Lessons Learned….the hard way
To all my fellow rehab colleagues,
This site is dedicated to you.
Why did I start this site?
As I sit here in a walking boot, I could not find many recent blogs with regards to the torn achilles recovery.
What is my history?
I originally tore my ACL in September of 2010 (right after I graduated university). I had surgery in January and was back to playing basketball September 2011. To say that was the LONGEST year of my life is an understatement.
After one year of near 100% levels, I tweaked my knee playing flag football on artificial turn (my recommendation… never play on artificial turf). I got multiple MRIs after and confirmed my ACL was still in tact.
However, I always felt my bone pop out a bit when twisting and turning, and until March 2015, did not get diagnosed with a re-torn ACL.
Why do you listen to your doctor?
My surgeon told me….do not run, play basketball, play tennis or anything as we wait to settle a surgery date. Note that I live in the Cayman Islands and my surgeon is from Canada and was travelling back. So there was a logistical difficulty as he was going to be leaving the following Friday and I was unable to take time off from work.
I got invited to play in the basketball league in Cayman Islands and thought, what was the worst that could happen?
What was the worst that could happen?
On April 15, 2015, at the start of the second quarter, I tipped the ball and got the steal. When I burst out to catch the ball, I felt my calf give out. I thought the defender behind me kicked me in the calf. That was not the case!
I could not put any pressure on the leg and went to the ER. The doctor told me to come in the next day to see the surgeon but she was confident it was a torn achilles.
The next day, I got the prognosis… torn achilles and I went into surgery April 17, 2015.
What next?
This is a life lesson…. a mental challenge… a physical challenge… Not only do I have to rehab my way from a torn Achilles…. I have to strengthen it to the point I can get my knee surgery and start rehabbing them both at the same time.
I will chronicle my progress (or lack thereof) not only for informational purposes, but to inspire and motivate people that it could always be worse. A positive mindset goes a long way… so hope you enjoy this ride with me!
Regards,
CL