ACL recovery - 16 days post op

Well, it appears the "no brace, no crutches" philosophy has paid off. My strength has dramatically increased the past week. I was given clearance today by Rob to walk one mile on the rail-trail here in Morgantown. Rest assured that I will deeply appreciate this moment as I take that first step later this evening.

The PT sessions ramped up considerably today. We are phasing out some of the stretching exercises and started doing weight training. Most of this entailed simple strengthening exercises with a 2.5 lb. ankle weight but I was quite surprised to be doing reps on an extension horizontal leg press! I also spent 10 minutes on a resistance recumbent cross trainer.

We have also started incorporating balance exercises which are the most difficult type of exercise for me to date. Shoot, I would have had trouble with these even prior to my injury!

My leg has complete extension, and almost complete flexion. Walking is at about 95%, per Rob. I don't feel any real pain and the swelling in the knee has really diminished. It's off to the Cleveland Clinic on Sunday to get all my stitches removed. Yeah!

While everything is proceeding better than I and others could have ever hoped for, now is not the time to get cocky. Now is the time to develop a true sense of patience until that magical 6 month mark, for this journey has really only started.

ACL recovery - 9 days post op

It has now been 9 days since I have had my ACL reconstruction surgery. Today was typical of what I can anticipate for the next couple of weeks. I was up early and at the gym by 6:00 am. I decided to do a modified upper body weight routine. The modification comes because I much prefer free weights as opposed to machines. However, my doctor (Dr. Jack Andrish of The Cleveland Clinic) understandably said he didn't like that idea and to use the machines instead. As of now, I plan on doing weights 4 times a week; twice for my upper body and twice for my good leg. Here's something I did not know. According to Jack, studies have shown the bad leg still derives a benefit from exercising only the good leg. Interesting.

Additionally, I will get in two-to-three sessions a week on a hand cycle so that I can pretend I am getting in some cardio. I don't know what other people's impressions have been of hand cycles, but this runner can go about 30 minutes before he's bored senseless.

After the routine, it was off to the physical therapist, Rob Acciavatti of Dynamic Physical Therapy in Westover, WV. I couldn't think of a physical therapist better suited to the task at hand than Rob. In addition to being a super nice guy, he is a triathlete who understands my specific needs and how important running is in my life. Rob put me through the wringer this morning for over an hour of stretching and strengthening exercises. At the end of our session, he put my knee in a machine-operated cold compression wrap for 20 minutes. Rob claims I am ahead of the curve in terms of my recovery. I left him in good spirits after booking two more appointments for next week.

Later this afternoon, it's back to the gym to repeat the stretching and strengthening exercises. I'll give the knee one last bag of ice before I hit the sack tonight and maybe pop an ibuprofen to reduce the swelling. My mental outlook remains focused, determined, and positive. At least I am walking, and have full extension of my left leg.

It has now been 6 weeks since I last ran (The Capon Valley 50K). Today I found myself gazing at the web site for the Leadville Trail 100-mile Run. Hmmm... Hey, it never hurts to dream big and have a recovery goal!

A work in progress

Hello and welcome to my first attempt at creating a blog. Over the next few months, I will slowly be moving and consolidating all my personal "schtuff" to this web site. Wish me luck!