|
Bob's ACL WWWBoard
Re: Recovering from surgery -- Steady progress after a complex knee surgery....
Posted By: Michael Frind
Date: Thursday, 12 August 2010, at 12:52 a.m.
In Response To: Recovering from surgery (Alan Paquette)
Dear Alan,
Wow -- it's great to hear that you are doing so well, and that everything is going so well for you! Your surgery, involving multiple ligaments plus a meniscus too, is among the most complex knee surgeries imaginable.
Indeed, it looks like you are in very good hands -- not only given that your surgeon seems to be very competent, but also given that your physiotherapist seems to be on the ball too, and your family is helpful in providing support during the rehabilitation. I still remember a posting (years ago) from a college student who had two ligaments reconstructed and a meniscus repaired...and she was living alone, and had to contend with two narrow flights of stairs to an apartment under the eaves of an old house...and she had classes to attend too!
You are also fortunate in that you can do at least some of your work from home, and then return to full-time hours gradually. For some people (not just professional athletes), a knee injury can mean a major career change. But I also remember postings on this forum from people whose employment places major demands on their knees. Two cases stand out in my mind: one was a police officer whose knee injury arose while chasing and subduing a suspect (the suspect was caught, but the knee ligaments incurred a lot of damage due to a twist-and-fall from scrambling over a fence, plus meniscus damage from continuing to run with a freshly torn meniscus, plus further knee damage from planting-and-twisting due to use-of-force movements in order to subdue and handcuff the suspect), while the second was a search-and-rescue technician who wrecked a knee during a complicated manoeuvre while dangling from a helicopter (a badly injured snowboarder, who chose to go out of bounds and zoomed over a cliff, with a combined head-and-spinal injury making it necessary to use a spineboard). The devotion that first responders have to their jobs always amazes me. They put their lives and health at risk so that ordinary citizens like you and me can live our lives in safety and can be plucked from the jaws of danger.
You noted that you saw your OS last week for follow-up, and you noted that you have seen your physiotherapist twice. When is your next OS follow-up appointment?
And, how often are you seeing the physiotherapist these days? What are her thoughts on your knee's progress? What is your range of motion right now?
And, how is the swelling in the knee? And, how are things in the pain department?
Are you keeping some sort of diary of the exercises, as well as your observations on your knee progress? Don't forget that your physiotherapist only sees you several times a week, whereas you spend 24 hours a day with your knee. So, even though the observations and progress reports of your physiotherapist are valuable, keeping your own records adds to this (and will impress your surgeon, who is clearly a meticulous and dedicated person, judging by how you described his bedside manner and approach to treatment).
By the way, that book that you saw your surgeon's desk, Noyes Knee Disorders, is a highly readable book even for non-surgeons. Sue Barber-Westin, a brilliant clinical knee researcher who regularly visits this board, is a co-editor and co-author of that book -- and her excellent abilities of pulling together vast numbers of research studies and findings, her uncanny ability to separate great medical-journal articles from the not-so-great ones, her unparalleled ability to communicate effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds (i.e. not just surgeons and physiotherapists and fellow researchers, but also medical illustrators and other people), and her tireless editorial talents all shine through in this book.
I purchased a copy of that book too (mine is signed by both Sue and Dr. Noyes), and I have read many passages from it (eventually I will have read the whole thing). It is a surgeon's textbook, and as a non-surgeon I do draw on the courses (musculoskeletal anatomy, kinesiology, sports injuries, orthopedic biomechanics) I took as electives years ago, but the book is so beautifully illustrated and logically organized that even if one occasionally forgets the name of some obscure anatomical structure, the highly detailed illustrations provide instant reminders. This is truly a book that no knee surgeon should be without. I would also say that it is a book that every physiotherapy clinic should also have a copy of, as a reference. Especially for complex (and uncommon) surgeries, it is helpful if the physiotherapist understands the intricacies of the surgical procedure that was done, because then this person will have an innate understanding of how the rehab exercises interact with the affected structures.
Definitely keep us posted as you progress through your rehabilitation!
Yours truly,
Michael Frind.
Knee Library http://factotem.org/library
Messages In This Thread
- Knee brace (views: 183) -- Alan Paquette -- Wednesday, 9 June 2010, at 7:15 p.m.
Bob's ACL WWWBoard is maintained by virtual Bob with WebBBS 5.00.
|
|