Tuesday 16 July 2013

16 weeks Post op

Well it's been a while since i've updated this but here goes!

It's been 16 weeks since my PCL reconstruction, and bar a few hurdles everything is going really well.
I'm back in the gym doing leg weights, riding and using the cross trainer.

There have a been a few hurdles with pain or swelling here or there, but i'm now walkin normally, still being carefull with stairs and i'd not aloud to run as yet.

My physio's really happy with how i'm going and just wants me to focus on getting my leg muscles back.

I see my surgeon again for the last time in September, and will hopefully be back running over Summer.

Cheers Jamezy!

Monday 6 May 2013

4 weeks post op

Well at the start of this week as i said i was placed in my hinged brace with 90 ROM, the first couple of days were defiantly the most pain-fall that i have experience so far both before and after surgery. But after that it had gradually started to loosed up.

I'm now able to bend my leg all the way to the 90 degrees with out any pain, My physio credited this with the work that i put into my legs pre surgery, So this is one of the biggest recommendations i have so far, if you are able to strengthen your leg pre surgery do it, and do as much as you can.

My physio has set me out with a number of excersise to do till i next see my surgeon these are

20 straight leg raises  20 times a day

3 sets of 10 twice a day, bent leg raises with the aid of a elastic band for resistance,

using a big excersise ball against a wall i'm doing 3 sets of 10 squats twice a day

and using a football inbetween my thighs i'm squeezing it with my thigh muscles for 30 seconds i'm doing this 10 times.

This is all with my brace still on.

I've also just started to drive again.

I'll update again next time i see my surgeon/physio

Cheers
Jamezy



Monday 29 April 2013

pictures 3 weeks post op

 My new and improved brace, set to 90 degree Rom

 My surgery scars, should be hardly show in time ( very impressed)


I can bend it "just" still very stiff.

3 weeks!

Well i had my first follow up appointment this morning, three weeks till the day.

My surgeon was happy with my progress removed my bandages (i;m impressed hardly a scare and gave my leg a bit of a bend, ohhh boy did that hurt!, was probably the most pain my knee has given me in three weeks. Also told me to throw away my crutches.

Had my brace switched over to a hinged one, with 90 degree range of motion, which i've got for a month.
Been walking on it around uni today, so it is a little sore and swollen tonight.

He also set me up for a physio appointment later this week, to start my exercises other then the leg raises the Surgeon gave me.

Will update this with my exercises when i get them.

Cheers Jamezy

.

Sunday 21 April 2013

Almost 2 weeks down!

Two weeks down and everything is going pretty well, a little bit of swelling every now and then, especially when i walk around to much with out my crutches.

Still wearing my straight leg brace, which is beginning to annoy me a little me, as i said before being a tallish person not being able to bend my leg just makes the simple things difficult.

I've pretty much weaned my self off painkillers, and i'm only using crutches when i'm out and about, around home i'm pretty much off them. Only incident i've had so far was i tripped over the dog in the middle of the night, and fell backwards i did have a real sharp pain at the back of my lower leg/ knee, and it ached for a while, but no swelling so hopefully it was just my hamstrings playin up and not the graft.

I have another week of restin up and studyin for Uni, before i go back to my surgeon and get started on me physio/rehab. which i'm lookin forward too, 3 weeks on me backside will just about drive me nuts.

I'll post updated pic shortly!

Saturday 13 April 2013

My leg an hour after sugery

My leg today!

6 days post op!

So where am i know?

Well it's been almost a week since i had the surgery to reconstruct my knew PCL.

The surgery went well , although it did go for four hours instead of the estimated one hour.
They used a graft from my hamstring to replace my PCL. I stayed in hospital over night.

My anaesthetist said i would wake up after surgery in quite a lot of pain, so he would put a nerve block in my legs which would lessen my knee pain however i would still feel pain in my hamstrings.
Well if i can give any advice to anyone having a reconstruction weather it be PCL or ACL it would be to get the nerve block if available, because i woke up in very little pain at all with just a slight tingling in my hamstrings, nothing a little pain medication couldn't fix though.

I had a PT come visit me before i went home to train me how to use crutches and how to tackle stairs.

The biggest difference I've seen from the blogs on PCL's to mine is that most of the people seemed to be completely none weight bearing, wheres as I'm basically just using crutches to lessen the weight. I use them and I'm wearing a big clunky brace that has to stay on to stop me bending my knee except for a brief shower, i can tell already its gonna get a fair old stench to it, as i do seem to sweat into it allot.  My surgeon has given me 3 weeks rest before i go back to check my wounds and to start my rehab.

I'm in surprisingly little pain, with it generally being restricted to my hamstrings and my calves, I'm not really sure what causes that. However if i do too much like i have walked around without crutches a few times (naughty), my knee swells up and i have to put my leg up and apply a fair bit of ice to ease the swelling.

I do find somethings difficult getting changed being one, trying to get shorts, jocks and pants over the brace is quite difficult especially when you can't bend your leg also being 6ft2 my legs are rather long and trying to get  in and out of a car (ohh thats another thing i can't drive at the moment so i
m back depending on Mums taxi service) with out bending then is near on impossible, so i have to sit with my leg stretched out on the back seat.

That's all i can think to right for now but i will endeavour to keep this updated as my rehab progresses.