Physical Therapy

I know this is MONTHS later ... 

but I wanted to talk about the PT after I was finished.

So the day after surgery you hit the ground running at 

Howard Head. 

Those guys are really serious. 

You get a schedule of more appointments than you care to attend

and next thing you know your next two weeks (at least) in Vail are entirely booked.

I had PT twice a day for a few hours each time.

Every case varies from what I understand.

The physical therapists there were amazing. 

Each and every one I had was great 

and you learn to love them 

when they are the only ones who will touch your 

nasty,

 un-bathed,

 un-shaved, 

you-didn't-know-your-legs-still-grew-hair-like-that 

legs.

They stretch you and ice you and make your injury ... well ... 

HURT.

It doesn't feel good at first but that's ok.

The only part that feels good is this thing they do where they move around your new and improved knee cap for about ten minutes to reduce swelling.

It's strange watching someone play with your knee cap like it is putty but it feels good.

You would think the ice feels good, but it was FREEZING.

And you really have to do it religiously.
See this smile ...

Yeah, IT'S FAKE.

You'll live.

Barely.

At first the PT is really embarrassing.

You are doing what seem like the simplest activities:

wall slides,

leg lifts ...

LAMENESS ...

and you can't even do them.

You're sitting there thinking,

"I played D1 and I can't even lift my leg now?"

They tell you to flex and there's nothing there.

You start wondering if the doc cut out your whole muscle.

It's pathetic.

Then things get serious ...

You start biking ...

at about 1mph.

PT moves a little slow, but each day it does get better.

You do a variety of activities to regain 

initial strength

weight bearing strength

and agility

as well as upping cardio throughout the whole process

and eventually reaching high level activities.

I was on crutches for a solid two weeks.

Stairs were the hardest daily obstacle and I tried to avoid long walks.

When off of crutches I moved pretty slow but I got around.

I couldn't even think about walking/jogging for a month and a half.

When I did I took it REALLY slow.

(and this is all coming from someone who was very religious about the PT)

I wore high heels after 2 and a half months

(though they recommend waiting longer).

The cost of fashion ... I swear.

My incisions healed up amazingly.

Almost too amazingly.

I barely have a battle wound or anything.

In September I tried to swim, which was surprisingly impossible.

There was some muscle in my new knee that just didn't like swimming.

I worked that a lot as soon as I was aware, and it was fine after about a month.

After 4-5 months I was back in action.

Full action.

This November I went skiing again and didn't feel a thing :)

I'm never worried about my knee ...

it is better than ever :)

Next semester I'll be playing softball and I plan to ski all winter long.

Patellar Chondroplasty at the Steadman Clinic in Vail

I've had a lot of people ask me why exactly I had knee surgery at 19.

Well ... let me explain.

Dr.LaPrade at the Steadman Clinic in Vail did a Patellar Chondroplasty on my left knee.

As it has been explained to me, patellar chondroplasty is pretty much a clean up job.

See this brace?? Well, let me explain ...

It all starts when you're a freshman in high school and your orthopedic doctor tells you to take a season off from softball because you are ruining your knees.

You smile and say to him

"No way. I would much rather experience agonizing pain for the next 5 years"

Make sure you smile when you say that though.

He will say "Ok, you athletes are stubborn, but maybe when you stop growing it will improve"

Congratulations. You now have what I like to call false hope!

For the next few years you slide, dive ... do everything you always did.

Yes, because none of these things are hard on your knees or anything?
You will dislocate your knee more times than you can count.
But no, no, no ... you're too stubborn to quit.

Eventually, when you think you can take no more,
when the glory days are over
you'll decide to hang up your jersey

and you'll tell yourself that it will improve upon doing so.

Oh but wait ... not only did you play softball 50 weeks a year ...

you also skied ...
double black diamond moguls ...
all winter ...
since you could walk ...

you can't quit that?!

Your knees hate you.

They are out to get you.

So it doesn't get better.

It swells. It catches. It clicks.

Your grandma can now squat more than you.

Enter: SURGERY

Cause:

Effect: Patellar Chondroplasty

(for the record, I was safe right there!!)

The cartilage behind my knee cap was in shreds

like your nasty neighbor's yard

and it needed a serious mowing job.

That is how it was explained to me at least. 

(Hopefully I didn't overwhelm you with medical lingo)

My surgery was not a result of a specific injury,
but YEARS of overworking a knee that was never built well to begin with.

It got so bad that I didn't even have to be stressing it much to get pain and swelling.
Just a day of walking to my classes at ASU and I might need some ice that night.