My ACL journey
I am a women's college basketball player for a DIII college. Going into my sophomore year of basketball I was very excited to have a year of college basketball under my belt and start my second season. I thought that this was going to be my breakout year. I worked hard the whole summer, I was as strong as ever and there was opportunity for me to step into some major playing time. A week and a half after our first day of tryouts, it all fell apart on me. It was the end of a three hour practice and we were running through some out of bounds plays. My defender was overplaying me because she knew the play we were running so I cut to the basket. The pass to me was high so I jumped up(higher than I had thought) and came down with a straight leg. My knee felt like it hyperextended. I did not hear a pop but I did feel like my knee popped out of socket and then was pulled back in like a rubber band type of reaction. It was very bizarre. I went down right away holding my knee. Once I calmed down, I walked off the court with a little assistance. The team trainer checked me out and told me that all my ligaments we intact but I should go see a doctor the next day just to be sure. I felt like it was just a sprain since she said my ligaments we intact and really wasn't too worried about the whole situation. When I went to the doctor the next day it was pretty swollen. I got x-rays and an MRI. The MRI revealed that I has completely torn my ACL, partially tore my MCL, tore my meniscus and had possible fractures in my Tibia. When the doctor told me this, I was SHOCKED! My trainer gave me the impression that nothing was serious.
As I was in the doctor's office I could not even focus on what he said because I was crying and in a state of disbelief. It was the saddest and most disappointing moment of my entire life. When something is such a big part of your life and you have so much love and passion for it, its hard to hear that it will be taken away from you. Many people think that basketball is just a game but for some people like me it is much more than that. It has taught be valuable lessons about hardwork, a healthy lifestyle, perseverance, trust, teamwork, and dealing with adversity. Without it, there is no way I would be the person I am today. Most of my friends are people I have met through basketball and I felt like I was going to lose them now that I couldn't play anymore.
The plan for my surgery was to wait 2 months before the operation to allow my bone fracture and MCL to heal. My surgery was scheduled for right before Christmas. I went to every practice and every game until that point. I cried almost everyday. The toughest time was before our first scrimmage. I cried the whole way to the game and throughout all of warmups. I HATE crying in front of people so it was really hard for me. I was so excited for surgery so that I could start getting better. The day of surgery I wasn't nervous, I was just excited to get going. I didn't know the pain I would be in after surgery. I was in the most pain I had ever been in in my entire life. Every little move made my leg hurt. My knee was very swollen and the blood drained down to my ankle making it swollen and bruised.
The first few weeks were challenging. I was in a lot of pain and didn't sleep very much. Physical therapy started a few days after surgery trying to get my range of motion back. It was a painful process but I was finally able to bend it more and more. Each week it got better but not fast enough for my impatient self. It was a slow process and it was even harder to go to practice everyday and watch my teammates running around having a good time while I was sitting on the sidelines. I felt disconnected because I couldn't play. I felt like they all have a certain bond because they played all season together, made it through the tough practices and pulled out close victories. I wasn't a part of any of it no matter how much they tried to include me. I felt like I was losing my friends and losing my lifestyle.
Now I am 3 weeks away from being 6 months post op. I have permission to do all activity except for player to player contact. My knee isn't 100% but all of the results in my functional tests were described as exceptional so I guess that is good. Before I went through this process I thought that after 6 months, people were 100% and ready for action. Now I realize that it is going to take a long time to be back to where I was before the injury and I might never get there. It's unreal how much one injury can affect your whole life. It tested my friendships, my commitment, my faith and my perseverance. I did learn a lot while going through this but I would never wish it on ANYONE. It's tough physically but it is 10x harder mentally.
If it happens to you, keep your family and friends close and don't ever give up. Keep your faith...
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil. 4:13
"He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago" Ephesians 2:10
