ACL Replacement Finally On Track

[skiki]

My PT has been saying all along that I'm "ahead of the curve" and thinks that mid January would be a reasonable goal for easy runs, which also happens to be the 8 month mark. But my ortho seems to have a set protocol of a full year before skiing, regardless. Let's just say that I was not a happy camper when I left his office yesterday after my 2 month follow up.

Hard to think about winter conditioning with the temps TX has been having. Hope the inspection went well.

 

[PisteOff]

My PT has been saying all along that I'm "ahead of the curve" and thinks that mid January would be a reasonable goal for easy runs, which also happens to be the 8 month mark. But my ortho seems to have a set protocol of a full year before skiing, regardless. Let's just say that I was not a happy camper when I left his office yesterday after my 2 month follow up.

Hard to think about winter conditioning with the temps TX has been having. Hope the inspection went well.

The house is under contract and we close on the 10th with a free 5 day leaseback. Suzanne has been in Vegas since the 24th looking at homes. We will be signing a lease agreement today. We’re going to lease for a year and take our time looking for a home to purchase. So I’ve transitioned from working on the house to packing up the house since she left. I’m about 55%-60% complete. I don’t expect to start any real conditioning regimen until the end of August now. Things are moving fast. Knee feels good. We hired a moving company so I didn’t have to carry everything in and out of the back of a truck and up and down stairs etc.. I’m considering the purchase of a power pass as well as the Ikon as it will give me unlimited days at Lee Canyon (50 minute drive) and Brian Head (3 hour drive). I also still plan on making my annual Taos trips so power pass days at Supapu and Pajarito would definitely be on the menu. Could even make the side trip up to Purgatory for Power Pass days there as well. That’s 5 mountains I’ve never skied. Sounds better the more I think about it.

 

[PisteOff]

It’s been awhile since I’ve revisited this thread. I am exactly 27 weeks post op. We’re all moved and settled into Vegas now. I’ve made considerable changes to my diet and spent a few weeks in the garage doing basic exercise (push-ups, squats, etc) and some dumbbell work (light weight 15-30lb). I’ve lost 20 lbs. I started exercising and quickly found out that I was the weakest I had ever been in my entire adult life. Shoulder and knee injuries, retirement, surgery, and a rough bout of Covid and a nasty UTI really wasted me away. I had stopped working out just prior to @ChunderBlunder leaving for the USAF which is roughly a year and an half ago. After a few weeks in the garage I purchased a gym membership here and I’m working out 5 days a week. I’m very happy to report that the knee is perfectly stable and I have no pain in the joint. Even the meniscus related pain has subsided. Muscle mass and strength is returning rapidly. Resting and walking heart rates are dropping, breathing rates are down, O2 levels are up. HRV and VO2 are trending up. My next move is to address dental issues I’ve delayed for years. So overall everything is trending in the right direction. Looking forward to a great ski season.

 

[Tricia]

It’s been awhile since I’ve revisited this thread. I am exactly 27 weeks post op. We’re all moved and settled into Vegas now. I’ve made considerable changes to my diet and spent a few weeks in the garage doing basic exercise (push-ups, squats, etc) and some dumbbell work (light weight 15-30lb). I’ve lost 20 lbs. I started exercising and quickly found out that I was the weakest I had ever been in my entire adult life. Shoulder and knee injuries, retirement, surgery, and a rough bout of Covid and a nasty UTI really wasted me away. I had stopped working out just prior to @ChunderBlunder leaving for the USAF which is roughly a year and an half ago. After a few weeks in the garage I purchased a gym membership here and I’m working out 5 days a week. I’m very happy to report that the knee is perfectly stable and I have no pain in the joint. Even the meniscus related pain has subsided. Muscle mass and strength is returning rapidly. Resting and walking heart rates are dropping, breathing rates are down, O2 levels are up. HRV and VO2 are trending up. My next move is to address dental issues I’ve delayed for years. So overall everything is trending in the right direction. Looking forward to a great ski season.

Very cool! Glad to hear you're taking charge of your health.

 

[Garcia]

Hope the recovery is going well. I had my ACL done about 2 weeks after you due to an irresponsible boarder blowing me up in Feb. I plan on getting in day 1 later this month. My Ortho (ex US Ski team doc) says I will be fine as long as I stick to groomers the first month, but my PT wants me to wait until Jan and wear a brace. I have been lifting, jumping, running, etc so feeling confident.

 

[James]

My Ortho (ex US Ski team doc) says I will be fine as long as I stick to groomers the first month, but my PT wants me to wait until Jan and wear a brace.

What is the doc’s opinion on hard external braces after acl repair these days?

 

[PisteOff]

Hope the recovery is going well. I had my ACL done about 2 weeks after you due to an irresponsible boarder blowing me up in Feb. I plan on getting in day 1 later this month. My Ortho (ex US Ski team doc) says I will be fine as long as I stick to groomers the first month, but my PT wants me to wait until Jan and wear a brace. I have been lifting, jumping, running, etc so feeling confident.

Thanks. I’m 30 weeks post op. I’m working out 5-6 days a week. 2-3 of those days are leg workouts. It took me awhile to balance out my quads. The surgery side was 20-30% weaker than its counterpart. Hams/Glutes/Calves had little difference. So it took me awhile to balance out. I’ve no fear of skiing on this knee at all. My doc (Ortho for the Dallas Stars) said 100% in 8 months. I’m just a couple weeks away from that. I also doubt he expected me to work so hard at it. I may wear a sleeve on it while skiing. We’re a week away from opening day at Brian Head. Getting stoked.

Best of luck.

 

[OSD]

@PisteOff, @Tom Inca, @OSD and any others with recent ACL reconstruction, what are your respective orthos saying about skiing this coming season?

Ortho says 9 months but I'm going to use @PisteOff's doc's recommendation of 8 months. If I subtract a month in reckless defiance then I can start two weeks ago! Maybe I'll try a wrod this week.

 

[PisteOff]

Ortho says 9 months but I'm going to use @PisteOff's doc's recommendation of 8 months. If I subtract a month in reckless defiance then I can start two weeks ago! Maybe I'll try a wrod this week.

I’m just waiting for a little more terrain to open up. I’ve never enjoyed the early season white ribbon of death. The video out of Mammoths opening weekend was literally terrifying! Like that Visa commercial. Will likely get out on a weekday post Thanksgiving for my first turns of the season. Either Brian Head or Mt. Rose. We’re heading to Mammoth for Christmas. Keep up the snow dances!!

 

[OSD]

I’ve never enjoyed the early season white ribbon of death.

I usually enjoy Copper's, but not today. Ventured out around 12:30 and it was icy, bumpy, and crowded with crazies...not a good doctor's orders-defying test lab. I did one very sketchy run and got the hell out of there, thankfully uninjured. I did notice some knee soreness walking on pavement in ski boots both before and after the run. No soreness at all walking on snow.

 

[PisteOff]

I usually enjoy Copper's, but not today. Ventured out around 12:30 and it was icy, bumpy, and crowded with crazies...not a good doctor's orders-defying test lab. I did one very sketchy run and got the hell out of there, thankfully uninjured. I did notice some knee soreness walking on pavement in ski boots both before and after the run. No soreness at all walking on snow.

Still too early lol. Walking in ski boots should not have any real impact on your ACL. Meniscus or other cartilage most likely or arthritis or spurs. I have a small spur and a little arthritis is mine. With the workouts I’ve been doing I’ve only experienced minor soreness in the knees. No swelling.

 

[PisteOff]

Ok, first couple days on snow update…….

Went up to Brian Head for a couple days this week. It’s early season so they’re only 40% open. Mostly blue and green groomers on man made but enough of it is open to spread out mid-week attendance so that the experience was enjoyable.

The knee is literally the best it’s been since my teen years when I first blew it up motocross racing. I spent (and continue to do so) a lot of time in the gym working up to this. Workouts run between 45-90 minutes. Focus has been legs/core but I am doing a total body regimen.

The past few years by the end of a long day on the mountain my knee would be hot and swelling. I would be somewhere between ache and pain. No lack of stability at all. In recent years I would have tracking issues in my left leg when the ski wasn't pressured. A weightless left ski was dangerous because my knee was then able to slop around. A lot of my worst pain came powder skiing. I just couldn’t keep enough pressure in the joint to immobilize the slop. Last year it was so bad it was downright dangerous. @Tricia noticed it immediately last year at Snowbird.

Anyway, I spent two days at Brian Head. I really pushed myself. My conditioning held up great and so did my knee. No aches, no pain, no swelling, and most importantly no slop in the unweighted state. I had a tiny bit of stiffness in the knee this morning but I get that the day following a hard leg day in the gym. I have some arthritis in the joint so it is to be expected. There’s also nothing the surgery could do to fix the 56 years of cartilage wear and lost meniscus. I’ll happily take it. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome so far. I’ve yet to get into the bumps and heavy chop where it will really be tested but all initial impressions are really really good.

 

[PisteOff]

Ok, post Christmas/New Years ski trip update. 6 ski days over a 9 day period. Everything was good after day one of skiing 8-16” of slightly heavy powder and chop. A tiny bit of meniscus discomfort that went away after a few hours. After day two I had some fluid above the knee cap and some swelling and soreness in the muscle band right behind the knee. Compression sleeve removed the fluid in a matter of hours. Swelling subsided mostly but there was a little stiffness. Now let it be known that this was the hardest charging two days of skiing that @ChunderBlunder and I have ever done together. We charged steep off piste terrain non stop for two days. It was the most fun I’ve ever had skiing. Given the swelling, etc. we took the next day off.

Days 3 and 4 provided swelling and soreness in the muscle band behind the knee. No more fluid appeared. Took a day off. I wasn’t happy with the fit in my S/Lab’s. The connection to the ski wasn’t tight enough so I switched to my XPro 120’s for days 5 and 6. I switched to the SLabs a few years ago because they’re just so damn light. It was a mistake. The fit on the XPros is impeccable. I had them done in Park City a number of years ago. What a difference. Day 6 we went bell to bell and couldn’t believe the day was over. We spent the day chasing bump runs. Less slop and vibration in the boot benefitted my skiing, confidence, comfort, and my knee. I still had the issues in the muscle band in the back of the knee but it was reduced. My overall fatigue was reduced. That swelling behind the knee has now turned into a knot at the top of my calf. I’m going to talk to a knee specialist here. It has to be a rehab issue that isn’t being addressed in a normal leg workout routine. I believe it to be a IT band issue. The knee joint itself has no issues. No pain, no swelling, no stiffness. I get little meniscus twinges of pain but I get them moving around the house. Overall a huge success. I’ll update if I learn anything new about the IT band or whatever other issue may be identified as the culprit.