ACL surgery

I had ACL surgery back in 2009 (end of June, maybe the 25th?). I had torn my ACL playing soccer when I took a kick to the knee in March. They used a tendon from my thigh (though some surgeons use cadaver) and I was walking without crutches, but with a brace in less than a month. The hardest part was the week immediately following surgery. For the first few days, I had all kinds of things hanging from my bionic leg!



Also, there was a machine that I pretty much had to be on all day (even when I was sleeping) that had to bend my knee for me. The machine it actually the fuzzy thing and the big black strap in the picture. I had to keep adjusting it to go farther and farther each day...that machine was the worst part! I also had to keep it iced, and I had another machine that would run ice water through a wrap that I had to put around my leg (the blue tube in the picture). The pain wasn't too bad after the first few days, I was even up for having fun at my brother's birthday party that week (sitting down the whole time, of course!)

I think after about a week I was down to one crutch, though I was pretty slow and didn't walk around a lot. It took a little getting used to, and I still was afraid to put pressure on it. I still had to keep it elevated and iced a lot, but I was able to go out and do things, like go to the movies and MLS games. I sat near rails to keep my leg elevated and straight, and took an ice pack with me everywhere! This pic was taken July 1st, with no dangling things coming off my leg!



I started rehab a couple of weeks after surgery. I did this for a few months, but I stopped before I should have because my PT looked like Gary Busey and honestly freaked me out a bit. Because of this, some of my scar tissue remained and my knee was really stiff. I didn't feel comfortable with any real physical activity until about a year ago (besides wakeboarding!) I got a really awesome titanium brace that I will probably need to wear for a few more years, but now I am up and running like I was before. I don't feel comfortable running without my brace because I am still afraid that my knee will snap in half, though my doc says it is strong!

Your experience may not be exactly like this; I have friends who have had ACL surgery and don't need a brace anymore! Sorry for the novel!

Sorry, didn't see this reply!

I am mostly pain-free, though when the air pressure changes (for changes in temp or rain) I can feel some soreness. It is not bad, and it doesn't impede me in the slightest.

The weirdest thing is that I don't have full feeling in my knee, at least not on the surface. Doc says this is common, for some people the feeling returns quickly, for some it takes time, and for some it never returns!