Download ACL Reconstruction: Home Instructions

FACT SHEET FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES
ACL Reconstruction: Home Instructions
What happens after ACL
reconstruction surgery?
After ACL reconstruction surgery, there’s a lot you can do
to make sure you have a good outcome. At first you can
help your wound heal by managing the pain and swelling.
You’ll also need to start right away with rehabilitation
exercises. These are exercises to help you regain range of
motion in your knee, and to restore your sense of balance
and control in your leg.
Your surgeon replaced the
damaged ACL with a new
piece of tissue.
You may need to wear a
brace to keep your knee
stable while it heals.
For most patients, regaining full strength, balance, and
control in the knee and leg takes several months. How
fast and how well you recover depends in large part
on how consistently and carefully you do your
rehabilitation exercises.
How do I care for myself at home?
In the first days after surgery, your leg will be swollen
and you will have a thick dressing covering your surgical
wounds. Below are a few tips that will help you care for
yourself and your incisions:
Manage pain and swelling
Care for your incision
•• Take pain medication as prescribed. When you leave
the hospital, your pain should be under good control.
Your doctor may give you a prescription for pain
medication to take at home. Take your pain medication
as soon as you need it. Don’t wait for the pain to get
too bad. Don’t take any pain medication that your
doctor has not prescribed. Don’t drink alcohol while
taking pain medication.
•• Keep your dressings clean and dry. Your doctor
will let you know when you can remove your dressings
and when it’s okay to take a shower without worrying
about getting your incisions wet. Do not soak in a tub,
pool, or hot tub until your doctor says it’s okay.
•• Elevate your leg. For the first two days, keep your
leg elevated above your heart. Lie flat and use pillows
to prop up your knee.
•• Use ice as directed by your doctor to relieve pain
and swelling. Your doctor may recommend a special
ice machine.
•• Wear your compression stockings (T.E.D. hose) as
long as your doctor advises. Compression stockings
help prevent blood clots.
•• Watch for bleeding. You may have a small amount of
bleeding from your surgical incisions. This is normal.
•• Watch for signs of infection at the incision site
(increased redness or swelling, pus, or fever over 101° F)
and report them to your doctor.
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Activity
•• Take it easy the first day. You should rest on the
day of surgery, other than getting up for the bathroom
or to get meals or medication.
•• Start your recovery exercises as soon as your
doctor recommends. When you start your exercises
depends on the extent of your injuries, the complexity
of your repairs, and your physical condition.
•• Avoid activities that cause pain or swelling to the
knee. Examples include climbing stairs or standing or
sitting for long periods.
•• Use assistive devices as recommended. Assistive
devices are tools to help you do what you need to do
while you’re healing. After ACL rehabilitation, these
usually include a knee brace and crutches. Using
them just as your doctor recommends will help you
heal faster.
Return to sports. You can return to sports when you
have no more pain or swelling, when your knee has full
range of motion, and when your muscle strength and
endurance are restored to normal. Your doctor needs to
give written permission before you return to any sports
or competition.
Follow-up
Your doctor will schedule an appointment to check your
progress and answer your questions. Write down your
questions and bring the list with you.
When should I call the doctor?
Watch for problems, and call your doctor if you
experience any of the following:
•• Your knee keeps bleeding (small spots might
show on the bandages, but they shouldn’t spread).
•• You have pain that you cannot control.
Physical therapy
•• Pus or foul-smelling liquid drains from your knee.
Your doctor may recommend that you work with a
physical therapist to help with your rehabilitation
activities. A physical therapist can create and supervise a
program of specific exercises to increase your flexibility,
strength, and balance. Physical therapy also includes a
variety of treatments to reduce scar tissue, promote
healing, and help prevent future injuries.
•• You have chills or a fever over 101° F.
Returning to your normal activities
The recovery period after ACL surgery, and what you can
expect long-term, is different for every patient. It depends
in part on your general physical condition, what you need
to do, and other factors.
•• You have nausea and vomiting that does not stop.
•• Your knee continues to swell or feel numb, and elevating
your leg or loosening your bandage doesn’t help.
•• Your foot or ankle starts to change color.
For more information
Ask your doctor for these Intermountain fact sheets:
FACT SHEET FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES
FACT SHEET FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES
How to Use Crutches
Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Why should I use crutches?
How should my crutches fit?
What is it?
If you have had an injury, a surgery, or procedure on your
leg or foot, it will need time to heal. To help it heal, and
to prevent pain, you need to keep all your weight off it.
Using crutches will help you get around without putting
any weight on your leg.
You may be given forearm crutches (also called elbow
crutches) or underarm crutches.
In arthroscopic knee surgery, the surgeon inserts an
arthroscope (a tube with a tiny camera) into your knee
to explore and diagnose problems. The surgeon can then
insert small tools through tiny openings to repair or
remove damaged tissue.
At first, using crutches may seem difficult. With a little
training and practice, though, most people learn to walk
safely with crutches. This fact sheet provides tips for
using crutches safely.
Forearm crutches
How do I prepare to use crutches?
Using crutches will be easier and safer if you prepare for
success. Do these things before you start using crutches:
• Remove tripping hazards. Make sure there are no
throw rugs, electrical cords, spills, or clutter that might
cause you to trip or fall.
In this type of surgery, problems are diagnosed and treated
without large incisions (cuts). This surgery usually does
not involve a hospital stay.
When standing up straight,
• the cuff should be about
1 to 2 inches below where
your elbow bends
Arthroscopic surgery might be recommended if your knee
continues to be painful, “catches” or gives way, or keeps
swelling. Knee problems diagnosed and treated with
arthroscopic surgery include:
Use the buttons to adjust
the length of the crutches.
• Torn ligaments
Return to work when your doctor advises. Many patients
can return to office work within a week. If your work is
physically strenuous and a light duty assignment is not
available, you may need to be off work longer.
• Get a back pack or fanny pack. Carry things in a
hands-free bag or pack. Your hands will need to be on
your crutches.
• Wear shoes that fit well and stay on. Don’t wear
loose sandals. Be especially careful to wear good shoes
in wet or snowy weather.
Cartilage
Cartilage
membrane
Ligament
Ligament
Meniscus
Meniscus
• A damaged meniscus
• Scar tissue or joint infections
• Inflamed synovial membrane
• Unexplained knee pain that doesn’t respond
to other treatments
Underarm crutches
When standing up straight,
Potential benefits
• the underarm supports should
fit about 2 inches below your
armpits
• Accurate diagnosis. The arthroscopic
image helps your doctor get a better
picture of what’s wrong with your knee.
• your weight should rest on your
hands, not on the underarm
supports
• Faster recovery than with traditional
surgery. Recovery is usually faster than
with surgery involving larger incisions.
Use the bolts to adjust the length
of the crutches and the height of
the hand grips.
• Less scarring. The incisions result in very
small scars which are not easily noticed
and don’t interfere with movement.
You may have arthroscopic knee surgery to
repair damage to these parts of your knee.
Talking with your doctor about
this procedure
• Damaged or torn cartilage
• Loose fragments of bone or cartilage
• Arrange your household. If necessary, move
furniture to make sure you’ll have plenty of room to
get around. Put things you use often within easy reach.
• Prepare your bathroom. Use hand rails, a raised
toilet seat, and a seat in the shower or tub to help
prevent falling in the bathroom. Wet surfaces in the
bathroom can be very slippery.
Synovial
Synovial
fluid
fluid
Synovial
Synovial
membrane
Why do I need it?
• the hand grip should hit about
where your wrist bends.
Your doctor will talk with you about your surgery,
including the most common benefits, risks, and
alternatives for this procedure. Other benefits and risks
may apply in your unique medical situation. The
conversation you have with your doctor is the most
important part of learning about your surgery and what
to expect.
Potential risks and complications
• Bleeding or Infection. With any surgery,
there is a small risk of bleeding or developing
a wound infection. Antibiotics and careful
sterile techniques are used to prevent this.
• Failure to relieve symptoms. Your
surgeon will do everything possible to give
you the best results. Even so, surgery may not
relieve all your symptoms.
Alternatives
Arthroscopic knee surgery is usually
done after non-surgical options have
been tried. These can include:
• Medications
• Knee wraps or other supports
• Physical therapy
• Decrease in activity
• Blood clots in the joint or bleeding
into the joint. These problems are rare
and treatable.
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How to Use Crutches
Arthroscopic
Knee Surgery
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should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns. More health information is
available at intermountainhealthcare.org. Patient and Provider Publications 801.442.2963 fs275 - 04/12 Also available in Spanish.
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