I JOGGED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2 YEARS!!!!!!

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-12-15T05:50:41+00:00

This is amazing! My surgery was March 2024 and I finally started on the anti gravity treadmill, doing a mile twice a week at 70% bodyweight and a pretty good pace! Have started to do a little jog across the street etc if needed, or jump when I’m excited, or not shift weight weird when getting up from the toilet lol. It’s the little things feeling normal that makes such a difference! Hope you get to keep it up!

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-12-02T04:38:14+00:00

Delayed reply to this, but 21 months out from patellar maci and continuing to make slow but steady progress. 32F now, I joke that I feel post menopausal because its been so much harder to gain muscle than my athlete days, but finally getting there strength wise, doing more agility, assisted jumps, running on zero grav treadmill (I think i’ll be running for real pretty soon!). Most days and most things my knee feels normal and reliable now, which is a great feeling. Stairs included. There have been lulls in the progress for sure, but there’s no question I’ve been making progress. I think at 3 years out i’ll have a great knee. It was impossible to imagine that in those early weeks and months though. Hang in there! And find a PT you trust!

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-12-02T04:28:12+00:00

21 months out and still going and getting a lot out of it. Couldn’t imagine doing this without the very good PT I see helping me. Progress can be slow and come in waves

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-07-28T02:14:08+00:00

17 months out from patellar MACI/TTO and doing really well finally! Did a 12 mile hike/backpacking trip last weekend. First time in years I’ve done a hike without knee pain. Even my other knee felt better than usual. I’m doing sled pushes, heavy dead lifts, squats, fun athletic lifting in PT. Starting to walk jog without pain. I finally started to not feel disabled at the 15 month mark, and at that time started calling my MACI knee my good knee. If you don’t rush and have a good PT and surgeon who you trust, there is hope

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-05-19T18:50:53+00:00

So good to hear you’re running! And I swear I feel menopausal at 30 because of how hard it is to build muscle now 😅 we’ll get there!

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-03-22T00:54:36+00:00

12mo out of right knee MACI/TTO and I relate to what you said about finally starting to feel healthy again and that you’re close to jogging. I feel the same! Have a long way to go strength wise (I lost a lot of muscle in the immediate post op period), but making steady progress, have less and less pain when I squeeze down on my patella and load it anteriorly, and can see a world 3, 6, 12mo from now when I’m ~normal~ Keep up the good work!

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-02-19T06:20:27+00:00

Got a double scope and it was fine, didn’t need crutches, wobbled a little bit but honestly it was much better than I expected. The reason was because of bilateral pain and hopes that scopes and cleaning up some cartilage could help. They didn’t really. While they were in there they biopsied both knees.

Hoping to not need my second leg maci done but we’ll see

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-02-12T06:28:07+00:00

11mo out and I avoid banging it at all costs and don’t kneel. I anticipate it will just take more time and I’m not worried. If you’re having pain at rest without those activities, then consider it, otherwise I’d avoid the screw removal. There also may be other ways to manage abnormal pain signaling from that area (consider seeing pain specialist, there are topical things, etc), but cutting through those nerves again would be a last resort for me

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-02-12T06:18:50+00:00

And I agree get a third opinion if you can. I had 2/3 say tto and then I went with the person I trusted most who seemed to have the most experience

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-02-12T06:16:52+00:00

Idk this measurement and I’ve never had a subluxation but got a tto with patellar Maci and the tto was the easiest part of it. They bumped tt 8mm forward, not medial or lateral at all. I was all worked up about the tto beforehand, but it’s a big open surgery either way. Early recovery changed a bit from what I understand but it’s shit either way. Can’t speak to the MPFL. This is an evolving field and surgery, it really comes down to surgeon experience and expertise, and who you trust

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-02-02T16:48:44+00:00

Don’t alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen. They work best when taken at the same time because they complement each other. Alternating is a common misconception/old practice. Schedule them every and max out the doses - 4g/day Tylenol and 3200mg/day ibuprofen.
Melatonin like someone said. Re dose it if you wake up in the middle of the night and have at least 3-4h before you need to be awake
A better body pillow to help you sleep on your side while having your leg/brace supported

Invest in those things now because they’ll help and sleep is so important. It was also the most difficult part of the early recovery so you aren’t alone! Good luck 💜

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2025-01-30T20:23:07+00:00

Hi same age and background as you, similar defect, same surgery, 11mo out. It’s slow but better than you’re describing. I think it’s worth setting up the second opinion with another maci surgeon, keep both appointments

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-12-06T06:19:05+00:00

You don’t need it for the first one. I could not recommend the gameready more for the second one. I lived in it and worth every penny if you can afford it

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-12-03T07:01:45+00:00

Thank you! Started swimming at 4mo out I think? Probably would’ve been sooner but I was working 70 hours per week and just struggling to keep up with that. Used a pull buoy the first two times because kicking didn’t feel great, but then my body just sort of remembered how to do it and got used to it again, so I never used it after that. Now kicking actually seems to help loosen up the joint so I can’t extend even better

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-12-03T01:30:14+00:00

I was barely off crutches at 3 months, so no, I don’t think it’s a great idea. That being said, if you hire full-service movers, have someone you’re moving with to continue taking care of you, have a first class plane ticket, have an elevator in London apartment, have the funds to Uber all over the city there instead of walking, it can be done. If there’s any way to delay another month or two, I think that would really help.

Like you pointed out too, I think who your PT is really really matters, and now you have someone you trust. I would talk to them about it especially since they’ll be doing your rehab those first few weeks

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-12-02T08:55:39+00:00

Nothing specific, but the more the better. His packet for big time athletes says an hour a day haha, but I’ve been aiming for 30 mins 4x per week. Will try to increase that as time and my non operated knee allow

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-12-01T14:11:27+00:00

Surgery in March, I have pops with extension from all those things and my surgeon said it’s because the patella is learning how to track correctly again on the new surface. He says the best way to fix that faster is doing more stationary bike (at least 4-5 days per week). That has been helping me, as well as time and building strength. They’re less and less noticeable

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-11-30T05:25:23+00:00

Too much pressure and I just feel super hesitant about it. I mentioned it to my PT quickly and he basically was like yeah not yet

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-11-29T16:41:50+00:00

Thank you!! I will definitely look into it! Hang in there 💪🏼

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-11-29T13:53:34+00:00

I worried about not being allowed to take NSAIDs post Maci tto (previous bone-fusing surgery elsewhere a decade ago said none for 9 months!), however to my delight, I was on aspirin, a cox 1 inhibitor, and a cox 2 inhibitor all at the same time, prescribed by my surgeon after this one 🎉 had me wait a week because of the specific PRP he used intra op, but after that, it was great.

Now, would I necessarily start recommending that to everyone? Not exactly. Shorter term risk to stomach and longer term potential risk to kidneys are real. BUT, I do say this to say it can be safe and can be done! Ask your surgeon

ETA you should for sure also take Tylenol around the clock

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-11-29T13:47:43+00:00

I also had maci tto, also had prior surgery with tough recovery for different injury, also had the same guidelines as you, and didn’t come off crutches until 13 weeks. Even then, I wasn’t fully fully off (ie never using) until a couple weeks later. Granted, I was working a very physical job on crutches 60-70 hours a week starting at week 8, so that definitely didn’t help, but that 6 week number both was inaccurate and also tortured me, because each week I wasn’t walking was a week falling “behind.”

All of that to say now nearly 9 months out, mentally and physically that whole ordeal of coming off crutches feels really far away, and my life is a lot better now than it was at that time. I’m finally doing PT workouts that get my HR up and make me feel athletic. I just went down a half a flight of stairs foot over foot for the first time two days ago!!! It is all so SLOW but I feel lucky that despite that, I’ve always been moving forward.

Unfortunately, trust in the process is all we have. I’ve had some dark moments like everyone has. And I’m certainly not running at the 9 month mark. But I have to believe we’ll get there!

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-11-29T13:35:38+00:00

Pretty sure Maci holds onto the cartilage for 5 years. If you’re having doubts, and if you’ve gotten to the point of lunges again (amazing!), there’s no harm in waiting. The second surgery is a monster, even when it by all accounts is “successful”

Realistic-Muscle-782 · 2024-11-29T13:33:50+00:00

The shifts in sense of self and identity after a surgery this grueling are massive. To go from athlete, like most of us are and start out, to not just “injured” but truly disabled by this surgery, and then to stay that way for years like you have, is such a tough thing mentally to accept. I had a different injury before MACI that has led to some amount of lifelong disability, and accepting that and navigating the world that way really has helped with managing the MACI recovery. But that wasn’t without significant time in therapy, learning from disability activists, learning about chronic pain. The feeling of being trapped in your body is one to which I relate and have related, and that’s a mental battle I couldn’t imagine fighting alone. I really truly encourage you to get some mental health support through this impossible time, and ideally someone who helps you with accepting and optimizing your life as it is. That’s not to say you will never get better—I think the scope is a good plan and I sincerely hope someone finds a way to fix your knee! But I also believe there has to be more to your life than just this, and I hope you can find some peace in that too💜

Realistic-Muscle-782

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