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[imogzyboy]

Hi guys after being in hospital for a consultation following key hold surgery I now need to have lateral ligament reconstruction surgery I'm just wondering if anyone would have had this process before? And what was the recovery times like? I'm absolutely gutted! I also now need to find a new hobby for when I'm stuck in bed! So far all I have is endless seasons of FIFA :p any information would be greatly recieved

[Montys Beard]

Hi mate,

I've had a serious PCL injury back end of August, MRI told me I had an interstitial tear (literally hanbging by a thread both sides) etc and was supposed to go for a athriscopy to have a camera in the back of me knee so I did some extensive research into reco/repair surgery for knee ligaments. Realistically you're looking at 6 months minimum.

First stage should be crutches, non weight bearing (great for your abs though buddy!)
Then it will be physio after a couple of monthsm, small exercises like leg raises, knee bends, small squats as you'll have lost a lot of muscle mass, maybe some cycling.
After a bout 3 months the physio gets hader, more cycling, perhaps swimming (front crawl only as it's less stressful on the knee joint)
Around 4-5 months it will be gym work, light weights, hammy curls, lunges, calf raises, squats etc....
6+ plus light jogging and full scale gym programme to rehab the leg.

I'm in month 7 of rehab mate and I can jog now, I can't stress enough how important it is to NOT OVER DO IT, I'm back batting in the nest now but I can't bowl, bowling is one of the best ways to hyper extend your knee annd cause you more damage.

In short, stay off it, do the physio when told (so important, puts strength back in) follow the programme. I'm based in Aus now and I'm actually paying for a personal trainer to build strength in my legs, he's worth every penny, the last month I've been working with him I've noticed so much improvement in my stability and confidence on it.

Hold tight pal, it's not the end of the world and it goes quickly....

[CrickFreak]

Sorry to hear that buddy. I tore my ACL beginning of 2011 season. Was devasted and had nothing to do whole summer except going to the games and watch my team play.

But here are few suggestions -
1. Get the surgery done as soon as possible. Do it once the swelling is gone and you feel you can do normal activities like walking etc. The reason I am saying is because I delayed mine for 6 months and to compensate for ACL deficiency, my body started to over use other muscles like calf, ankle etc and your body never forgets that even after reconstruction and rehab.
2. Lots of protien intake. You will lose lots of Quad muscles due to atrophy and they need to grow back.
3. Dedicated rehab, no short cuts exist, trust me. Do as prescribed, push it if you can, like put in an extra set. But does not mean start sports till doctor recommends. 4. Dont do any exercise where your limbs are hanging like leg extensions. Leg presses, squats etc are the best way to start.
5. There is plenty of information available online. The rehab here in US was expensive and insurance doesnt cover it beyond 3 mths. I read a lot on how others recovered, stayed away from any sport, and worked out as hard as I could.
Goodluck!

[horseman]

Amen to crickfreak.

I tore my acl playing football in 2005, waited on nhs to have my op a year later.

Once the ops done, its about being patient with when you target to play, err on the side of caution and listen to the docs.
The only thing ive struggled with since is the feeling below my knee from the nerve damage from the original accident.

I still bowl , but I try to concentrate on my batting, less pain on the joints.