Things returned to baseline about 10 days after my off trail snow shoe adventure. Phew! I knew it would. I was proud of myself for still going to rehab and focusing on straight leg and hip exercises. These are still pretty doable even with a swollen knee. The key is to not unload it completely while I wait.
I am now one week into tape-free rehabbing (aka 3 sessions)! I had never gone without taping for weights in 14 months. Now after roughly 6 hours a week of heavy slow progressive resistance training for 63 weeks and 23 rolls of tape, I can do this with a naked knee! This may mean the supporting muscles around my knee can finally withstand the weights. It feels so nice to just put leggings on for a workout and to be able to fully bend my knee while at the gym! This is with full weights, no modifications. Now the tape is probably not going forever. I'm sure I'll need it for really sore days, or maybe not until I start running, but either way, maybe I'm on the start of something new.
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Hindsight is always 20/20. I had a "too much too soon" episode and looking back I can see why it ended up hurting so much. Mid February I was having some real glimpses of hope. Long snowshoe hikes, a long fat bike ride, dancing all night - while not feeling good, the milestone was that I wasn't really feeling the effects the following day which is HUGE! The tight feeling in my patellar tendon letting up ever so slightly, enough to actually say it out loud. My mood was starting to really improve too! I decided to start a milestones journal. Just little things I notice, like dancing all night but being able to walk fine the next day is a milestone to me. Sometimes they go unnoticed or undocumented, so I wanted to make note of them more. So what do I go and do? I go and snowshoe off trail, on a hill, cambered hills. I am paying for it. It was 8 days ago as of today. Left my knee very swollen and tender. I wasn't ready probably for the elevation gain and off trail hiking. I am super grateful I don't have a standing job and that I can get away with wearing stretchy pants all week to work! I did some rehab sessions. A full rehab routine proved too be too much for the knee (Note if you go in with a not great feeling knee that feeling will amplify after), so I'm currently sticking to straight leg stuff until things settle more - calve raises, RDL, hip adduction/abduction, straight leg hamstring bridges on Swiss ball. Yay for me still making it to the gym even when I'm limping. I know I'm still adapting. Some days I just worry and wonder how long will I be adapting? Will it ever get back to how I was? Will I ever do things without limitations? Then I have to stop myself and say no one can predict the future, so don't waste worries on what you cannot control. Stay in the present, focus on what you can control. If you haven't heard of Dr. Wesley Wang @wesleywang.dpt and you have an ACL injury or recovery, you have to follow him. I saved this post from the other day. I needed the reminder. ACL Rehab - focus on your own progress
—-- I see a lot of people recovering from ACL surgery. It’s a lengthy process and can be draining at times. One of the biggest things I encourage patients is to focus on their own progress. —-- This leads me to why I am not a fan of time based protocols. The majority of out dated protocols say that 12 weeks is the norm for jogging and return to sport at 6 months. ACL rehab is complex and should be individualized. Patients will often see these protocols and wonder “why aren’t I jogging yet? or “when can I play sports again?” Additionally, they end up comparing themselves to a friend or another patient. —-- I encourage my patients to focus on their own progress and what in their control. Nobody can determine how a body responds to exercises but the patient can determine how hard they work. I want them to be healthy for their sport and a task like jogging at 12 weeks or 18 weeks doesn’t necessarily determine outcomes. Focus on the big picture! |
AuthorA 45 year old active female who tore her ACL in January 2017 (at the age of 40). Reconstructive surgery in February 2017 with bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft. Archives
November 2022
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