Cringe-worthy Knee Injury

Leonard Weaver of the Eagles suffered a really bad ACL tear yesterday. I love watching and playing football, but after my injury my shoulders stiffen up and my stomach winces whenever I see hard hits at the knee. Check out the video below, but it's definitely brutal so be warned. 




Yup, I can confirm it feels as bad as it looks. I feel for that guy - mine was definitely not as bad.

The Barefoot Alter-knee-tive

I'm pulling out all the stops in trying to efficiently recover my knee, so I've taken the plunge and gone "barefoot" with the Vibram KSOs. The theory behind these weird foot gloves is that the heavily cushioned sneakers we wear now alter the natural mechanics of running. Man did not come out of the womb, after all, with running shoes on. These Vibrams get you close to the natural barefoot style of running and walking and is supposed to strengthen the muscles in our feet and legs. Yes, please!

Well, anything that helps to strengthen my lower body is great with me.  I know runners have to take it slow getting used to the Vibrams and there's a lot of initial calf and foot pain, however, since I'm not allowed to run until about week 16 or so (but it's not like I'm a big runner anyway), I'll just wear my KSOs while doing Physical Therapy, Pilates, and working out in the gym. There's a lot literature out there on the "barefoot" style of running and walking, so edumacate yourself. I hear nothing but raves from the people I know who have Vibrams and wear it regularly, so I'm excited to see if it makes a difference on my legs.

Pho No

I learned something new today - MSG is bad for my knees and probably my liver. I had the delicious Vietnamese noodle soup, Pho, for the first time in way over a year last night. I was actually unprepared for that hearty and filling soup so I just ate about a quarter of the bowl. All night I could feel my knee in pain and this morning I can't really bend or extend my knee. Awesome, my Physical Therapist will really be happy with me. So let's add MSG to things that are toxic for my knees. No more Pho or Chinese food for a while!

Week Eight Update

(I won't name names, but a friend said he's getting sick of the knee puns, and frankly, I can't come up with a good one for this short update)

Went to see the doc today for my progress check and he gave me A+s for my knee stability, swelling, and flexion (up to 132 degrees!). I just have to work on extension. My damn knee just won't straighten. I asked him about re-starting Pilates and he said: "I don't know much about Pilates, but it doesn't sound like something good." Maybe he read the same newspaper article about how the Pilates backlash has started in Ireland. In any case, I'm just gonna ignore his M.D. and re-start Pilates, albeit slowly.

What I can do:

1. Spinning
2. Run up and down stairs (very helpful to catch the subway)
3. leave my knee brace at home
4. wear heels!
   
5. Pilates (but don't tell my doc)
   

What I can't do:

1. cutting sports
2. run
3. dance
4. ninja kicks

Also, the incision scars are slowly fading! Not that I really mind - I consider these shoulder and knee scars as little reminders to treat my body better. All in all, I'm quite happy with my progress, but I do need to keep up with PT 2x a week to continue regaining full mobility and strength.

Guin-knees and Blar-knee in Ireland

I tried to be very diligent with Physical Therapy from weeks 2-5 because I wanted to be extremely mobile for our trip to Ireland. I took my knee brace, exercise sheet, and resistance band so I can do some exercises while on vacation. Well, I wasn't as meticulous as I'd hoped with the exercises and didn't really ice much, but I tried to do as much as I could when I had access to a gym. Otherwise, the knee was fantastic, I hardly used the knee brace!

If I was still on crutches our activities would have been limited, but I'm happy to report that I was able to climb the steep steps of the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone...












...the picturesque hills around the seaside town of Dingle...














...and the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, all without much difficulty! It was reassuring to know that we didn't have to limit the amount of walking or our overall activities on the trip just because of the knee. We also did plenty of other fun activities such as exploring the caves in the Dingle Bay via kayak, hanging out on a beach in Achill Island, boating around the Clew Bay, and plenty of Guinness and Murphys in pubs. It was a perfect vacation and I was happy to enjoy it with freedom of movement.

Day Twentknee Eight Milestone: 115 Degrees!

Just a quick update on my Physical Therapy progress after exactly 4 weeks post-surgery. Here's what I can finally do:
1. Walk up stairs
2. Use an elliptical machine with zero difficulty
3. Use a stationary bike with some difficulty
4. Bend my knees to 115 degrees
5. Smile and allow myself to recognize that I've made significant progress

Here's what I still can't do:
1. Walk down stairs (I'm like a bear, or worse, a panda)
2. Go outside without my ugly black leg brace
3. Pilates :(
4. Play football or other cutting sports
5. Ninja kicks


Just a sideline comment: I absolutely can't stand Boston area sports, but I've hated on Wes Welker the least. So I have an extra special soft spot for him now that he's off the PUP list after tearing his ACL & MCL last January (with a torn rotator cuff!) and undergoing surgery in February. Obviously he's a world class athlete, but someone I can aspire to if he has rehabbed his knee and shoulder enough to be able to practice in 6 months and play in the season opener in 7 months.

Day 24: Kneed for Speed

I'm entering my 4th week (24 days) post-surgery. Here's my breakdown of the last 3 weeks:

Week 1: Very frustrating because of the pain and learning to walk on crutches. I mostly stayed in my apartment for the first 5 days, save for a family BBQ on July 3rd, and a happy hour outing on July 5th - both were a chore because I was still adjusting to the crutches and the pain that came along with walking more than 1 block. Day 6, however, was a revelation, as I finally adjusted to crutches and was able to enjoy a rock concert (see Mi-knees the Bear post)

Week 2: Got the pain under control and was very mobile - went out of town Day 7-9 (with the cryo ice machine and all) to a wedding in Virginia, and even enjoyed some dancing and revelry. Got the bandages off and stopped using crutches on day 11. I didn't even have to transition from 2 crutches to 1! I'm hoping that's from all the leg and core prep work that I did pre-surgery :)

Week 3: Started Physical Therapy at Professional Orthopedic and Sports Therapy. Got to 90 degrees bending on Day 17, and 100 degrees on Day 19. As much of a pain in the a** having to trek to Tribeca 3x a week to be tortured, it's actually great to see some progress with the knee, as small as it may be. Sample exercises that I'm doing:

• Straight leg raises with 1.5 lb weight on all 4 directions
• Stationary bike for 10 mins
• Leg press at a 90 degree angle
• Wall sitsGoing to PT has other fun little benefits, like being outfitted for a compression sock, which is supposed to increase venous circulation, reduce leg pain, and swelling. I'm supposed to wear it most of the day while mobile, but I'm not too fond of the "nude" color, so I'm not wearing it ALL the time. I have a white arm sleeve that looks much tougher, so maybe I'll just buy my own compression leg sock to match the white arm sleeve to look tougher x2?-Kitty
  

It's a Knee-w Day!

11 days after my surgery, and I finally had my follow-up with the doc. The assistant removed my dressings and bandages to reveal my new knee! We took some X-rays that revealed 2 staples and 2 screws (one that will dissolve, the other isn't supposed to bother me so it stays forever). It was bizarre to finally see the new knee that has been giving me pain the last several days, but it's nice to know that everything looks good, not too much swelling or bruising.

I'm outfitted with a knee brace that will allow me to bend and provide greater range of motion. Not to mention that it's much lighter than the contraption I've been dragging around. I also bought the Empi Action Patch, which is aan electronic patch that delivers a drug to a localized area (i.e. my left knee) to lessen pain and swelling. After 4 patches administered every other day, the drug is supposed to stay in my knee for 1 month. It's supposed to speed up recovery time and help with pain during PT.

Next up..Physical Therapy! I've selected Professional Orthopedic and Sports PT on Murray St in Tribeca. Wish me luck!
-Kitty

Mi-knees the Bear

Adam and I went to see one of our favorite bands, Minus the Bear, rock out Webster Hall last Thursday. At that point, I've been pretty much confined to my apartment because I couldn't put too much weight on the left leg, and feeling apprehensive about venturing out. I was even considering not going because I know what rock shows are like - there's no guarantee I could rest myself and the leg on a chair and could easily be jostled by the crowd, plus I was still unsure of stairs. Adam knew how much I wanted to see the band (and needed to get out of the apartment), so he called ahead to secure a couple of chairs for me.

So I gulped down a Vicodin, put on a rock show worthy ensemble and ventured out. We got chairs but also found a this stationary block at the very back of the space so I could actually lay out my leg and be able to see above everyone and had a perfect view of the stage. I had a great time, but the best part was that I actually tested out walking on crutches for a longer period of time and got used to walking up and down stairs. My advice to those going into knee surgery: get used to moving on crutches beforehand including stairs and building up endurance. I think practicing immobilizing my left leg with a 2-3 lb weight and just standing with crutches for 5 mins or so would have helped a lot to get used to the feeling of relying on on leg.
-Kitty

P.S. Check out Minus the Bear's new album, OMNI, espcially my favorite song on the CD, Summer Angel. MTB is an indie rock group from Seattle and their music has a lot of intricate guitar work and synths. They're just a super groovy band. You can steam OMNI from here:
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/news.php?newsid=13724

Cryoge-knee-c Cuff

Ok, that title is a stretch, but that cooler apparently is the best way to provide compression and ice therapy for my knee to reduce swelling, promote healing, and reduce pain. Extra plus: personal cooling device to beat the summer heat! Basically there's a cuff that is wrapped around my knee and the cooler holds the ice/cold water that circulates in the cuff. I've had the machine going for 24 hours from Friday-Tuesday, and now I'm supposed to lessen the amount of time. I had a shoulder cuff last year but only used it for 3 or 4 days until the bandages were removed. I rented the machine for 2 weeks but after that the cryo-cuff was really hard to keep on the shoulder without bandages, so I just used ice packs. This time, I have the bandages until July 13th, so this machine will be my BFF until then. Definitely beats frozen peas. Robo Kitty!

Easy as One, Two, Knee!

Had a successful (or so Dr. Feldman says) operation last Friday July 2nd. Adam and I were at the NYU Langone Outpatient Surgery Center around 6:15 AM, was prepped for surgery, went into surgery before 8AM, was out by 9, stayed in Post-Op for an hour, and went home around 10 in timr for the Netherlands-Brazil soccer game. Can't really complain!
(**On a side note, Langone was a really nice hospital. I had my shoulder surgery at St. Vincent's last year, and compared to Langone, that place was a dump. Nurses Kathy and Catherine-weird, I know-informed me that Langone is about a year old. The color scheme was cheery, the furniture nice and no uncomfortable stainless steel chairs in sight. My Pre-Op room had a flat screen TV and was a real room, not curtain-divided from the other rooms. The nurses were all very sweet and cheery.)

Back to the surgery. I had my mind set on having a hamstring graft and even worked out almost every day to strengthen my legs to withstand the extra trauma. I voiced my preference to Dr. Mike (the Chief Orthopedic Resident) and Dr. Feldman and explained why I preferred hamstring over donor graft. However, they both addressed my concerns and convinced me that allograft, or donor tissue, was the way to go because the donor will be less than 25 years old, of top quality (apparently Feldman is the busiest doctor in NYU and gets his choice of grafts), less surgery time, and less post-op pain because he won't need to make other incisions. So allograft we go.

Obviously I don't remember much from the time I was given general anesthesia (on my hand, still bruised). Last vision I had was the anesthesiologist swabbing my left thigh for the femural block. I woke up around 9 AM in the Post-Op room and the nurse immediately called Adam in for me. Last year I inhaled a liter of coconut water and a whole shawarma sandwich from Chickpea right after surgery. And then threw up everything. So this year I was determined to look presentable and opted for some apple juice and a graham cracker. Good choice, Kitty, keep it classy!

Things that I take for granted and now has a degree of difficulty x100:
1. ShoweringAdam devised a waterproof "skirt" for my leg with a garbage bag, some packing tape and a towel under the skirt (but over the leg) to absorb any moisture that might have dripped into the skirt. Showering is definitely not a solo job, but I have the best and most patient nurse
2. Dressing
Getting something over your foot/leg when it is immobile and weighed down by 10 lbs makes dressing yourself difficult. I've stayed away from pants and shorts and have opted for dresses that go over my head.
3. Going to the bathroom
You try elevating your leg and going to the bathroom at the same time.
4. Getting something to eat/drink from the refrigerator
Your hands are occupied with the crutches. How are you going to transport the food? You get creative.

As you can imagine, everything is pretty much difficult and takes 10x longer, even with my super ergonomic, shock-absorbing crutches.. Even just adjusting myself on the couch or the bed. I'm really lucky to have the bestest boyfriend in the world who is so patient, caring, and takes care of everything (I'll stop there-there just aren't enough superlatives).

I can't be too active until I have the dressings and stitches out (July 13), but I am back to work..from home.
Kitty

Spinal Ma-knee-pulation

Wow, I'm really reaching now with the knee puns...

I'll be having my ACL reconstruction in less than 10 days, and as part of my total-body preparation, I've decided to start chiropractic therapy to make sure that my spine, muscles, and nerves are all in alignment. The theory behind chiropractic (from what I understand) is that one should look at the body as a whole machine - if a joint is misaligned then the body stops running smoothly. This may manifest itself as pain, tightness, numbness etc. I started having some numbness in my left thumb a few weeks after the ACL tear and some neck pain. Adam convinced me that it might be somewhat caused by my body being out of whack from the injury - he would know since he's from the biggest chiropractic family in the US.


So I searched around and found a chiropractor that 1. accepted my insurance 2. seemed to be reputable and 3. within a 5 minutes walk from my apartment. No 2 was especially important since the first time I visited a chiropractic office last year (after my right shoulder reconstruction!) I was treated by Dr. The Situation, who definitely GTLs and hit on me as he was adjusting.



And so I'm in Dr. Cohen's office on June 11th for what I consider to be my first real chiropractic session. I told him why I was there, the kind of pain/numbness I was having. He assessed my posture, did some joint tests, tested my reflexes and then assessed my back and spine. Then he adjusted my spine and my left elbow and wrist. Apparently the bones in my left wrist were all out of alignment which causes the numbness. Not sure what causes the misalignment, it could be that I have some weak wrists, typing a lot, how I sleep.
I've had 4 treatments now and I do walk away with less wrist discomfort. I have pretty good posture and not much back pain (probably due from Pilates), but I still have some slight neck pain (could also be due to how I sleep). Dr. Cohen does tell me that he can't cure everything wrong in a few visits, but that it's a process for my body (and wallet!). I'm hoping that having my spine and joints in alignment will also help me as I recover from surgery. Whatever helps, right?

Spinkneeng Shoes!

Wow, took me a while to find a good knee pun for this post. I've been on a search for cycling shoes, and always read that Sidi is one of the best brands. Amazon had a great price ($74) for the Sidi Vigo shoes, which normally retails for $168 and up. Also bought SPD cleats and they fit perfectly with the shoes.

I've worn the cycling shoes to 2 classes now, and I have to say they really make the experience better. I can pull up easier with the shoes and you really feel like your glutes get a good workout. My only complaint is the tongue kind of digs into the top of my ankle but maybe it's because of my little feet. I just have to make sure my socks cover up that part of my feet. Otherwise, it's a great purchase and is really helping to strengthen my legs.

For Heavenknees Sake

I've been trying not to let my injury hamper my daily activities and sports, and so far I'm succeeding. I even played in our last football game - a Playoff game that we lost :(

However, today I found something I want to do that I really can't: skydiving. My friend Celine is attempting a list of "30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30" and skydiving is Numero 5. I was hoping to do it with her, but I guess I'll just have to settle for activities # 2, 13, and 19.

I'm being responsible, right? Right???

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes...

The theory behind the amount of time I'll be on crutches after surgery depends on the doctor and the Physical Therapist. Dr. C said something around 4 weeks depending on how I respond to PT, but Dr. F said 2-3 weeks. My goal is 2 weeks, but we'll see. That's why I'm accelerating my training program.


Last night while powering through my Pole + Bellydance class at SHOCKra studio, I realized I need to add a lot of arms to my training because I'll have to rely on them a lot while being on crutches. While climbing up a steel pole using arms and sheer will is good exercise, I'll need to do more to strengthen my arms and shoulders. Ugh...

I had right shoulder reconstructive surgery last year, and my shoulder is about 97% back to normal, but still not where I want it to be in terms of flexibility and pain. I'm going to be doing 5 Pilates classes a week (which incorporates some shoulder strengthening and lengthening execises, like arm springs and lots of planks and push ups), but I should do more on my own. My focus will be on reps, but I'll do the following exercises with 5-10 lb weights

• bicep curls
  
• skull crushers
• tricep kickbacks
• cable pushdowns (more weight)
• fun push ups like spider push ups

Knowing me, I'll be bored with these exercises so I'll find ways to jazz these up with kitty bells, stability balls, etc.

I welcome thoughts and arm/leg strengthening programs.

-Kitty

Knee-sy Does It

The most significant choice when having ACL surgery is what type of graft to use to reconstruct the torn ligament. Theres 2 options:
1. My own tendon from the patellar (structure on the front of your knee that connects the kneecap (patella) to the shin bone (tibia)) or hamstring
2. A donor ligament from Rue McClanahan (j/k, but the tissue will be for a cadaver)

There are long lists of pros and cons for each option, but they're summed up nicely in this site:
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/aclrepain/a/aclgrafts.htm

After research and my 2nd opinion, I'm going with my own tendon, preferably my hamstring because it's a smaller incision that from the patellar. So now what? Well, I better get my hamstrings in tip top shape before Dr. F slices of a nice chunk of it. If my hammies are in great shape, I figure my recovery will be faster and easier, and it can't hurt to have nice looking legs. Meow!

I am absolutely NOT a trainer nor do I have any expertise in exercise science. I just like being healthy. So my plan for the next 4 weeks is to strengthen my legs (and in the process, maybe lose weight because I'm fully expecting to get tubby while sitting around not doing anything after surgery). My plan will be to do 6 days of Pilates and 6 days of Spinning with some extra knee/leg strengthening exercises thrown in like leg presses, leg lifts, leg extensions, etc.

I jump started the program by doing a 7 am Spinning class, and then an 8 am Pilates class. I take spinning classes at Equinox, mostly at Wall Street and the 7 am class is taught by this really awesome and very motivational instructor, Shaina - you won't have a more efficient 45 minute workout and your legs will be very fatigued but strong afterwards. I want a cold shower and crawl back into bed, but I make to Real Pilates (my Pilates studio in Tribeca, and the best, IMO studio in NYC) for 45 minutes with Daniel. As usual, he was great and I feel aligned and lengthened.

So this is my plan for the month. Wish me luck!

-Kathryn

No Knees is Bad Knees

Date: April 11, 2010
Location: Field 51 in Randall's Island, NYC

Situation: Spring Co-ed Touch Football
My team, Jerkstore, has been playing co-ed touch football with Zogsports for about five years now. Amazingly, because the games get pretty physical, though it's supposed to be a charity-focused league, the team hasn't had any major injuries....until that Sunday.
I was playing defense and when the ball was thrown my direction, I locked knees with the girl I was guarding and she took my upper body one way but my left knee went the opposite way. My knee made a crunching sound and was immediately on the ground and in excruciating pain. Couldn't even talk for a good minute, and even though it was a pain I've never felt before, I was self-conscious enough to remind myself not to cry - I'm Cap'n Kitty, after all, and Cap'ns are tough guys.For the next week, I taped the knee and did the usual Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation until I could see my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. F, 2 weeks after the accident (he's a busy guy, apparently). The pain and the swelling reduced about a day after the accident, and was even able to put on some heels for work. So I was kind of unconvinced I had a real knee injury. In the meantime, I did a lot of online research on knee injuries, and each day I was convinced I had a different type of injury.
When I saw my ortho, he did the standard knee instability tests. He diagnosed an ACL tear but also sent me to get an MRI for confirmation. A week later when the MRI came back, you didn't have to know medical-speak to figure out I had an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear--it was plain on the sheet.

I was devastated. I've been in denial of the injury. I was routinely cycling (indoor spinning classes) and doing Pilates up to that point. I was wearing the highest of heels.
I has a rolling-good time visiting the Capitol and drinking at Foxfields and even swing-danced at Adam's stepbrother's wedding.


So I needed a second opinion. In hindsight, the second ortho wouldn't have told me anything different from what the MRI said. But I got some X-rays and Dr. C did more instability tests and explained to me that I did have an ACL tear based on the MRI and his examination and will need surgery. The great thing about Dr. C was that he explained everything about what to expect with an ACL reconstruction, and his bedside manner was excellent. I was soothed, and now fully believed that I did need ACL reconstructive surgery.

My next dilemma was choosing which surgeon to perform my surgery because both orthos had excellent reputations. In the end, I chose my original ortho, Dr. F, because I had a specific date in mind, July 2nd and he was available to perform the surgery that date.

I chose July 2nd because it's a Friday before the long July 4th weekend and would give me extra days to recover at home.

So there it is. I have exactly a month before surgery. A month of (kind of) full mobility and a month to strengthen my hamstrings and knee. I will use this blog to document my remaining few weeks before surgery and my recovery afterward. I hope this will be useful to someone who has to get this type of surgery.

-Kathryn

P.S. This blog is also dedicated to my friend Rachel, who also (freakishly) injured her knee 5 minutes after me and will also undergo the same ACL reconstructive surgery at the end of the year. Her injury is much worse than mine, yet she's still truckin around in NYC and still having fun. Here's to you, Rachel!