First of all, let me apologize for not doing an 8 month post. Life tends to get in the way of things. But at least that means my knee is not holding me back from living it. I'm at 9 months now and I'll try to catch you up.
In the 2 months since my last post, I have not noticed much improvement or difference in my recovery. I've found myself asking the questions "is this as good as it gets? Am I still going to see improvements down the road?"
To sum things up, here are the things I still cannot do:
- Run
- Jump
- One leg squats
- Climb stairs without discomfort or weakness
Here is what I can do now:
- Walk 2 miles at 1730 min mile pace on the treadmill
- Front squats with 20 lbs
- Lunges with 5 lbs in each hand
- Descend stairs normally
- Unrestricted biking and elliptical
- Rowing machine
- Any weight machines in the gym expect leg extension (I heard this puts a lot of stress on the knee so I don't do it)
Issues I'm Still Having:
Weakness: My operated leg is still much weaker than the right leg though I workout 5 times a week. I can still see lack of definition in my quads when I compare it to my right leg. Sometimes when I walk it locks and gives out, then I stumble. This usually happens after I've had a tough workout. I think it's due to muscle fatigue. It usually takes me by surprise and scares me a little but I have no additional pain when it happens.
Pain: While I don't have a lot of discomfort, I still feel pain in the area of the graft. I wonder if this will ever go away. I feel it when I try to do a one leg squat or do step ups. Running is still out of the question because of this. One of my big questions is why am I still feeling this? Is it because the graft is still hardening or is it because the graft has worn away? I saw my surgeon last at 5 months post op. He said I didn't need to come back unless I was having issues after a year. At that point I could get an MRI to see what's going on. I will definitely be going back to see what he says if I feel the same 3 months from now.
Popping/Cracking: So this has gotten significantly better. I still feel popping but it's almost like a release and it feels good. But my PT said she's never heard someone's knee make noises like that post op so that was discouraging. But then again, she has never heard of ACI until me.
Things That Have Gotten Better:
Stability: My leg feels much more stable and I'm confident when I'm doing squats and lunges. I think this is a result of building my strength back.
Stairs: I am now to the point where I can go down stairs normally without hanging onto the handrail for dear life. Going up stairs I don't need to use the handrail but I have to concentrate and make sure my quad is flexed and my knee is tracking straight.
Walking: I'm really starting to pick up the pace on the treadmill. My PT says we should try to work toward fast walking and hopefully be able to transition to run at some point. So I'm working toward walking 2 miles at 15 min mile pace over the next 2 months.
Overall Impressions at this Point:
I had no idea at 9 months I'd still be struggling with pain in the graft area and muscle weakness. It is also still surprising to me how slow and incremental the recovery is. For instance, my experience with stairs has been characterized as slow but gradual improvement since 3 months post op. I am wondering when I will reach my "peak" of recovery and when I will stop seeing improvements. I hope that it is not now because I would be disappointed at the results of the surgery if this is as good as it gets. In hindsight, I wish I had a PT who had experience working with ACI patients because she can't answer my questions so we're sort of figuring this out together.
*On another note, thank you everyone for all the comments and encouragement. It helps to hear how others are fairing after this surgery. I wish you all the best and will continue to post and look forward to reading about your experiences.
