From Fall to 50k

Six weeks ago, I woke up from surgery with my leg wrapped in surgical dressings, a compression sleeve, an ace bandage, and a knee brace. Four weeks ago, I removed the compression sleeve with a cheer.  It was uncomfortable, itchy, and HOT.  I was ecstatic to finally get rid of it! Three weeks ago, I dropped the ace bandage for the majority of the time.  I would still wrap up my knee when I needed more support but for the most part, it hung out with the rest of the PT items in a box. Two weeks ago, I gained more motion when I was able to fully unlock my brace and be mobile around the house.  It meant sleeping upstairs, a shower with no help, and moving down to just using one crutch. On Tuesday, the last of the heavy duty surgical remnants disappears.  The knee brace will finally find it's way to the basement. The brace has been itchy, confining, and chafing for the last six weeks.  It's forced me into pants through mid-May and made it challenging to sleep....

Between my careers as a teacher, banker, personal trainer, and wellness coach, I should know better than to use acronyms and jargon when I'm writing. But, in a haze of painkillers, I forgot. I forgot that just because the locked brace, the CPM, and the quad sets are so familiar to me after four months that they are just second nature by this point. So... a quick primer on all things ACL recovery.   ACL - the anterior cruciate ligament is found in your knee.  It forms an X on your knee with the posterior cruciate ligament.  It's responsible for side to side and turning motions.  It's why so many people who tear their ACLs do it with "cutting" sports like volleyball, skiing, and tennis.   Rupture - an ACL rupture is a grade 3 sprain - meaning that the entire ligament has been torn in two.  I've learned that this is not the worst grade you can get - evidently it can separate from the bone as well in a grade 4 sprain.  Most ruptures are repaired ...