My ACL knee surgery was on April 7. As directed, I arrive at 6 AM for my schedule 7AM surgery at Boston Out Patient Surgical Suites in Waltham. I was impressed on how professional and punctual everyone was from the receptionist to the nurses and doctors. After my knee was shaved, the anesthesiologist introduced himself and explained how I would be getting a Femoral Nerve block to numb my leg prior to going into the operating room where I would have general anesthesia. I told the anesthesiologist that I work on the Femoral Nerve every day in my office. That peaked his curiosity and he asked me what I did. I told him I was a chiropractor and usimg ART® I release entrapped nerves, including the Femoral Nerve. He asked me if I wanted to see the femoral nerve as he was doing the nerve block. Of course I said yes! Guided by Ultrasound I watched the needle approach the femoral nerve and the injection. 5 minutes later the anesthesiologist returned and asked me if my leg was numb. It wasn’t. He then asked me to raise my leg which I could not do. He said the nerve block was working and I am ready for surgery.
Soon after I was wheeled into the operating room and everyone introduced themselves. They put me under general anesthesia and the next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery room. It was surreal, but luckily my wife was by my side which was very comforting. I was asked how I felt and given my 1st dose of Oxycodone. The advice I was given was to keep ahead of the pain. It took another dose to relieve the pain.
Dr. McKeon came over for the post-surgical consult and told me there was more damage than he expected to both my medial and lateral meniscus, but that he was able to trim and smooth them out. The Allograft itself went very well and the quality of my new ACL was excellent! (He gave me a DVD of the surgery which I watched a few days later)! Just to make sure his return to work recommendations had not changed, he assured me I would be able to and encouraged me to go back to work on Monday- which I’m glad my wife heard first hand
I was sent home with instructions to keep my leg in the brace in a locked position until the femoral nerve block wore off which could take 24-40 hours and to keep up with the pain meds to stay ahead of the pain, which I also did. That day and the next were a blur. Icing, watching TV and sleeping. It took until just before dinner on Friday for me to feel touch sensation to the skin, and another while longer before I could raise my leg. After dinner I put my leg into the Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine which slowly puts my knee through a pre-set range of motion, which I gradually increased over time.
I took my last dose of Oxycodone on Saturday morning and vowed not to take anymore, because I did not want to become dependent on it for pain relief, or become addicted. Instead I removed the bandage around my knee and in addition to the CPM used the continuous ice machine. On Saturday I could not weight bear on my left leg and got around, as needed, with my crutches. On Sunday I woke up and said to myself if I am going to return to work on Monday, I need to be able to walk without crutches. I got out of bed, and using the walls for support for a short period of time started walking only with my knee brace. Monday was a déjà vu of my return to work 5 days after the initial injury. I woke up, got out of bed, and was not sure how I was going to get through the day. My wonderful staff, was (and still is) very protective of me and has kept my patient schedule lighter than usual as I get back into the swing of things.
Again, the more I moved in the office, the better I felt. My patients were wonderful and very understanding. Everyone wanted to know how the surgery went and how I was doing. Repeating the story was therapeutic in its own right, and I was overwhelmed by my patient’s carrying. Thinking and focusing on my patient’s needs instead of my own kept me from thinking about my knee which was even more therapeutic for me.
I have been in Physical Therapy at Rebound PT, in Natick, twice a week. Steve Crowell, PT, and his team have accelerated my rehabilitation. Between the knee mobilizations and dynamic exercises I am doing, I am feeling better after each treatment. I am highly motivated and am very compliant patient. I do my home exercises every day and spend more time than I ever expected pedaling an exercise bike.
At my two week post-surgery check-up with Dr. McKeon’s exceptional Physicians Assistant (PA), Jason, said I am where I should be and gave me additional tips to get my knee into full extension, which I am doing daily.
I continue to get treatment in my office every day. Drs. Ball and VanNederynen are adjusting me and using ART® to break down the adhesion in my leg muscles. It is amazing how much progress I get with each ART® treatment. Bernadette has massaged and used cupping on my leg, also with excellent results.
As rough as this has been on me, the toll has been even greater on my wife and daughters. As they deal with my extra needs and pick up the slack on the chores and responsibilities around the house which I am not able to do. I can’t tell them enough how much I appreciate them and how sorry I am. For years joked that it is often harder for the family than the patient. Now I know that it is not a joke.
It is amazing how time consuming and encompassing this whole process has been. My whole life is revolving around my appointments and home exercise program. It has been an incredible lesson on what it takes to be a patient. For 31 years in practice I have offered advice and had my patient’s follow them so they could get back to enjoying life. I have a much better appreciation now for what that really involves. I am humbled and among other lessons from my knee injury, I am an even more empathetic doctor. My first big goal is to be able to run in 3 months and I am almost a third of the way there. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
If you missed Part 1, here is the link: https://www.performancehealthcenter.com/a-split-second-the-road-to-recovery/