# Knee surgery



## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

any of you ever had major knee surgery? I had it about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I am still going on the hunt against my docs advice. Wondering if anyone has done this and what I can expect. I am off crutches right now, which I am not really supposed to be, but i am walking with a pretty big limp still, but rehabing it very hard. I am hoping that I will be able to hike in the morning and use the 4 wheeler at night which I will hate doing. Any advice would be helpful. I know I am stupid, but never claimed to have any smarts. :mrgreen:


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

bowhunter3 said:


> I know I am stupid, but never claimed to have any smarts. :mrgreen:


That's a given since your a utefan. :mrgreen:

I've had a few knee surgeries. IMHO it depends on what type of surgery you had. Speaking from experience, rushing it will cause you to pay for it later in life. I wrestled 4 days after having my knee scoped, I took state that week but I also had to have my MCL reattached the next week.

I've had dozens of surgeries and I feel most of them everyday now that I'm in my forty's. Man do I look forward to my fifties. -)O(-


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## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

proutdoors said:


> bowhunter3 said:
> 
> 
> > I know I am stupid, but never claimed to have any smarts. :mrgreen:
> ...


Well, i am in my early 30's and I have abused my body over the years with competitive sports. This one was me just thinking i am still in my twenties. I hurt it in a major softball tournament, my knee cap actually was pushed off center about 2 inches. I flipped my miniscus, and I had partial tear in my pcl i think. The doc had to cut ligaments to move my knee cap back into place and then re attach them. I really think or really hope I can handle one major romp a day, and then be a wimp and use the wheeler in the evening. Pain pills should help, but don't want to take too many because i still want to have what whits I still have. Just want to know if anyone has ever done what I am about to do, or have done something similar and can tell me what to expect after I do this idiotic plan that my wife almost wants to kill me over.


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## broncbuster (Jul 22, 2009)

Sounds like its time to cowboy up.
Iwould just hunt slow and take your time. Spot the animal before he spots you. Keep the wind in your face and good luck to you.


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## rabbitslayer (Sep 17, 2007)

You would probably be fine till you got one. I hope that you have an exit plan or help to pack one out. It is hard enough with good knees to get them out sometimes. I would probably chance it also if I had help to get one out. My friend shot one a couple years ago with a broken foot so it is possible. Goodluck.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Be sure to take a bunch of pictures and write down how much fun it was. It will make it more enjoyable to have the memories recorded when all you can do is hobble around. :wink: 

I hear knee replacement is coming along in leaps and bounds :mrgreen:


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## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

rabbitslayer said:


> You would probably be fine till you got one. I hope that you have an exit plan or help to pack one out. It is hard enough with good knees to get them out sometimes. I would probably chance it also if I had help to get one out. My friend shot one a couple years ago with a broken foot so it is possible. Goodluck.


I won't have a problem packing one out, have people for that :mrgreen:


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

I'd be more nervous about riding the ATV than I would be about hiking, although you might find out that climbing a hill will mess you up quick. If it was me, I'd borrow or buy a ground blind just in case. Depending on how things play out, that might be the smart way to go.


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## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

Finnegan said:


> I'd be more nervous about riding the ATV than I would be about hiking, although you might find out that climbing a hill will mess you up quick. If it was me, I'd borrow or buy a ground blind just in case. Depending on how things play out, that might be the smart way to go.


Good idea, thanks never thought of that


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## Theekillerbee (Jan 8, 2009)

So did you have a meniscus repair, or a meniscectomy? If it was a repair, you shouldn't bend your knee past 90* until week 4, or you will likely undo the repair and have to have the meniscus taken out in another surgery. The less meniscus you have, the faster uncle arthur comes to play.

Your patellar surgery sounds a little interesting...doesn't make much sense on what you are describing. Sounds like you had some form of lateral release with either a tibial tubercle transfer, or an MPFL reconstruction. If you could elaborate a little more, I might be able to offer a better opinion. Either of those procedures can be buggered up badly at this point in time though. 

The real factor here is how much of your quad did you loose? Usually after a patellar surgery you get some serious quad shut down. Which unfortunately takes months and months, like 6-9 in your age range, to come back. A weak quad equals a very high risk of ACL rupture, as you can't protect yourself in a rotational event. The PCL can be injured or torn, and usually means nothing as far as overall knee health/stability so no worries there, but if you loose your ACL, hello major knee surgery again!

Going up hills usually isn't so bad, but trying to go down will get you! Be very careful, listen to your Dr, and you may consider chalking this season up to just a camping/scouting trip. It just isn't worth another major injury.


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## littlebuck (Mar 16, 2008)

I took a spill on the ice and broke my kneecap in seven peaces about 3 years ago. The doc wired it back together and it works ok. The wire is still in my knee. But is really sucks big time. Uphill is ok but down hill is real bad. Don't over do it or you might pay latter on in your recovery&#8230;. Good luck


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## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

thanks for the advice bud, I can use all the advice I can get. Lucky for me I work at a rec center so I have everything to rehab right at my finger tip. The stationary bike has been my best friend lately. Monday i could only ride it for 5 minutes. Today I was on it for 20 minutes, without to much pain. We have a current pool in our center which is pretty cool. Next week I am going to do some water walking against the current every day that should really help to strengthen it.


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## Theekillerbee (Jan 8, 2009)

The resisted water walking will be helpful, but doubtful that it will be enough to help you hike around the hills. Professional athletes are out after knee reconstruction for 6-9 months because of quad weakness, not because of the repair. Those things heal in 6-12 weeks (depending on procedure), but the quad is the bear. It takes most people about 20 weeks, with good rehab, to get their quad back to 85%. The soonest I have heard of pros coming back is about 4.5 months post. They get some major rehab...and probably a little Barry Bond's Hand Cream 8) 

Riding your ATV isn't gonna be bad for your knee, just don't crash it!

If you absolutely are gonna go and hunt, get some kind of de-rotational brace to help protect your ACL. The good ones by Donjoy or Bregg will set you back about 7 bills for an off-the-shelf, or about 15 for a custom fit.

Good luck in your decision making. I'd still say go up, take it easy, study the terrain, use your maps, glass like crazy, and find some new area to hunt for next year. Call it a learning experience, but you sure don't want to be down in the bottom of some steep canyon with a broken femur, with your buddies trying to figure out how to drag your sorry butt out of the canyon to get to the area where a helicopter ($7500 min) can pick you up and haul you to the trauma center before you loose your leg!


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Kyle, I will have a good ground blind set up. Come find me you're more than welcome to hunt in it with me. It fits 2 people. We can paper, rock, scissors for who gets first shot.


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## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> Kyle, I will have a good ground blind set up. Come find me you're more than welcome to hunt in it with me. It fits 2 people. *We can paper, rock, scissors for who gets first shot.*


 -oooo- -oooo- -oooo- -oooo- -/O_- -/O_- -/O_-

Thats great lol! I may take you up on your offer


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

See pictures of my foot. We may have to carry each other to the blind. Its in everything else under spider bites. lol


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## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

Theekillerbee said:


> So did you have a meniscus repair, or a meniscectomy? If it was a repair, you shouldn't bend your knee past 90* until week 4, or you will likely undo the repair and have to have the meniscus taken out in another surgery. The less meniscus you have, the faster uncle arthur comes to play.
> 
> Your patellar surgery sounds a little interesting...doesn't make much sense on what you are describing. Sounds like you had some form of lateral release with either a tibial tubercle transfer, or an MPFL reconstruction. If you could elaborate a little more, I might be able to offer a better opinion. Either of those procedures can be buggered up badly at this point in time though.
> 
> ...


Dude, to tell you the truth, my doc was a foreign guy and hard to understand. My quad is pretty weak, but have been working on it. What I do know is that the worst part of my surgery was moving the knee cap back into place. He doesn't want me to go, but he doesn't think I will hurt it again, so what the hell.


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## bowhunter3 (Oct 18, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> See pictures of my foot. We may have to carry each other to the blind. Its in everything else under spider bites. lol


Dude that is crazy is it getting better? The way up you get the piggy back, the way down is my turn for the ride lol!


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## tuffluckdriller (May 27, 2009)

Why would you want to risk only being able to hunt for the next few years and then have to stop because of a stupid decision to push it for this year? Better heal up first. Get the ground blind, road hunt, do whatever, but stay off that thing like the doc says. I've had knee surgery. It takes a long time to recover. It's pretty idiotic to expect no long term effects for not fully recooping before hiking/hunting the hills.


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