ACL Reconstruction Knee Surgery, the First 3 Days

ACL Knee Surgery, the First 3 Days

There are 4 major ligaments in the knee, and the ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is one of these. It is an important ligament to stabilize the knee as it connects the femur bone to the tibia bone. It is very common to injure this ligament while playing sports. Once this ligament is torn, surgery is often recommended to reconstruct the ligament. Here is a first-hand account of the first 3 days following ACL reconstruction knee surgery.

Day of Surgery: Surgery took place at an outpatient surgery center where many types of surgery are performed. We arrived 1-1/2 hours prior to the planned surgical procedure. After signing consent for the knee surgery, the patient was brought to a presurgical bed in large room with many smaller rooms curtained off. There was a nurse's station right across the hall. The patient changed into a hospital gown and an IV line was inserted into the arm. About an hour later, an anesthesiologist arrived to discuss anesthesia that would be performed during the knee surgery. It was recommended that the patient have a nerve block procedure in addition to general anesthesia. The nerve block is anesthesia which is injected into the sciatic and femoral nerves in order to numb or paralyze the entire leg. After the patient elected to undergo the nerve block with the general anesthesia, the patient was given a mild sedative called Versed to relax the patient. Then the anesthesiologist and assistant performed the nerve block procedure to the surgical leg. This was performed by inserting a needle and causing the leg muscles to jump and quiver. This helped the anesthesiologist to ensure that the injection site was correct. The entire procedure lasted approximately 15 minutes. Following the procedure, the patient's leg quickly became numb. The patient was very relaxed and unconcerned about the procedure and upcoming knee surgery.