Double quad tendons ruptured

[headtrainer]

Update for anyone looking at this thread for reference.

It is now October 18th, I had the accident on July 1st and the surgery on July 5th.

Current recovery:

• I am training upper body as normal now, fully back in the groove.
• I train every other day, upper body push day A, pull day B. Legs every session.
• My progress has greatly surprised my surgeon, and he looks after pro rugby players, not just your average Joes, so I'm happy to hear that I'm fast in mending and strength recovery.
• I've started sitting at my how desk now that I can bend my knees without a lot of pain. Back on those Zoom calls

Leg training:

• Legs curls - strength ok, but there is still pain at the hamstring insertions at the tibia due to a period of low loads.
• Leg press on Precor - Slowly increasing load and increasing the depth. I started at 5 sets of 15 reps with 60lbs (!). Now I have progressed to 140. 4 pins deeper as well. I hip flexors and hams do most of the work if I don't focus on the quads.
• Calf press on same precor machine. Progressing well. Still sub-par, but not a big concern
• Leg extensions. I was cleared for open-chain work on 9/29 and have been working on it. Started with a single plate (10lbs!) Now doing 55. 5x15 reps. Humbling.
• Stiff-legged deadlifts 3x15. Started these 8/27. Real weak and wobbly at first. Getting better but still shaky when over 205lbs.
• Rehab sessions about every 4-6 weeks after surgeon check-ins.

Things to note:

• My knees will give out suddenly at times, especially the right one. You know when kids will kick their buddy in the back of the knee as a prank? That happens now and then for no reason. Spooky. My surgeon says this is due to overall weakness and the fact that eccentric strength lags.
• Knee stiffness is abating my still present. Feels like there is fiberglass or something attached to my kneecaps. As I walk, my lower legs wants to snap forward.
• Range of motion is complete. I was OK'd on 9/29 as having full ROM.
• Knee swelling is way down, but my kneecaps look oddy pointy, perhaps due to teardrop atrophy.
• I do various movements on off-days to increase strength such as goblet squats and very shallow one-legged squats.
• There is calcification in both quad tendons, and a piece of my left patella remains in the tendon as it's not worth it to dig out.
• I can go up stair, but keep the rail handy. Going down is much harder.
• Walking is tiring because I have to think about every step.
• Great excuse for both my wife and I to extend our exclusive WFH situation!

My protocol for regeneration:
Frequent consumption of collagen and joint supplements such as MSM
AAS: testoviron 250 1ml/wk; Eq 300 1ml/wk; Anavar 20mg per day.

Happy to answer any questions.

Do you believe the Anavar accelerates the rate at which the tendon reattached itself to the bone?

 

[hawkmoon]

Do you believe the Anavar accelerates the rate at which the tendon reattached itself to the bone?

Anavar has the best documentation to support tendon repair immediately after surgery (in rotator cuff surgery).
I know the mending of disparate tissues is the real challenge, but so far things look better that expected. Is that due to anavar? I don't know but I'm willing to keep it in a while longer.

 

[Love_to_Bodybuild]

Anavar has the best documentation to support tendon repair immediately after surgery (in rotator cuff surgery).
I know the mending of disparate tissues is the real challenge, but so far things look better that expected. Is that due to anavar? I don't know but I'm willing to keep it in a while longer.

Man, when I did one leg at a time calve raises, ive been watching my form. Did you keep your knee too straight and pressure went up to quad tendon? do you think keeping knee a little bent is best for this exercise? maybe even holding your kneeat a certain place, when getting heavier , on one legged calve raises.

 

[hawkmoon]

Man, when I did one leg at a time calve raises, ive been watching my form. Did you keep your knee too straight and pressure went up to quad tendon? do you think keeping knee a little bent is best for this exercise? maybe even holding your kneeat a certain place, when getting heavier , on one legged calve raises.

The rupture happened because the platform dropped, missing the safety catches.

 

[Love_to_Bodybuild]

The rupture happened because the platform dropped, missing the safety catches.

First time I saw this. Ok this explains it. I was totally imaging something different that happened!

 

[Bio]

The rupture happened because the platform dropped, missing the safety catches.

Equipment failure...unbelievable...sigh...

I think for me I would better except it, if it was from good 'ol fashioned wear and tear.

At least you're roaring back and things are getting back to normal!

 

[Dens228]

Impressive recovery for sure. 24 years ago I partially tore my quad up near the hip in a powerlifting meet. I was dehydrated from making weight, stupid on my part. It cramped at the bottom of my opening squat, the last thing you want to do is stretch out a cramp with 700 pounds on your back! LOL It took me nine months to squat 135. You're way ahead of my pace.

 

[cage99]

The rupture happened because the platform dropped, missing the safety catches.

Wait, something broke on the machine? Or did you think you engaged the safety latch but didn’t quite make it into the slot?

I never set my safeties at the bottom of my leg press. Probably be a very smart thing to do though. Every time I try and do working sets it kills my back afterwords so I’ve avoided them. Just do hacks on it now.

Cage

 

[Thor65]

Glad you are okay and they were able to get weight off you. Sucks man but you will work through it. I had a knee replacement this past winter and the worst part is sitting around after and not doing normal daily stuff at home. Just like anything else you will get through it.

 

[hawkmoon]

I want to clarify about the legs press as I think it's a bit confusing.

My gym of 15 years was a somewhat specialized gym in Japan. The owner (Japanese) spent several years in the US in the 80-90s bodybuilding scene and worked as a math teacher (!).

He set up the first personal training gym chain in Japan, and caters to executives, athletes, and entertainers.

I like him, he's a good guy, but we don't see much of him these days as he's getting along in years. We used to chat a lot when stopped by the gym. He put me in the same group as his famous people and enjoyed telling his curious and stunned clients that I'm just a regular "salary man".

Much, if not most of the gym equipment he has was custom-made. The benches, cables machines, power racks, smiths, and yes leg press machines were all made to order. They were clearly not blueprinted and one machine varied or so slightly from the next. There is also hammer and cybex equipment, but it all pretty old. The gym is spotless though.

Regarding the leg press (4 in that gym)...it has several design flaws.

No real safety at the bottom, just a bumper donut at the very bottom. Way low. The safety release handles default to off, rather than on, so easy to miss. I knew all this and used those machines for 15 years (Sunday is my 15 years in Tokyo).

As I knew the machines were sub-par, but had little choice of gyms I accepted what I felt was little risk. Though this accident may have never happened on a proper leg press I don't hold the gym responsible.

I know many might find my view overly generous, but that's me.

Since that day however I have not gone back and we cancelled our memberships. I relocated to a relatively new anytime fitness that's a ten minute walk from my house. It has all the usual AF equipment. I just didn't feel like going back.

I'm now using the anytime fitness Precor leg press machine and progressing my weights and deepening the angle week by week. Started at 60lbs, today was 180.

I'll eventually graduate to the Hammer legs press which my wife prefers. My wife also destroys me on the leg extensions, 120 lbs to my 50. Only way to go is up!

 

[cage99]

@hawkmoon, did you ever inquire to the owner why he chose the specific designs for the machine that got you? Having no safeties at the bottom seems strange. It’s not like it effects your total range of motion.

Cage

 

[hawkmoon]

@hawkmoon, did you ever inquire to the owner why he chose the specific designs for the machine that got you? Having no safeties at the bottom seems strange. It’s not like it effects your total range of motion.

Cage

We knew they were suboptimal, but frankly were happy just to have something. There were so few gyms in Tokyo where you could train. That was 15 years ago now and things have changed a little. The Anytime I go to now is small but adequate.

 

[cage99]

We knew they were suboptimal, but frankly were happy just to have something. There were so few gyms in Tokyo where you could train. That was 15 years ago now and things have changed a little. The Anytime I go to now is small but adequate.

Last question; were these custom ordered name brand equipment that had the issue? Or were they homemade like how I fabricated up several of my personal gym pieces? If you don’t know then I get it.. Just curious if a big brand would knowingly alter their design for a customer even if it had safety issues.

Cage

 

[hawkmoon]

Last question; were these custom ordered name brand equipment that had the issue? Or were they homemade like how I fabricated up several of my personal gym pieces? If you don’t know then I get it.. Just curious if a big brand would knowingly alter their design for a customer even if it had safety issues.

Cage

Hi,

These are totally fabricated. As the spec varied (one leg press had a slight different angle that other, same for the two incline benches) they winged it. Very unusual for Japanese to be honest.