Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 07:09 pm, by: Ben Daniel(Lexustt)
Hey peeps, just a simple question to see if anyone on this forum has had one of these before and what it was like (apart from painful, obviously) ???
I dislocated my knee on valentines day and the surgeon has told me im going to need a full knee reconstruction so im after peoples stories and experiences.
Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 04:50 pm, by: Kate Green(Mischief)
haven't had the reconstruction but 4 arthroscopies (both double), a lateral release and 2 tibial transfers (tibia is broken, realligned and bolted back in place). thank god for panedeine forte I say. having said that, it wasn't that bad and it was the arthroscopies hurt far more than the tibia thing. I knocked back the chance to have my tibia sliced sideways, raised a couple of centimetres and having holes drilled into my bare bone to get marrow seeping through, would have made me look like a kangaroo when I sat down! I was out for about 6 weeks with each lot of operations. Nowadays reconstructions don't get a knee brace and are up and about the next day.Good luck, you'll be just fine
Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 06:58 pm, by: Jim Burrough(Jfb)
My brother (57) ex fast bowler for too many years had one knee done. His comment is "...if you need both done, get them done at the same time.... because, after going through one being done, you wouldn't let them near the other!!". Others say it is not so bad. At 25, the body may still mend reasonably well - good luck!
Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 07:47 pm, by: Stephanie Loftus(Spectre)
knee reconstructions require slightly more hospitalisation than 1 night
in budget hospitals you will get operated on, you will have your knee immobolised with bandaging for 2 days, you will be on crutches, and you will be sent home possibly with an information sheet on what not to do
at the complete other end of the spectrum you will be operated on, you will commence CPM (continuous passive movement) the next day and will have it placed on you by a physiotherapist a minimum of twice a day with increasing degrees of bend and repetition, you will be shown how to correctly use crutches, you will be taken to the hospital gym to learn and perform exercises to strengthen the knee with the physiotherapist, the occupational therapist will measure and fit your knee with a richard splint which you will wear for the first 2 weeks minimum when you are not doing your exercises, you will receive multi-modal pain relief designed by the anaesthetist's and administered by the nurses to allow you to be painfree enough to do your exercises, you will attend an education session prior to having the operation with the orthopaedic surgeon and you will be educated again by the physio, occupational therapist, and nurse prior to discharge, and you will spend 5 days in hospital, and 4-6 weeks on crutches
there's a bit of a difference as you can see
also how long it all takes to heal depends on what care you get as well as how badly damaged it is to start with
finally, unless you weigh 75kgs or less, going on a diet today is a brilliant way to speed up the recovery process because the less weight you have on the knee, for any reason even muscle, the faster it heals
Friday, March 14, 2008 - 01:39 pm, by: Shane Ilich(Ferret)
Good to see some very valid and sensible advice from Stephanie
As someone who is doing his PhD looking at the development of arthritis in the knee following surgery, I will forewarn you that you now have an increased risk of developing OA in your knee, particularly if you have torn/damaged your meniscus as well as the ACL.
My advice for you from a knee longevity point of view is that after the recon, you will need to do everything you can to rehab and strengthen the knee back up - the more muscle support and stability it has, the better, and the more you can return your walking style to normal, not all stiff and awkward, the better.
Do the exercises the physio gives you, stick to your rehab programme, and once you have the go ahead, slowly start to ease into walking as soon as is healthy. Just stay away from hard surfaces, do stuff like sand walking, or on grass, or wading in the pool - sand is particularly good as it helps rehab your balance and stability as well. Cycling is good also. Basically, you want to keep everything you do as low-impact as possible - and in the early stages, only in straight lines, no lateral or twisting movements.
Mogul skiing, for instance, may not be such a good idea ditto for basketball
And get yourself a decent pair of runners/walking shoes, fitted up by a shoe store who knows what they're doing - ie go to Sports Fever (I'm at the Applecross store) - we get about 50% of our customers by referral from podiatrists and physios, cos they know we have the technical knowledge to fit someone with the correct shoes for their walking/running style.
Sunday, March 16, 2008 - 06:16 pm, by: Ben Daniel(Lexustt)
Thanks for your input guys, much appreciated. I have to say that the whole thing is a bit daunting and after a lot of thought I've decided it has to be done but im definately not looking forward to it. You hear of all these athletes who have KR's and are out of action for 12 months so it begs the question even if the words "knee reconstruction" explain themselves.
I haven't done my ACL but basically what I have to have done is my patella tendon disconnected and moved down an inch to tighten it up, my knee is also getting realigned a couple of mm. Then my medial ligament is getting a bit taken off and attached horizontally from my medial to the patella tendon. The surgeon said I will be in hospital for 4 - 7 nights, off work and no driving (worst of all!!!!) for about 6 -8 weeks and then light duties for 4 - 6 months before I get full strength back into my knee, so yeah... sounds pretty full on to me
I've gone under the knife a couple of times for my foot but the rehab was NO WHERE near as intense as what this sounds so yeah, I do appreciate your sound words guys and shane, You probably will get a visit from me within then next few months
Cheers.
oh.. my surgeon is Hari G. His surname is hard to pronounce but apprently they are well known
Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:06 am, by: Shane Ilich(Ferret)
Harri Goonatillake I know him pretty well, I deal with him for my study, his office PA Kath has always been very helpful in helping out with recruiting patients.
Monday, March 17, 2008 - 11:21 pm, by: Shane Ilich(Ferret)
Not quite Peter.....ethics committee just wouldn't let that one pass
Basically, when they're booked in for an meniscectomy, they're asked if they'd liked to be involved in my study. if they say yes, I'm given access to their patient files to see if they meet my eligibility criteria, and then they undergo a phone screen. If they pass all of that, then they come in for an X-ray, MRI and 3D gait analysis...then come back 2 years later for a retest...and if the grant gets the funding approved, a further 2 years later again.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 - 08:00 am, by: Tamatha Chapman(4ltrv8)
After stacks of arthroscopies, I had recons done on both my knees, and had the kneecaps removed to prolong the chances of keeping my joints.
Wasn't too bad actually. As long as you stay on top of your painkillers for the first couple of days you'll be OK. I do suggest taking it VERY EASY (nightclubbing not a good idea - resulted in another recon). Make sure you do as they tell you and do the exercises to build your knee strength back up - but don't push it.
More importantly relax, it ain't as bad as what you're probably thinking and you will see the benefits after it's done. It gives a huge amount of relief in the long run.
Only other thing I can suggests is a couple of cheats I did work out for around the home. The laundry trolley is brilliant for putting drinks in and pushing back to the lounge room. A flat piece of mdf under the leg (long enough to go up under your bum) on the couch does provided support and comfort for long naps.
Friday, March 21, 2008 - 04:05 pm, by: Antonio Hunt(Carajo)
Ah i am just recovering from my ACL reconstruction i had done 4 weeks ago. i was in hospital overnight but was bed ridden for a week. i was off crutches after two weeks and doing physio. it is amazing how much your leg muscles diminish from not using them. hope you have family or friends to help you and be with you as it can get you down not being able to do normal things. all the best and enjoy the pain killers
Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 06:21 am, by: Stephanie Loftus(Spectre)
hey shane, you want someone who never got the operation but does have the oa? mine's a little special, i have roaccutane induced oa. the arthritis will go away when the drug wears off my A R S E. also all i can say is you guys are so lucky that your dr is paying attention. when i tore my acl i was 18yo, i weighed 55kgs and did it playing roller hockey. the only bandaging i got was what i did to myself, i wasn't able to get a richard splint, i could only afford to be on crutches for 2 weeks then i had to go back to work with a robert jones bandage (think incredibly bulky homemade version of a richard splint that doesn't work very well) in a job with a lot of squatting and twisting (maccas). oh and for real fun normal painkillers dont work on me and anything stronger than normal i react badly to
it took 2 years to get the arthroscope and the dr refused to fix it because of my age. his exact words were lose 20kgs and get fitter.
10 years later and i still cant squat without excruciating pain, my knee frequently gives way, and if i leave it in any position for longer than 5 mins it starts burning and seezes up so i cant move it
moral of the story people, be kind to your knees, you really will miss them when they are gone
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 12:26 pm, by: Shane Ilich(Ferret)
Steph - firstly, I dont think I've ever heard a good thing said about Roaccutane.
Secondly - someone seriously told you OA will go away once the drug wears off?? Ummm...not entirely sure how diminished cartilage and bone growths in the knee will just "go away"...
Thirdly - unfortunately, no, my study needs people who have just had a partial meniscectomy, and have no signs of OA. The purpose of my study is to track these patients for 2-3 years (if the grant gets extra funding, then it will expand to 5 years) and see if we can identify predictive factors (mostly inherent in their gait patterns) that separate the 40% of patients who will begin to develop OA in that time from the 60% who wont.
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