I BROKE MY QUAD TENDONS ON BOTH MY LEGS - need help!

[bigmax]

The 16'th of last month doing a front squat in the gym I broke both my quadriceps and tibial tendons, I had a reconstruction surgery 3 days ago and now I'm stuck in the bed with both my legs blocked... On one side I am feeling as a complete dork because I was training unsafely, no squat cage, no knee wraps, no safety stops... on the other hand here in my hometown all the gyms suck (i'm in Europe) and what hell I'm supposed to do, transform my house in a bloody gym just to train properly? Its also difficult to find any kind of bodybuilding or weightlifting accessory...

Frankly I can't understand how it really did happen, the barbell load was around 287 (bb included) and I was always used to regular squat up to 530 under multipower, my right rotula kept stuck to vastus laterlis and sublussated, the whole load caused a complete break in the left leg tendons plus vastus medialis and lateralis ripping. The surgery inclluded 4 holes in the left rotula to hook the tendon to the tibia.

I have been asking myself what it did cause this disaster, I was running a cutting cycle including gh and winstrol, probably it was the latter, used for a long time, that caused a loss in fiber cross-linking and therefore a tendon weakening.

Doctor told me it would take one year before i come back to sport activity, reahb is scheduled to start around september 15th, I don't know how long it will last but the important for me is to regain all my strength skills.

Now I need collaboration from everyone experienced about this kind of case, surgeons, orthopedics doctors, rehabilitation professionals involved in treatmet of this problems related to bodybuilding and, of course, bodybuilders/weightlifters who had my same problem. Any good advice to get rid of my situation will be welcome.

I was also thinking about a long cycle to promote tendon strenghtening using compounds like gh,igf and boldenone in conjunction with strong joint supplements, the most I can afford, so if there's anyone experienced in treating this cases can help me to build a proper protocol to avoid this will happen to me again.

Probably I'll bump this thread sometimes during next months to make it visible to more people that can contribute to it. Thanks in advance for your advices.

 

[KillerStack]

Curious; were there any warning signs? Stiff or sore tendons etc?

 

[bigmax]

I always had a slight tendon soreness since I was 18, now I'm 38 and it didn't avoid 20 training years, I also had periarthtritis since i was a teen but it was going better in last years, so I was able to increase loads on shoulders, arms and lats. I was'nt able to notice any premonition sign.

 

[KillerStack]

I have never heard of someone simultaneously ripping both sides so bad they needed reconstruction.

Milos Sarcev and JP Fux come to mind. There are at least a couple of other IFBB pros as well, whose names I can't remember right now. Both Milos and JP competed after the tears.

Take a look
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=68bgazb

 

[shuntzu]

Milos Sarcev and JP Fux come to mind. There are at least a couple of other IFBB pros as well, whose names I can't remember right now. Both Milos and JP competed after the tears.

Jason Marcovici was one of them.

Taken from the "Almanac of men's bodybuilding":


"From Toronto, Canada. On February 28, 1997, while training for a pro show with Greg Kovacs, Jason suffered a major leg injury, in which the tendons in both knees snapped. He had surgery and the doctors told him his bodybuilding career was over; that he would have trouble even walking again. But Jason persisted, and five months later, he was able to walk on his own. One year later, Jason did his first squat. And in 1999, Jason competed in something no one thought he would ever do, compete in a pro bodybuilding contest again, the Ironman."

 

[Dad]

Listen to yuor doc, and forget anonymous muscle board member advice.

A year is probably a reasonable estimate. Does this mean it might be less? Perhaps a month or two, but NOT only 4 or 6 months.

Trying gear to strengthen CT is a big mistake - classic gear-related injuries are those where the muscle gets stronger faster than the supporting CT. Dorian's torn bicep in '94 springs to mind.

 

[bigmax]

Milos Sarcev and JP Fux come to mind. There are at least a couple of other IFBB pros as well, whose names I can't remember right now. Both Milos and JP competed after the tears.

Take a look
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=68bgazb

Yes, I remember also the picture of JP Fux, shocking, but my situation is very similar to Sarcev's accident, the difference is that I ended with the barbell in front of me, I repeat it wouldn't happen this way if I was squatting in safe conditions, I'd probably ended breking only the right vastus medialis tendon and nothing more...

 

[bigmax]

Listen to yuor doc, and forget anonymous muscle board member advice.

A year is probably a reasonable estimate. Does this mean it might be less? Perhaps a month or two, but NOT only 4 or 6 months.

Trying gear to strengthen CT is a big mistake - classic gear-related injuries are those where the muscle gets stronger faster than the supporting CT. Dorian's torn bicep in '94 springs to mind.

Sure I'll do it: the words from doctors will be the most important thing to listen to, I already decided it will take how long it will take, an advice can add something more but not take place of rehab routines, I'm deeply conscious of it.

 

[Massive G]

Here's some experience:
I completely tore my (Right knee) patella tendon so bad it actually ruptured away from the quad in late 2005.
How?
I missed a step walking down a winding staircase in socks. My foot slipped on the wooden smooth surface below that and snapped my tendon like a brittle rubber band. Luckily it was at the bottom of the stairs as I fell and could have really been fked up (like split my head open on the wood floor). There was no blood bruising no pain I just couldn't stand up.
Was rushed to the hospital and got the bad news.
I was away from home vacationing so I preferred to come back to my city and get it done.
Had to be reattached. When they did Goshdamn it hurt, swelled throbbed etc. Had to do 12 week immobilization in leg brace slept in a recliner downstairs at my house, family had to come up and help take care of me, had to walk on crutches and walker with no weight bearing. Recovery was uneventful, except for a blood clot in that leg DVT
**broken link removed**
Very common in knee and hip surgeries where there is immobilization.
I preferred to do it naturally and took a ton of bromelain vitamin C E etc.
The therapy was no joke as they have to stretch the tendons back out and then strengthen them and then you have to learn to walk again weight bear etc.
My therapy ended in April 2006 and I went back in the gym. I still don't have all my strength back and the development in that leg is still a bit behind the left one and all but it's never going to be the same for me.
Many others like Milos and JP made a full recovery and ED Coan snapped his on like 837 lb squat attempt at the 2002 Moutaineer Cup, I think he said his foot placement was off.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X8CIFmy4rVg&mode=related&search=
or you can listen to it here: (in Ed's own words)
**broken link removed**
I can't even imagine being double immobilized. shit you have my respect for that.
the recovery will be tough and painful and seem slow, but I can gurantee you you will come out of this respecting some very small things in life we take for granted and be a stronger person for what you went through.

 

[physiqueartist]

bigmax first got to say sorry bro. next thing to do is rest- dont try to do anything to soon. forgot about how you look for now. trust me i know- not like you (damn that must have hurt) i tore my pec tendon and pec muscle 8 weeks ago sugery just over week 1/2 ago-i havent been to the gym in 8 weeks and atrophy sucks. but if i try to push thing redamage can happen- dr/surgeoun told me 6 months until the gym. said do as he says and think safety first.

told me anabolics (test, decca and gh) will help recovery but not so much that it will take months off recovery. no anabolic is going help tendon reattachment faster. just rest and allowing body to do its natural process

other supps i was told to take by my surgeon are
t-3 25 mg
bromelain
vit c
zinc
vit e omega III
ca
mag
multi- vitamin


good luck bro sorry if this is rambled but still on pain meds

 

[muscledoc1]

How long were you on winstrol and on what dose?-i tore my left pec almost 3-years ago(i had surgery) and im pretty sure it was because i was on winstrol for a very long and stupid time(about 8-months straight with sustanon also)-my strength and gains were very good and i just kept on going ignoring the fact that my tendons are getting "dry" from the winny,but i learned the hard way,i took gh for 4-months after the surgery it really helped recover faster,whats done is done my friend so focus on recovering you'll be back quicker than you think,just rehab carefully and listen to your body.

 

[passionsmistress]

An evulsion fracture happens when muscles are stronger then bones. If you had tendon issues then you could also have an evulsion happen. Basically its when the muscle rips off the bone like a pec tear. Be really careful and listen to your doc about rehab. When you are further into healing talk to a massage therapist about doing ct work to increase blood flow and muscle motion. Talk to a mt that specializes in athletes.

 

[thebrick]

Man, oh man....

Does this ever bring back bad memories for me. I tore BOTH my quads tendons back in '05. How? By running on a beach! I was out for a morning run on my vacation with my wife early one morning. I was sprinting down the beach right at the waters edge where I thought the sand would be firm. When sprinting, I ran across place in the sand that was like hitting quicksand. The sensation was like stepping off a big stair that you don't realize is there... or treading air. As I lost my footing in that split second I remember hearing a snapping sound. My feet were down in the wet sand about 10 - 12". I was able to get up with my wife's help and hop on one leg about 100 feet when the other knee popped with a loud snap and I went down. Both kneecaps looked about 1" too low on my legs and obviously, I could not move my lower legs. The ambulance took me from the beach to the hospital. Looking back, I also had a lot of chronic knee soreness from my heavy squats, deads, etc. The surgeon told me I probably had micro tears in my tendons from the lifting and the hard fall was all it took to completely rupture both quad tendons

Anyway, I had surgery to repair. They drilled holes in both patellas to sew/anchor my quad tendons so they could reattach in the correct manner. My knees were locked in full extension for 6 weeks. This was to allow the tendons to reattach with no stresses added. After 6 weeks I started PT. I could only flex my knees 15 degrees at this point. I was VERY stiff and weak. I countinued my PT for 5 more months. Everything was focused on getting my flexibility and strength back. Over this time, my knee braces were slowly adjusted to allow flexibility and movement, then I was moved to crutches. After 5 months I was walking as before with no assistance. The accident happened in May and by Christmas, the process was over. The surgeon told me I could go back to training, just make sure my feet stay on a flat surface. Squats, leg presses, deadlifts are OK, he said.... he told me to never do leg extensions. No problem for me, I always got knee pains from those anyway. Also, you will lose about 10 degrees fexibility in your knees now, just goes with the territory after that surgery.

During this time I did absolutely no training. I couldn't. About 2 months before I was done with my PT I started back with some upper body only.

I am only sharing this because its my story. You better listen to your surgeon and PTs as to what you can and cannot do. You have had a very serious injury and if you want a full recovery, I would not experiment with your body if it were me

This pic was taken AFTER I was back up on my feet.

 

[bigmax]

How long were you on winstrol and on what dose?-i tore my left pec almost 3-years ago(i had surgery) and im pretty sure it was because i was on winstrol for a very long and stupid time(about 8-months straight with sustanon also)-my strength and gains were very good and i just kept on going ignoring the fact that my tendons are getting "dry" from the winny,but i learned the hard way,i took gh for 4-months after the surgery it really helped recover faster,whats done is done my friend so focus on recovering you'll be back quicker than you think,just rehab carefully and listen to your body.

I cannot reach my cycle schemes right now but I can say I have beeen running on winstrol for more than 3 months, first on a 100 mg test base, then along with gh 3ui, I was actually in a good shape, loosing a little bodyweight, gaining strength and seriously cutting. All this things led me to this fatal error.

I'm planninning to take gh just like you did, 2 or 3 ui ed should help me assuming I'm not so young and I'm chronically low on endogenous gh production (maybe this is one of the causes of this sad accident)

 

[thebrick]

and 4 weeks after the surgery

this was NOT fun.

 

[bigmax]

is this what i will find on my legs? is the scar still so visible now?

 

[thebrick]

hey bigmax.... I am not trying to scare you, but I am not going to sugarcoat the injury. If it was a total quad tendon rupture, its going to take some time to get through it... I did, you will too. The quad tendon is one of, if not the largest, tendons in the body. Its a big injury.

 

[thebrick]

is this what i will find on my legs? is the scar still so visible now?

I do have visable scars. They are not THAT bad though. I also have complete numbness around both knees where they had to cut through nerves to repair the tendon.

 

[oldfella]

Very sorry to hear of your injury. The only thing you can do is follow the rehab path to the letter. Do not try anything other than this. I deal with rehab people and patients all the time in my gym. The one thing most of the patients have in common is lack of patientce! They will not follow the full course of rehab prescribed and then wonder why they did not get a good result. Do not be one of these. Do whatever it takes to get better. You only get one crack at this!! Make it count!

 

[thebrick]

Very sorry to hear of your injury. The only thing you can do is follow the rehab path to the letter. Do not try anything other than this. I deal with rehab people and patients all the time in my gym. The one thing most of the patients have in common is lack of patientce! They will not follow the full course of rehab prescribed and then wonder why they did not get a good result. Do not be one of these. Do whatever it takes to get better. You only get one crack at this!! Make it count!

Exactly! Everyone wants a quick fix. This is not a quick fix situtation.