20th week post op!

20 down, 6 more to go!

I have to admit I'm getting a little nervous that in 6 weeks my left leg won't be up to par. Unfortunately this weeks' new pair of shoes has given me extremely painful blisters on my feet that has left me limping around on both feet and unable to do my physio. Personal training started this week, however, all he ended up doing was manual therapy on me... which is somewhat disappointing. Apparently we'll be starting on muscle strengthening next week.

My physio has tossed around the word "proprioception" but I've never fully appreciated what it meant until I started juggling while standing one legged on the bosu ball. Normally, both my legs are fairly equal while standing on the bosu, but add juggling to the mix and it's completely different. I can balance a lot better on my right leg while juggling then my left. This is good news in one way: I can measure improvements in the propriocepters in my knee while doing this routine!

I've also crossed the 50 day mark, woohoo!

19th week post op!

19 down, 7 more to go!

The last week has been good to the knee. More agility exercises were given (figure 8's, S's) Everything feels normal and I have to say I'm quite happy that I'm still fairly agile. I'll be starting personal training next week to help speed up the recovery.

I've also noticed the large patch of numbness below the knee is slowing fading away. I can actually feel things on it now and although it's no where near normal, I'm happy that it's returning.

My physio was examining my knee today and the difference in muscle strength. Everything looks really good as I'm approaching the size of the other leg.

18th Week Post Op!

18 down, 8 more to go!

I've started back up into physio 2 days a week now as I'm now cleared to do the harder physio routines. Most of the exercises are about legs & core and jumping onto the bosu ball. I found all the exercises fairly easy so I'm hoping for tougher ones for the next session.

I may pickup a personal trainer for 1 day a week at a gym mainly for 2 reasons: a) I'm finding it's becoming more difficult to push myself on my own and b) the physio place I go to (Athletes' Care) doesn't have a big area to practice running / agility drills.

4 months in review!

4 months down, 2 to go!

I met with another random doctor today to go over my knee. The new ACL is great, flexion and extension are great. I mentioned the catching problem and she said to build up my muscles as there's a significant difference between my two legs. I also mentioned the pain in the back of my knee while fully flexing and her response was "It's nothing to worry about". Not exactly the answer I was looking for but oh well.

After looking over the surgical report that said I'd lost 50% of the lateral meniscus and the cracks in the cartilage she asked: "Are you planning on going back to Ultimate?". I responded with a resounding: "Oh Yeah!". "You're one of the diehards eh?". I have an appointment in 2 months with the actual surgeon who will either give me the green light to play again, or the red light backhand to the face. I've got a lot of work to do the next 2 months to get both legs equal in strength, but I'm up for the challenge!

The past month changes:

• Tingling in foot is now gone.
• Fat-Pad slightly catching every now and then, not as bothersome as it used to be
• Running is a lot more normal.
• One-legged hopping is better
• I can skip rope much more confidently now!

My goal for the next 2 months is having both legs equal in strength, balance, agility, and flexibility.

60 days left!!

16th - 17th week post op!

17 weeks down, 9 more to go!

I played another scrimmage of Ultimate frisbee again last night. It felt good running for the disk again even it was just a light jog. I'm also glad my throw is still fairly decent. However, the better my knee feels, the more reason I *shouldn't* play. So I'll have to go cold turkey the next 2 months and resist the temptations. If only there was the "patch" for Ultimate!

The past 2 weeks have been fairly consistent. The hamstring machine at the gym has finally been fixed and I'm happy to know my hammies didn't degrade over the past 3 weeks (in fact got stronger) even without using it. Apparently all of the other routines I do work the hammies just as much. The fat-pad knee catching problem still occurs every now and then, but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. I've been working really hard on the foam roller and lots of stretches.

I meet the surgeon (or probably some random doctor) again on Tuesday which is coincidentally 4 months post op. It's also the time I can start doing cutting routines and high-level plyometrics. I'm looking forward to that!!

15 Weeks Post Op!

15 down, 11 more to go!

The past week had it's downs and ups!. Some important milestones were reached:

• I can touch my feet standing up for the first time in 29 years. I've never been flexible and was born with tight hamstrings (or at least, that's my excuse)
• I played ultimate frisbee last night. I know I shouldn't, but it was just a scrimmage and I made sure no hard cuts or jumps were made. I also did the "safety run" instead of regular runner since the ground wasn't exactly smooth.
• The fat pad catching problem is basically gone thanks to foam roller!

I should probably update the clock to say "until a *real* game of Ultimate Frisbee", but for now I'll just leave it.

Foam Roller

Say hello to my new best friend! I picked up one of these bad boys on the weekend and after 2 days of rolling, rolling, rolling, my two main issues are gone. I haven't had my fat pad catch or feel like it's in the way in over 3 days. It's amazing how something like that just goes away one day considering it was getting worse while walking.

Also, the pain I felt while walking that started last week is basically gone. I believe, after careful analysis, that the problem was with my IT band. Some IT band streches + roller dude and bamo, it's gone! It comes back a little bit after intense workouts but, with the roller, it doesn't last long.

My chiro-dude told me weeks ago that my quads were really tight and mentioned getting the roller. I should have taken his advice earlier!

14 weeks post op!

14 down, 12 more to go!

This week started off with some hardcore jumping and agility drills with no pain or swelling. However 2 days later I was barely able to walk normally due to the pain on the outside of my knee. From what I can guess, I overworked some muscle I haven't used in 10 months. I don't feel pain when: sitting, going up/down stairs, jumping, hopping, running, or doing lunges. It's specifically when I have full weight on my leg in full extension and then I bend slightly and quickly. It's been slowly getting better, but not 100% yet.

Last night I ran outside for the first time since the injury. It felt great, felt normal, and no pain. I'm inching closer to a full out sprint (2 more weeks to go for that!)

Last Physio?

So today was my first physio in about 2.5 weeks. More exercises were added:

• Jumping up on-top of objects and jumping down (3-4 feet high). I also carry weight while doing it.
• Ladder shuffles? This basically entails a ladder on the ground and I run through it as quickly as I can. I can tell my left leg is slower than my right.
• Jumping onto bosu with one leg and than jumping off with that leg.

He also mentioned at this point I don't need to come back. Everything looks good and if I keep up with my exercises and keep pushing myself I should be fine. I have to add exercises I feel would simulate the sports I play.

He also said that I don't really have any restrictions at this point and mentioned that most acl tears are twisting ones, so I have to think about that while doing anything. I still have 3 months left till sports so I'll probably hold off on full blown sprints for another month. But one thing I can definitely do is jump for frisbees!

3 months in review! (13 weeks post op)

3 down, 3 to go!

The last month has had some setbacks and gains. Overall I can't tell that much difference between now and the last month. I think my knee looks about the same.

The good:

• Jogging again: after 2 weeks I'm almost feeling normal again.
• Skipping rope: I no longer double jump.
• Doing one legged squats without bosu has helped the fat pad catching problem
• Extension matches the other leg, while flexion is almost there
• Running up stairs.
  

The bad:

• kneecap fat pad is catching when I hyper-extend and then bend quickly.
• tingling in my middle toe.
• still have knee soreness / tiny bit of pain + inflammation.
  

The awesome:

• Only 3 more months to go!

I'd say my motivation dropped this month due to the small problems that have arisen. I guess I assumed everything would constantly get better but that doesn't seem to be the case. ACL rehab has it's ups and downs. Right now, I feel like I'm heading back into the "ups".

I can't wait for this next month to be over as then I'll be able to do the hardcore physio stuff: plyometrics, sprinting, and jumping.

Goals:

• Become very very comfortable doing one legged squats without the bosu (for some reason being on the bosu is easier for me) Hopefully this will get rid of the fatpad catching problem
  
• Become more comfortable with jogging. Right now I still have to think a lot while running.
  
• Get ready for the high-level physio coming in the next month.