(Part 2) Best products from r/ACL

I’m not sure what kind of stitches you’ll have, but if they happen to be the kind that you can’t get wet for 10-14 days then I’d definitely recommend getting a shower cast cover! Honestly it’s so easy to use and so worth it. Showering is equivalent to running a marathon in that first week, it’s absolutely exhausting. And being able to just slip a plastic cover over your knee and hop in was amazing. No hassling with plastic garbage bags, saran wrap, duct tape, etc. I bought this one from amazon and it worked great! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKSGRZF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Good luck with surgery and recovery! It’s a pain in the ass but it sounds like you’re super prepared and have a great support system in place. Keep us posted! This group helped me get through 2 ACL surgeries!

I had the same surgery 7 weeks ago as of tomorrow JackC88. My surgeon and nurses also estimated I'd be off crutches by about week 6. At week 3 though they allowed me weight bearing as tolerated (while using crutches) to start getting the motion and movement back while working with my PT. I was able to lose the crutches completely by week 5 with my PTs guidance. Listen to your doctors and also your body. I know it seems like forever but you'll be glad you did. Appreciate your body as it goes through the healing process. It's pretty amazing.

I'd also recommend investing into some cushion comfort for your crutches and this sweet bag to put your phone and other small items in so you can at least carry some stuff with you. https://www.amazon.com/Crutch-Bag-Vive-Accessory-Lightweight/dp/B01IBUD24G/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1498787782&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=crutches+accessories&psc=1

Good luck!! One day at a time.

Here are my suggestions if you are going to do this on your own (or even with help).

1. The first 3 days you will be on meds every 2 hours around the clock. You cannot skip a single dose (even the 2 am ones!) or else you won’t be able to stay on top of the pain and spasms. You need to have an alarm set every 2 hours and have food on hand to take with the meds every time or else you will be nauseous and throwing up - which is the last thing you need. Therefore keep healthy food next to your meds and do it religiously.
   
   
2. Get a raised toilet seat cover (Amazon for like $25). You won’t have someone to help you with the bathroom so this will be a lifesaver. (This is the one I bought - having the higher seat and the arms will make all the difference in the world - trust me!) raised toilet seat . It’s not just for going to the bathroom either, I found it to be the only right height for trying to change my clothes and undergarments so it becomes the only spot you can sit to stand reasonably well the first few days.
   
   
3. If you have stairs to get into your apartment - line up a neighbor to help you get up them the first time after surgery. It’s very hard to do (but doable!) because your leg is braced completely straight - but the main issue is you will still be half out of it from the surgery anesthesia so you will have about 25% of your actual physical control as you do now on crutches. It will be impossible to do alone so ask the Uber driver or a neighbor to help. Trust me, anyone is willing to help if you ask for something like this even if you don’t know them yet.
   
   
4. Talk to the hospital ahead of time - most will not discharge you (legally) unless someone is there with you to take you home. If you absolutely must take an Uber and not have someone you will need to get pre approval from the hospital or else they may not legally allow it.
   
   

At 5’8” 150 lbs is a fine weight depending of course on your body fat percentage. 135 lbs IMHO is way too skinny for that height. If you feel your body fat percentage is high then you’re better off doing strength training to convert that fat to muscle and build bone density rather than just cut to get skinny. Muscle mass has a lot of health benefits and it’s easier to maintain then just being skinny. Hell with some solid strength training under your belt you could easily weight more than 150 and look fit. BTW, I’m 5’8” and weight 168 lbs with probably about 15% body fat.

P.S. since you don’t eat meat, I highly recommend you supplement with b12, that is if you don’t already. B12 is really really important especially as you are in recovery. I recommend Jarrow Formula Methylcobalamin sublingual as it is the most bioavailable form and a solid third party tested form. Not sure if you do eggs or dairy or your reasoning for avoiding meat (I respect your choice) but I would also recommend thinking about doing pescatarian, eating fish or at least bivalves. Bivalves especially are great sources of nutrients and pretty environmentally sound food source.

Right leg ACL. Was driving stick after 3 weeks. Most of the delay was the car, a Subaru Legacy, which is fairly low. Doc's advice was as soon as I could push the brakes hard enough to lift myself out of the seat with no pain, I could drive again.

Drove my Bronco sooner than than, but that's an automatic and much easier to get into. Probably 1.5-2 weeks for short drives. Same leg strength test.


TBH, best advice is get one of those handles that clips into the door latch. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Able-Life-Auto-Assist-Grab/dp/B00I45JJQO

It was a godsend for me because it made is SO much easier to get in and out the car.

For serrapeptase, I've been taking Doctor's Best which recommends 1 capsule / day on an empty stomach with water. I think I mentioned before, but be careful if combining with pain relievers and anti-inflammatories. Serrapeptase will thin your blood a bit, so combined with aspirin can cause low blood pressure and dizziness. It shows a lot of the same benefits as aspirin though, so you may find it to be a better option anyway with less impact on your stomach. I'm continuing to take this daily as the potential negatives seem low. More info here.

I've also been skeptical on supplements in general, but given the injuries over the past 3 years and the fact that I'm now 34, I'm trying to get any advantage I can to recover from workouts and continue performing at as high a level as possible for as long as possible. Other supplements I've been taking:

• Daily multivitamin
  
• Fish oil
  
• Kelp — helps regulate your thyroid and hormone production related to metabolism. Careful not to take more than 225 mcg/day or it can actually be detrimental. Probably only suitable for folks who are working out / training consistently for these reasons. I use Swanson brand which is right at 225 mcg in one daily tablet.
  
• Acetyl L-carnitine which supports energy, brain function, and metabolism. I use NaturaLife Labs, 2 tablets/day.
  
• CherryActive Capsules — freeze dried cherry tablets which many pro footballers use as a nutritional supplement and that can also improve energy levels.
  
  Good luck!

Ill be 5 weeks post op (ACL & Meniscus medial) tomorrow. As the other posted stated i would try the stairs on the crutches before hand. Recommend you take it very slow. Limit the amount to you need to go up and down them. As you get comfortable it will get easier. I would get some crutch pads. Have been using these.

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As for studying the first week will be the hardest but after that studying for an exam should not be hard. The toughest for me is time budgeting. With so much time I procrastinate.

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Try to get the house organized before hand, pillows to raise the leg on the couch, make walking around with the crutches easier and some ice packs. Good luck! You can pm if you have any questions.

At 5 months, yeah!

As soon as I was cleared to get back in the water, ~5 weeks, I started hitting it hard. I pulled my workouts for a month and I did open turns for a while, then one leg flip turns. As PT progressed into stronger leg presses, I started using both legs to push off the wall.

Listen to your knee and push yourself some. If you need to take a break take one. I am part of a masters team and I just sat out some sets when it didn't feel right.

Start off easy and pull.

Can do some walking in shallower water to help strengthen leg.

If you like swimming, invest in some Neoprene shorts like these. Once you feel like you can kick and not just pull, these allow you to rest your legs if your knee starts hurting. It will also make you faster. (There are other brands, Roka's and TYR's are nice too. Both on Amazon.)

this is the same one i had, worked really well. i paired it up with one of these and used it as a buffer for later in the recovery period when there's no steri strips etc.

i also bought one of these and used just the outside of it to simulate compression therapy that the game ready machine does by simply pumping and deflating periodically throughout the icing session lol I'm sure its not as effective but if you read the description on the game ready that's pretty much what it does so in my head it made sense.

As you can tell i went into a bit of a panic and bought like $300bucks worth of ice equipment(i also got one of these ) and bands, but i used everything often and my recovery so far has been free of any setbacks (Fingers crossed) so i regret nothing.

Make sure your leg is elevated properly. As another user stated below, the fluid is pouring down into your leg. I was using a couple of pillows that I'd stack up to elevate my knee, but I bought a leg elevation pillow off of Amazon for $25 and it works much better.


Elevation, ankle pumps and time will loosen your calf, best of luck!

i'm 2-days post-op and this was my 2nd surgery -- in addition to all the prehahbing (working out your legs, getting full ROM, getting the swelling down), think about practically what will help after surgery when you're stuck in bed or at home:

for me, this has been a life saver -- also, i bought this table/bed desk and some natural recovery supplements.
Not sure what your snacks look like, but also helps to have a lot of snacks handy (but a lot of fruits and veggies, too!)

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Good luck!

Lots of classic nintendo gaming, ice cream, self-care. I was lucky to have a good friend that checked in on me frequently and helped me around the house. I recommend staying in bed for the first 24 hours with your leg as elevated as much as you can. I had this bad boy: https://www.amazon.com/ProCare-Elevation-Foam-Support-Pillow/dp/B00P3D4PG4/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1466686506&sr=8-2&keywords=orthopedic+leg+wedges

and it was heaven-sent.

The nerve block is gonna be good for about 36-72 hours (mine lasted 3 days, they really juiced me!) but don't let that deter you from taking your oxycodone/whatever they prescribe you... You don't want the pain to hit without having anything to help.

Biggest thing: don't be alone. Get a bedside urinal. Eat ice cream. Be good to yourself.

An ice machine. Or 2 large flexible ice packs and an ace bandage. I suggest two because I often forget to put mine back in the freezer, leaving it warm the next time I need it. I’ve been using a disc golf disc for heal slides which works pretty well. I also bought one of those stretching bands with loops because using a dog leash wasn’t comfortable on my hands. (Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Scotamalone-Exercise-Physical-Therapists-Trainers-12-Loop/dp/B07BS1GY3M/ref=mp_s_a_1_26?keywords=stretching%2Bbands%2Bphysical%2Btherapy&qid=1558805579&s=gateway&sprefix=stretching%2Bband&sr=8-26&th=1&psc=1)

I ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my first two weeks because I was non-weight bearing and they were easy for my husband to leave out for me.

I haven’t tried it myself, but I found this really cool thing online that I would have bought if I wasn’t a hyperextender. It’s supposed to keep you at zero degrees while you’re using it. Funniest part is there’s literally a question asking if it’s good for someone 9 weeks post op and someone said yes, especially if you’re having issues keeping extension https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Degree-Knee-Pillow-Surgery/dp/B07G4KX7G2/ref=asc_df_B07G4KX7G2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=295714452676&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16309376413350529731&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007181&hvtargid=pla-576375997142&psc=1

I bought a different kind of brace on Amazon because my post op brace just wasn't practical to wear. It has the metal braces on the sides and has been awesome!

Link for the style of anyone is interested. My doctor approved at 4 week post op check up

Hinged Knee Brace for Men and Women, Knee Support for Swollen ACL, Tendon, Ligament and Meniscus Injuries https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SVWNCN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6FuLDb4QFMZWX

My husband had ACL repair with hamstring graft and about 50% of his miniscus removed. This is information provided from when I was caretaking.


We got ice packs from amazon that conform to your knee, we got two so we could switch them out. These are what we purchased and they have been great. Stay cold for about half an hour, refreeze pretty quickly so by switching them out they stayed cold and were ready for the next hour quickly.


We also used a cryocuff which is a cooler of ice and a water brace that he wrapped around his knee, took cold water from the cooler into the brace, then when water got warm we would put it back in the cooler and swish it around then refill the brace. That was good and because it wasn't as cold as the ice pack we could keep it on for a long time.

DO YOUR EXERCISES. Seriously. The dr had us doing leg lifts, heel slides (sit on the ground and slide your heel towards your butt as far as you can go), ankle pumps, and set his foot on a pillow with nothing under the knee so it gets as extended as possible. He was really good with his exercises and his recovery has been super duper.

His schedule the first few days was 20 minutes icing, 20 minutes elevation (get that knee up HIGH, you lay flat on your back and get your leg up at a 45° angle, make a ramp of pillows from butt to foot), then 20 minutes exercises. Repeat allll dayyyy longggg. He watched a lot of Hulu and Netflix.

Try and write yourself a schedule for pain meds. He was taking one oxy pill every 6 hours so on the days I was at work I wrote down and set alarms on his phone for what time to take the pills. Have small snacks to eat with the pills so it is easier on your belly. Pudding packs, applesauce, crackers, etc.


We are a month out now and he is down to 1600 mg of ibuprofen a day and that is more for swelling than pain. He is icing about 3/day. He stopped taking the oxy about 5 days out because it made him very nauseous, so for pain we alternated ibuprofen and tylenol.


To sleep he was on his back, a pillow ramp from his butt to foot to keep his leg slightly elevated. We had to use two different blankets because his high leg took too much of mine.


Make a "home base" for yourself with snacks, phone charger, water bottle, pills all in reaching distance so the only reason you have to move is to go to the bathroom.


Speaking of bathroom take stool softeners, drink lots of water, eat lots of fruit and veggies. Start taking them now, keep taking them until you've been off the hard meds for a few days. Pain meds plug your butt up.


If they can give you anti nausea meds those help too because the pain pills can make you nauseous and that is no fun.


He has been walking off crutches for about 2 weeks. Currently he is able to bike flat stretches and take easy easy hikes. But each individuals recovery is so so so different and you need to be patient with yourself, try not to compare. He wore the brace 24-7 for a week, then only when he was out and about or around jumpy dogs, and now he is to no brace.

Grabbing a balance pad would be a good idea for doing your home exercises, although just rolling up your yoga matt would probably work alright at first. These are what I have. The first is what I started using at PT at 2 weeks post op. The second comes in 3 flavors. I have the advanced one, but I think it'll be a little bit before I feel comfortable using it again. It's a bit spendy, but it's a really good tool for training balance/proprioception.

Most of my post-op gripes are around swelling of the leg / knee in general. Get something to prop up the foot of your bed (not just your leg, do that as well). I used wood / suitcase to prop up my bed and still put my leg up on pillows.

Random equipment based recommendations for post-op.

• Long Shoe Horn (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AJ3B6A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
  
• Compression Socks / Knee Sleeves. I enjoyed Zensah, tried quite a few brands McDavid was good as well. (Socks: https://www.amazon.com/Zensah-Compression-Socks-Black-Medium/dp/B00FFZJ2N6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487614987&sr=8-1&keywords=zensah+compression+socks , Knee: https://www.amazon.com/Zensah-Compression-Sleeve-Heather-X-Large/dp/B01KINH4PM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1487615023&sr=8-7&keywords=zensah+knee+sleeve)
  
  
• Handicap Bar for Bathroom. This was clutch for feeling safe in the shower.(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JIM2DQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
  
• Some large jug for water, stay hydrated!
  
  Other random thoughts.
  
  
• Take your meds, don't be proud, you need sleep and to stay ahead of the pain.
  
• Don't eat at a deficit post-op. I ate like I was on a bulk, this is not the time to diet because you are not exercising. Recover first, worry about weight second.
  
• Again, don't be proud, ask for help when you need it. Have some quick meals around or someone to help cook, etc. I nearly fainted in my kitchen the day after pushing myself too much.

This is the one I bought and I LOVE IT!! Still use it in the spare bathroom for funsies!