ACL reconstruction and meniscus suture post-operative rehabilitation FAQ: 1. What is considered normal for my knee mobility recovery? A: Usually for patients with ACL reconstruction and meniscus suture, the progress of knee mobility rehabilitation is to reach 0-90 degrees within one week, maintain within 90 degrees within 4 weeks, and then increase by 10 degrees per week to reach 0-120 degrees in 6-8 weeks. Patients with ACL reconstruction alone have a faster recovery and it is easier for patients to practice up to 120 degrees. But if the meniscus injury patients rehabilitation progress will be slower, usually after the meniscus suture healing time takes 7-8 months, so if there is a meniscus injury after suture surgery patients rehabilitation should not be too aggressive. Just follow the above time to practice mobility. Another issue that is easy to overlook is the rehabilitation exercises for knee extension. Don’t forget that the specific standard is that the back of the knee joint should be close to the bed when the affected limb is lying flat on the bed. Patients who do not achieve this can use sandbags to press their legs. Some patients feel a sense of limp when walking in the early postoperative period, often because the straightening exercises are not in place, the lower extremities do not fully straighten the affected limbs when walking, resulting in unequal length, it seems to have a limp gait, it is recommended to strengthen the knee extension exercise. It will improve quickly. 2.My rehabilitation progress seems to be slow, not reaching or barely reaching the above progress, what should I do? A: Some patients are afraid of pain after surgery or the method of mastery is not in place, or the original degree of injury is more serious, sometimes feel slower recovery, then you need to refuel, usually the position of the suprapatellar capsule of the patella is the first to start and most likely to some adhesions, so pushing the patella exercises are very helpful for the exercise of knee flexion mobility. It is best to have a rehabilitator. It is better to have a rehabber or a family member to help push. Please refer to our post-operative rehabilitation guidelines for specific techniques. Each post-operative patient is usually given one during their hospital stay. 3. Is it normal for me to have knee pain during the rehabilitation process? What can I do? A: The post-operative rehabilitation process of the knee joint is accompanied by a certain amount of pain, which is normal and does not require special concern. Patients who have had surgery in our hospital usually strive to achieve 0-90 degrees of activity within a week or so of hospitalization. Generally, it is normal to rest for half an hour after recovery and the pain is relieved. More than half an hour is still very painful and rehabilitation is a bit too much. After rehabilitation activities, if the joint pain can take some anti-inflammatory pain medication, will help the recovery, in addition to local ice packs after rehabilitation is also a good way to relieve pain. 4.My thigh muscles seem to have atrophied, why is this? What can I do? A: ACL injury thigh muscles are more prone to atrophy, after ACL reconstruction, meniscus suture surgery, because a few weeks after surgery, the affected limb needs to be protected under weight-bearing, there are often thigh muscle wasting atrophy, almost every patient has this process, wait until the affected limb rehabilitation, the basic function of normal, thigh muscle will recover on its own. We do thigh muscle exercises for rehabilitation, such as leg lifts, side leg lifts, quadriceps isometric contractions, etc. can help prevent muscle atrophy. So we should not be lazy after discharge from the hospital. Usually, 2 weeks after surgery, leg raising exercises should be at least 200 times a day or more better. 5.When can I go up and down stairs after surgery? A: Usually, after ACL and meniscus repair, the affected limb can recover the ability of daily life within 2-3 months, and it is more normal to walk on the flat road, but there may still be some phenomena such as playing soft leg and not enough force to go up and down stairs, which is usually due to partial atrophy of the thigh muscles, insufficient muscle control power when going up and down stairs, and the ligaments have not yet healed and other factors. These symptoms often resolve on their own as the rehabilitation strength increases. Usually it takes 3-9 months. Patients with meniscal injury will recover more slowly, while patients with simple anterior cruciate reconstruction will recover more quickly. Therefore, early after surgery, it is recommended to support crutches to go up and down stairs and actively do rehabilitation exercises for the lower limb muscles. 6.When can I run after surgery? When can I play ball? A: After ACL reconstruction, the ligaments need time to mature, and the repair and healing of meniscal tears is even slower. Strenuous exercise too early tends to leave some ligament laxity and the meniscus tends not to heal. Most students or young people in college towns do not have professional rehabilitators or coaches to follow their rehabilitation after surgery, so I suggest that it is safer to start exercising after 6 months at the earliest after surgery for simple ACL injuries and 9 months after surgery for combined meniscus injuries. Impact sports such as basketball and soccer are recommended to be played 10-12 months after surgery. 7.Is it normal to have occasional popping during knee flexion and extension activities after ACL surgery? What can I do? This is because the artificially reconstructed ligament has only one or two bundles, which are not completely equivalent to the normal three-dimensional spiral structure of the human ACL, and the patellar motion track after ACL reconstruction is often slightly different from the normal knee joint. Therefore, some patients may feel the popping phenomenon during flexion and extension activities, but there is usually no obvious pain, which is a normal postoperative phenomenon and should not be particularly worried. This is a normal post-operative phenomenon and should not be a cause for concern. It does not affect the rehabilitation of the knee joint. 8.When do I need to return to the hospital for follow-up? How can I get more professional rehabilitation guidance? A: The above rehabilitation recommendations are for simple common ACL injuries and meniscus injuries. For severe multiple ligament injuries, congenital discoid meniscus injuries, meniscal barrel tears, compound tears and other severe meniscus injuries, the rehabilitation process may need to be delayed. It depends on the individual circumstances of each patient. If you feel that your recovery is difficult and you cannot do what is required in our rehabilitation guide, we recommend that you return to the hospital for follow-up after discharge, usually 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks and 10 weeks after surgery. This will allow us to follow up on your recovery in a timely manner.