New knee

I completely tore 3 knee ligaments and had them repaired plus stitching back together some other soft tissue structures that were ripped off the knee in November 90 (age 34). It was not a knee replacement surgery but invasive and lots of work for the surgeon. Hopefully my experience will be useful info. I did rehab until May 91, 3x/week for about 3-4 hours each day. I waited until I was off crutches in January to get back in the pool (2 months) for easy swimming - I was more concerned about slipping and falling on the pool deck than hurting it swimming. For the first year following surgery I wore a sports knee brace in the pool to prevent hyperextension and also to protect it from side:side motion since the surgery didn't totally stabilize the knee. I did one-legged turns/flip turns and dragged that leg while kicking the other until I could kick without pain. I had to wear a leg brace 24x7 except showering for about the first year after surgery. Yuck. I had to have the ACL reconstructed in June 91 (arthroscopically assisted) after the direct repair failed. I put some skin sealant (Nu-Skin ?) over the incision/staples and started swimming immediately after getting out of the hospital. My orthopaedist would have thrown a fit and told me to find a new surgeon if he had found out. Joint infections are very serious business. Pool decks are the biggest hazard I've run into. November 2005 (15 years after the original injury), my foot slipped while walking cautiously on deck, hyperextended the knee again, and even though I never fell down I had a partial PCL tear on my previously injured knee. That took about 6-8 weeks to (mostly) heal on its own. Breaststroke - I had to pretty much give it up. The kick is painful and ineffective so all BR sets in practice are with fins and a dolphin kick with BR armpull. The only time I do BR kick is when I want to swim a IM in a meet. Backstroke start - I end up doing a "track start" off the gutter, not off the blocks, since I have limited flexion on the one side. In 1990 I was advised that in 10 years I would be looking at a knee replacement due to inevitable knee degenerative changes and pain. Let us all know how you do, and good luck with your recovery.

I completely tore 3 knee ligaments and had them repaired plus stitching back together some other soft tissue structures that were ripped off the knee in November 90 (age 34). It was not a knee replacement surgery but invasive and lots of work for the surgeon. Hopefully my experience will be useful info. I did rehab until May 91, 3x/week for about 3-4 hours each day. I waited until I was off crutches in January to get back in the pool (2 months) for easy swimming - I was more concerned about slipping and falling on the pool deck than hurting it swimming. For the first year following surgery I wore a sports knee brace in the pool to prevent hyperextension and also to protect it from side:side motion since the surgery didn't totally stabilize the knee. I did one-legged turns/flip turns and dragged that leg while kicking the other until I could kick without pain. I had to wear a leg brace 24x7 except showering for about the first year after surgery. Yuck. I had to have the ACL reconstructed in June 91 (arthroscopically assisted) after the direct repair failed. I put some skin sealant (Nu-Skin ?) over the incision/staples and started swimming immediately after getting out of the hospital. My orthopaedist would have thrown a fit and told me to find a new surgeon if he had found out. Joint infections are very serious business. Pool decks are the biggest hazard I've run into. November 2005 (15 years after the original injury), my foot slipped while walking cautiously on deck, hyperextended the knee again, and even though I never fell down I had a partial PCL tear on my previously injured knee. That took about 6-8 weeks to (mostly) heal on its own. Breaststroke - I had to pretty much give it up. The kick is painful and ineffective so all BR sets in practice are with fins and a dolphin kick with BR armpull. The only time I do BR kick is when I want to swim a IM in a meet. Backstroke start - I end up doing a "track start" off the gutter, not off the blocks, since I have limited flexion on the one side. In 1990 I was advised that in 10 years I would be looking at a knee replacement due to inevitable knee degenerative changes and pain. Let us all know how you do, and good luck with your recovery.