In the spirit of revisiting normality and rebuilding trust in the knee, next stop following the trampoline and gym class escapades was Junior Parkrun with the kids on Father’s Day. The sporty but ‘not a runner’ eldest needed to do a community activity as part of a school awards scheme while the youngest will run and run given half a chance, so I’d promised I’d take them to a kids’ Parkrun for a while. It meant their Dad could have a quiet lie in on a Sunday morning and, at just 2km, I figured it would be a good first outdoor run for me for a couple of years too. Everyone’s a winner.
We got there nice and early, found a good parking space and the weather was good as we wandered into the park to join the warm up. The usual stretching and high knees type stuff took place and we were almost ready to go when….
…my knee hyperextended and shifted out and back into joint again while ‘marching on the spot’. FFS.
As it wasn’t a full give way episode I decided to start the run with them and see how it went but it was definitely sore and wobbly and, with lots of small kids, terrifyingly swervy Mums-with-running-buggies darting in and out of the crowd, wet grass and slug trails to navigate (yes, really), I decided to drop out after about 20m and sent the kids off to finish the run without me, under strict instructions to stay together.
A gentle retreat home at the end and the knee was swollen and a bit uncomfortable but thankfully nothing some ice and rest couldn’t sort. As the week went on, it improved so I was back at roughly the point I was before the Parkrun ‘adventure’ by the time my next physio session came round.
Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3
Lots of testing this time - Lachman (still more anterior movement than the good knee but there is an end point), range-of-movement in different planes, jumping on/off box, hopping distance etc. My good knee is now more creaky than the surgical one but the hopping remains my nemesis. While I’ve got the rebound going now, my control, distance and ability to hop side to side or generate any real height is still a challenge. My knee is pretty good at aligning with my second toe when squatting/landing but it still tends to collapse inwards if I’m not paying attention, which leaves it a little vulnerable still. Whether I can fully stop that remains to be seen. I’ve done a LOT of reps to try to retrain it, and will continue to do so, so it’s another keep training, watch and wait scenario.
Apparently the hopping is the only part of the rehab protocol I’m failing now so I was sent off with more exercises to do there (no more than 30 impacts a day to keep within acceptable pain levels); the green light for some low-level trampolining(!) - mainly hopping side to side and deceleration landings on a soft surface; legs sessions twice a week; and continuing with the gym classes.
Getting your head right
Safe to say that the change of approach, mixing things up and the arrival of a much-needed holiday from work and day-to-day life have had a positive effect on my mental state and I’ve been feeling much more positive over the last few weeks. The grind of ACL rehab is real and necessary but sometimes, you’ve just got to step away and stop for a while to re-set your focus and motivation.
Sun's out scars out
At the time of writing, we’ve just returned from a lovely if very hot and sweaty holiday to Rhodes. I did bits and pieces of physio at the hotel gym but otherwise just enjoyed getting out and about, taking in the culture, enjoying the food and drink and making the most of time in the pool with the kids. I’ve never understood the need for a swim-up pool bar before but with temperatures in the high 30s and early 40s, I was feeling every one of my c85% Scandinavian, Celtic and Anglo Saxon genes, meaning the pool was literally the only bearable outdoor place to be at times. Needless to say, I am now a convert 🍸
As for the knee? I was pleasantly surprised how well it handled the proprioception challenges of steep cobbled pathways, treks up and down worn stone paths to temples and sand-covered boardwalks down to beaches. No brace. No problem 😁 The only downside is that finally getting some colour on my legs means the scars are well and truly out and proud for the rest of this summer. It’s a special kind of body art. Maybe if I need further surgeries, I can ask for a four-leaf clover or other such design work to add to the collection?
10 months out, what next?
So this is 10 months out post the HTO surgery. Is the knee right? No. Is it better than before the surgery? Yes, I increasingly think so.
I am slowly gaining more confidence that the general stability (ie not blowing out completely) is improved and the ACL physio is certainly strengthening it.
What the last few weeks of 'normality' have done though is to highlight areas I now need to work on to get functionality back to where I’d like it, not just ‘good enough’ to do really controlled exercises in the gym.
First I need to get the hopping sorted. Physio seemed to think it was a confidence thing last month but there’s literally not enough strength/response there to generate the height and distance I need, nor control landings etc. And that’s before we add twisting etc to the mix.
Playing tennis with my eldest last week also highlighted just how much agility I’m lacking, so that’s another piece of the puzzle to fill in. My mind reacts quickly but my body’s reaction times are more akin to those of an oil tanker 😂
Then I need to get more joint mobility back - I still can’t kneel down backside to heels, in fact I’m still quite a way off, so that needs some more concerted effort.
Still, I know what I want to work on now so that is progress in itself. Then there’s the zipline test… Pass that, and I’ll be confident to start having some fun again.
Bring on the next phase 💪🏻
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