ACL reconstruction- a personal experience

4 months post operation!!!

I have been at the gym now for the past 2 months and slowly getting stronger. I am also doing some agility work on the grass. A month or so ago I tried running on the footpaths around Keith but my knee felt so weak and it hurt! So I have been running on grass as it is a spongier surface and a lot nicer for my knee. I have also started to run laps of the Keith school oval (I can run about 2km- although I am very unfit).

Right knee landing- very stiff and heavy landing. My knee is coming inwards when I land and I am very upright

My knee is still weaker and still occasionally gets sore with running and squats and lunges. Most of my pain is at the front of my knee where my scar is (patella tendon) and also sometimes in my hamstring. This isn't unusual after an operation though so I can manage it. I do know if I have over-done it as it is sore the next day.

Hopping on my right (recent recon) knee- very straight leg and using my calf to push off rather than my quads

I saw Kieran in the gym recently and my current gym exercises are: leg press, hamstring curls, dead lifts, lunges, step ups, squats, scooters (single leg squat), single leg calf raises, a-skipping, stationary bike and bridges on a gym ball.

Kieran also assessed my triple hop test in the clinic. This test involves hopping three consecutive times aiming to get as far as you can. On my left leg I was able to get 4.87m, while on the right leg (most recent surgery) I was only able to get 4.12m.

Landing with left knee. Good knee and hip bend and knee is in line with my foot

It definitely felt easier on the left leg to push off and land. You can see in the photos that I bend my left knee a lot more than the right when I land. I was initially a bit apprehensive when Kieran asked me to hop as I wasn't sure if I trusted my knee to land properly without pain or injury. However it was fine and I managed well with no pain.