Acl

[sevendaughters]

I'll keep this brief.

About 2 weeks after Tour of Pendle, playing my bi-annual game of football as a ringer for the university I left 3 years ago, I heard a twang in my knee and knew things had all gone tits up.

Turns out I did my medial lig and got operated on in March, where they fixed that up, trimmed some cartilage and stuck a camera in the other side to check my ACL.

There's a partial tear there and I think they want to eventually operate, though they're hopeful it will repair itself. Problematically, I developed a DVT after surgery and they're a bit cagey about surgery. This sort of leaves me up slack alley somewhat; I can walk just fine and did 14 miles over the West Pennine Moors yesterday. Problem is, running as far as 100 yards on soft ground brings on the pain.

I'm seeing an NHS physio but can't really afford private. Is there anything I can practically be doing to rehab this aside from walking more often and doing resistance exercises with a latex band wrapped around my legs?

[cyclops]

Hi sevendaughters,
Keeping as mobile as possible without aggrevating your knee is important - so finding the balance between too much exercise and too little is key. Only you can judge what that is. To help strengthen your knee and joint stability focus on calf, quadricep and hamstring strengthening, plenty of foam rollering to keep all of the soft tissues in your leg supple and flexible, and I'd advise seeing a PT who knows about injuries to devise you a programme to follow. Having had DVT you'll need medical clearance before a PT will train you (or at least one who respects your body). If you can't afford to pay for PT sessions regularly it might be worth a one-off session so a programme can be written for you. There's lots of bodyweight exercises you can do to build up strength, in addition to the band work. I'd also suggest some mental training, a good proportion of rehab is in the mind! and that's speaking from experience with a torn MCL.
Hope this helps, and good luck with the rehabilitation,
Lynne

[sevendaughters]

Thanks Lynne. Heard someone suggest foam rollering actually, I should get on that. Probably time to book an appointment with a PT if I can, too.

[cyclops]

You're welcome.
Don't be tempted to spend loads on a fancy foam roller with knobbly bits, they're no better than the cheaper smooth ones. the thing to look for is closed cell foam so they don't lose their shape after a few months of use.
I see you're in Manchester....I'm a PT but based in Glossop so probably not close enough.
Lynne

[sevendaughters]

That reminded me to update my location too. Even further away now.

[cyclops]

Ha! Hope you find someone close to home.