September 10^th 2008, is the day my life changed.

It’s kind of embarrassing how I tore my ACL and meniscus but it was serious, because since that day I haven’t been able to work out.

It was the first week of school of grade 12, and I was trying out for the soccer team. I used to play rep soccer when I was younger but quit in grade 10, and decided to  compete heavily in track and mountain biking. So grade 12 comes along and I decided to play soccer again.

So I throw on my soccer gear and go to the try out, run over to the try-out. Since I was a track start I decided to show off some of my speed in one of the practise games with the team, so I would get a good position on the team. So I showed them alright I full out sprinted towards the ball, and went for a quick turn to run back to the net and in that instant, everything went slight, the endorphins flowing through my body as I hear CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! The sound of my knee just twisting and grinding the opposite way it’s supposed to. The feeling I was experiencing was overwhelming. I was such an intense pain, it felt like a full grown elephant just stepped on my leg. I personally thought I broke my leg. I was then pulled off the field and given ice. After about 30min of icing and resting, I miraculously got up and gimped my way back to the school while I waited for my parents to pick me up.  

So now a little description of the ACL; which is the anterior cruciate ligament, it lies behind and within the middle of the knee. And the meniscus is the cartilage that cushions the knee during impact. When the knee has a lot of force applied to hit in a circular motion the ACL will either stretch, or tare. In my case I completely tore my ACL.

After a couple months of rehabilitation and an MRI, showing the tare I finally got the surgery.

Some things to do if do have a tore ACL and waiting for surgery, start out by getting close to full charge of motion. You can get more range of motion lying on your back letting knee be pulled down by gravity. As soon as I was able to bend my leg I hopped on  a stationary bike. You might think why I would work out if my knee is messed up. Well building up your hamstrings and quads. Helps you recover from the surgery much faster. For example; with my torn ACL I was still competing in 24hour mountain bike races, and competing in triathlons. As long as you go linear sports you will be fine, on the other hand you diffidently can not do snowboarding, skateboarding, trampoline or anything that causes side to side movement or the twisting of the knee.

I have 5 months left with my custom fitted knee brace, and until I can start working out again. And I honestly can’t wait till that day.

I will post links to sites that I feel helped out in my recovering process, and will hopefully help you.

Please feel free to ask any questions about the surgery, or about exercises.