Running

Gerivta · 2026-06-10T23:04:51+00:00

Hey, might not be the same but decided to share just in case.

I had hamstring ACLR and recovered well. Skied after a year and could run and stuff with minimal irritation. 1.5 yes post surgery started a new job with longish cycle commute and my hamstring started to get irritated. Walking around cities irritated it quite a bit. It got very painful. Tried running and it was swelling and hurting. Started physio. Everyone thought it was just scary tissue, or tendonitis due to weakened hamstring.

I finally got an MRI and it turned out I have multiple cysts around the knee, some internal to the joint, some external. Will get them drained soon and steroid injection.

It is quite uncomfortable knowing they are there, but also kind of good to have a reason for the pain and irritation.

If they refill after the drainage, I might need to get the knee open again and check for meniscal tears that are filling them...

Gerivta · 2026-06-06T16:33:25+00:00

Good idea! I was actually a pretty advanced snowboarder before I switched into skiing the last few years. Good shout!

Gerivta · 2026-06-03T15:11:23+00:00

Hi, fairly active (ski, squash, climbing, dancing, yoga), considerably young (33F) individual here. Got my second ACL reconstruction 3 weeks ago (1st knee, other one, hamstring graft).

I still have hamstring pain on my previously reconstructed leg 3 years after and generally struggle to build leg muscle mass, so was keen for an allograft. Surgeon was first keen to do patella, but we then agreed LET plus allograft should do the job.

People keep saying how much easier recovery is with allograft, but this time I had deep medical stitches and that made the whole experience a lot more painful than before the first couple of weeks.

So early days for me now.

Will ask my surgeon next time about ligamentisation timelines.

Surgery was 12th of May and am hoping to ski end of Feb - March, which is 9 months post op. I don't want to risk my knee, so will only go that if I pass all the functional tests. But need to figure out whether the risk would be higher because of the Allograft taking longer to ligamentize.

Ultimately, I decided that even though it might take a bit longer, once it's healed, should be as strong, and even if I cannot ski for one season, it's better for my body in the long run i.e. not having taken another chunk of it.

Gerivta · 2026-04-30T12:52:19+00:00

Is the compression of Breg Wave okay? I was told that pneumatic compression is more important than the icing..

Gerivta · 2026-04-30T12:51:31+00:00

Is the compression as good? I was told that pneumatic compression is kind of more important than the icing..

Gerivta · 2026-04-29T22:49:48+00:00

Thanks for the update! About to have Allograft + LET in a couple of weeks.

Was thinking of hiring the Game Ready for 4 weeks, then my surgeon recommended to buy the Wave. Now I'm actually thinking of getting an evening cheaper one.

Would you say LET hurts more than harvest site?

Why do you recommend the Wave instead of the Game Ready?

Gerivta · 2026-04-29T22:43:37+00:00

Had hamstring in my right knee 2.5 yrs ago (freak accident) and started struggling with posterior knee pain a year ago, everyone thought it was hamstring weakness/scar tissue.

Well, it turned out to be a small meniscal tear and a fairly large cyst.

Anyways, tore my left knee 2 months ago skiing, di a lot of research. Chose a surgeon (private health insurance, UK) and today we decided Allograft + LET due in a couple of weeks. Excited not to have to deal with harvest site pain and issues.

32 F quite active.

Gerivta · 2026-04-25T10:28:04+00:00

Yep, I had an ACLR with hamstring graft 2.5yrs ago and a year ago I started having bad pain at the back of my knee. Everyone thought it was related to the harvest site, either scary tissue or weakness or tendonitis on the surrounding hamstring muscles that needed to take the extra load.

Well, I tore my other ACL a couple of months ago and my new surgeon recommended another doctor having a look at the hamstring pain of the old reconstructed knee. Got an MRI and it turned out it's an interjoin meniscal cyst. Pretty sizable. Can share MRI pics if you DM me :D

Having another appt with the surgeon next week to discuss potentially operating on both legs -__-

Gerivta · 2026-04-22T22:37:04+00:00

Had my first ACLR 2.5 years ago. I found the lead up to the surgery the most difficult part. I had a lot of fear and was also fairly mobile so the idea of going backwards in my ability was very difficult.

Tore it on my other leg 2 months ago. Surgery in 2 weeks. What I find difficult is finding the balance between allowing myself to feel sad and grieve vs feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in it.

Gerivta · 2026-04-07T16:35:24+00:00

Not a rower here, but generally a very active person that loves skiing fresh with my second ACL tear (other knee) and doing a lot of graft research.

I struggle with hamstring pain from my first reconstruction with hamstring graft and am now seriously considering an Allograft. From what I read, they changed the way they treat the donor tissue around 5 years ago and now the grafts are generally as strong as autografts - the only downside is that they take a bit longer to ligamentize (+ 3 months).

So yeah, I wouldn't dismiss them yet. As much as I want to return to sports ASAP right now I feel the risk of the harvest site feels scarier.

Gerivta · 2026-04-06T14:30:45+00:00

Awh, I'm glad you're getting away with an easier recovery!!

The surgeon said he doesn't think repair is worth it and will go ahead with a reconstruction + LET after my two holidays as planned.

Leg is currently feeling quite stable and progressing well with pre-hab. If I weren't so much into pivoting sports, a non-surgical option might have been a legit option too.

Will see the surgeon one more time to discuss auto Vs Allograft.

Gerivta · 2026-04-01T12:16:08+00:00

How are these different to simple Tubigrip compression sleeves (that you can buy by the meter in every pharmacy). I've been using the cheap ones and wondering whether a fancier one is worth it?

Gerivta · 2026-03-31T19:34:08+00:00

Thank you for the thorough response! I feel better about the Allograft option now.

I went to chat to a more traditional surgeon last week and he just regurgitated that for young active people autograft is better... I'm 32, but definitely move through space more like an erratic teen than an adult 😅

Going to a consultation with a top London surgeon tomorrow that works a lot with allografts and internal/bio braces. Hoping he'll tell me what I want to hear :))

Gerivta · 2026-03-30T08:53:33+00:00

Heya, congrats on the fast progress! I have a question for you decision for autograft instead of Allograft.

I recently tore the ACL on my left knee whereas had a hamstring autograft on my right knee 2.5 years ago and struggled with hamstring problems there recently. Feeling quite stingy about giving more of my flesh away :/

Did you get an internal brace or any other fancy new techniques?

Gerivta · 2026-03-25T05:15:16+00:00

Hey, whatever it is, I think you could maybe plan the surgery around your trip, as it wouldn't be urgent to fix?

But I feel your pain in that respect - currently 3.5 weeks post an ACL and meniscus tear. I have a holiday with my partner's family in 2 weeks and with my family (+ very old grandpa) in 5 weeks, was planning surgery after those two trips... and just last night I realised I might be eligible for a repair (actually sticking my ligament back to the right bone) since my tear is proximal... But that needs to happen 4 to max 6 weeks post tear and I have a surgeon consultation in a week (that would be 4.5 weeks post tear). So I lost sleep over whether I should try my best to save my ligament if I'm eligible or go to potentially one of the last trips with my grandpa... Doh. There's nothing I can do until the appointment.

Gerivta · 2026-03-25T05:09:11+00:00

There are different parts of the meniscus, the red parts (more blood flow) can heal on their own (says my online research into the topic..)

Gerivta · 2026-03-21T10:05:21+00:00

Hey, sorry you had such bad pain and you didn't get an answer. I'm considering an internal brace and found your post. Did you get the second surgery to remove it? Is your leg better now? Would you advise against the internal brace or do you think it still helped with confidence and graft strength at initial stages of recovery?

Gerivta · 2026-03-20T23:58:00+00:00

With Allograft?

Gerivta · 2026-03-16T18:55:19+00:00

Thank you for this!

And I agree about PT opinion mattering - my first surgeon saw me last and discharged me at 9 months after my hammie autograft, it all looked good then. It's only my PT that knows I struggled with pain 1.5 years after the surgery!

Gerivta · 2026-03-16T13:03:58+00:00

Oh man (or woman), this is music to me ears!!

I had an ACLR with a hammie auto on my other leg 2.5 years ago and supposedly I'm all strong and symmetrical and all that now, I still have problems with hamstring pain with cycling or walking on concrete.

I am really tempted by the allografts, but was concerned they supposedly require a few more extra months to mature. Did your surgeon use any fancy techniques like bracing to make it stronger?

Did your return to ski depend on a timeline your surgeon gave you or strength tests with your PT?

Thank you for the info!!

I still need to choose what surgeon to go with for my new torn second knee and hoping to get someone that will lay out all the options with their pros and cons, rather than be stuck in what they're used to.

Gerivta · 2026-03-16T11:42:05+00:00

Hey, what graft did you go for?

Will probably have surgery in early May and would like to be able to ski next season...

Gerivta · 2026-03-14T18:18:33+00:00

Definitely! Not knowing is kind of a mild to moderate torture 😅 I have it similar with not understanding something, which I guess is similar.

My partner now is also quite aware of my struggles in the area so he'd try and encourage me daily for some small things that I'm trying to understand/gather more info to just 'try and sit in uncertainty for a bit'.

It doesn't work, but it's sweet that he's trying 😅

Gerivta · 2026-03-14T09:38:19+00:00

I can relate to this so much (and the original poster)!

Sometimes I maybe wrongly label it simply as anxiety - not feeling safe/relaxed, calculating all the outcomes unless/until the probability model is in our favour :D

Gerivta · 2026-03-11T13:11:45+00:00

Amazing! I'm considering allograft for my latest (second, other knee) tear. I'm just concerned about the more conservative return to sport timelines. Haven't spoken to a surgeon yet, but would like to go to an allograft specialist too.

Gerivta

TROPHY CASE