post-op acl reconstruction HELP!

[haley09]

Hi I tore my ACL playing basketball on July 14th 2007, but didn't get reconstructive surgery until November 9th 2007, so it'll be 8 months tomorrow. My problem is that my knee doesn't seem to be getting any better for about a month or so. I have been training quite consistently with jogging for 4 miles every other day and light weight training. The college I am attending this fall and will be playing basketball on has a sort of pre-season program where we play once a week against other colleges in the area. I've been playing for the past 4 weeks in this pre-season program and have noticed no improvement each week. I am much slower than others on the floor, I can't cut very sharply and psychologically, I'm still scared to push myself for fear of re-tearing my ACL. If I do make a sharp cut, I feel a strain directly on the back of my knee and will feel it the next day or so, depending on how hard I made the cut. Basketball is very important to me and getting back to how I used to play, or at least close to it, is a top priority. The team starts training in approximately a month and a half. I asked a girl on the team (who has had 2 ACL surgeries already) about my situation and she suggested that I might have a lot of scar tissue there. Can anyone tell me what that means for me and if there are any exercises or suggestions to get back to playing basketball to my full potential. Thank you in advance for the help.

Haley

[sharileedahl]

Hi Haley.
Did you have physiotherapy after your surgery? Usually over course of treatment, you would be working on some sport-specific / return-to-sport type exercises not only to regain strength / balance / function but also to deal with the fear issue (which is not uncommon).
At this point, because you are already in pre-season play and close to your college b-ball season, I would seriously encourage you to have your knee reassessed. I am making an assumption that your team has a physiotherapist or athletic therapist. If so, use them!! If not, ask your coach / manager who to see....they should know. All physiotherapists are qualified to assess and treat you post-ACL repair however I would try to see someone who typically works with athletes and will have a good idea how to push you for return-to-sport. (In the off chance that your are in Alberta, I may be able to give you a contact.)
Other than that, I wouldn't feel great about giving you specific advice re. rehab via this medium as I haven't assessed the stability of the ACL graft, quad / hamstring / glut strength, running / jumping technique etc. etc.

[haley09]

Yes I did have physiotherapy post-op for about 6 months. It seemed to be going well and I was discharged on a home exercise program, but I feel that I've plateaued on my progress. During the basketball games, I try to run but it seems like I'm crawling I'm going so slow. My endurance is not a problem, it's just my knee. Also after reading a few more posts on here, I'm getting a little nervous about the pain in the back of my knee. Last week while I was just shooting around, I jumped and felt a little pop in the back. It scared the heck out of me and it was sore for a few days. Some have said that has happened to them due to the scar tissue breaking up. Is that a good thing?? Is the scar tissue holding me back from really playing my best? I'm not sure what I should do at this point, any suggestions?

p.s. I'm living in Ontario, would you know of any contacts here that train you in a specific sport?

[sharileedahl]

Breaking through scar tissue isn't necessary a bad thing but it's impossible to say exactly what you're dealing with without having a look / feel of your knee.
Again, get in with a PT asap to reassess your knee and progress you on an appropriate, individualized return-to-sport program.
I'm sorry, I don't have contacts in Ontario. Your coach or team manager should though.

Another option is to try the "Find a Physio" link on the Ontario Physiotherapy Association website.
OPA | Public | Find-a-Physio

[haley09]

Hi sharileedahl, I found a specific sport training facility in my area. My initial assessment today showed that my knee was really weak (obviously) and quadriceps and hamstring are also just as weak. He said the pain at the back of knee could possibly be from the muscle trying to compensate for a weaker muscle. My training starts tomorrow and will be 4 days a week. Hopefully I can get fully back into basketball just in time for my season. I wanted to thank you for responding to my post along with your advice. Take care.