Training after acl injury

steel42

hi, im new to road cycling and was wondering if anyone has any experience with cycling life after an acl :evil: surgery.
i know its supposed to be the only type of exercise i'll be able to do after the surgery, but how long did it take u to get fully working again. any info would be appreciated

rokkala

Was the surgery to place a completely new ligament or was it to tidy up around a torn(rather than snapped) acl?

anto164

It'll take however long it takes.

Listen to the docs, and listen to the physio.

steel42

hi, thanks for your reply's. im still waiting for my surgery, but its for a full replacement, im told to expect 9 months with lots of physiotherapy. this seems long to me as im not sure if im able to train on a turbo during this time period. any advice or info would be appreciated

Grifteruk

Hi I snapped my ACL about 5-6 years ago playing football. By listening to the physio and doctor, I was back playing football exactly 9 months after the op and other than in my mind, didnt really notice any difference in my knee.

There is a lot of strengthening work to be done on the ligament in the first few months which is essential and something which, IMO, you must deidcate yourself. I set up a turbo in my house to help with training, but only after the doc had given me the ok. I cant remember how long after the op I used it, guessing light spinning maybe 9 weeks after the op. I was working on functional football training and cycling much quicker than 9 months. The 9 months thing was, if I remember correctly, a concern about going back to football because it was a contact sport. I am sure your doctor will be best placed to comment and as others have said, listen to your doctors who will know your own circumstances.

Clicking in and out of cleats is a bit daunting at first, because of the "twist" to click out. At first, I would normally take my shoe off and leave it in the pedal to avoid the "click" at first. However, like a lot of injuries, once you have gotten over some of the mental issues and regain confidence in the repair, you will forget about the knee and it is as if nothing had ever happened.

I was in France last summer beating the Alps and am now cycling/training 5 days a week on all sorts of cycling disciplines without any problem at all. For me, it was the best thing having the op. It will get there, go with it and work hard with the physios.

steel42

thanks for your reply, its good to hear a positive outcome from the surgery, and also that u were on ur bike sooner than 9 months. it didn't even register with me about the clipping in :oops: . i plan to do as my doctor and physio tell me and not that little niggling voice at the back of my mind( it got me in this situation ) :twisted:

huuregeil

Also bear in mind that you can do quite a lot of strengthening work pre-op, and this speeds up the post-op recovery - definitely worth considering. Depends exactly what's up, but seek a physio's advice on this, particularly one experienced getting ACL injuries back to full sporting performance. The other point to note about post-op rehab is that getting full range of motion back is as critical as building up strength, which means lots of mobility exercises that can be boring but shouldn't be skimped. My partner had a full acl done a few years back and she's doing all kinds of things with her knee now - follow the physio's advice, do your exercises, and you'll be fine. Good luck!

spinndrift

To balance all the happy stories on here I'll tell you my experience - I'll give you the short version.

The bad bit.

Snapped ACL in 1997 and had it replaced and 13 months of physio. In the middle of that I had a mental breakdown and put loads of weight on and didn't touch a bike for 11 years.

The good bit.

I got on the bike again, have lost half the weight I put on, love the bike more than I ever did, did LEJOG last year and doing Tower to Tower this year and have my first grandchild.

The best thing is I haven't had a single twinge of pain from the bad knee in the years I've been back cycling.

gavinbay

Something more recent...........

I did mine skiing March 2011 - not just skiing on the piste but ski touring well away from the resort, net result had to be helied off the mountain.

Just over two weeks later with knackered ACL I was hiking up the Col du Granon on snowshoes as I was in France after the ACL for another three weeks, though could not ski or ride my bike, which I'd taken out anyway.

Once back in the UK, went through all the process and ended up having the hamstring ACL reconstruction surgery beginning of Sept (NHS) though op was originally scheduled for late July but was put back twice.

Did the prehab of getting in loads of cycling as that's all I could do, normally in the summer I windsurf a lot, but that was out of the question, so concentrated more on the bike, which saw me doing various long sportives and a week in the French Alps doing Galibier, ADH, Izoard etc etc.

I was on the turbo quite soon after the op light spinning and the like - after 4 weeks - 20 mins a time twice a day - gradually increasing the intensity and time. Plus was in the gym doing balance exercise, powerplates, stair master etc

Then 3 months after the op did my first ride on the road 3rd Dec, my birthday treat 25mls at 17.6 on quite a hilly route. I then had some back issues throughout Dec which held me back a little.

Then early Jan have been running on the Downs once a week, as well as cycling & turbo sessions; and last Sunday did a very hilly 8mls - this is more to give me confidence in going downhill as I hope to be back on skis March 10th as we go out for four weeks again, though I do not expect to ski every day and not do any ski touring - though now have cross country skis and will take my bike!

I'm a three years the wrong side of 50 so body does not heal as fast, plus beginning of Dec I had keyhole on the other knee as I thought as I'm crocked might as well get that sorted, only to be told that I don't have much of an ACL in that knee - though somehow my knee is alight (that little bombshell is all on the video of the op!).

I've been keeping a blog going of all I've done, though should have really put all my training logs up in hindsight, or kept a more detailed diary of what I've done.

But the milestones were first road ride three months post op and first Downs run four months post op and hopefully first skiing six months post op!

Anyway take a look at the blog http://www.anotherharddayattheoffice.co.uk/aclknee.html

And best of luck!

Bunglehead1977

Hi,

After many years of playing football, rugby, cycling etc I eventually snapped my ACL and ended up having a replacement operation, to replace the ligament with a section of tendon taken out of my hamstring. Having lived with a ruptured then torn ACL for over tens years, strangely snapping the ligament (although extremely painful) was the best thing that could have happened.

Following surgery and 12months of physio my knee is a strong as it has ever been and I have been told that I can go back to any sport as long as I have the required strength. Due to age and young family I have chosen to stick with cycling.

Anyway back to the original question, following my phsyios advice I didn't ride a bike outside for 8 months. Although my knee and hamstring where strong enough to cope with the stresses of pedalling by about 3 - 4months, the phsyios advised against outdoor cycling due to the risk of other outside factors that may cause a crash or the requirement to unclip quickly and get my foot to the floor. Their thoughts being that a quick sudden unexpected movement my cause damage. Therefore I followed the phsyios advice and stuck with indoor static cycling until told it was fine to start outdoors.

The best advice to follow is that of the physio.

wingmen74

My post ACL replacement experience has been very positive.

- Full ACL rupture in early Jan, diagnosed in late January 2009 and had surgery in early Feb (patella as the source of the replacement). I was 35 years old at the time of the surgery.
- I researched the post surgery physio extensively (I found the epic bear ski forum was very useful). Perhaps the only downside from my compulsive Dr Google researching was incorrectly inferring positive connotations from the term "keyhole surgery". In my case it was a significant surgery, harvesting a 10x1cm strip from my patella left a significant wound to heal. Also, a "keyhole" through the femur is not to be underestimated.
- In my experience, ACL replacement techniques seem to be well proven and the gating factor to a full recovery is the physio/rehab. Not everyone has the resources, freedom or time to take on an optimal rehab programme. I also feel that using a Cryo Cuff at work (google it) helped the healing process. Having colleagues willing to pick up fresh ice from the Starbucks in the lobby to reload the Cryo Cuff was very fortunate.
- The most difficult aspect was getting movement into my knee. This may have had more to do with the patella as the process of breaking the bonds forming in my patella as it healed was the single most painful part of the experience.
- I was amazed to experience firsthand the rate of muscle wastage. I didn't have large quads to begin with but within 2 weeks, I lost 30-40% of the muscle mass as I stopped using my right quads post surgery (not being able to walk).
- Within a month of the surgery, I still couldn't walk without crutches but I was back on the turbo as soon (as I had a reasonable amount of movement in my leg, about 1 month). The turbo worked well for me as a set of objective measurements to measure my progress. I also used Power Cranks on my turbo set up (apols if this post is reading like an advert). They probably helped with the rebuilding of my leg muscles but then again, sample size n=1.
- After about a month of riding on the turbo, I could ride far better than I could walk. I'll never forget walking into a bike shop on crutches to pick up a new commuting bike and riding away with the crutches taped to my backpack.
- I progressed at a steady rate but there will expect ups and downs. Re-learning to walk was so frustrating. I was able to complete the London to Paris (3 day ride in June and the Marmotte (10.30) - both first attempts.
- It probably took 6-9 months for my quads to return to some semblance of symmetry (this being an aesthetic rather than a functional issue probably had more to do with my super-model sized (tiny) muscles in my good leg)
- Today, the knee is great and does not limit me in any way. I still feel the odd twang but I am living at a ski resort this season and am on the skis every day.

Best of luck.
Phil