Weight lifting rehab after MPFL reconstruction

[regularjo]

Hello Mr. Rippetoe, 2.5 months ago i undergone a medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction to correct a moderate trochlear groove dysplasia that caused me dozens of patella luxations during wrestling practice over the span of 7 years (the triggering incident happened during wrestling practice too and had 'loosened' my MPFL). After hearing about Brian Jones rehabilitation story, i wondered if the Starting Strength program could help me rebuild enough quads strength to 'safely' get back to wrestling practice ? Is it the good time to start the SS program for me or should i allow more time for the ligament to heal, if so how much time ? Should i make any adjustements to the program considering my medical condition ?
I asked my physical therapist for advice about whether or not i could lift weigths and he was pretty evasive about it as he prefers me to do bodyweight exercices...
I would love to have your input on whether or not i should start lifting now or wait some.

Best regards,

P.S : I'm also overweight, idk if it's a factor to take into account.

[Mark Rippetoe]

If it was my knee, I'd have already started squatting. Your problem is not the surgery at this point -- it's that you don't know how to squat correctly and might fuck up the repair. If you have access to a coach, I'd say get busy now. If not, I'd get one.

[Johnsonville]

Hello Mr. Rippetoe, 2.5 months ago i undergone a medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction to correct a moderate trochlear groove dysplasia that caused me dozens of patella luxations during wrestling practice over the span of 7 years (the triggering incident happened during wrestling practice too and had 'loosened' my MPFL). After hearing about Brian Jones rehabilitation story, i wondered if the Starting Strength program could help me rebuild enough quads strength to 'safely' get back to wrestling practice ? Is it the good time to start the SS program for me or should i allow more time for the ligament to heal, if so how much time ? Should i make any adjustements to the program considering my medical condition ?
I asked my physical therapist for advice about whether or not i could lift weigths and he was pretty evasive about it as he prefers me to do bodyweight exercices...
I would love to have your input on whether or not i should start lifting now or wait some.

Best regards,

P.S : I'm also overweight, idk if it's a factor to take into account.

How satisfied are you with the surgery if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve had the same problem, it happens grappling every year or so, and my last instance sprained my mcl as well and my knee has been feeling loose like it will pop out 6 months later. The ortho recommended the surgery but it seems pretty severe

[regularjo]

Thank you for the advice coach

How satisfied are you with the surgery if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve had the same problem, it happens grappling every year or so, and my last instance sprained my mcl as well and my knee has been feeling loose like it will pop out 6 months later. The ortho recommended the surgery but it seems pretty severe

I guess, it's kind of a "don't do the crime, if you can't do the time" thing. MPFL reconstruction per se isn't very invasive unless it's paired with TTO, however it can be long to recover from (4 to 8 months) and ofc it can fail, i restarted walking without crutches 6 weeks postop and stairs are still kind of a challenge. As for the results, i can't really tell for now, if i can get back on the mats without luxating my knee then i will be satisfied with it. At this point, i feel more and more confident with my knee every day, my ROM has improved since the surgery and the patella feels 'tighter' but i feel way less mobile than before for now (can't run, def can't jump...), i think it will be another couple of months before i can do all those things again. Ask yourself how bad you wanna grapple, and if it's really important for you then you'll go for it, if not, better drop it all together because repeated knee luxations cause arthritis, you could have chronic pain later in life because of it. If you need more insigth on the surgery check out this group, god speed.

[Johnsonville]

Thank you for the advice coach



I guess, it's kind of a "don't do the crime, if you can't do the time" thing. MPFL reconstruction per se isn't very invasive unless it's paired with TTO, however it can be long to recover from (4 to 8 months) and ofc it can fail, i restarted walking without crutches 6 weeks postop and stairs are still kind of a challenge. As for the results, i can't really tell for now, if i can get back on the mats without luxating my knee then i will be satisfied with it. At this point, i feel more and more confident with my knee every day, my ROM has improved since the surgery and the patella feels 'tighter' but i feel way less mobile than before for now (can't run, def can't jump...), i think it will be another couple of months before i can do all those things again. Ask yourself how bad you wanna grapple, and if it's really important for you then you'll go for it, if not, better drop it all together because repeated knee luxations cause arthritis, you could have chronic pain later in life because of it. If you need more insigth on the surgery check out this group, god speed.

Thanks a lot for the insight. Fuck that haha you’re a determined guy to go through all of that, I hope it works out well for you