heartandsole
19-09-2006, 05:13 AM
I stumbled onto this site searching for updated info regarding patella tendon surgury and rehab. I did not realize there was a site like this. I wish I had this available to me 14 years ago. I have always been athletic and active, weightlifting, karate, running, cycling, football, baseball. Other thans a sprained ankle playing baseball, I have never been ingured playing sports, this includes several bad competitive bike crashes at speeds over 25 mph, just get up and get back on the bike other than road rash that was it, never a broken bone or pulled muscle. Then it happened, my son and I were moving boxes onto a trailer on a cool damp morning. As I walked up the trailer ramp holding a heavy box, my lfeet slipped ou from under me and I landed with my left leg under my butt and I felt a tremendous amount of pain like I had never had before not to mention the loud POP. I thought I had broken my leg as I looked down a saw a large piece of bone(my patella) hanging over the side of my knee. I was lucky after a 30 min. ambulance ride I was already greeted by an old classmate from high school who was now the best Ortho surg. within a hundred miles. After x-rays he could tell my quad tendon had completely ripped away from my patella. within 3 hrs I was in surgury This is amazing to me now because on several of my follow-up visits it took up to 3 hours just to see the Doc. When I woke up after surgury I was in a cast from my ankle to my butt. There is not one good thing about this experience. At that time this injury seemed rare because the Doc who has been a surgurn for at least 14 years had only seen 2 previous cases. This was before most people had computers much less the internet so I had ziltch info regarding this kind of injury and I think my Doc had a lack of info as well. I was in a cast for three weeks and then a brace for another 3-4 weeks before starting any kind rehab. After 4 weeks of rehabbing I started my on rehab using my bike on a indoor trainer and a Schwinn airdyne which I just happened to stock and sell at my bike and fitness shop. Setting the seat as high as I could within reach of the pedal using only my toes slowly cranked out a few revolutions. I did this at home, work, and at the gym after weeks and weeks I was finally able ride at a good clip and of course I was able to lower and lower my saddle to my normal height, After about 4-5 months I was back outside on the bike getting stronger and stronger. After 10 months I was back to my pre injury fitness. My left quad never seemed to be able to get back to it original size. That was 1992 flash to 2001 I'm running on the beach having a great time when the great incident happened. I was running to catch a frisby when my left leg goes in a hole in the sand and you guessed it POP. This time it takes several days before I have surgury. Same injury same Doc same surgury but this time I even tore my patella tendon and completly tore away my quad tendon for the second time. So this time I wake up and have a brace on with a ice and water cooling system going all the time. But after 3 days the Doc put me in a cast for 3 weeks before going to the brace. Since I had more time to plan this surgury it was quite a big diference in the way I handled it. I had more time to take care of my business obligations which I had no chance to do my first ordeal. I had a computer this time and about 200 tv stations which I did not mention during the first ordeal I had only about 3 channels as well as no such thing as a computer at the time of my first surgury so I handled it better the second time around SOOOO now I have done it again this time my right leg very similar to my first complete quad rupture another moving accident. Feet got tangled up moving a treadmill at work, landed with right leg under butt-- loud POP looked downed after saying a few expletive words and knew right what it was as I saw my right patella danglin. Its been 4 weeks and even though I am almost 15 years older this has been the easiest to go thru, I am using my brace which I had from day one instead of a cast. This allows me to ice my leg which I have done every day several times a day I believe all the icing this time has made it more comfortable and healing a lot faster than the first two. I can already get around on one crutch after four weeks where it took about six weeks last time. I asked My Doc, yes the same Doc why he thought I kept having this crazy things and he may have a point. Since my first accident 15 years ago he has seen this injury many times maybe because a lot of us boomers are much more active which means more ingury, Doc thinks it has something to do with fast twitch muscles which I have and many of his more recent patients many who are African American tend to have. I am white but always had better sprint speed than most of my friends, He thinks because the muscle fibers are thicker they break easier than slower twitch muscles. Who knows? I know that I hope and pray that this is my last surgury. At least the treatment is getting easier to deal with. All my rehabs have been the same bike bike bike stretch stretch stretch. Regards, when you get well just get out there and have fun because you have been thru enough.