ACL Recovery Log #10- 5 Weeks Post Op

I’m five weeks post-op already! How time flies. April 1^st marked three months since my ACL injury. It feels like just yesterday I heard that horrible pop on the ski slope. Winter has already passed on by. Well, PT has been going strong despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Every week I’m expecting to get a call that they’ve closed, but so far so good. I’m also still working! I just make sure to change my clothes when I get home before heading to PT. They are also keeping everything clean and practicing social distancing as much as they can in a PT office. 

This week we started working on step ups, single leg stands/balance on surgical leg, weighted hamstring curls, and lunges. It felt pretty good to get my quads and hamstrings working again. However, the next day my knee felt like jello. I’m assuming that’s normal since I worked the surrounding muscles hard for the first time in three months.  I don’t see a huge difference in my leg muscles, but I can tell my right leg is just a tiny bit smaller than my left. Tuesday my extension was measured at 125 and to be honest I thought I was further along than that, so I was a bit disappointed. Every day my knee feels different and Tuesday was just a stiff, sore knee day. I took off the rest of the steristrips last week. All my incisions are closed! The big incision looks thin which is good.

Last weekend I tried the rowing machine for the first time since surgery. I had no issues and it felt pretty good on my knee; however, I didn’t strap down my right foot. I managed to row for about 20 minutes. It felt so good to finally get in a cardio workout! I’ve also been riding my bike trainer. So far, I just ride 20 minutes max with no resistance since my knee still feels stiff when pedaling. I know it’s great for improving range of motion, but I don’t even break a sweat. I can’t wait to increase resistance AND ride outside. Hopefully, that time is coming soon.

Jordan and I have been setting up our home gym. It looks pretty good for being in an unfinished basement. We have a lot of space down there so we’re making the most of it. I’ve been doing the upper body strength training workouts on the Peloton App. They are great! I’ve been able to modify all the exercises so I can easily do them and still get a great workout. I can’t rave enough about these classes. I’ve yet to take a LIVE class, but the pre-recorded classes are available and just as good. I am hoping soon I can hop on the bike and take one of their spin classes eventually.

So that’s it for the Week 5 Update. I hope everyone out there is staying safe, healthy, washing hands and practicing social distancing!