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!