Rehab Help

[blazertaz13]

I am soccer player how is working on rehabbing my MCL (partial tear) and I need help and motivation in getting past my injury.

I just received a fitbit for Christmas and I want to make full use of it.  So to starting I am looking for reinforcement on rehabbing on my MCL as well as getting into better shape.

As a soccer player (I am over 40), I am not in bad shape, but would love to be in better shape to help prevent these injuires (last year I had my ACL replaced).  So any active suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Algenon]

I am not familiar with that type of injury recovery....What does your doctor recommend?  I know I had other injuries and I was told it is better to take it slow and heal completely instead of fast and run the risk of re-injury.  

[Nestory]

Have you seen a physical therapist specializing in sports injuries and training?  They are the best at developing client centered rehab programs.  

[Lessorino]

I'm also very new to fitbit and I was looking for something to keep me motivated with my ACL rehab. I am interested in being part of a group related to knee rehab or even rehab in general.

One thing I have been told by my Physiotherapist is to make sure the rehab is seen all the way through to the end. She said that so many people get 3/4 of the way through and stop, because functionally they feel fine, but then decline later on with a higher chance of osteoarthritis developing.

I have had an ACL injury since late August 2014 also from playing football (soccer). I was tackled at the same time as changing direction. Last Friday I went in for a full ACL reconstruction but only had the ligament and back of the knee tidied up. The surgeon said that it was very rare but that my ACL had healed to 80% of normal, and he couldn't make anything better with my hamstring tendon. At the time I felt a bit ripped off but now I'm OK with it ... The other 20% is pretty crucial though, so fingers crossed my ACL keeps healing and I can stay focused with the rehab of the muscles surrounding the knee.

The most promising thing I have seen so far in terms of third party apps are at myinjuryapps.com but I have only just started looking. I have also been reading articles on WebMD which has been very useful, e.g.: 

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/news/20100721/torn-acl-may-heal-without-surgery

I had a quick look for MCL (colateral knee) injuries on The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons website and found this:

http://www.orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00550

From what I have looked at today the best clue I got about avoiding reinjuring was using neuromuscular training. See page 3 of this interesting article from WebMD:

http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/features/6-ways-to-ruin-your-knees

From here I got some medical/scientific journal articles... but I think I have said enough already.

Do you have a program from your Physiotherapist or Orthopedic Surgeon to follow?

I can't help motivate you on specific exercises but maybe we could touch base occasionally to check up on each other.

[blazertaz13]

Well I had ACL reconstruction surgery on Thursday, so I am just getting started/ready for rehab.  The other part of my recovery is what will be changed as I also had a meniscus tear as well.

My first appointment with the Physical Therapist is tomorrow.  I am hoping we will be mapping out our rehab program at that time.

I am located in the Pacific Northwest (Washington State).

[Lessorino]

The meniscal tear complicates things. All the best for tomorrow. Stay in touch. Chat soon.