James' ACL Rehabilitation

by James
(UK)

I ruptured my ACL in August 2008 playing football (soccer), one awkward landing and *SNAP* I completely buckled with the pain and had to be carried off the field. As I sat there watching the rest of the game I thought all I'd done was pulled a muscle or something, the swelling came immediately but the pain quickly diminished.

I sat at home with an ice pack on my knee and my leg raised for the rest of the day to relieve the swelling and it was only when my girlfriend got home that I was persuaded to go to the hospital. When we got there I explained my situation to the doctors and they did a few short tests and declared I had some cartilage trouble but nothing to worry about and that rest would be the best course of action, I asked for crutches to alleviate any strain on my knee but they refused claiming I didn't need them so I left pleased that I hadn't done anything too serious, although I was frustrated I couldn't play football (soccer) for 6 weeks.

The following day I went to work and the nature of my job meant I was on my feet all day, I had explained to my boss about my injury and he was unsympathetic to my situation because the hospital deemed it unnecessary for me to have crutches but after my shift I began to get some slight pain and discomfort so I decided another trip to the hospital was in order to at least get some crutches to alleviate my pain. After telling the doctors of my troubles they re-examined me they declared I had strained my medial ligaments in my knee and that it would be best for me to come back for a follow up in 6 weeks time when the swelling had gone down.

At this point I was gutted. At the time, I had never had any notable injury so a 2-3 month wait to play again seemed ridiculous to me. I had some cartilage trouble in the past but nothing serious and thought it may just be a recurrence of an old injury so I rested my knee as best possible for the next 6 weeks so that the swelling would subside and I could be cleared to play again in a matter of weeks.

Normally when I go to hospital for even the tiniest of reasons I always fear the worst but on the day of my check up I was in high spirits, the knee felt fine and I was pleased with my so-called 'recovery' so when I entered the waiting room I didn't feel as if I had anything to worry about.

Half an hour later I was on the brink of tears after being told the extent of my injury. Confirmed ACL rupture and the doctors who examined me told me I should seriously consider never playing football again. I was told my options and that they would see me again in 3 weeks for a full scan on my knee to see the full extent of the rupture; I went straight to the pub and got wasted, something I don't normally do, particularly on my own, I well and truly drowned my sorrows.

3 weeks passed and I saw the specialist, he gave me an MRI scan and confirmed I had not only ruptured my ACL but had also tore my medial ligaments...all from a simple, innocuous jump. I explained what the previous doctors had told me and he reassured me that if I had surgery that I could be back playing within 9 months but the NHS waiting list for it was 6 months long. Despite the wait, I decided then and there I was going to have the surgery.

The next 6 months were probably the most depressing in my entire life. Playing football was my stress relief and my way of keeping fit so to go from playing 4-5 times a week for the last 15 years to not being able to play at all was a massive shock to the system. To top it off, I ended up waiting 11 months from doing the injury to having surgery, despite being told 6 initially because the NHS had failed to put me on the waiting list.

I had my surgery in July 2009 and the hospital staff and my surgeon could not have been any better, I wholly commend them all.

6 weeks after my op after a stupid prank I then tore my hamstring due to its weakness as I had a hamstring graft in my surgery.

For me, the hardest part was the first set of physio classes, it felt like they went on forever but once I got through those the physio time just flew by.

I am now in the final phase of my physio and hope to be back playing football in 8-10 weeks, my experience pre-op has been horrible but my post-op experience has been enjoyable as I know I'm on the road to recovery, I found it easier setting myself goals and targets to hit by certain weeks and that kept me motivated.

Now I know I'm only weeks away, the only goal and target I set myself is that of playing and scoring my first goal in a competitive game, the thought brings a smile to my face because I know the joy I will feel will be not only of delight but also relief and of a journey that has seen me be the most depressed I've ever been. But as soon as that ball hits the back of the net I'll probably scream with delight or be on the verge of tears.

But if I ever do it again, thats it, I'll stop playing. I've learned to live without playing football, even though its been hard. Of course, I'd be mortified if I did but I won't feel as bad as I felt pre ACL op.