ACL Injury

ACL Recovery Log – 16 Weeks Post Op

Knee Update

Currently, I’m 16 weeks post-op and not much has changed since my last update. In PT we’re still working on light plyometrics, hopping, jumping, skipping, and prepping my knee for…JOGGING.

That’s a scary thought! I can’t remember the last time I went for a run before getting injured. A quick look back on my Strava account tells me the last time I ran was on November 19, 2019 – on the treadmill at the gym. EIGHT MONTHS AGO.

Per my rehab protocol, I can start running at PT next week. But I have to say, I’m not hopeful that it’s going to go well. My knee still feels “off” when walking, so I can’t imagine running will feel good.  In the meantime, I’m supposed to be practicing my hopping, skipping, and jumping which leaves my knee feeling weak and like jell-o for the whole day. The other night I successfully did some “box jumps” on a 4-inch step, which was quite the accomplishment!

Biking

Biking is still the only thing that feels normal. Last Saturday, Aubrey and I went for another hilly ride out in the hills of Schaghticoke. We rode 22 miles and climbed over 2,000 ft.

My knee felt strong during the ride! At mile 15 we came to Victory View Vineyards, which was open and serving wine by the glass outside. It was a welcome break!

The views on our ride were stunning, despite the hills. We had our snacks and some delicious rose.

The day before I also took my gravel bike over to some local mtb trails and rode some doubletrack. It was amazing! I even hit easy singletrack (Singletrack #2 at Colonie Town Park).

It felt good, even if it was a little bit scary riding singletrack on a drop-bar bike. I think I’m finally ready to take my mountain bike off the trainer. However, I’m in no rush to ride difficult trails. My biggest fear is crashing and tearing my new ACL, so easy trails it is.

Hiking

Two weekends ago I also did my first post-op hike, a short 3-mile walk at Thacher Park to the High Point Cliff. It was amazing and felt so good to be out on the trails again.

Kayaking

Last weekend, I took my kayak up to Bolton Landing to meet some friends for paddling in the Northwest Bay Marshes. We paddled around the marsh, not venturing into the Bay itself, as it was very choppy.

We saw a bald eagle, a mother loon on her nest, and I was unfortunate enough to see a snake slither by my kayak through the water. Eeek! My knee did NOT like sitting in a kayak for 3 hours after jumping around at PT. Good to know.

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