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RUPTURED PATELLAR TENDON
I fell down three steps and ruptured my patellar tendon. My injury occurred 12/14/06, my surgery was 12/18/06 and they discharged me from the hospital on 12/19/06. 1/3/07 at the docs he said to do quad flex's 30 times twice a day and 10 heel toe points every hour. Next appointment on 1/18/07 I get the x-ray like usual then go into the exam room. He comes in, takes off my brace, throws it on the counter and then tells me to lay down. (i truly think he told me to lay down so I couldn't punch him when he did what he did next.) Next he grabs my knee cap and starts yanking it side to side and massaging my knee very roughly. He tells my wife she has to do this twice a day, ten to fifteen times and then pick up my knee so it bends a little 3 to 5 times. He then told me I couldn't have my brace back and sent us home with a script for Physical Therapy. I guess my question is, it has only been 4.5 weeks since my surgery and now i can't have the brace? Fast forward to today 1/31, only 6 weeks since surgery. Doc had me put my leg off the edge of the table then proceeded to push down on it little by little until I was literally crying. I'm a 39 year old big guy that doesn't cry. I'm really concerned that this guy is too agressive and he is going to rerupture it. I'm a 350lb guy and I really don't want to have to go this surgery again. Should I start looking for another doc?
I would like to firstly say that I am not a doctor, I am not an expert and my opinion is purley experience.
I have read this site and it bothered me that everyone was talking about surgery...I thought OMG should I have had that surgery???? then I realised all these people must have had complete evulsions and I wondered how many had took bone with it making it an eulsion fracture (ruptur). So my warning is to read forums but remember ALL situations are different and unless you want to type everything or read everything information is often left out. In saying that information is power....to change, repair, heal, or manipulate (some people use this against people but that is not my intent in saying it at all:{ ) a situation to suit you. If you want to read my story I have a short version below....
When I was 19 I had a german proceedure to correct knee problems which envolved stapling the patellar ligament to align the ligament. Long story. Needless to say it was then a 12 week recovery with the leg completely straight for 10 of those weeks the last 2 were no weight bear before rehab.
I am now 48 and both knees are RS....a series of wear and tear on the supporting leg and the other due to the original operation. I have had 2 recons and 3 grease and oil changes (clean ups bilaterally with lat releases).
I was grouting a room and got a little sore then went to a personal training session, felt a pop and stopped with that excersise, but not training. It took 2 days to swell and then the inability to bend. I have a fairly high pain threshold and have not been in pain....some of you are saying lucky girl....well the trouble is because I have not felt any pain I ignored it for 2 whole days. It was the inability to bend that made me check it out. After all I am not a stranger to ache and swell.
It was an MRI that showed exactly how much fluid was around and that it was a partial tendon rupture. I am immobilising, icing and resting....I am an active person so its driving me dotty. Daytime tv as previously said really does suck and I have watched every dvd in my collection.
We need a long term plan for my knees..surgery was not an option for me as I am due in 7 weeks to go to Antarctica and Peru....I am NOT giving that up.
I can weight bear and I am really taking it easy, so we will see how it goes..but what to do next....I am not done yet. 2.5 months in a wheel chair all that time ago still rings clearly....I am going to talk further to the doctor the week before I leave and look into 1012 to have an answer.
What I say to those in pain....bear it...its tough but necesary, at the same time listen to what your legs are saying...I am definately not saying baby it...no good comes from babying anything in life, but listen and watch. Symptoms will appear...just like my awelling and act....get advice. If you need to change doctors or get a second opinion be extremely honest to them so they don't tell you the wrong thing. A lot of good comes from a sound or confident mind...healing will quicken if you believe in it. I promise you that! Some surgeons whilst they have your best interest at heart are harsh....that cannot feel it remember. It is very different feeling a pain to knowing (through education only) a pain.
I wish everyone on this site well including myself....
I have read this site and it bothered me that everyone was talking about surgery...I thought OMG should I have had that surgery???? then I realised all these people must have had complete evulsions and I wondered how many had took bone with it making it an eulsion fracture (ruptur). So my warning is to read forums but remember ALL situations are different and unless you want to type everything or read everything information is often left out. In saying that information is power....to change, repair, heal, or manipulate (some people use this against people but that is not my intent in saying it at all:{ ) a situation to suit you. If you want to read my story I have a short version below....
When I was 19 I had a german proceedure to correct knee problems which envolved stapling the patellar ligament to align the ligament. Long story. Needless to say it was then a 12 week recovery with the leg completely straight for 10 of those weeks the last 2 were no weight bear before rehab.
I am now 48 and both knees are RS....a series of wear and tear on the supporting leg and the other due to the original operation. I have had 2 recons and 3 grease and oil changes (clean ups bilaterally with lat releases).
I was grouting a room and got a little sore then went to a personal training session, felt a pop and stopped with that excersise, but not training. It took 2 days to swell and then the inability to bend. I have a fairly high pain threshold and have not been in pain....some of you are saying lucky girl....well the trouble is because I have not felt any pain I ignored it for 2 whole days. It was the inability to bend that made me check it out. After all I am not a stranger to ache and swell.
It was an MRI that showed exactly how much fluid was around and that it was a partial tendon rupture. I am immobilising, icing and resting....I am an active person so its driving me dotty. Daytime tv as previously said really does suck and I have watched every dvd in my collection.
We need a long term plan for my knees..surgery was not an option for me as I am due in 7 weeks to go to Antarctica and Peru....I am NOT giving that up.
I can weight bear and I am really taking it easy, so we will see how it goes..but what to do next....I am not done yet. 2.5 months in a wheel chair all that time ago still rings clearly....I am going to talk further to the doctor the week before I leave and look into 1012 to have an answer.
What I say to those in pain....bear it...its tough but necesary, at the same time listen to what your legs are saying...I am definately not saying baby it...no good comes from babying anything in life, but listen and watch. Symptoms will appear...just like my awelling and act....get advice. If you need to change doctors or get a second opinion be extremely honest to them so they don't tell you the wrong thing. A lot of good comes from a sound or confident mind...healing will quicken if you believe in it. I promise you that! Some surgeons whilst they have your best interest at heart are harsh....that cannot feel it remember. It is very different feeling a pain to knowing (through education only) a pain.
I wish everyone on this site well including myself....
Hello, I am at week 3 after rupturing my Patella tendon playing basketball. I work in the orthopedics industry as a sales manager so I was able to pick out a great surgeon. I have been in a full length leg brace the entire time , locked out in straight extension. He had me start using a cpm machine to 30% of flexion at the two week mark. It hurts quite a bit but I made sure I took my pain meds a half hour before each session in "the rack". I am in it 4-6 hours total (2-3 sittings) per day depending on how long I can surf the web and answer work calls before going stir crazy. I am going back at the 4 week mark to see my doc and hope that I can begin PT. Thanks to all on this site as it has been very informative to me on what to expect. Best of luck to you all.
In March, 2005 I ruptured my left Patellar tendon pushing off to do a layup in a basketball game. I was 44. I had surgery same day - kind of lucky. The cast was on for 3.5 weeks. The brace was on for another 4 weeks or so. I started pt on week 6. By week 16 I was off pt and on my own - biking, doing weights, but no running. By that time I had pretty full range of motion. Full strength took a year. I am an avid cyclist, so full strength for me is pretty intense. My left knee became stronger than it was before - less pain and more sustained strength.
On June 8, 2011 I had a traffic accident and ruptured my right Patellar tendon. I was standing on the brake trying to stop before I struck the car that turned left in front of me in the intersection. The distance was too close. My speed entering the intersection was between 35 and 40 mph. I am unsure of my speed at collision as I was standing on the break. Upon impact, my body was thrown forward to the extent of the seat belt. The air bag did not deploy (2008 Toyota Prius - 81K miles). My knee struck the underside of the dash while standing on the brake. The combination of impact and tension ruptured the tendon cleanly at the bone. The surgeon repaired the tendon on June 10. He drilled a couple of anchors into the bone and sutured the tendon. I am using the same doctor I had with the left Patellar tendon. This time he is insisting the cast stay on for 5 weeks, to be followed by a brace. I can walk with the cast without crutches - it is just slow and clumsy. I feel ready to start moving the knee and doing light flex exercises now - 3 weeks after surgery. The doctor is concerned about re-rupturing the tendon.
At any rate, based on my last experience and the literature I have read, early and gradually increasing exercise if very important for full recovery. My doctor is concerned about re-rupture so he must have seen those situations and my particular injury is concerning him. The risk of re-rupture likely depends on the nature of the tear or tendon separation and the time it takes for the tendon tissues to heal back together after suturing. Some types of tears or separations may heal faster than others. Each situation may have its own unique circumstances - so if your doctor thinks you should be able to start bending your knee, start bending your knee.
On June 8, 2011 I had a traffic accident and ruptured my right Patellar tendon. I was standing on the brake trying to stop before I struck the car that turned left in front of me in the intersection. The distance was too close. My speed entering the intersection was between 35 and 40 mph. I am unsure of my speed at collision as I was standing on the break. Upon impact, my body was thrown forward to the extent of the seat belt. The air bag did not deploy (2008 Toyota Prius - 81K miles). My knee struck the underside of the dash while standing on the brake. The combination of impact and tension ruptured the tendon cleanly at the bone. The surgeon repaired the tendon on June 10. He drilled a couple of anchors into the bone and sutured the tendon. I am using the same doctor I had with the left Patellar tendon. This time he is insisting the cast stay on for 5 weeks, to be followed by a brace. I can walk with the cast without crutches - it is just slow and clumsy. I feel ready to start moving the knee and doing light flex exercises now - 3 weeks after surgery. The doctor is concerned about re-rupturing the tendon.
At any rate, based on my last experience and the literature I have read, early and gradually increasing exercise if very important for full recovery. My doctor is concerned about re-rupture so he must have seen those situations and my particular injury is concerning him. The risk of re-rupture likely depends on the nature of the tear or tendon separation and the time it takes for the tendon tissues to heal back together after suturing. Some types of tears or separations may heal faster than others. Each situation may have its own unique circumstances - so if your doctor thinks you should be able to start bending your knee, start bending your knee.
Great range of experiences and recoveries. I fell on the ice on March 23, 2011, with complete rupture of the left patellar tendon. Had surgery two days later with an awesome orthopedic surgeon. Three days after surgery i returned to teaching part time. It was horribly painful but in the long run, it was for the best. Day time television isn't fun. I work at a place where my commute is short, coworkers would transport me in the back seat of their car. At three weeks out i began trying to climb in and out of my car, just to fight cabin fever. By five weeks I was driving. The doctor began unlocking the brace at six weeks. I began using my old school nordic track just to keep the leg moving, at first i only used the legs part and held on for dear life. By week 8 I was at 60 degrees flexion just sitting on my bed and letting gravity flex the leg. At this time I ditched the crutches for a cane. I ditched the cane at week 11. I started climbing onto my road bike hooked up to an indoor trainer stand. I set it at maximum seat height and minimum resistance. Then i started just pedaling gently, at first just seeing how close i could get to a full rotation. every day I'd try to push it a bit farther. Within a week i was pedalling. Around this time I finally achieved my first true straight leg lift, my main complication was that my quad took awhile to come back, eventually it did. At week 12 I hit 100 degrees flexion. I also began pedaling my bike outside for real. The first ride was only two miles. I got home an hour later i felt something rip in my knee, it hurt like hell for two days. Turns out it was a bunch of adhesions and scar tissue in my knee getting freed up. The earlier post about the patient who had his knee forced by the doctor while he was on the exam table sounds like manual release of this stuff, it is common for the surgery and has to happen one way or another. Week 13 the surgeon took away the leg brace away, I'm at 120 degrees flexion. In my case he's opted to skip pt. As long as things continue to improve this will continue without pt. As of this week I am now cleared for light running and road biking.
My advice for those going through this is to work with a surgeon you trust. When in doubt call the doctor and find out if you are pushing yourself too hard or not hard enough. All of us will heal a little differently. Don't push yourself too hard, but don't take it too easy. When your adhesions free up go for an ice pack, take some pain relievers, and plan for a day on the couch. There will be good days and bad days, but you will be amazed as things start to heal faster. Tomorrow will by my three month anniversary since the surgery, I'm going road biking to celebrate.
You will get better,
Andy
My advice for those going through this is to work with a surgeon you trust. When in doubt call the doctor and find out if you are pushing yourself too hard or not hard enough. All of us will heal a little differently. Don't push yourself too hard, but don't take it too easy. When your adhesions free up go for an ice pack, take some pain relievers, and plan for a day on the couch. There will be good days and bad days, but you will be amazed as things start to heal faster. Tomorrow will by my three month anniversary since the surgery, I'm going road biking to celebrate.
You will get better,
Andy
Just reading all the threads. Interesting variety of treatment. Here some thoughts about early mobilizaton an weight bearing. Its good if you you get surgery within a week of the injury, didn't need a graft and have no other illnesses which would cause delayed healing (ie diabetes). Tendon to bone is at 6-8 weeks then you need to rebuild the quad (6-12 months). I am 6 weeks post-op and an ER doc so I have researched the hell out of this topic.
http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/36/2/316.abstract
http://xnet.kp.org/socal_rehabspecialists/ptr_library/08KneeRegion/21Patella-TendonRupture.pdf
http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/36/2/316.abstract
http://xnet.kp.org/socal_rehabspecialists/ptr_library/08KneeRegion/21Patella-TendonRupture.pdf
Keep your head up! I'm a 39 year old male and about 13 months out from my rupture in April 2010. I've read most of the posts here and am surprised by the wide array of techniques for rehab from various docs. Here is what my experience was: after surgery, immobilizer for first 4 weeks, no bending, only minor weight bearing. 4-8 weeks post op, hinged immobilizer with no more than 45 degree bend. 8-12 weeks post-op, hinged immobilizer with goal of 90 to 110 degree of bend. After 12 weeks doc removed brace and told me no need for follow-up PT. Said I had done on my own everything that PT would want me to do. I'm very happy with the way my ortho handled my surgery and post surgery. One year out and I would say I am at 98% with no limitation on ROM just some discomfort on occasion going down stairs or down grade applications. Was on elliptical machine and stationary bikes 6-7 months post op working out vigorously to stengthen the quad, and can now jog (with some discomfort) and am now comfortable with full out sprints. It is a long road, but coming from an active 5'-10", 195lb ex-athelete, I am confident you will be back too. It is a horrific injury, just happy that the technology and expertise is here to fix us. 40- 50 years ago, who knows what our lives would be like with this type of injury.
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