Quadriceps Tendon Rupture, Repair and Rehab

[martyg]

Well, Frank, how goes it?

I just passed my 10 months anniversary for surgery. It's amazing how much better everything feels now than it did even a couple of months ago. Far more confident, stairs are so much better, etc.

Lots of ice here, so I'm walking carefully!

That is encouraging!

 

[Old Runner Frank]

Peter, thanks for asking. I'm now eight weeks post-surgery, and coming along OK, but rather slowly. Glad to hear you're doing well at 10 months. Be careful out there!

Martyg, thanks for taking the time to post your regimen. That is truly impressive! I will refer to that frequently as I'm rehabbing.

I was at 80 degrees ROM a week a go, and seem to be stuck at that point. I found a machine at the gym I used to go to that is similar to what we use in PT. It resembles a recumbent bike, but the pedals just go back and forth, instead of around, so I can set it to where my knee is just feeling a little tight at its point of greatest flexion. While I have done a lot of walking, I have not been able to elevate my HR past around 100 or so for the last couple of months. That machine may allow some slight cardio benefit, in addition to flexing and straightening my knee thousands of times.

 

[martyg]

Peter, thanks for asking. I'm now eight weeks post-surgery, and coming along OK, but rather slowly. Glad to hear you're doing well at 10 months. Be careful out there!

Martyg, thanks for taking the time to post your regimen. That is truly impressive! I will refer to that frequently as I'm rehabbing.

I was at 80 degrees ROM a week a go, and seem to be stuck at that point. I found a machine at the gym I used to go to that is similar to what we use in PT. It resembles a recumbent bike, but the pedals just go back and forth, instead of around, so I can set it to where my knee is just feeling a little tight at its point of greatest flexion. While I have done a lot of walking, I have not been able to elevate my HR past around 100 or so for the last couple of months. That machine may allow some slight cardio benefit, in addition to flexing and straightening my knee thousands of times.

My pleasure. I use my indoor trainer as a device for working range of motion. Using one crank arm as a point of leverage, and respecting your range of motion, take so little energy. Making full revolutions at my prescribed seat height now. Dropping the seat height to further work on range of motion now.

Be careful with your affinity towards HR and thousands of reps. You will not be building strength with that approach. Without limited reps to failure, intense workouts, and creating an ideal nutritional environment for cell division,, collagen is not going to lay down in a fashion that will create a robust repair

 

[Ben304]

Checking in. About 4 1/2 months since my repeat R quad tendon rupture repair Apr 6th. Slow but steady recovery. Working it hard daily. Started jogging a couple weeks ago. Ran 1.75 miles at 10:30 min/mile pace this am. Rode bike up and down hills 12 miles hard yesterday, 39 minutes. Working stairs daily. Ok going up but knee stiff and kind of crunches, just makes me nervous. I go down only when really holding onto rail, just very weak. Doing leg presses every other day, can do 100 lbs with R leg going about 90 degrees flexion. Walking well, working on skipping, jump rope, jumping jacks. Swimming laps every Thursday with no leg kicking limitations. ROM good, when I’m loosened up it’s full, heel to glute. Mentally much better. Been riding my dirt bike and catching up on yard work at home and the office. So it’s coming along. Praying for your recoveries! Andy.

First time posting and unfortunately because I'm about 100% sure I re-tore mine today. Had surgery in September and was finally getting around to feeling close to normal, then today happened. Took dog out and slipped weird on some ice, felt and heard tear. Lots of swelling and ER doc drained it some. Ortho appointment tomorrow to confirm but I'm am dreading what I'm pretty sure I'll hear. I hope I have a similar story to yours and that you're continuing to heal well. Andy, did your doctor say if a 2nd / re-tear is typically a more difficult recovery or pretty similar to first? Mentally I don't know how I'm going to get through this again, and hoping it's not a significantly more difficult recovery than the first time around.

 

[martyg]

First time posting and unfortunately because I'm about 100% sure I re-tore mine today. Had surgery in September and was finally getting around to feeling close to normal, then today happened. Took dog out and slipped weird on some ice, felt and heard tear. Lots of swelling and ER doc drained it some. Ortho appointment tomorrow to confirm but I'm am dreading what I'm pretty sure I'll hear. I hope I have a similar story to yours and that you're continuing to heal well. Andy, did your doctor say if a 2nd / re-tear is typically a more difficult recovery or pretty similar to first? Mentally I don't know how I'm going to get through this again, and hoping it's not a significantly more difficult recovery than the first time around.

Ben - would love to know what you find out. I wonder about re injury.

Curious... What has your PT journey been like?

 

[Brad J]

First time posting and unfortunately because I'm about 100% sure I re-tore mine today.

Sorry to hear that, stay strong

 

[Ben304]

Ben - would love to know what you find out. I wonder about re injury.

Curious... What has your PT journey been like?

PT I think went pretty well. Doc had me in brace straight-legged for 6 weeks then gradually start opening up. PT was a lot of exercise bike once I had enough range of motion and some stair activities and working to shallow squats and lunges. It did feel like a lot of 2 steps forward one step back for me.....not like a continuous/linear progression of healing. Healed enough that I started taking short bike rides outside around week 13-14.

 

[peter826]

First time posting and unfortunately because I'm about 100% sure I re-tore mine today. Had surgery in September and was finally getting around to feeling close to normal, then today happened.

Wow, sorry to hear this. Can you extend your leg out in front of you if sitting down? Can you feel a gap between the bottom of the quad and kneecap? Guessing you were around 5-6 months, that's a tough time because it starts to feel normal but isn't completely healed (at least that's what my doc told me).

 

[martyg]

PT I think went pretty well. Doc had me in brace straight-legged for 6 weeks then gradually start opening up. PT was a lot of exercise bike once I had enough range of motion and some stair activities and working to shallow squats and lunges. It did feel like a lot of 2 steps forward one step back for me.....not like a continuous/linear progression of healing. Healed enough that I started taking short bike rides outside around week 13-14.

Best to you. My PT wants me doing full squats with 225 for 8 reps this summer.

 

[Old Runner Frank]

Ben, so sorry to hear of your re-injury. As I went back and read through the 26 pages of this thread, I encountered a number of similar heartbreaking stories. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Saw my doc yesterday for a nine week evaluation. He believes the repair is healing well, that the tendon looks good, and that I have decent strength and stability. He said that my focus now needs to be specifically on recovering range of motion. He explained that I have all the time I need to strengthen, even if it takes a couple of years, but the window for restoring ROM is finite, so I really need to work hard on that over the next 6-7 weeks.
Also, he opened up my brace to 80 degrees, and told me we are going to ditch it in a week. He gave me the green light to go without it around the house, although I have started wearing a compression sleeve to provide some support.

I still don't have enough ROM to use an exercise bike, so I've been using the same reciprocating recumbent bike-like machine at the gym. I have an elliptical trainer at home that I'm considering using, but I have some concerns about stressing the knee while being fully weight-bearing. Anyone have any experience with that?

 

[Ben304]

Wow, sorry to hear this. Can you extend your leg out in front of you if sitting down? Can you feel a gap between the bottom of the quad and kneecap? Guessing you were around 5-6 months, that's a tough time because it starts to feel normal but isn't completely healed (at least that's what my doc told me).

Yeah was just about starting to feel normal, but I suppose I let my guard down because of that. MRI confirmed re-tear and surgery scheduled for tomorrow. I think when I (hopefully) get back to feeling pretty normal months from now 2nd time around, I'm going to be in some kind of stability brace whenever I go outside for a very long time.

 

[martyg]

Yeah was just about starting to feel normal, but I suppose I let my guard down because of that. MRI confirmed re-tear and surgery scheduled for tomorrow. I think when I (hopefully) get back to feeling pretty normal months from now 2nd time around, I'm going to be in some kind of stability brace whenever I go outside for a very long time.

Oh man!!! So sorry. If it is any consolation to you, your situation makes me be even more diligent.

 

[martyg]

I have an elliptical trainer at home that I'm considering using, but I have some concerns about stressing the knee while being fully weight-bearing. Anyone have any experience with that?

Ask your PT.

 

[peter826]

Yeah was just about starting to feel normal, but I suppose I let my guard down because of that. MRI confirmed re-tear and surgery scheduled for tomorrow. I think when I (hopefully) get back to feeling pretty normal months from now 2nd time around, I'm going to be in some kind of stability brace whenever I go outside for a very long time.

That's really rough. I slipped on ice yesterday and fell while out walking, banged the side of the repaired knee on the way down, but everything seems ok. I'm closing in on 11 months post surgery, but still not at 100% strength. I'm going to get some spikes for my shoes, just don't want to risk another fall. I used hiking poles on tricky terrain up until a couple of months ago. Might get those back out again as well.

Good luck with the surgery, and let us know how it goes. There was a poster about a year back (Andy?) who had re-torn his quad, but it was some years later. Maybe check around page 20-21 of the thread.

 

[Ben304]

Well...2nd surgery yesterday and surgeon said it went well - he said able to make a good repair with what is there (as opposed to incorporating some cadaver achilles tendon which he said they'd have on-hand in case needed. Yeesh....). Home later that day and starting....again....the long road to recovery. Wish me luck, as both my body and mind will need it! Maybe straight-legged in brace 8 weeks this time instead of 6 he said. Praying for time to fly by somehow.

 

[martyg]

Well...2nd surgery yesterday and surgeon said it went well - he said able to make a good repair with what is there (as opposed to incorporating some cadaver achilles tendon which he said they'd have on-hand in case needed. Yeesh....). Home later that day and starting....again....the long road to recovery. Wish me luck, as both my body and mind will need it! Maybe straight-legged in brace 8 weeks this time instead of 6 he said. Praying for time to fly by somehow.

I binged Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Warning: It may motivate you to purchase a really fast sports car.

 

[Old Runner Frank]

Ben, my heart goes out to you. I can't begin to fathom the mental strength required to get through a re-injury. From my two months of rehabbing, I would offer the following:

Know that the post-surgical pain will subside within a few days.
Try hard to stay patient and take it a day at a time.
Stay physically active in whatever way you can.
Make a list of projects you want to accomplish, books you want to read, shows you want to watch.
Appreciate each small victory or milestone you accomplish, knowing each one is a step closer to recovery.

Please post your progress here. I sincerely hope it goes well for you.

 

[Old Runner Frank]

I hate to be the only one posting here, but perhaps I can prime the pump and get some discussion going.

I'm closing in on 11 weeks post-op this week. My knee feels strong and stable, but I continue to be very cautious, particularly outdoors. I have continued to do a lot of walking, which while probably not therapeutic for the knee, is very enjoyable, providing a substitute (temporary, I hope), for my running.

I'm still at PT three days a week, with strength and mobility work on my own in between. I also recently added acupuncture, hoping that will help to loosen things up. I'm currently at about 100 degrees ROM, but at the endpoint, it feels like I hit a wall. I've been working hard to push through it. I went a half hour on our elliptical trainer this morning for the first time, and unlike when I tried it a couple of weeks ago, the discomfort was manageable, and seemed to dissipate after awhile.

Hope everyone is doing well. Please post your progress here.

 

[peter826]

You're at 11 weeks, I'm at 11 months. I continue to feel more normal every day. Walking hasn't changed much, but stairs get easier and easier. I was just on a trip to Michigan, clambering around on ice (wearing crampons), climbing frozen sand dunes, stuff like that. I found that I can lead with my bad leg and put all my weight on it when climbing now, something I hadn't done before.

I haven't been to the gym in months so whatever strength gains I've gotten have been through everyday use. With Covid cases plummeting in my area, I'm hoping to get back into the gym for some leg presses soon.

Frank, out of curiosity, did they measure your good knee for flexibility to give you a target, and how far off of that are you?

 

[Old Runner Frank]

Peter, glad to hear you're doing so well! Happy for you, and encouraging news for those of us still on the mend.

I've only been going to the gym to use the reciprocating recumbent machine that resembles a bike. I've tried to ride the exercise bicycles, but can't go all the way around yet. Felt pretty good on the elliptical trainer the last couple of days. I've been doing my continued strength training, mostly upper body and core, at home.

To answer your question, my good knee was just past 135 degrees, so I've got about 35 degrees to go in the next 4-5 weeks. I've been a little surprised at how incremental the gains are, and how difficult they are to obtain.
Were you able to regain full ROM?