Patellar Tendon Rupture.....

[Penn Q]

Hello All,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am taking any and all progress as positives in my recovery. I am no longer on any pain meds and I am able to stand and actually walk, with partial weight on the injured leg, without the crutches. However, I am afraid to do so. Is this normal? Also, I am forcing myself to remain as positive as I can, given the fact that days seem longer when I sulk in the recliner and flip channels. Today, I actually sat at my desk for about 4 hours and got a little work done and the day moved a lot faster, exactly what I need for the next several weeks.

Again, Thanks everyone.

Penn

[FINFAN3DP]

Rob; I think i found out what you meant about threshold. At pt yesterday could only go to 65% up just 5%. It seems as if I have hit a wall. The knee just gets to that point and can't go any further. I stand with my walker and lift my knee towards the sky like the doc said and it falls to the one spot and won't go any further. The PT guy put me on a bike yesterday. I can't do a full revolution, can only go half way back and quarter way forward. I am now able to do leg lifts from laying on the table now though. He had me do 30 of them and by the last five I was in pain. He says that it should get easier to do it each day, but you wouldn't know it this morning. It seems as if the one pt guy is trying to push me too fast and the other isn't.
They want me to bring my cain as well as my walker on Thursday, but my knee is awfully wobbley with the cain. I mean I can get around with it, but very gingerly compared to the walker. With the walker it seems as if I can walk more naturally then with the cain. I know my doc is big time against any form of limping and with the cain i'm definetly limping. With the walker, not so much, although my mother would disagree. She is worried that the doc is going to hurt me again when I go back on the 13th, but I'm gonna tell him ahead of time he is not going to do to me what he did last time. If he does, I won't go back to him again and will start shopping for a new doc.

My surgery was on 12/18 and it is now 7.5 weeks from surgery. I would like to see everyones guide on weeks and range of motion. Maybe we could keep track by everyone putting the weeks and ROM at the end of their posts. I'm just wondering where I stack up vs. everyone else.

6 weeks 29%
6 weeks +2 days 45%
6 weeks +4 days 60%
7 weeks +1 day 65%

FINFAN:
I'm glad to hear that you and the others are making good progress recovering. Be patient. Whenever you think you are at a new threshold in progress, take a deep breath and give yourself several more weeks to strengthen up some more so you can be sure you are actually there (before pushing for more progress). Even the most aggressive studies I have looked at don't suggest returning to normal activities within the first 6 months. As I mentioned to FredO, my surgeon indicated that I needed 75% on the biodex before I can golf. Don't be disappointed if you end up golfing late summer, fall or even next season. What matters is that you end up golfing when it is safe for you to do so. What is disappointing is returning too soon to activity, screwing things up and never being able to golf again. Be careful and safe. Go with the doc and physio's advice. That's the best we can do.
Rob N.

[Norbert]

Here's my update at 11 weeks post-op.

OS is very happy with progress and has opened brace from 30 degrees to 90 degrees.

I can get 90 degrees ROM quite easily now, so now I need to work on getting beyond that and building the strength very slowly up to the 90 mark.

I have to go back to see the OS in 4 weeks, at which time he says that we can ditch the brace (probably).

Not allowed to swim yet, but I can drive again, so that's a result!

PT session this afternoon. I have lots of ROM exercises designed to get the knee joint moving and to strengthen the quad muscles and stretch out the calf and hams too.

Next PT is in two weeks time, so the next update will be then I suppose.

Hope everyone else is doing OK.

Penn

Just keep positive mate. Things look pretty dark where you are now but you will make progress and it will get better. I am at 11 weeks post-op and am walking normally and well on the road to recovery. It takes time to heal up and then you can get started getting back to normality.

EAL

How are you doing?

Hope it is all going well with you.

I have reached 90 degree ROM without too much trouble. How far are you?

PT has started now and we are aiming to get the leg to 120 degrees ROM while building strength in the current range.

Rob

I asked about Biodex tests today at PT and they said "have you got a machine?". When I said "No", they said "neither have we."

You have to chuckle, don't you.

My aim is to find a Physio. with access to one and get on it.

Take care all

Nick

[FINFAN3DP]

Pen: No sulking allowed! Seriously though, i too fought the depression big time. When I finally came to the realization that I didn't have any control over this, I was much better off. I'm now learning alot of useless knowledge watching History, Discovery, and HGTV all the time. (My wife says if she hears the words "Open Floor Plan" one more time I won't have to worry about the pain in my knee! ) I'm thinking about making a website about RPT and putting our own message board and chat room. What does everyone think?

Also: As a huge Miami Dolphin Fan with a bunch of friends that are Giants fans, I found out today that we have a line on tickets for the Fins/Giants game to be held in London in October. Anyone know of any nice hotels near the stadium??

FIN

Hello All,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am taking any and all progress as positives in my recovery. I am no longer on any pain meds and I am able to stand and actually walk, with partial weight on the injured leg, without the crutches. However, I am afraid to do so. Is this normal? Also, I am forcing myself to remain as positive as I can, given the fact that days seem longer when I sulk in the recliner and flip channels. Today, I actually sat at my desk for about 4 hours and got a little work done and the day moved a lot faster, exactly what I need for the next several weeks.

Again, Thanks everyone.

Penn

[EAL]

Hello everyone,

Nick,

Great to hear about your increased range of motion and driving, that is major! I was a little hesitant last night to increase the brace to 70 degrees, but it felt really good after doing a set of iso quad flex's. Moving around a lot better today and did another set this morning. Of course that first one after breakfast is really stiff. Now its hours later and I have been able to sit on the sofa and flex it to about 50 degrees (still not really confident on the sitting, but I am trying a bit more everyday) I am scheduled to see my OS next Tuesday, February 13 and prayerfully I will be able to start PT within a few days after seeing him.

Finfan,

There will be better days than others. 5% is still an increase and you are almost 8 weeks post op. Each day that passes is another day of healing and it decreases the chances of rerupture. Of course this is easier said than done, as you see I wrote above still not "confident in sitting" I will say that I have confidently increased the dumbbell weight of the upper body workout I have been doing since about 4 weeks post op. I have not been given the A OK from my doc to do leg raises so all I am doing is the iso flex's and sitting and bending for about 30 seconds at a time.

I am all for the website.

As far as range of motion goes at

5 weeks 30%
6 weeks 50%
7 weeks (tomorrow) approx 70%

As always God bless you all and keep your head up, this too will pass.

EAL

[FredO]

I am not familiar with the percentage (%) measurements that are being discussed. My PT uses a protractor with 90 degrees as the starting point.

The second session of PT today helped me get to 105 degrees ROM. After that he had me on the stationary bike for 20 minutes of activity. That activity took almost 50 minutes to accomplish, but I made it to completion.

I would support the web site !

Thanks for your support.

Fred O.

[tmalilay77]

hey guys, i havn't been on here for a while since my last post. last time i posted something in here.. i was still in my cast w/ 1 1/2 weeks left.. since them i have had the cast taken off, 2nd surgery to take out the wire implanted in my knee last week, and just started rehab this past monday and my next session is tomorrow. As far as ROM, i have no clue how far i am.. but during my first session i wasn't really able bend the knee at all. i worked on the knee all day at home, and was able to get it at about 80 degree's but thats forcing it. moving it on my own would probably be close to 50%. i am able to walk w/ no crutches now, but i do have a slight limp. the leg is still kinda straight when i walk but thats kind of expected. I can bend it slightly while walking.. but you feel the knee tighten up at a certain point. its tough and realized how long this journey is going to be. but hopefully w/ patience i can get through this.
as for everyone else, i hope your progress is going as planned or earlier. and i agree with the website and chat you're planning on making. and all the newly crippled people who are viewing this website, your not alone, dont let the depression get to you, accidents happen, and we have no control on what happen. all we can do is stay positive and strive to heal and progress as fast and safely as we can. keep doing your PT guys, we all know how fun that is.. hahahahahaha

-T

[FINFAN3DP]

Ok everyone. I have started the site. Check it out and let me know what you think. www.rpt.homestead.com Remember, it's only a start. Let me know what you would like to see added. I'm currently in search of a good free forum for it and will let everyone know when it is done. It has the chat room already up and running. We should schedule a time to chat.

[dazza]

hello all.

just thought id get back in here and vent my bordom a little.
had my first post op visit with the doc yesterday, 1 week after the operation. personally i felt it to be a complete waste of time as i had to drive for 2 hours to get there then sit in the waiting room for2 hours only to get in to see the doctor and have him look at my staples and tell me to come back in 3 weeks.
So it seems as if here in australia things are similar to what they are in the states as far as rehab times go, from what ive been reading here.
Thanks finfan for starting the website, i look forward to maybe chatting to some of you in there in the future, would be good to talk to someone who knows what im going thru and get some tips and advice

oh well, got 3 weeks on the couch now so im sure ill be posting again soon

dazza

[Norbert]

Hi Guys

I tried adding my progress chart as a signature, but although it adds it, the posts don't show it. I think the forum administrator must have disabled signatures from posts.

Anyway, here's the info. for me:-

RPT 21 Nov 06
Surgical repair 22 Nov 06
Full cylinder - leg in extension until 17 Jan 07
17 Jan 07 Cast removed - leg in brace, locked at 30 degrees until 7 Feb 07
19 Jan 07 - 35 deg ROM
27 Jan 07 - 70 deg ROM
7 Feb 07 - 90 deg ROM

Fin - great work with the website. I'll e-mail you my pics to add!

Take care all

Nick