How I Re-tore my ACL and Kept Making Progress in my Fitness Goals
Injuries suck. They always come at a bad time (is there a good time?) and you’re never prepared for them. You can only try to prevent them, but if you’re super active chances are you either already had them or you will.
Not to worry, like Forrest once said…
Good thing is, you are not alone. We’ve all been there and many of us with the same exact injury that you just been through. I have clear objectives on reaching my fitness goals and I do not want to give up or put it on hold because of this injury. I’ve dealt with it once and I know how serious and delicate it is, but it’s no excuse to pig out and be a couch potato. I’ve read and researched many topics on this and I’d like to share my story with you guys and maybe shed some light on some of your doubts and fears. Full disclosure I am NOT a doctor. This is a journal of my rehab and tips that helped ME. Everyone is different and an each individual have their own pace. This is a very serious injury so listen to your doctor, physical therapist and trainer first.
The gist:
Last Tuesday, 4th week into my training I blew out my knee AGAIN. That’s right, I’ve had total ACL reconstruction back in ’09 in my left knee and I just might have tore it to shreds again. I say might because I have not yet done an MRI (it’s scheduled) but once you’ve been through this kind of painful experience you don’t forget any of the details. Despite my anger at injuring myself during an intense activity spell, I refused to fall off the wagon and just give up like my knee did. To keep me sane and motivated I decided to journal my process of recovery and share tips and exercises that can help you rehab and stay in shape.
Background story:
October came and with it came my obsession to get back in shape. Not exactly to look good but to FEEL good. That meant a lot of time in the gym and getting back on the field. I was working out 6x/week, playing soccer 2x/week, running 2x/week and attending a bootcamp class once a week. By the third week I was feeling great. Slowly but surely pulling heavier weights in the gym, playing full time in my soccer games and still struggling with the running, but getting great progress. Lots of warm-ups, stretches, foam rolling and anything to prevent injuries. Things were going great and then…
This happened. I felt it pop while stealing possession of the ball in the midfield. My body went forward but my left knee decided to go sideways. I immediately felt it and I immediately knew it. Fuck.. fuck.. fuck… FUCK! I tore my damn ACL AGAIN. FUCK.
I couldn’t believe my luck, or lack thereof. No use in crying, although trust me, anyone in this situation will feel like sobbing a bit. Here’s Ronaldo crying after his second ACL injury to the sound of Enya, of course. The pain is real, it’s worse than breaking a bone, but the worst part is knowing all the pain you went through in rehab, how hard you worked and it’s taken from you just like that. Tough!
But the sun still shines tomorrow and life goes on. So here’s what to do and what not to do at a day-by-day basis to recover fast.
Day ZERO — day of the injury
Knee injuries like these — popular in soccer and basketball- can have many different diagnosis. If you’re lucky it won’t be as serious as a total ACL tear or even a partial one. Who ever had one already will know right away. I was 99% sure of it the moment I hit the ground, but I’ll have to wait a week until my MRI to be sure. Now when you tear your ACL you can also do damage to the meniscus and other parts of your knee. It is very important you see a doctor the next day. Don’t bother going to the hospital, the best they can do is an X-ray and you can’t see ligaments in x-rays.
ICE IT IMMEDIATELY
You’ll be on the floor coping with this terrible pain for several minutes so ask your teammates not to pick you up or drag you out right away. If there is medical attention that’s great, you’re in good hands. If not, take 5 minutes, ask someone to bring you ice in the meantime and when you are ready ask your friends to gently move you off the field. Then ask some one for a lift because you won’t be able to drive.
That’s all you can do for day zero. Get home, rest up and ICE ICE ICE on the knee. Keep the ice on your knee 15 minutes tops at a time.
Day 1 — The deep depression
Not going to lie. This day will suck. The pain will be bearable and your knee should be numb from all the ice but you’ll be home in bed most of the day with A LOT of thoughts to yourself. You might think your goals are out the window but remember, this is a setback. You’re only done when you’re dead and if you’re reading this, you are not dead yet.
Call orthopedic sports doctors specializing in knee injuries. Some have spots open for emergency visits. I was lucky enough to see the doctor on day 1 so your goal for day 1 should be the same. It’s always important to take it one day at a time and always have reachable goals every step of the way.
Ask him as many questions as possible and schedule and MRI to be 100% of what you are dealing with. Remember the x-rays or ultrasound sonograms won’t cut it.
Get a cane or a pair of crutches. Your knee will lose stability so you can’t put your body weight on it and you won’t be able to fully extend or bend your knee, but you still need to move around. I like the cane better but that’s personal preference. Crutches hurt my arms, armpits and hands. It’s very important to know the right way to use each one of these.
To walk safely with a cane on level surfaces: Hold the cane in the hand on your “good” side so that it provides support to the opposite lower limb. Take a step with the “bad” leg and bring the cane forward at the same time. Move the cane and affected leg forward together. — http://justwalkers.com/using-a-cane/
Other than that, there is not much you can do this day. Just keep applying ice ice baby and remember to eat healthy! More on nutrition on the next post.
On the next post we’ll go into day 2–6 where we’ll start with a few exercises, track our diet and measure progress. The first week progress will be small and difficult to see but it’s a crucial part of a speedy recovery. What you do in the first week will have a huge impact on the rest of your rehab and can be the difference between a speedy and a slow recovery!
