I had a summer planned of activities, now all canceled for a year of recovery- that’s right –anywhere from 9-12 months. I have been using the social media platform of Instagram @lifeisajourknee to inspire and help myself and others through my experiences and physical therapy exercises through pictures and videos. The ACL community on Instagram is a strong one, a sleeper, and we all help and support each other, whether it’s sharing ideas like kinesiology tape, reps, or posture. I never knew I would grow into a community of such strong women and men who are from all walks of life and pulled together by a common bond and injury. This is a slow, strenuous recovery and patience is required, BUT I wouldn’t change a thing because I’m wiser and tougher for it. May 3, 2018 at approximately 7:30 PM my life changed and took a course unimaginable, unforeseeable to me or anyone around me; I tore my ACL ( Anterior Cruciate Ligament). A what?! Who?! There I was coming in from a run outside, I found a hornet on my couch and I threw my left leg up on my couch to kill it, it got loose, I spooked, my leg went down and my knee twisted in a different position… a FLUKE incident…..POP! Pain! , blinding misery, sweat, pounding the floor, screaming – WHAT HAVE I DONE?! Can I walk on it ? If you are anyone like me, a 30-something jogger and gym goer three times a week, you have not a clue what sports injuries are, not the faintest idea what an ACL, MCL, PCL is…. if you drop to the floor in excruciating pain then you most definitely broke a bone. NOPE, because THAT would be too easy. So what comes next? … The dreaded Orthopedic appointment, the X-ray, and finally the FINAL say: The MRI. “We need to make sure you didn’t do damage to a ligament, we will call you with results.”A call on a Friday night at 4:49 PM, after googling all day, possible knee injuries, and thinking OK as long as I didn’t tear my ACL I will be OKAY, maybe it’s a sprained MCL… “I’m sorry but you have completely torn your ACL , unfortunately at this stage of the game, being young and active, it’s a no brainer to have surgery.”SURGERY?! Never had surgery before! Cut to the anxious,nervous, hard to swallow truth. Surgery is optional, however if you opt out, you opt out of a normal active lifestyle… normal as I see it, no more pivoting … and jumping…. and your knee turns into a ticking time bomb for buckling, at any given time. I was to partake in 6 weeks of physical therapy, and work of my full ROM: range of motion, my knee and leg had to be strong for surgery and recovery. On 5/11/18, I started Pt worked with an amazing therapist and was able to come off crutches and a knee brace after four weeks and then walk normally. Surgery was scheduled 6/26/18. This is about the only injury that will require PT prior to strengthen . Once you tear your ACL you lose your quad strength and calf strength. For a smooth recovery post surgery you want all the strength you can muster because you will become weak again. This journey is one of patience, determination, and strength both mental and physical. It has the lowest of lows and highest of highs. Your active lifestyle is over for months, but your recovery builds a stronger, tougher, inner strength. You have to celebrate the victories no matter how big or small, whether that’s going from two crutches to one, or putting a sock on by yourself it is a true journey. Physical therapy is absolutely essential to recovery and it brought back my confidence from the depths of despair post surgery in incremental steps of two crutches to one crutch, to a cane, to limping, and building back muscle to confidently walk without assistance. Each week you will surprise yourself with amazing strides whether it’s the degrees of flexion or your extension, or the ability to perform your first mini squat or get up from a chair, all of these things will build back your confidence. For example, my shining moment was noticing with a grin that I was leaning my elbow on my surgical knee while I was sitting on my bed with my heel raised. Your normalcy will come back and you will smile when you notice it. I also want to mention that a crucial support system is absolutely necessary. Whether it’s helping you do laundry, make meals or shower, you need assistance the first month, as your body is recovering and you will be weaker than you think as every movement will require thought, like never before, until you are strong again. At 7 months post op now I can attest to the fact that my knee does not quite feel “normal.” My knee is now facing a new normal, in that I have to work harder to bring it back to where it used to be. The stairs are still a struggle, specifically stepping down (more pain after a gym /PT session). You have to work your knee every other day, you have to want the strength and power, like needing oxygen to breathe, exercise provides your knee and leg the muscle strength it needs. I am someone who loves running, and I have built up to roughly ten minutes at 5.2 mph (pre-injury I ran 6.7 mph ) at this point and each month it gets better. I hop, squat, squat jump, balance, perform single leg dead lifts, single leg squats and stretch continuously. This is a work in progress, not a race or competition. You work everyday on yourself for yourself. One piece of advice I received from PT along the way, was never to exercise back to back days because you need to provide your body time to rest in between sessions. I want people to know that there is hope. You have to push yourself with each rep, with each exercise and somewhere in the hopelessness of recovery you build character, you build a new you, a new life, a new ACL. Please follow me @lifeisajourknee for updates on my jourknee and the highs and lows of my experience with ACL SURGERY.
