Knee reconstruction

[BeesKneesAreBetterThanMine]

Anyone any experiences?
Taking a tendon to replace knee ligament. Things I should know? Places I should (or shouldn't!) look for info? Tips for recovery?

No one?

Hi OP

I had a ACL reconstruction using one of my hamstrings in 2010. It's been fine since. Had a small keyhole cartilage clean the year after but I don't think that was anything to do with the original op tbh and all ok since.

It's a long recovery. I was in hospital for 4 days and had 6 weeks off work. However - it's not 'horrific' so please don't be scared - it's uncomfortable- they put me on a machine at night that kept flexing my leg - that was fun! Where I had my hamstring removed was very badly bruised.

Tips for recovery are painkillers and a mixture of not doing too much but keeping it moving - but they will keep you under a physio so they will tell you what to do.

Thank you Greyhound. Did you also have a meniscus repair or removal?

I've had an MPFL due to many dislocations. I can play sports now and am a lot less worried about moving around in general, however my knee does get sore during exercise. I'm not sure whether this is due to permanent damage and a bit of arthritis due to some many dislocations though. Best person to speak to is a knee specialist

DD is 15 and had an MPFL for an unstable patella last September. She found it incredibly painful for the first few weeks, but once she was able to have the brace removed and start on physio she has improved tremendously. She was off crutches early this year, and in recent weeks has started using the stairs instead of the lift at school.

Her consultant told us that it would be a good year before she regained full mobility, but she is already so much better than she was beforehand - she was even jumping at her last physio session!

She has no regrets about having it done, she really didn’t expect it to make such a difference to her life. She does have a numb patch on the side of her lower leg which is where the hamstring was taken from, but she says that is a a small price to pay to be able to trust her knee again.