Tuesday 8 January I visited Doctor Anna at Malmö Hospital, surgery dept., to remove the stitches. (forgot to take the “after” picture”)
Doctor Anna told me it looked fine and explained in detail what happened in the knee and Quadriceps Tendon Rupture is quite a rare injury but when it happens it’s quite common that it happens when the body-and-mind is not prepared for an extreme sudden “trauma contraction”, like walking down a stair, stepping out of a car or bus, tripping on the sidewalk, slipping on ice etc.
The next 4 weeks I keep the knee brace on all the time with 0 degrees angle and the recovery phase can begin.
Exercises to improve the healing:
2-3 minutes several times a day
Tighten your thigh muscle with your knee fully straightened. Lift your leg. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Slowly lower.
Repeat until the thigh feels fatigued.
Straighten the knee, tighten thigh muscle. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
Repeat this exercise approximately 10 times during a two-minute period, rest one minute, and then repeat.
Continue until your thigh feels fatigued.
Other things that I do to help the body recover are:
- Ice pack to reduce swelling – 10-20 min. 2-3 times a day with leg elevated
- Foot roll with a golf ball
- Walkabouts in the hood
- Spike mat – improve blood circulation and stimulate the nerves in the spine and the rest of the body
What to eat and drink that to improve the healing:
Calories – the body need more calories to create new tissue to repair the tendons, muscles and bones
Protein – the building bricks of the body. After an injury the body use more protein than it creates. If you don’t get enough protein could mean the muscles breaks down instead of rebuilding. Get enough protein at every meal.
Omega 3 – an important fat acid for heart and joints. Contain anti inflammatory properties that hurry up the healing process.
Vitamin D – key player in rebuilding the bone structure and tissue.
Quercetin – a potent antioxidant to reduce the number of inflammatory markers.
Tumeric – powerful anti-inflammatory effects and a very strong antioxidant.
Fresh lemon juice – powerful antibacterial properties, lemon juice helps fight infections
What to avoid:
Alcohol
Deep fried snacks
Sugar and sugary carbs
Source:
Orthoinfo
Runners world