Hamstring Avulsion (complete tear from pelvis)

[sk8rmom]

Hi there all - I just found this forum. I'm a 48 yo female in Texas, USA. Freakish skateboard accident 3 weeks ago - did the splits going UPHILL. Yikes - initial pain so bad I threw up on my husband's shoes (but that's okay - we're all old punks). Diagnosis is complete avulsion at ischial tuberosity, surgery scheduled 2 weeks from now. What kind of bracing did you have post-surgery? Can you bend at the waist (i.e., sit on the john?). I'm sure my surgeon will answer this question and more, but I'd like to get a sense of the actual real-world inconvenience factor from folks who've lived it.

Thanks in advance!

[Jay M]

Hello all,
Well, I had my 1st surgeon's visit since surgery and my 1st PT session this week. The surgeon said that everything was looking good and said I will not have to see him again for 6 weeks. The PT initiated PROM of my hip and knee with the brace off. This made me a little nervous, but I trust him since he has treated many hamstring avulsion cases before. He was able to get my hip flexion to 80 degrees before I started to feel an uncomfortable pull. In addition, I started initiating PROM knee using a strap. Friday will mark two weeks and I'll be allowed to put 25% of my weight on the leg. I'm having a little bit of tingling in the foot when bearing weight through the leg. I hope this is because I haven't been bearing weight on the leg for two weeks. Anyone else have this sensation? Well, I just wanted to give an update to everyone. I hope everyone is healing well and enjoying the last few weeks of winter. For me, I'll be glad when spring is here and won't have to worry about slipping on the white stuff! Maybe, I'll move to Florida next year!

Take care,
Jay

[ventued]

Hi Jay:

I'm envious of both your surgery and your speedy entry into PT. There's something to be said of a correct diagnosis and a quick repair (and I'm guessing youth added into the equation) My surgery was over two years post injury, so the muscle was held on by scar tissue which also pulled in my sciatic. That said, it was Braceland for six weeks followed by two weeks of nothing but bending my knee. PT began 8 weeks post op for me. The good news is that after 3 weeks of PT I am at 80% ROM and am able to put full weight on the leg. I'm now working on strengthening the leg and improving my balance. Today I signed up for the NYC Marathon lottery so I have a goal to focus on.

It sounds like you've had some peaks and valleys, but overall, you're doing great. Keep up the good work!

Ed

[I Fell]

Hi Jay,
Glad things are progressing well. It appears that your PT is a little more agressive than mine was. I
started PT 2 weeks post op like you but my initial PT was PROM for hip and knee with the brace on. I moved to 25% weight bearing after my 2 week consult with the surgeon. I had no tingling. I am back to all normal activity with no pain and the same degree of flexibility as my other leg.

Heal well

[I Fell]

Ed
Glad you are doing well. It's graet you have the NYM as a goal. While I never was a distance runner I have no problem doing a 5 mile areobic workout on the treadmill and that was 12 weeks after the operation. You will come back quickly now.

Heal well

[Jay M]

Ed,
You are very right. A speedy and correct diagnosis makes all the difference. Any scar tissue will definitly complicate things. Fortunately in my case, I knew what I did immediately and pressed my doc for an MRI ASAP. In addition, having a orthopedic surgeon who has done a lot of these also makes a difference. However, it sounds like you are well on your way now. I am still amazed that you were able to run marathons void of a hamstring! I really don't think that I could have done that. I had difficulty walking let alone running. I do feel very fortunate that I have the brace that I do. Although, it can still be a pain in the ass, it appears to be a lot more managable than the others. Hang in there, Ed... Soon this will all be a bad memory and you will be well on your way to winning the NYM!

Take care,
Jay

[Jay M]

Sk8rmom,
Sorry about your injury. The good news is that you received a correct diagnosis soon after your injury. That makes a huge difference, since scar tissue can be very problematic down the road. I just had the surgery about two weeks ago and can tell you a little about what to expect. First of all, there is a wide array of different rehab protocols after surgery. So, your surgeon may have a totally different approach than mine. For me, after surgery I was fitted with a brace that went around my waist and went down to my knee. The hip is locked at 30 degrees of flexion and the knee has no limitations. However, other braces used by surgeons will have the knee locked at 90 degrees with the hip locked at 30 degrees. I really hope that your sugeon uses the one that I have because it is considerably more comfortable and manageable. You will likely be unable to bear weight on the leg for a period of time determined by your surgeon. PT is another component of rehab that will vary greatly among surgeo protocols. I would ask about all these questions before surgery to prepare yourself. I would be lying if I said it has been easy since surgery. However, a few tips I got n this site has been hugely valuable. First, a raised toilet seat helped me out a lot. Since your brace will likely lock your hip at 30 degrees, going on a regular toilet is very difficult. In addition, the inscision location makes going to the bathroom quite difficult. Baby wipes will become your best friend. Advice I obtaned from the good people here. I was also lucky enough to get a shower chair, which has been a valuable tool. Even to place near the bathroom sink to get washed up. There is an excellent article by Dr. Cohen and Dr. Bradley from Tomas Jefferson University, linked on this forum, which spells out exactly how the surgery will go. I strongly recommend reading it. Unfortunately, as I already said, the rehab protocol might be different for you based on your surgeons perspective. I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Bradley operate on me. Well, I hope this was helpful and I'll look back in the forum to find the actual link for that article. Keeping involved with this forum has helped me out a lot through the process. Good luck with the surgery and I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
Jay

[Jay M]

Sk8trmom,
The article is located on posting #147 provided by my friend I fell. He also was lucky enough to have on of theses surgeons operate on him. I hope this is helpful for you.

Regards,

Jay

[Hannah]

I am so glad I found this forum. What I am really interested in is info about the logistics of life with the brace and crutches:
Did you all spend time the first week or two in a regular bed, or have a hospital bed?
Special pillows, like wedges? Did you buy them? I thought I saw one post say the hospital sent her home with pillows.
How did you deal with stairs? My bedroom is upstairs - should I plan on relocating downstairs for a while?
Any special implements that were useful? Like grabbers to help put on clothes or pick things up?
Any good adjustable bedside tables, or not really necessary?
Anybody find a good setup for using a laptop in bed?
Medically my case is unique. My injury occurred 43 years ago, when I was 16, doing gymnastics. In those days, treatment was 2 weeks of bed rest and then 6 weeks of crutches. The tendon reattached fine, but as I eventually discovered, with a bony hook at insertion. I might have been fine if it were not for a career as a professional dancer (abandoned as pain appeared) and a continuing very active lifestyle, always working around the pain. It has gotten worse in recent years, and current MRI shows a bone chip actually encased in the tendon. Lord knows what other bone & other debris they will find when they go in. They will be peeling my tendon off the ischial tuberosity, cleaning out whatever they find, and reattaching, so I will be starting to heal as though it were a fresh injury.
So you guys are all kind of lucky that your injuries occurred in these days of reattachment surgery!

[floridalin]

I've been told I need surgery for a complete avulsion of my right hamstring, but I'm having trouble finding a surgeon who has done this before. I'm in Florida. Anyone have any suggestions?