Amy's ACL & Meniscus Surgery

by Amy
(Lancaster Ohio)

It was one of our biggest basketball games of the year. We were playing the top team in our league and we weren't far behind. i was having the best game of my career. At half time were down bu four. Third quarter starts and we're ready to go. Of course our opposing team comes out in a press. In a panic my teammate throws the ball across court to me. I jump up to save the ball from going out of bounds. Coming down with all my weight on my left leg i not only feel but also hear my knee POP. Instantly the worst pain I have ever been in. I am not one to show pain but I've never screamed/cried/sobbed so hard in my entire life. After laying on the court for ten minutes I am carried to the trainers room. Everyone assures me it's just a sprain when deep down they all know it's something much more serious.
For the remainder of my winter break I spent all my time at the doctors office and sitting at home healing from my incident. I get and MRI and a week later I am told that I have torn my ACL. I am a senior this year and I have signed to run cross county and indoor/outdoor track for college. The best choice for me was to get surgery immediately so I could get back to running as soon as possible. My surgery was scheduled for January 30 2009. I wasn't really scared at the time. Six years prior my older sister had gone through the same surgery so I knew all about it. Finally the surgery day came. My ACL was reconnected by using a graft from my hamstring. During surgery my Dr. also found that I had torn my meniscus. this also had to be recontrcuted.
Post surgery I was in the worst pain of my life. Immediately after surgery I was put in a machine that bent my knee for me. I had to be at 90 degrees by the next day. I used this machine for six hours a day. Three days later I was back to school still on crutches. Turns out I went back too early. Because of Doctor's orders I waited until the following week to go back to school. My this time I was off crutches but still getting around very slowly with a limp. This week is the week I started physical therapy. Not bad but not great.
The first two weeks were miserable. All my emotion I had been holding back from before surgery just started flowing out of me. Watching my team finish up the basketball season, knowing I wouldn't be running track for MY SENIOR YEAR. It was awful. I cried myself to sleep every night. Finally I convinced myself it would all be ok. College was coming up and I couldn't wait to start training for cross country.
I continued physical therapy three times a week. At six weeks post-op I was on the eliptical and working on balance. At an eight week follow up apt. I was told that I was ahead of where most people are at this point. This is only because I have done my exercises and stuck to what my physical therapists have told me. Now at two months I have started working with my hamstring. In one week I will be able to start jogging and I can't wait! Running is my life and I haven't ran a step for three months!
In about three weeks I will be completely done with physical therapy. Starting in June I will be back to full running and back to all sports by August. It is easy for me to say that I will not be playing basketball for a long time to come so I can focus on my running. I am writing this to not only tell my story but to also let anybody reading this know that is very important to stay positive. Have a goal in mind and stay motivated. The best thing that you can do is follow doctor and your physical therapists order. ALWAYS do your exercise so you can stay ahead like me! :)
Thanks you for taking the time to read this and good luck!

Amy- ACL and meniscus recontruction