8 weeks post op!

I thought I would never come so far.... well not in a ‘short’ period of time anyway. I know it’s been 8 weeks since my original op (and 6 and half following my 2^nd one to clear the infection) but just 3 weeks ago I was still hobbling around on one crutch! Amazing how quickly the body can recover although I still have a long way to go. Having said that things feel like they are returning to normal – I’m now off the antibiotics thank god so hopefully all goes well in that area and I’m sitting quite normally at my desk now only needing to raise my leg up every now and then. My walking is quite good although my wife still thinks I have a slight limp although my physio says I am walking normally! Personally I think my walking style has changed slightly to compensate for weak leg muscles on the right leg.

Last night I did my usual exercises (SLRs, leg side raises, quad tensing, hamstring stretch & calf raises) although I keep it to only 5 minutes on the exercise bike due to the achy feeling I had on the lateral side of my knee after my PT session. Today it’s back to normal though which is good. I’m planning a gym session after work (shoulders, biceps & legs) followed by some bike riding. Tomorrow I’ve planned to have a pool session and once again planning to take it fairly easy this weekend. So far so good!

Day 56 - Two more exercises to do

I’m in good spirits today after seeing my PT although I am a little sore on the lateral side of the knee (behind the knee) after he gave my knee a good 15 minute massage. It could either be that or a result of trying a couple of the new exercises he gave but at least it’s feeling better after icing and extending my leg on another chair. He was once again happy with the state of my knee and said that although there is still a bit of swelling he expects it to come down in the next 3 weeks. His rationale is that because I’m a big guy (6 ft 5) and have long limbs this is putting extra pressure on the knee which all makes sense.

Apart from the swelling he is very happy with my progress and wants me to continue doing the same exercises along with the additional two exercises:

·         One legged squat leaning against exercise ball which is against the wall. This will help build up my core strength in additional to the quads

·         One legged squat on rolled up towel or balancing on wobble board. He wants me to work on the stability of my knee

So I’m looking forward to giving these exercises a go at the gym tomorrow with my other exercises. Last night I did 12 minutes on the bike along with my other exercises (SLRs, quad tensing, calf raises, and 4 directions using sports cord) and I also had a workout at the gym consisting of the following:

·         Triceps workout – Skull crushers 3 x 10, Close grip barbell press 3 x 10 (superset doing one set of skull crushers followed by close grip barbell press), pushdowns 3 x 10 & single arm kickbacks using cable 3 x 10

·         Quad tensing & ankle pumps – 1 set of each

·         Straight leg raises – 3 sets of 10 (both legs)

·         Calf raises – 3 sets of 10

·         One legged squats (1/4) – 3 sets of 10

·         Squats with both legs (1/3 of the way down) – 3 sets of 10

·         Exercise ball on wall – 3 sets of 10 (6 sec squeeze)

·         Ab workout (crunches) – 3 sets of 20

Day 55 - hot days!

The last couple of days have been good despite the heat in Melbourne. Temperatures have hit 30+ degrees this week but thankfully the swelling in the knee doesn’t look like it’s increased.  Work has been quiet this week also which has enabled me to go to the gym on my lunch break which is great! I feel like my walking is getting better every day although I still have a slight limp which I need to keep working on.

Each of the last 3 mornings I have started the day with 3 sets of 10 of the straight leg raises which seems to work well for me. I am now able to sit at my desk for longer periods of time with my leg down but I do occasionally prop it up on another chair when it feels like it’s stiffening up. I’ve done the following at the gym in the last 2 days:

Monday

·         Chest workout – Flat bench press (3 x 8), Incline chest press machine (3 x 8 focusing on negatives) & incline dumbbell flyes (3 x 10)

·         Quad tensing & ankle pumps – 1 set of each

·         Straight leg raises – 3 sets of 10 (both legs)

·         Calf raises – 3 sets of 10

·         One legged squats (1/4) – 3 sets of 10

·         Exercise ball on wall – 4 sets of 10 (6 sec squeeze)

·         Ab workout (crunches) – 3 sets of 20

Tuesday

·         Back workout – Lat pull down machine close grip (3 x 10), Lat pull down wide grip (3 x 8) & Seated row machine (3 x 8)

·         Quad tensing & ankle pumps – 1 set of each

·         Straight leg raises – 3 sets of 10 (both legs)

·         Calf raises – 3 sets of 10

·         One legged squats (1/4) – 3 sets of 10

·         Exercise ball on wall – 4 sets of 10 (6 sec squeeze)

·         Ab workout (crunches) – 3 sets of 20

Today I’m planning to work on my triceps followed by my usual leg exercises. I’ll also do my usual exercises at home following by some more bike riding. I’ve actually stepped this area up and have done 15 minutes each time for the last 2 nights (just over 5 km each time). The knee feels great after this and it’s also nice to get a good sweat up!

 I’m looking forward to seeing my PT tomorrow to see what he has in store for me – hopefully some new exercises!

Day 53 - Good progress continues...

Another week ticked over making it 7 weeks post the original op last Friday. The knee has progressed quite nicely since my last update and I’ve noticed I’m walking a lot better the last couple of days. I had an active weekend and each time my knee has pulled up well which I’m very happy about! After doing a 10 minute ride on the exercise bike on Thursday night along with all my exercises Friday commenced as usual with 3 sets of 10 of straight leg raises.

It was a busy day so I went to the gym after work and did a shoulder & bicep workout and then my leg workout. I did the following exercises:

·         Shoulders – Seated shoulder press (3 x 8), Seated lateral raises (3 x 12) & dumbbell front raises (3 x 12)

·         Biceps – Barbell curls (3 x 10) & Seated 45 degree angle dumbbell curls (3 x 8 each side)

·         Straight leg raises – 3 sets of 10 (both legs)

·         Calf raises – 3 sets of 10

·         One legged squats (1/4) – 3 sets of 10

·         Exercise ball on wall – 4 sets of 10 (6 sec squeeze)

·         Ab workout (crunches) – 3 sets of 20

Following this I went out for pizza on Lygon st with my wife and did a bit of walking. The knee felt fine and once we got home I did some further exercises along with a brief ride on the exercise bike (5 mins). On Saturday I commenced the day with SLRs and following relaxing in a cafe for a couple of hours before going to the pools to do some more rehab work. At the pools I walked approximately 15 laps at a faster pace this time. In between I did ¼ one legged squats (around 6 sets), one legged calf raises (around 6 sets) and controlled leg swings (around 6 sets again).

Some friends came over during Sat night but I still managed to excuse myself for 15 mins to do my exercises and to do 5 minutes on the exercise bike! I figured I didn’t need to do too much after spending nearly 1.5 hours in the pool during the day!  On Sunday I started the day with SLRs again and some quad tensing. We then had a really enjoyable Sunday in the sun spending around 4 hours in St.Kilda. I also saw Archie Thompson who had a knee reco 8 months ago and was happy to see both of his knees looking the same in terms of shape, size etc! It’s funny how you become obsessed with knees after you go through this! It was a morale booster to see how well he has done and he played his 3^rd game on Wednesday for Victory although they lost L

I thought my knee would complain after sitting down for approx 4 hours (mostly in the shade though) however I was happy to see it didn’t swell up too much and actually felt fine once we got home. After having the in-laws over for a couple of hours I did my usual exercises followed by 8 minutes on the bike. I did enough without going overboard on the weekend and it seemed to be a good balance for me. Things are progressing well.

Day 49 - Good news!

A much better day today with some great news from my surgeon! As I walked in he had a big smile and said “I’m happy” referring to my blood test results. My infection reading is down to 1 (normal level is under 5) and he even joked that my level is probably lower than his at the moment! I was very relieved to hear that it’s dropped down to a normal level and he said I can finish off using the antibiotics after my next course to complete the full 6 week course. He also said that all the other key indicators in my blood test were all at normal levels.

He then had a good look at my leg and was happy with what he sore. He pulled the lower part of my leg and told me the ligament was strong and once again said he was happy! He said that I had basically caught up to the patients he had operated on 6 weeks ago and that now I would only have to concentrate on my rehab.  

Exercise wise I haven’t done much today apart from my straight leg lifts in the morning (3 x 10) and some quad tensing at my desk when I get a chance as work is getting busy! I saw my PT on my lunch break and he was pleased to hear about the good news after seeing my surgeon.  He was also happy to see me walking unaided and commented on how much better my knee looked saying it was “less angry”! I gave him an update on how I had gone with the exercises and he wanted me to continue with the same program for the next week as there is still some swelling there which he hopes will come down. He gave my knee a good 10-15 minute massage and that was pretty much it! He said if anything I might even be overdoing but he’s happy with my attitude and dedication. He also said not to do any more than 15 minutes a day on the bike.

I did ask if I could do an additional hamstring exercise and he said I could do a standing hamstring curl with no weight so I will give that a go tonight. Tonight I’m intending to do all my exercises along with a 15 minute ride on the exercise bike. I’m feeling positive about it all especially after the good news today!

Day 48 - still a long way to go!

Yesterday was a good reminder that I still have a long way to go. After a good day on Monday where I went to the gym and did my usual exercises along with a 12 minute bike ride, yesterday didn’t go so well.  The day started in a rush as I woke up late and therefore didn’t have time to do my exercises in the morning – a bad start! I was then involved in a couple of meetings at work where I was sitting for long periods of time with my knee bent which didn’t help. I did manage to do my exercises during my lunch break which helped and I iced my knee afterwards. At this point I was doing ok.

However I had one further meeting after lunch (once again knee bent) and I then had a family dinner to attend after work. This is where the problems began! Standing waiting for my wife to pick me up for 30 minutes meant my knee had swollen up a bit (I did manage to find a seat at a nearby bus stop for around 15 minutes of the 30). Then an hour drive to her uncle’s house aggravated the knee further. We then stayed for around 2 hours where I was sitting for most of the time followed by a 40 minute drive to visit my grandma! After a quick visit it was off to my sister’s place to drop off a cake for my niece’s 7^th birthday and we finally got home around 9pm! My knee was not happy!! I elevated and iced for 30 minutes before doing my exercises and a short 6 minute ride on the exercise bike.

I now realise how much further I have to go but then again it was a long day where I wasn’t really looking after my knee as I usually do. The previous day (Monday) was a good one where I did the following in the gym:

·        Chest workout – Incline bench press (3 x 10), seated chest press (3 x 8) & dumbbell flyes (3 x 10)

·         Straight leg raises – 3 sets of 10 (both legs)

·         Calf raises – 3 sets of 10

·         One legged squats (1/4) – 3 sets of 10

·         Exercise ball on wall – 4 sets of 10 (6 sec squeeze)

·         Ab workout (crunches) – 3 sets of 20

I also did my exercises at home (quad tense lying down, pressing knee down with ankle on towel, SLRs, lateral leg raises, hamstring stretch) as well as a 12 minute bike ride. Today I will be going to the gym to do my leg work as well as doing a back / triceps workout. Tomorrow I will be seeing my surgeon for another follow up and he will also review the results of the blood test which I had done this morning. Hopefully today is better than yesterday!

6 weeks post op!

Friday marked 6 weeks since my original ACL reconstruction operation and around 4 and a half weeks since the 2^nd operation to clear the infection. I am feeling very positive about my progress particularly in the last 2 weeks and I am happy I am now able to walk around reasonably comfortably although my knee does swell up if I walk too much or stand for too long.

Some milestones from the weekend:

·         Walking up and down stairs ‘normally’

·         Getting out of the shower with no assistance (previously always had to use one crutch due to the step we have to get in and out of shower)

·         First pool session!

·         Walking / standing for a couple of hours whilst watching the team I play for (Beaumaris SC) participate in a pre-season tournament

After the big gym session on Friday night I did my exercises once again at night followed by a 12 minute ride on the exercise bike. On Saturday I went for my first pool session which was great! I did 10 laps of the 25 meter pool (500 meters in total) and in between did some exercises including calf raises, one legged squats and controlled leg swings.  I found it a lot easier to walk in the pool and also managed to go half way down for the one legged squats. I was wondering if I am now able to do lunges in the pool so I’ll need to ask my physio next time I see him.  I also went into the hydrotherapy pool for a little while which was relaxing. At night I did my exercises followed by a short 5 minute bike ride. It is also worth mentioning that I did 100 straight leg lifts on each day over the weekend.

On Sunday I did my exercises in the morning and then watched Beaumaris play in a pre-season tournament. It was great to get out and about and to catch up with the guys. Following this I did some more exercises in the evening followed by a 14 minute bike ride which felt great. I am looking to another good gym session today!

6 weeks post op - operated leg on the top