acl surgery recovery worried graft failed

by Rory
(South Africa)

hi there , i am 7 months post opp now , i had a double bundle hamstring graft for my acl , there was only acl damage, the meniscus was fine , I've started experiencing a little throbbing in my knee towards the left of my knee cap and my hammy is constantly stiff , been doing lots of pt and training to get it better , but its feeling somewhat lose and unstable now.

? i have friends who can play sports at this stage now... is this just teething or should i be worried , is there anything i can do to check the graft an exercise or something? Something that i should feel or shouldn't feel when running i'm really worried, i'm unable to see my surgeon he is away

ps there was no fall or anything and there is no swelling , there is however a burning feeling over my scar when doing hamstring exercises , the main scar , the big one that they went through

Thanks for the response it is greatly appreciated

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acl surgery recovery worried graft failed

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Dec 14, 2008
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graft failure?
by: Bart - SII

Graft failure usually shows up 9-12 months after surgery, once you resume activities. The most common symptoms are swelling, pain, giving out, feelings of instability, pivot shifting, etc.

From what you describe, it could be just part of the recovery. There really isn't any way for you to test the ACL, however, your surgeon or therapist should be able to do a lachman's test to determine the integrity of the graft(however, it isn't always indicative of a problem).

Bart

Sep 11, 2009
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Graft failure
by: Javy

I had the same type of surgery.
I have had the same symptoms lately as well and i am in my 12th month.
My knee started feeling good around the 7th month
I had been doing a lot of standing, walking, lifting around the 10th month. shortly afterward i started hearing some popping in my knee and it felt unstable. there was no swelling, and there wasn't any specific incident that caused a lot of pain or precaution. I wander if i maybe fatigued the graft and surrounding ligaments?

Is it a possible failure? or is it just fatigue

Jan 08, 2010
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help
by: Anonymous

Unfortunately, I can't answer either of your questions because I am having similar problems. I had ACL reconstruction as well as meniscectomy of my lateral meniscus of my right knee in January of 2009. The graft was taken from a cadaver and is prone - so I've read - to stiffness. That is over twelve months ago, and while I work out on my own, can lift over 100 pounds on my right leg, and go to physical therapy 2 to 3 times a week, my knee is still prone to soreness, slight swelling, and hamstring irritation and pain. My physical therapist assures me that the ACL graft is intact and stable, however I can't help wondering why I still hear clicking and why after running or lateral workouts in soccer my knee still swells, becomes, stiffer, and remains sore. This seems to be taking a lot longer than what most people would expect. Could there be strain on my LCL? Maybe my lateral meniscus is aggravated?