ACL Surgery Recovery - Week 22

Welcome to my ACL knee surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery process since my anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Please keep in mind, I am just writing this blog to give people an idea of what the recovery process is like. If you've had or are planning on having ACL or any type of knee surgery, make sure you go to a therapist for a proper workout program.



We're up to week 22 now. For the most part, my knee is fairly strong. The majority of movements are easy with the exception of running. I'm still dealing with the development of Jumper's knee or patella tendinitis in my surgically repaired knee so I have to be aware of what is aggravating it.

There were a few new exercises this week at physiotherapy in addition to my standard routine. First, we used the Pro Fitter 3D ski & balance machine.

Holding on to ski polls, you just slide from side to side. There are adjustable cables underneath to increase or decrease resistance. This is suppose to improve core and leg strength as well as improve your reaction skills. It's also good cardio and has a number of other different exercises you can. Its not just for knee rehabilitation. Checking prices on line for this it actually runs about 600 bucks. ouch! Anyway, I did this for about 10 minutes. It can get boring but not much different than any other cardio machine i suppose.

On to the Shuttle MVP machine (below), I have been doing one legged jumps. Its very much like a squat machine. The pad that your resting on is on wheels and slides back and forth as you squat or jump. There are cables to add resistance.

This week, we added one leg jumps but, with me laying on my side (i couldn't find a picture of this) making sure my hip is flat on the board. It actually was a lot more difficult than when I was doing it lying on my back. I did 3 sets of 10. I like doing the jumps on this machine because it does not bother my "Jumper's Knee"



Next up, we did another plyometric exercise Zig-Zag hops. Placing two rows of 10 pylons parrallel to each other but one slightly a head of the other. You jump side to side with both legs. Turn around and start over again. I did 10 of these.

The good thing about these exercises is you can do them at home, and you don't need any fancy equipment to do them.

Finally, we did some sprinting, but a little different. I would start of running forward and my therapist would yell "switch" which ment i have to, very quickly, stop and start running backwards. Next time she yells "switch" I would stop and start running forward. This goes on randomly for about a couple of minutes then i took a break and did it again. This exercise is to get my knee use to the quick stop & start movements that I need to play sports like ball hockey & soccer. Its also good to improve your reaction time.

My knee was a bit sore the next day and i think it was from the last two exercises i just went over. The discomfort was in same area I've been complaining about for the last 10 weeks or so. The tendinitis seems to be where the patella meets the shin bone. After a couple days it was not so bad. An alternative to these plyometic exercises is that they can be done in the pool. I may try that instead next week.

Thats it for this week. Again, please do your homework before attempting any of these exercises. The purpose of this blog is to give an idea of the workout programs and recovery process after knee surgery. Everyone is different and can do different levels of exercises at different points post surgery. Consult your doctor or therapist.

Thanks for reading my ACL knee surgery recovery blog. Check back next week for another update.

Week 21 - ACL Surgery Recovery

Welcome to my ACL knee surgery recovery blog where I have been giving week by week updates on my recovery process since my anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.

Week 21 and running has taken a backseat since it's been determined that I've developed jumpers knee (see the Week 20 post), I have to do exercises that do not aggravate it.

Its hard keeping things fresh doing the same exercises over and over, week after week. So, I've started to incorporate the Bosu ball into my knee workouts to make things a bit more challenging. A lot of local gyms should have one as they've become quite popular over the last few years. Its a great tool to help improve your balance when doing exercises.

So, the Bosu ball is basically half of an exercise ball with a flat bottom. Its very good for performing your balancing exercises as well as squats and lunges. Balancing on one leg is not too difficult at week 21 but, it can be when you add throwing a tennis ball against the wall while doing it. You can also flip the Bosu on the ball side and stand on the flat surface. This will make it more difficult.

Squats are also more challenging. You can really have to use your leg and core muscles more when doing this stuff. Of course, you have to make sure you're keeping the correct form when using the Bosu.

To make squats even more difficult, flip the Bosu with the ball side down, stand on the flat part. Just watch that you keep proper form and dont squat too deep. Once you master this, you can add dumbells.

For lunges, you basically step forward onto the ball part and lunge down and make sure your knee does not go over you toes as you would a normal lunge.

To do backwards lunges, it would be the same idea. step backwards onto the ball or if you think you can handle it, flip the Bosu over and step back onto the flat part. Again if you master this exercise, just add dumbbells for add weight.

Okay, this seems like a promo blog post but Im really just trying to show different options of how you can do your re-hab workouts because they can become very boring. There is a wide variety of exercises you can do with the Bosu for you knee and for overall body workouts. It can be kind of pricey if you want to buy one for yourself. It does come with a DVD that goes over how to use it. Retail price for the Bosu can be between $75 and $130 bucks at your local exercise equipment stores. Sometimes eBay has deals for as low as $55.00. To find the Bosu on eBay, click here. Just watch out for the shipping costs. You can also find the Bosu Ball on Amazon and there are knock off brand names for a bit less as well. I've added a banner on the left of your screen if you want to check out prices there. Like i said, if you go to a gym, they should have one or two there but if you're into doing your re-hab exercises at home, this is a great tool to help with a lot of your knee exercises and also can be used in other exercise routines.

That's it for Week 21. Thanks for reading my ACL KNEE SURGERY RECOVERY blog.