Tramadol, I don't think it's much more potent than a T3 but I could be wrong. I'm also using a cold therapy machine for swelling.

So I'm one week out of surgery today. I knew the recovery was going to suck but so far its exceeded all expectations pain wise.

I watched some recovery videos others had shared and thought not that bad. Up until yesterday the pain has been unreal most the time with spurts of comfort. Mornings and evenings are by far the worst.

I'm fairly certain I wasn't icing correctly for the first 4 days which set me way back. I was told not to ice direct it was wrapped on a tension bandage which I didn't remove. The bandage was to thick and the cold wasn't getting through. I've since removed and use a T Towel I can now feel the icing with that the pain has subsided slightly over the last few days.

I initially planned to be off work 2 weeks but unless there are some dramatic improvemts that will get extended to at least 3. If him able to tolerate sitting at my desk at home I'll work some from home.

I haven't started the rehab portion yet still to sore that said if I can work any types of stretching or heel slides in without to much aggravation I will.

Flying my mom in has been a godsend although she flys home day after next. It's been rough but finally seeing a little progress.

If you haven't done so already, look up DVT and third spacing for their signs and symptoms. If you're sitting around all day, you're definitely high risk for them.

Alright so Day 11

The leg still isn't weight bearing but I'm pretty sure that's normal, I see the surgeon on Wednesday. Pain levels have been getting better, yesterday was a little bit of a setback as it was worse than the day prior.

I can get around with crutches decently, I still can't climb stairs although I did scoot upstairs last night on my ass using my brace and a rope supporting my leg. I was able to put a chair in the shower and have a somewhat real shower. I slept in my bed for the first time last night and honestly it didn't go great I woke up with severe numbness in my hand, leg and foot I think it's the way I was propped up. I got maybe 4 hours sleep?

I'll report back after I see the surgeon.

2 weeks off initially holy fuck. I would even say the level of pain youre still experiencing at least a month off. Listen to your body, dont rush going back to work. Your health and longevity are #1 above all things. Sometimes when a healing doesnt go as planned it can be discouraging so I hope youre taking it easy on yourself.

Just curious how youve been sleeping prior to your bed?

I've been sleeping in a recliner which isn't ideal but it's easy to get in and out of.

So over the past 6 days I've seen a lot of improvement. I've been able to get up and down stairs, sleep in my bed the past 3 nights. I met with the surgeon the other day he showed me photo's of inside my knee and we went over what he did, showed me photo's of the new ACL grafted in place. He cleared me to start physio and said start walking on it as soon as I'm able. New ACL from my hamstring. The meniscus on the inside of my leg was also torn and had to be cut away because it's been so long since I injured it there wasn't any life left in it nor was it repairable.

I start Physio this morning, no experience with this location I asked some questions prior to making the appointment hopefully there a good fit.

I can limp around although super awkwardly without crutches if going short distances. The amount of weight I can bare on it without discomfort is increasing everyday.

The worst part is this brace, surgeon wants me to wear it basically from when I wake up to when I go to bed for the next 6 months but I'll be honest that's not going to happen. I'll wear it until the graft heals 100% 8-10 weeks them I'm probably not going to wear it around the house or around the office, it's an annoyance. I've read a lot about it and there are mixed reviews, studies don't show that the brace actually doesn't do much and if anything it can actually hinder long term healing because your knee relies on it to much. I'm sure there are studies that say otherwise but that's some of the reading I've found.

Get a second opinion from your physio regarding the brace?

Spoke to therapist about it today. She didn't want to give advice counter to that of the Doctor but in a round about way she basically said that once the ACL is healed (about 8 weeks) if you're sitting at your desk or at home there is very little chance of re injuring your knee through a movement. She's basically said without saying it that I shouldn't need my brace unless I'm out or doing things where there is risk of re injuring it which is in line with most things I've read.

Sounds about right, but how much walking does your work involve? Sounds like the surgeon is being on the safe side, or he knows you're very active in daily activities.
Physio sounds like they expect you to have a desk job and will only be walking from your desk to toilet.

It's good that you are doing your due diligence and in the end its up to you how you go about the healing process.

Gonna chime in here.

Make sure your Physio doesn't just put you on the machines. Make sure they use manual therapy. If all they're doing is putting you on machines/heat, find a new Physio.

What physio said is correct. The brace is good at stabilizing knee so that it can recover in the proper position initially. Later on, you want to develop those stabilizers (via movement) within the knee so you don't want to be wearing the brace too frequently.

Good luck with rehab. =)

^^

Yeah I have a Physio friend unfortunately she's in Australia. I talked to her prior to booking a Physio and she stressed the samething, manual therapy.

The place I'm going is all manual therapy and 1 on 1 so it's been good so far.

If anyone is curious about before and after this is a photo of the inside of my knee that the doctor provided. You can see the new ACL made from hamstring tendons. If you're squeamish don't click on it, looks like a cow bone to me. :)

So I'm 15 weeks post op tomorrow.

The recovery has been challenging to say the least. I seen the surgeon in early January and he was concerned about my progress. He told me if I don't see improvement over the next 4-5 weeks he's going to go in and remove scar tissue and do a manual manipulation.

I've been working hard at it and last week I finally seen some real improvement. It was actually the Graston Technique (Breaks up scar tissue) performed by my massage therapist that had the best results. My flexion improved 12 degrees overnight, I was sore to the touch for a good 5-6 days but totally worth it. I have another appointment for more this Friday.

I see the surgeon next week so it will be interesting to see if he's happy with the progress or he's going to schedule the surgery to remove the scar tissue.

This injury is a tough one, I go to physio twice a week and RMT usually once a week on top of the exercises I do at home. I'm still limping although I can get around, grocery shopping ect...

stay positive! you'll get through it!!

I'm surprised your physio didn't do any manual therapy for scar tissue removal. IASTM is the shit. I gotta learn it haha.

But yeah, Keep moving your new if possible within ROM.

She has used some machine that moves up and down like an automated hammer I'm not sure what it's called but it didn't have near the results that Graston has had.

I see surgeon tomorrow, hoping he's pleased with progress the last month.

Well I'm 7 months post op now, I would say my knee is 85% a lot better then it was. I'm still seeing the physio therapist but working more like a PT right now which is good for me. This is a tough injury to rehab from but I'm glad I had the surgery.

Lots of walking next week in Vegas we'll see how it holds up.

Interesting read, 2.5 years ago I had a partially torn meniscus (only confirmed with MRI 10 months after the injury) and family doc advised against surgery since it wasn’t fully torn. Was still limping significantly 2 months in, and only about 80-90% after a full year. Even now it’s still noticeably weaker than before, don’t feel as “springy” when I run and my motion still feels a bit unnatural... been told it’ll never be the same as before :(

Glad to hear you’re recovering, hope it gets to 100% soon!

Has anyone dealt with having a second reconstruction on the same knee? MRI confirmed the ACL is gone again and the options are to use the other side or cadaver.