What better way to make myself and everyone else forget my bench-warming months of rehab than by doing three sports in one day? (*Note the word “participating,” meaning I’m not busting over backwards to break records, just wanna shatter any previous painful ACL memories.)

So there you go. I’ll be hitting the chilly waters of Lake Michigan on August 29. More details to come.

That’s my ACL-is-better-than-ever goal. What’s yours?

Feel free to share your comeback stories, especially if you did a 5K up to a Tri. And be sure to comment if you are participating in the Chicago Tri or will be in the area–you can sport a Yes Knee Can t-shirt. (Yes! That’s right–a YKC tee! It’s about time you had something cool to wear to PT. T-shirts with actual blog logo coming soon.)

Image from revolutionmyspace.com

Orginally I started this blog as an outlet to vent through the process. But what ended up happening was far more than I could imagine.

People connected to share their own personal stories.

Parents found information for their kids.

And people stepped in to encourage, support and advise others, which, once again, proved that no one is along on this journey; we have all feel the same pains and triumph through gains together.

It’s incredible and I thank everyone who has read this blog, commented on this blog and connected on this blog. This is all for you. My ACL journey is the journey of us all. As I reach this day, which signifies a year of progress, I plan to post less frequently since my goal was to document for a year. (And now I’m onto other things, like training for my first triathlon.) But I will continue to approve comments and reply to them.

So I wish you all the best and continued success in your own personal endeavors. Keep learning, keep moving and never take the simple things in life for granted.

Until next time … yes knee can!

You won’t think twice about playing two soccer games in one night.

You’ll become the one begging YOUR friends(who most likely have both ACLs in tact) to run the marathon of your choice.

And then you’ll see other people with massive, black and constricting leg braces hobbling across the street and you’ll think, “ouch! that sucks!” nano-seconds before you remember that you, too, were once in their humbling position. (Soon after you will express your condolences and tell them to “hang in there” because you are a good person, right?!)

The CPM, ice machine, vicodin, stitches are distant memories that have left your vernacular. Those were all ages ago. But if you close your eyes really tightly you can indeed remember the pain of not being able to lift your leg off the bed in the morning without the assistance of BOTH hands. Don’t think too hard, though. Look at your knee now. The faded traces of scars. The muscles around it you worked so hard to build back up. And think, “there’s an entirely new piece of ligament underneath that cap that has grown accustomed to me for almost a year. WHAT!”

Now stop reading this post.

Lace up your running shoes. And go engage in your favorite outdoor activity you loved as a kid.

Here’s to feeling like brand new again, but never really having to pause to think about it ever again.

“… with just under nine minutes remaining in regulation, Butler drove the left baseline and went to plant his left foot. However, Butler’s leg gave out on his way up to shoot, and he went down immediately in pain.” From tsn.ca

Yesterday Butler went in for surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee. WVNS, CBS 59, is also reporting that Da’Sean sprained his MCL and sustained two bone bruises. Ouch! Sounds like me, only that when I went down on the indoor soccer turf during a recreational game, I didn’t leave the field as “the Mountaineers as the third-leading scorer in school history. He racked up 2,095 points. The Newark, N.J. native also played in a record setting 146 games.”

(Source: http://www.cbs59.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=78036&catid=3)

Congrats to Da’Sean. The dreaded tears and pops happen to the best of us.

Two pieces of advice for those who move post op:

1. Seek a reputable therapist and gym membership immediately!! I waited until I “settled in” until I found a therapist out here and it was too long. Do it ASAP because good PTs are hard to find and harder to schedule.

2. Be careful with all the lifting, carrying and stair climbing. Be sure to stretch pre/post move. (Or bribe friends to help you out!) I might sound like a broken record here, but if you are lifting, be sure you are doing it properly.

Here’s some advice from About.com:

1. Plan ahead before lifting.
   Knowing what you’re doing and where you’re going will prevent you from making awkward movements while holding something heavy. Clear a path, and if lifting something with another person, make sure both of you agree on the plan.
2. Lift close to your body.
   You will be a stronger, and more stable lifter if the object is held close to your body rather than at the end of your reach. Make sure you have a firm hold on the object you are lifting, and keep it balanced close to your body.
3. Feet shoulder width apart.
   A solid base of support is important while lifting. Holding your feet too close together will be unstable, too far apart will hinder movement. Keep the feet about shoulder width apart and take short steps.
4. Bend your knees and keep your back straight.
   Practice the lifting motion before you lift the object, and think about your motion before you lift. Focus on keeping you spine straight–raise and lower to the ground by bending your knees.
5. Tighten your stomach muscles.
   Tightening your abdominal muscles will hold your back in a good lifting position and will help prevent excessive force on the spine.
6. Lift with your legs.
   Your legs are many times stronger than your back muscles–let your strength work in your favor. Again, lower to the ground by bending your knees, not your back. Keeping your eyes focused upwards helps to keep your back straight.

Thanks to massive pain killers and nerve blocks, I don’t really remember most of it. I remember waking up to graham crackers and ginger ale and the nurse directing me to eat the crackers. I just wanted to fall back asleep. My leg was numb, but I could feel the bulky weight of my new reality. Maybe if I could go back to sleep, I could magically awaken to a fully rehabbed and strong ACL? Not the case. That was too much to think about. As the anesthesia slowly wore off, my surgeon came in the room. I felt like I needed to ask him so much, but was first concerned with how I was going to get into my car and leave the hospital; I couldn’t bare to think of life beyond that. Then he said,”Well, the worst part is over. It all gets better from here.”

He was and is right. Once you make the surgical decision to reconstruct your knee, every day from that point on gets better and the only thing you have to do is progress. I know, this sounds contrary to what most of the rest of this blog says. Rehab is not easy, but the great thing is that you have the opportunity each day to “rebuild” your knee and the rest of your body. You become more conscious of movements, body mechanics and proper form. You never take a moment you can move for granted again. Most people will never see life–or their bodies–from that angle. So complain as we do, the whole ACL experience makes us better athletes –and people in the end. Lucky us

It sounds simple, but you want to focus on retraining your “head,” which will trickle into every exercise, movement and sport you do.

A long, but informational video on Glute Strengthening and Theory from Posture Exercises blog.

It struck me because it was very clever and filled with great tips, but it also struck me because I just complied my “10 Golden Rules of ACL Rehab Therapy.” Very timely. I was also surprised that three of their tips overlapped mine. Great people must rehab alike

This is what the front of the card looks like:

The back of the card reads:

“Tips for Saving Your Knees”

Don’t lock them.

Wear good shoes.

Run on grass or asphalt. Avoid concrete.

Sqaut like you are sitting: stick your butt out.

Stretch your legs, not your back.

Ramp up running or lifting in steps, not leaps.

Support your arches.

If it hurts, don’t do it. Ask for help.

If it hurts anyway, call us.

Jaime, who recently commented on the ACL Happy Hour post, wrote:

“I am a ski patroller in the East and was skiing moguls and made a cut turn and heard the biggest POP you could imagine. My ACL was torn and along with it came a piece of my tibia which is displaced, and a torn meniscus. I have surgery next week and depending on how big the bone piece is the surgeon will either fix my meniscus, take out the bone fragment, clean it up, rehab me and then do the ACL reconstruction as a separate surgery… ORR if the bone fragment is too big to be removed he will pin it and suture it back, and then repair my ACL, meniscus and clean it all up in one surgery. Unfortunately, the second option will likely leave me with a very difficult recovery of motion.

So, I too am really nervous about the surgery and getting back to skiing. I never really thought I would have an injury like this, especially as a patroller. If this is still active, I would appreciate if anyone has had the displaced tibial bone piece I would appreciate information on the recovery for this!”

So I’ve managed to save all the advice from all of these people over the last few months. And I encourage you to add anything that’s helped you along the way, as well.

10. “Do something every day.” -my physical therapist in San Fran

Whether it’s leg lifts, clams, stretches or intense cardio, it’s important to do something towards progressing your recovery every day. We all don’t have all the time in the world, but we have to do what we can to make recovery a priority. No matter how small the #of reps. It’s better than nothing.

9. “Invest in good running shoes.” -my cousin, the triathlete

If you have a good pair, you know they make a world of a difference. Have your PT evaluate your gait and help you determine if you need running shoes for stability or motion control.

8. “The hamstrings are most important for stability.” -my San Fran ortho dr.

Make them strong–really strong. They will help compensate for a less-than-optimal knee.

7. “Don’t let your knees go over your toes!” -my Jillian, the trainer from “Biggest Loser” (she yells @ me when I do her “30-day Shred workout video)

No matter what the lunge, stretch or squat may be, it’s important to keep yourself aligned to prevent injury and pain!

6. “Work your core.” my Chicago PT

Same thing with the hamstrings, you gotta work your core to keep you stable and strong and prevent any other injuries.

5. “Calms are your best friends.” -My San Fran PT

They strengthen your glutes and work that IT band. Two major, major factors in determining your rehab success back to normal activity.

4. “It it’s too painful, stop.” -My surgeon’s nurse

3. “Some weeks are better than others.” -My surgeon

Sometimes you feel you can run a marathon and sometimes you hobble home from the gym, either way, you have to accept that this is how life will play out from now on. But, because of this experience, you are more cautious of your activities and more grateful for the opportunity to move your body every way you can.

2. “Performing less excercises with good form is better than doing a lot of reps in bad form.” My Chicago PT

Have your PT access how you are performing the excercises. Practice makes perfect, but the practice has to be perfect form. It’s better to focus on the biomechanics of doing the excercises correctly than trying to do the most reps you can. Once the form is proper, then you can do all the reps you like.

1. “P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E.” My mom

No one said it’d be easy. Before you physically go into this process, you have to mentally prep yourself for the time it’s going to take and the time you will have to devote to getting yourself back to “normal.” Just remember we are all different. We are heal at different times. And we all return to sports at different times. The text book recovery for ACL reconstruction is 6-8 months. But you and your knee are unique like everyone else. Don’t let the textbook tell you when you feel like yourself, and take your time. It’s better to be fully prepared to compete, then rush into anything and risk further injury, or a rejury.