The ACL Repair Blog Firsthand accounts of ACL surgery and recovery

Guess I’m feeling better. It looks like Henry and I haven’t written in awhile. Today, I stopped using my crutch. The Doc said I could have stopped last Tuesday, but I waited until today (Sunday) because most internet info recommends 6-8 weeks of 50% weight for microfracture surgery and tomorrow is 6 weeks. (Other doctors do say 4-6). What I wish the doctor had told me (or the PT) is that I was supposed to be doing 500 leg motions per day (motion machine, leg slides, or stationary bike) for the microfracture to work best. I have been riding the bike for 40 min per day for the last almost 3 weeks but wish I had known earlier. For athletes, they recommend 4-6 hours of stationary bike per DAY! I go crazy after 30 minutes. Oh well, I hope its enough. 

Feels weird to really walk again and I took the better part of the day getting my gait back. While I still have pain, this is the least pain I have had in my knee since September when I hurt it. Not bad. Seems that the worst of the early recovery (especially hamstring) is behind me now. Except that I still have a numb area about 2 inches wide from my knee to my ankle from the nerve damage. But thankfully, the pain there has mostly disappeared. I see the doctor for my 6 week postop on Tuesday so I’ll see what he says. 

I can’t wait to see what new tortures, um, exercises my PT will have for me this week now that I have two legs.

I seem to be doing about the same as I did from my allograft at this point in recovery. But up to now has certainly been worse due to the stress of the hamstring and the nerve issues (from the hamstring cutting). We’ll see if my autograft is stronger. My allograft is good so far (it didn’t tear when my other one did) after 5 years.

Incidentally, my scar from the hamstring hasn’t completely healed because a ball of blood blocked and lodged in a (very) small part of the scar line. While I was looking at this I noticed a small thin piece of dead skin elsewhere on the scar. I pulled but couldn’t get it. I pulled harder and an nearly inch long thread pulled out of my leg (and the hole started bleeding). It wasn’t the same color as my stitches (black) so I have not idea how or why it was left in my leg.