The Knee

I never realized what amazing works of physics our bodies are until I had to have surgery on my knee. This world is fast-paced and unforgiving to those with physical challenges.

I played sports throughout my childhood and high school years. In college, I was a gym-rat, and waited tables (so I was on my feet often). Last August (2008), I was playing tennis with Hubby and Dad-In-Law, when I lunged for a ball and felt my knee twist and pop. The knee swelled up, so I iced it, made Hubby go buy a brace for me, and then we went to a college football game that afternoon. Walking around a huge university campus on an injured leg wasn't fun, but it wasn't unbearable either.

Apparently I had torn my ACL, but didn't know it. How did I not know? Well, because in the softball world, the answer for all injuries is "ice it and walk it off". Smart, I know… Plus, since I could put weight on it, I didn't think much about it.

Over the next few months, I continued to play tennis, run, do aerobics and all that fun stuff. The knee would occasionally pop or twist, but after sitting for a few minutes I could get back up and keep going.

Finally, on April 1, 2009 (Not an April Fool's Joke), Hubby and I were playing tennis again. Again, I lunged for a ball, felt the knee pop and twist and give out. So I crumpled to the ground like usual, but this time I couldn't straighten my leg, or put any weight on it. Rut-roh!

Went to the doctor, who sent me for an MRI. The MRI process wasn't horrible, except for the ridiculous clanging sound that I could hear through my headphones, and when they slide your body almost all the way in the imaging tube, it gets a little freaky. I'm not usually claustrophobic, but something about the sound, the enclosure, bleh!

Anyway….once they read the MRI films, the nurse basically said "Your MRI results are impressive, but not in a good way". She listed off about 7 things that were wrong, so off to the Orthopedic surgeon I went for a consultation.

In short, my medial meniscus (cartilage) had torn completely and folded back under the knee, I had torn (and re-torn) my ACL, and the lateral meniscus was also torn, although not as severely as the medial.

I had knee surgery at the end of April to reconstruct my ACL and repair the menisci, which took 6 hours. The recovery the first week was the most intensely painful, awful experience I ever had. The pain medicine made me ridiculously sick, but if I didn't take the pain pills, the leg hurt so bad I wanted to cut it off with a cleaver. Catch-22, no?

Simple tasks like going to the grocery store were now a complete ordeal. I had to push the cart a few feet, walk on my crutches, push the cart again, crutch, etc.

I started Physical Therapy 3 days after the surgery (!) but have made tremendous progress.
I can now (finally) walk without crutches/a cane.
I can ride a bike for 7 minutes.
I can do a stair-stepper for 3 minutes.
I have 80% of the 'bend' back in my leg.
I have 95% of the straightening ability back in my leg.

Although the process has been difficult, and I still have several months of rehab to go, I am grateful for the improvement I've seen so far. I miss exercise tremendously, especially when the weather is so nice that I just want to go for a long run/walk, but I can't because my knee just isn't ready. (Lord knows I don't want to go through this surgery/rehab process again!)

I think the thing that I am most grateful for is my renewed appreciation for my body, its capabilities, and the simple things in life. I'm so looking forward to getting back in the exercise routine, and not using the petty, silly excuses for putting off exercise because "I'm too tired" "I had a bad day at work" "I have too much to do" "I'm having a bad hair day" blah blah blah. (Believe me; I used to be the master at finding excuses to not exercise).

So…
What are the things that keep you motivated to exercise?
What are some of the ways you overcome the excuses that your brain makes for you?