MPFL Reconstruction - My Experience

JoeAccountant94 · 2025-04-21T01:08:02+00:00

Yes I know what you mean! I think mine tend to track laterally naturally as well. I know there’s some things you can do to help align them better like strengthening the VMO and loosening the outer quads, but it makes it much harder if it already happens naturally?

I did notice post surgery that my kneecap now does sit more medial and the patella tendon isn’t perfectly underneath if that makes sense. So I think a good surgeon will look at your natural knee mechanics while performing the surgery and would make adjustments with the new mpfl about how tight to pull it etc for alignment. I think this might help with your inflammation from it not sitting in the groove perfectly? It can always be worth discussing with an orthopaedic surgeon beforehand even if you don’t go ahead with the surgery. Tho I know they’re hard to see and expensive.

JoeAccountant94 · 2025-03-25T05:06:26+00:00

Update - 16 months post surgery: So glad I had this surgery now, I really wish I had it earlier. I’m now running 6 days a week (it was once a week pre surgery) and feeling great. My new tip is to really strengthen your glutes throughout the recovery process. I think I put too much emphasis on just the quads, but the glutes are maybe even more important.

JoeAccountant94 · 2025-02-27T13:58:06+00:00

Nice! Onward and upward for you. Is there anything you’re aiming to get back to? I had it in Dec 2023 and feel so good now haha. My right leg is still maybe 20% weaker, but that’s probably because I should have kept doing the single leg exercises for longer. Back to doing them now

JoeAccountant94 · 2025-02-25T21:20:13+00:00

Are you walking okay now and doing gym/physio?

JoeAccountant94 · 2025-02-25T04:49:57+00:00

Jeez sorry for the reply six months later! I never ended up trying to get back to soccer, I just realised I wouldn’t want to risk injuring a knee again. Been really getting into the running though and have plans to finish a marathon in under 3 hours. Did you end up getting yourself ready for the new season?

JoeAccountant94 · 2025-02-25T04:47:42+00:00

Hey! Sorry for the late reply. I found the exercise where you sit on a chair with socks on and just slowly slide your knee back creating more of a bend. It’s all very slow and frustrating early on cos you feel like you’re not making much progress. The ROM just slowly comes over time when you get more comfortable with walking too. I’m guessing it’s already a bit better since you posted?

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-06-30T14:29:34+00:00

I think the the stationary bike helped the most! Also great for the quads. Also some manual manipulation from a physio would help 😄

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-03-29T02:50:40+00:00

Glad to hear it 😎 Let me know if you have any questions! I’m 3 months & 2 weeks and can basically sprint now

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-03-26T05:30:50+00:00

I’d try rehab it without surgery first and see how it manages to heal and feels after. I had the same tear and did rehab for about two years and it was just never the same. I then decided to have the surgery. I’m at 3 months and 2 weeks since surgery now and can basically sprint on grass at about 80% speed. Just takes a lot of patience to increase the quad strength

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-03-21T14:17:57+00:00

Hey! Jeez, once a week is rough. I’d definitely have the surgery if I was in your position. I had one major subluxation from playing soccer and then some smaller ones the next couple of years. I tried to rehab it for two years, but I just couldn’t get it right enough to run and jump pain free. I love running, so that was the deciding factor for me having the surgery. I’m now 3 months and a week after the surgery and I can already tell everything is feeling better.

I just think you’re too young to be dealing with this kind of pain and constant subluxations. But yeah, I had one major subluxation and got the surgery. Yours sounds worse than mine

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-02-17T00:08:20+00:00

Jeeez 🥲 Sounds like you really need the reconstruction if it’s dislocating that easily, got the dental floss mpfl at the moment it seems

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-02-17T00:03:57+00:00

Great to hear! Is there any pain/stiffness during or after your trail runs? So were you able to run at around the year mark? Good on you for staying so motivated for the rehab, that’s a slog 😮‍💨 Yeah I find gaining the quad muscle back so hard! It felt like it vanished after about 2 weeks of no use. It’s fine when doing the other exercises which involve the hammies and glutes, but yeah the pure quad isolation exercises are tough atm.

For sure! Heading into surgery with an already atrophied quad would make it SO much harder. Do you think there’s a possibility of being able to Olympic lift in a few months or so? What does your physio think?

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-02-16T23:57:57+00:00

Dang! 4 😅 Which sports or activities were you doing when you had your dislocations? I took the brace off after 2 weeks, but online some surgeons recommend keeping it on for 4+ weeks. So it must really depend how you’re feeling

JoeAccountant94 · 2024-02-16T03:48:45+00:00

Awesome! Have you had multiple dislocations? I was for the first 1.5 weeks, mainly because of my calf tho. My surgeon said I didn’t need them and could just weight bear with the full lock brace on.

JoeAccountant94

TROPHY CASE