The anterior cruciate ligament surgery
week 1 to 6 after cruciate ligament surgery
The time came at the end of January, the surgery! Fortunately it went well, although the anesthesia did bother me for the rest of the day. I was very tired, nauseous and threw up a couple of times; exactly everything I didn't suffer from last time. Fortunately, after a night's sleep, all that was gone and rehabilitation really began!
I had already received some exercises that I could (actually had to) start immediately after the operation. Because of the applied pressure bandage it just didn't go very smoothly. After two days the bandage could be removed and it is always a laugh to see your leg come out completely pink (because of the disinfectant). That same afternoon I also visited the physio for the first time to check how it looked and how the exercises were going - but that was all fine.
I was actually barely bothered by my knee and haven't taken any medication since that morning. Again, I was glad about that since I can't take pills at all. Furthermore, the first few days after the operation I could not really sleep well. I did not move in my sleep and therefore woke up every two hours to change my position, but also because my back was bothering me a lot. Fortunately, both slowly subsided after half a week. What I had to get used to in the beginning and often forgot is being careful with your hamstring. During the surgery my hamstring tendon was used so the whole area near my hamstring was sensitive. So it was very careful with, for example, taking off your shoes, bending over, but also when you sit down that you don't sit with your hamstring on the edge of the chair. From experience I can unfortunately say that the latter could be very painful.
The swelling started to go down a bit and then I noticed how much my leg had shrunk in size. If I wore jeans, they were much looser on my operated leg than on my other leg. So that means only one thing: train hard! Around the third week I finally started to get more energy and I had received some new exercises which I could do five times a day, if my knee allowed it. Of course I started fanatically, but the very first day I had a nagging knee in the evening and it seemed to swell up. That was not yet possible and then you have to listen to your own body and (somewhat reluctantly) put less strain on it. I also rode an exercise bike for the first time this week! To my surprise, that actually went pretty smoothly, so that's also checked off the checklist!
Starting in week four, I was finally allowed to start doing "real" exercises! I started working out longer and longer and could carefully start doing mini-squats, deadlifts, good mornings, etc. Now things were just starting to get fun. Unfortunately, due to a corona case in the family, I had to be quarantined for the rest of the week so I couldn't stop by to train. That was all made up for the next time because I was allowed to walk with one crutch! Finally some more freedom again. Not much later at 5.5 weeks I was allowed to walk without crutches for the first time, exciting! In the beginning it was pretty wobbly, but practice makes perfect. I still had some trouble with my kneecap, so I couldn't bend properly while walking, so my nickname at home at the moment is 'limp'. I also got to start trying to walk up the stairs "normally" (not stepping on every step). After hoisting myself up by the banister for the first few days, I managed to do this overnight. Totally happy with it!
So the first six weeks are already over. In the beginning it is all mega slow and you are very dependent on the people around you. But once you can do more again, the weeks go faster and it all gets a little more fun too. Now on to the next month!
