Every sport always has an injury, and once they are done for the season, many wonder what happened and how long their recovery is. Where did the athlete go? My injury happened in our first conference game of the season against Idaho State. We had lost the first game and were doing well in the second until the worst injury I could ever think of getting happened. I went up for an approach and landed funny. My ankle twisted causing my knee to give out. Pop! Instant pain and I knew I was in a load of trouble. It was dead silent and I just wanted to get out of the eyes of every person looking at me in wonder. I crutched out in throbbing pain to Dr. Hersey (our team doctor). He knew with just on shift of my knee that it was my ACL and that there was probably more. I never thought this injury would ever happen to me. No way could this be happening. Went to the doctor the next day to hear I had completely torn my ACL and partially torn my MCL, meniscus and patellar femoral ligament. I am getting the hamstring graft, which has been proven to be the most effective. The only downside is that means double trouble for recovery. I was not allowed to get surgery until I had full range of motion back and my MCL had to be healed.
Crutches became my best friend for about a week and a half before I could start walking on it again. I did rehab everyday and sometimes twice a day too. Getting my knee to try to bend again was the hardest and most painful part of the process. After about two and a half weeks the swelling had finally gone down and my MCL healed quickly. The only thing left was to get that 120-degree angle in my knee again and I would be cleared for surgery. I usually do my exercises at practice and watch the team play, which got harder and harder as the weeks went on. The worst part of being injured is seeing your team leave for an away game and not be there with them. I watch their games on the Internet, but it is just not the same when I know they can’t hear me cheering them on. Turning this sadness into motivation has been one of my biggest goals for this injury. The sooner I can get surgery done, the sooner I can start recovery and making myself better for next year.
My goal came into effect in that third week because I did not care how bad it hurt; my knee was going to bend at a 120-degree angle at the end of the week. Guess who got their full range of motion back? Dr. Lewicky checked my knee the following Monday and finally gave me the thumbs up for surgery. I am scheduled to go in Wednesday, October 21 and I am more ready than I will ever be. It was nice having a friend go in before me though. Lauren Zallis on the soccer team also tore her ACL and got the same hamstring graft that I am getting. Seeing her get it done makes me feel even more ready because she is back on her crutches and moving around after half a week. I know it will be painful, but it is going to make me so much tougher and stronger once I am back on the court and ready to take conference next season like it is nobody’s business.
Crutches became my best friend for about a week and a half before I could start walking on it again. I did rehab everyday and sometimes twice a day too. Getting my knee to try to bend again was the hardest and most painful part of the process. After about two and a half weeks the swelling had finally gone down and my MCL healed quickly. The only thing left was to get that 120-degree angle in my knee again and I would be cleared for surgery. I usually do my exercises at practice and watch the team play, which got harder and harder as the weeks went on. The worst part of being injured is seeing your team leave for an away game and not be there with them. I watch their games on the Internet, but it is just not the same when I know they can’t hear me cheering them on. Turning this sadness into motivation has been one of my biggest goals for this injury. The sooner I can get surgery done, the sooner I can start recovery and making myself better for next year.My goal came into effect in that third week because I did not care how bad it hurt; my knee was going to bend at a 120-degree angle at the end of the week. Guess who got their full range of motion back? Dr. Lewicky checked my knee the following Monday and finally gave me the thumbs up for surgery. I am scheduled to go in Wednesday, October 21 and I am more ready than I will ever be. It was nice having a friend go in before me though. Lauren Zallis on the soccer team also tore her ACL and got the same hamstring graft that I am getting. Seeing her get it done makes me feel even more ready because she is back on her crutches and moving around after half a week. I know it will be painful, but it is going to make me so much tougher and stronger once I am back on the court and ready to take conference next season like it is nobody’s business.
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