2nd week of physiotherapy

 


I went to the physio for almost a week. Did various exercises such as sand bag exercises. I started cycling as well but I could barely rotate the pedal. All I managed to do is pedal up and down in a zigzag motion.
My knee was stiff, therefore the physio decided to bend my knee forcefully. He tied my ankle to a rope & asked me to pull the rope over my head. This was very painful & I was shouting while doing it. Although I pulled hard baring all the pain, hoping that it will release the stiffness. I the meantime the physio also was helping me to bend my knee by putting a little bit of pressure & pulling my leg back.  


I managed to bend my knee slightly to about 10% of the normal range. I started to walk with out any support but because my knee was really stiff I only managed to drag my operated leg along the ground instead of walking. 


I managed to get leave for only 3 weeks and I had to go to office. So I had no option but to travel by bus to the hospital early in the morning to do physiotherapy & later travel by a taxi to office. In the evenings I traveled by train which was easier & more comfortable.


                       

Await more information on how I did my recovery after ACL reconstruction.

I will post my gym schedule & my strength training programme soon. I have saved it some where in my computer but right now I'm unable to find it.

Knee streanthening - 1st week

During the 1st week you need to do a lot of exercises.

1) Quadriceps contractions is one of the best exercises that you can do during the 1st week. Follow the link & you can see for you self what this is. It's actually quite easy. These exercises are know as isometric exercises where you don't actually move the bones or other muscles, only the targeted muscle is worked out. Static Quadriceps Contraction



2) Towel squeezes is a norther easy & pain free exercise which you can do during the 1st week after the cast is removed. Use an ordinary face towel. Role it like in the picture & place it below you knee. Now slowly press downwards using your quads and at the same time Knee your toes pointed towards you. 10 - 12 repetitions of this exercise & gradually increase based on the level of difficulty.

Make sure you do the above during the 1st few days in order to maintain the strength of the muscles. Or else the muscles will gradually get weaker which will lead to stiffness.

Physiotherapy

You need to find a good physiotherapist. He / she should know exactly what needs to be done as ACL cases differ from person to person. In mycase my knee was really stiff since I hadn’t moved or done any muscle contraction excursive during the 1^st two weeks. Priority is to get back the mobility of the knee. Start off with slight movements. I was straight away instructed to bend my knee which is not advisable as the muscles take time to get used to the conditions.

Cast comes off

It took me a while to get use to the cast & to walk in crutches. By the second week I was able to walk with the help of my crutches. Still I was keeping my knee straight as instructed by the doctor.

Two weeks later I visited the doctor & they took off my cast. Still the wounds hadn’t healed properly so the covered the part which was operated. I was instructed to change the dressing every other day. I was given more antibiotics for it to dry faster.

Still my knee felt stiff & I could hardly bend it. I was able to keep my foot on the ground and walk with the help of my crutches.

Just after operation

Day 1 – Spent the whole day in bed. I was advised by the doctors not even to move my leg for the 1st few days. I only got up to go to the wash room. Took my daily dose of medicine which was prescribed by the doctor which contained 2 antibiotics, 3 painkillers, 1 tablet for fever & few more in different sizes or shapes. All together there were close to 10 pills which I took 3 times a day on a daily basis.I never missed any of the pills but during the 1st few days I was in immense pain. The pain subsidized a little after 1 week. Still I hadn't moved my leg at all. Little did I know that the muscles in my leg were weakening up which later lead to a lot of after effects.



Adjustable, Hinged, Knee Brace

Operation



1^st it was the mental preparation for my operation. I had never done an operation or even spent even 1 night in a hospital for that matter. Although it wasn’t a major operation I had to prepare for it.

The dates were set & I went 7 purchased the necessary equipments (the titanium nut & the endobutton) as they call it. On 28^th of January, exactly after 6 months after my injury I went under operation..

I was admitted to the hospital in the morning & they did random check ups on me. ECG’s blood tests to stretches & etc were done & I was taken in to the operating theatre. Last ting I remember in the theatre was the doctor asking me to relax and close my eyes. When I woke up I was lying on a trolley next to the theatre.

After a while I was taken to the room & more tests & checks were done. I was discharged next day morning. Doctor advice me not to give any weight when I walked & asked me to use a crutch at all time in order to support my self.

I was taken home & I fell a sleep soon due to the heavy antibiotic & painkiller intake during the day.

You will be needing crutches after operation in order to help your mobility.

Aluminum-Crutches

Gray Grey Crutch Tips

Took me a while to realize that my ACL was torn

It took me a while to recover & get to playing status. I still didn't know that my ACL was fully damaged. By 2 weeks after my injury I was up and running & I started with my usual day to day
activities & practice. I was able to run at full pace although when I tried stepping it didn't work out properly. A slight pain plus it felt as if the knee cap was moving from inside. I stopped practice & started going to the gym to strengthening my knee.

Two months passed & there was no progress. During this time I was getting treatment by a renowned
physiotherapist. His assumption was that I had a muscle pull or the ligaments had strained due to heavy work outs after injury.

3 months passed. I switched to native medicine. I went to a person known as " Wedamahaththaya " or the village witch doctor, who cured most of my injuries. There different treatments were use such
as hear therapy, herb oil massages & etc. There only progress was that the pain reduced & the swelling went down. Still the knee was bad, I couldn't run & there was a visible limp when walked.

5 months later I decided to pay a visit to a sports doctor. I consulted a physician named A. Perera (Orthopedic surgeon). He diagnosed that I have ligament damage & advice to get a scan done on my knee. The results of the scan showed that I had a full tare in my ACL, & meniscus damage. Also there was a type A injury to my PCL which is another important ligament which holds the knee together...

How I tore my ACL



I tore my ACL ( anterior cruciate ligament ) while playing a rugby match. Got tackled upfront & I couldn't get up after that. There was a slight pain, still I was able to walk out of the ground with out any help.
Later, I strapped my knee and sprayed it a bit & all was ok. Although when I started warming up for the next match my knee started giving way.

I kept ice and kept the knee elevated as told by the physio.And after a few days it got slightly better...