a read on the post to see if you think I made the right decision...
http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/23/rehab-after-acl-surgery/

5 Months After ACL Surgery

After having surgery Dec 8, 2010 I have now just gotten back from my first vacation after ACL surgery. This vacation 5 months after acl surgery involved mountain biking, running and hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. This vacation was a great test for my knee to see where I stand with my recovery and what I should be doing to further speed my recovery and return to full activity. 

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/11/5-months-after-acl-surgery-mountain-biking-after-surgery/

ACL Test

Here is a method I have used with some success to try and do a ACL Test on myself...http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/30/acl-test/

This ACL Surgery question comes from Jonathan. He was wondering if there is an ACL test he can do himself. I completely understand the motivation to try and determine yourself if there has been any damage to the knee by doing the test yourself.

Hi Jon, I am curious to know if there is a way I can test my acl graft by myself. I haven’t done anything that would put my acl in jeopardy, but if I do, I would want to test it to see it if it isn’t lax. So if there is a way that you have found to do the test by your self? Thanks

Testing yourself to determine if there has been an increased laxness is really difficult! I dont believe I can do it.

However after I re-tore my ACL I was able to do a ACL test on myself and was confident it was re-torn.

Pre ACL Surgery Checklist

If you have an ACL surgery coming up you are likely trying to determine what you should be doing to prepare for the surgery. After talking with a few reader of http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net I found out that a lot of people struggle with trying to determine what they should be doing before ACL surgery.

For these reasons I wrote a Pre ACL surgery checklist. I go over all the large and small things you should be doing before your surgery.

In the list of things you should be doing before ACL surgery I cover the #1 most important item to have. 

Good luck with your surgery!

Jon Haver

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net

Running After ACL Surgery

I have finally started to be able to start jogging after ACL surgery. Lately I just started to be able to run 5km 4 months after I had ACL Surgery. Here is a video of me running after acl surgery

Torn ACL Playing Basketball - Recovery Success

Tearing your ACL playing basketball can be very traumatic. Here is a success story of someone coming back from the injury...

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/11/torn-acl-during-basketball-recovery-story/

Recovering from ACL surgery

I am now 3 months into recovering from ACL surgery. It has not been all easy and there have been many hours of work going into my rehab. Now with me three months after ACL surgery I have updated my ACL surgery rehab timeline. 

The biggest change is that I will not be able to ski this season but I will be trying to get out mountain biking when I am 3.5months post op. 

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/06/recovering-from-acl-surgery-3-month-rehab-progress-update/

How to Improve Range of Motion in the First Week After ACL Surgery

A reader at www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net shared her story about struggling with ACL surgery recovery and specifically improving her range of motion. She had broken her leg in 2 places and torn her ACL and mensicus and in the first week after ACL surgery her range of motion was not as far along as she had hoped. Because of this she asked the question about tips to improve range of motion. Read about the tips I shared here

ACL Surgery Recovery Timeline

A question people often ask is regarding the ACL surgery recovery timeline especially in the first week after surgery. For example someone that has just had surgery and is not yet able to move there leg asked me this very question and here was my answer...

The amount of work a surgeon has to do inside a knee during surgery can vary a lot. The first surgery I had took me a lot longer than the second surgery.

I know its tough when you are home and seeing other people online progress at different rates, my first week was easy and I was able to walk at day 5 but other people seemed to have an even quicker recovery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8tdI-H992A

My advice is follow your recovery protocol as recommended keep icing and keep working on being able to move it. Over time it will come.

The other good news is that the rate of recovery at the start of the recovery does not make a huge difference on how successful the surgery is in terms of leaving you with a stable pain free knee.

physical therapy before ACL surgery

Why would someone go to physical therapy before ACL surgery? Does it even make sense? The answer to me is that yes it makes a lot of sense. Before surgery you should exercise the muscles around your knee as much as possible. The stronger your knees are before ACL surgery the better off you will be after the surgery. 

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/18/why-physical-therapy-before-acl-surgery-is-important/

Knee Pain First Week After ACL Surgery

The first week after ACL surgery is typically a very painful experience but it doesnt have to be. Here are the 7 ways I minimized my knee pain after ACL surgery 

week 6 of ACL surgery recovery

Week 6 of ACL surgery recovery has me back at the Doctor office for a post op checkup. He was happy with how the recovery is going is feels that everything is on track 6 weeks after ACL surgery. 

I had several questions for him after 6 weeks. Including when I would be able to ski after ACL surgery. He suggests I take it slow but didnt rule out me being able to ski in April 4 months after knee surgery.

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/27/6-weeks-after-acl-surgery-post-op-visit/

Week 4 of ACL Surgery Recovery - Lost Weight

My first month after ACL surgery has come to completion. I was surprised that i manage to lose weight after acl surgery and my quad atrophy is less than I had expected. 

I still walk with a limp when I am trying to walk fast and it can be frustrating especially now that I have returned to work. Hopefully everyone elses recovery is going well.

Here is a full breakdown of where my recovery is at after 1 month: http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/06/4-weeks-after-acl-surgery-quad-atrophy-and-lost-weight/

ACL Surgery Recovery Motivation

After watching Clint Cora from http://www.clintcora.com and his ACL surgery recovery motivation video it inspired me to write a post about what I am doing to stay motivated during my ACL surgery recovery here is my post including Clints video...I would be really interested in hearing what you are doing or did do during your rehab that allowed you to stay focused on recovery.

http://www.aclsurgeryrecovery.net/03/acl-surgery-recovery-motivation/