ACL Update: 3.5 months post-op
(Last Updated On: July 1, 2009)
I haven’t been writing in a while. Sometimes life just gets busy. Sometimes you just have nothing new to talk about. Both of these things have prevented me from blogging lately.
At the beginning of June I saw Dr. Beim for another follow-up appointment for my knee. There wasn’t much new to report except that she approved me to run outside and to do some hiking. The only catch with the hiking was that I’m not allowed to hike downhill. That’s nearly impossible around here, except by hiking at the ski area, then taking the lift downhill. I haven’t done that just yet, as I’m having fun on my bike. And running- well, I pretty much gave that up about 5 years ago. Otherwise, the doctor didn’t have anything new to say. She still said no single track riding until 6 months post-op.
My knee (muscles) is getting stronger and stronger. At three months my physical therapist bumped up the routine to incorporate an elastic “sport cord” to provide resistance. I do step-ups (front and sideways), lunges, and step sideways through cones with this cord. Otherwise, my physical therapist is also focusing my recovery on core stability. He says I have a strong core, but I don’t use it enough. In retrospect, this is probably related to me actually tearing my ACL in the first place.
I am working on getting a custom fit brace. Most docs around here don’t require it. It’s becoming less common than it used to be. But, I remember my custom brace from my previous ACL and I liked it a lot. I actually wore it skiing for 4 years, since it was so comfortable and increased my confidence. Once I get my brace, I can do more things a bit earlier than I would without it- maybe even ride some single track. But, getting a brace takes a while. I started initiating the process at the beginning of June. Since then, we’ve looked at my insurance policy and made sure a brace is covered- thankfully it is. Then there’s the step of making sure the actual brace I want is covered by my insurance and that is where I’m at now. I should have that figured out next week. Then, I’ll go down to the physical therapy place in Gunnison (as required by my insurance company) and get fitted for a brace. After that, the brace should arrive in about 1-2 weeks. I hope to have it by the end of July.
I’ve been riding my bike a lot. My dad came to visit last week and we rode for 6 days in a row- many of them long days. The rides were fun, despite the lack of single track, and I’ll be posting TR’s soon!
Brittany Walker Konsella
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