A knee knows

I tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my left knee skiing at Mt. Wachusett in central Mass. on January 18, 2007. This is a common injury to weekend warriors like myself, so I thought others might like to know what happens once you've done something unfortunate like this to your body. Maybe you've injured yourself too, and feel like the game's over. However, you can return to your sport -- you just need to stay focused and do the work.

Here's where it started...


Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Up to 130 degrees

At PT this morning, my therapist was impressed with the ease of my pedaling stroke. I went in cold and my knee flexion was 120, about the same as two days ago. After pedaling the bike for about 5 minutes, flexion measured out at 130. He had me do some leg presses, the first I've done since surgery, and was able to very easily push about 80 pounds, being careful not to straighten the leg or flex too far.

Before my injury, I could push my own body weight (170) without too much trouble. Hamstring was sore later in the day. Best to combine workout, stretching, and ice. Friday is two weeks post-op, and on 4/12 I see my orthopod again. I'm still using crutches when I leave the house, but I'm hoping I can give these up in another week or so. Also, I'm hoping to get cleared for riding an actual bicycle soon. Leg strength is the key to health -- that is my conviction.
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