6 Months Post-Op Summary
- Ran 4 miles the other day, longest run yet!
- Icing and/or applying oils to my knee at least 1x a day
- Tapering my physical therapy appointments from 1x a week… to maybe 1x a month!
- Behind my knee, there is this really weird feeling. I first noticed it last week – its when I am putting some weight on my new acl leg, bending it then straightening it – it sort of feels like the ligament or muscle is getting stuck over something. It doesn’t hurt, but you can feel it when touching behind the knee. My PT said to give it time, it will eventually go away. Has this happened to anyone else?
- A lot of pivot/cutting work done in PT. This is helping my confidence in running, stopping, pivoting without thinking. A lot of quick, short movements. I am exhausted and soaked in sweat after every PT appointment, its great! I am feeling very confident with my movements, and less afraid my knee will give out on me.
- Still a little swelling in my knee, it comes and goes. I can sit back on my heels, but only a little further than that – think Fixed Firm Pose, or Supta-Vajrasana (see picture below – no, it is not me!). I can attempt to go into this pose, but my left knee just doesn’t have the flexibility like my right knee yet.
PT Exercises/Workouts (new exercises bolded)
- Elliptical at the beginning of my workouts to warm up, 5 minutes
- Run 1/2 mile on treadmill for – 7-8 speed
- One-legged ladder work like this and this and this. Complete down and back
- TRX band – side jumps: stand on left leg, jump to left of left leg onto right foot, at an angle. Jump back. Repeat on right side. 5 each side, 2 sets
- TRX band – one-legged squat jumps, alternating between hopping on right and left leg –10, 2 sets
- TRX band – one-legged squat jumps to the side – 10, 2 sets
- Agility work: shuffle around 5 cones, run to first cone directly in front of cones. Stop & pivot diagonally across court, then do 1 legged jumps over raised markers set up on the ground. Run to another cone directly in front of markers – stope & pivot, running back to the original 5 cones. Repeat 2x – 4 set of 2
- 4 markers set up on ground – stand in middle – jump up on a high box (think box jumps) into a squat, then jump down into a squat. PT calls out color of marker, and I run forward to the marker, then back to middle – about 2-3 minute each time, 3-4 times
- Standing in middle of court, 2 PTs are in front and behind me, holding colored rings. First PT throws colored ring super high into the air, and I run to catch it. As soon as I catch it, then other PT throws the next ring into the air, and I have to run to catch that ring. This was great for running, stopping, cutting, pivoting without really thinking. If I know where I am going, I over think the next move, placement of knee, extc. This helps with being more in the moment, more natural sports-related movements as if I was playing basketball, soccer, etc. Repeat 3
- Stretching after every workout
- Yoga – everyday for at least 5 minutes
- Running on treadmill or outside for 10-30 minutes 2-3x a week
After a week of yoga, day-long hikes, lots of walking to the beach while in Costa Rica last week, I definitely got in my fair share of workouts. I honestly wish I had tried out surfing – I think my knee could have handled it! Next time I am at the ocean, I will give it a go 🙂
I am excited for my upcoming 4-miler… although I am running around a 9 minute pace, it gives me a challenge that I both love and hate – pushing myself to be faster! I definitely have a love/hate relationship with running. Since I am 6 months post op, I am excited to start more exercises/sports: tennis, TRX, kickboxing… What sport was the best to come back to (or most satisfying) for everyone following an ACL tear?
Hi Nina, I’m 6 months post op and I’ve been running, yoga, barre but it’s all very limited. I have some soreness and pain when I do a lot of squatting and quad workouts which might just be because I’m overdoing it and need to take a break. However my right leg looks like I have chicken legs. Was your like this too? When did your legs not look so drastically different from each other? My right leg is about half the size as my left.
Hi Tania! I am not a doctor, but it seems like you need to work with your physical therapist on strengthening your leg muscles. When I started doing yoga & running again, it was after 2-4 months of intense physical therapy, 2-4 times a week. I spent 1-2 hours every other day doing physical therapy exercises. If your muscles have atrophied, russian stim would help stimulate the muscle(s)… but that would have to be something your physical therapist performs on you. It was probably around the 6 month mark that my legs started to look pretty similar. I am 2.5 years post-op, and the only difference I see now is my vastus medialis is not as big/strong as my other leg. Are you still going to physical therapy? About a year post-surgery, I had runners knee because I had stopped doing cross training. I had to return to physical therapy in order to strengthen my muscles. So maybe go back to the basics before trying to go full-on in a sport? I hope this helps! I completely understand the frustration of recovery! I hope you are able to find your answer/relief!