Patella Tendon Tear

[sean mcgrath]

I have just found out that i have have quite a descent size tear to my patella tendon and may require an operation. Just wondering if any one has had this done and what the recovery time was like?

[Mike Davis]

read some other threads in the knee injuries section. there is some good stories and advice for you.

[Rob N]

Sean:
A complete patellar tendon rupture generally takes approximately one year to fully recover from. My surgery was quite invasive (5.5 inch cut across the front of the knee). The OS took a chunk of my hamstring and reconnected the patellar tendon using the hamstring to reinforce the graft. I have laid out in detail the passive physio (brace, etc) and progress over the first 7 months if you search this website for the "patellar tendon tear" threads.
Make sure you get an MRI done ASAP to get a better handle on the extent of your injury. Surgery should occur no later than the first 6 weeks post injury (repair becomes difficult after this point). The literature seems unanimous that the sooner the surgery is done, the better the outcome. Range of motion is crucial during the rehab stage since the later rebuilding of your quad will only strengthen the leg to the extent that you have ROM. You have to let your quad droop into non-existence for a while (several months) until the graft and restitching of your tendon fully heals. The quad rebuilding is very challenging and generally involves slow and steady improvement over many months. If you can get through the healing stage without ripping out the tendon and do your rehab daily, then you stand an excellent chance of a full recovery. If your tear is partial, then hopefully there is some arthoscopic technique that can help you avoid the longer road noted above. Patience is everything. But you really need a good sports medicine surgeon to ensure that your tendon repair is sound from an anatomical standpoint. Then the burden of recovery falls largely on you.
Milestones for me:
Walking without brace after fully healed tendon - 16 weeks
Cycling flats - 17 weeks
Standing on pedals on hills - After 20 weeks
First 100 mile bike ride on hilly terrain (5.5 hrs) 25 weeks
Climbing and descending stairs without hanging onto stuff - 28 weeks
Rob N
Canada

[kjwilkin]

Hi there,

If you are in Melbourne Julian Feller is a great sports knee surgeon.

Good luck !