Kenny, age 28
Kenny worked hard and played hard until he tore his ACL. Financial constraints and work pressure caused him to wait more than a year for the operation. The interview was conducted twelve weeks after his reconstructive surgery.
They had told me that it was very important to do the basic exercises—straightening the knee, flexing it, bending it up to 90 degrees. They said that I needed to do it four times a day. I called, and they told me that I could do them as often as I wanted, up to ten or twelve times a day. So that’s what I did. I was determined to get my knee back. They had told me it was up to me: How much work I put in would determine how well I did.
After about eight weeks, my gait returned to normal. Going up and down stairs is now normal. I’ve been essentially pain and discomfort free for two to three weeks. But for the first couple of months after the operation, every once in a while I might move the wrong way and experience a jab of sharp pain. This would scare me: Had I torn the graft? Was my leg totally screwed up? But by telling the people in physical therapy about it, I found out that certain things like that are going to happen, not to worry.
I’m dying to get back into athletics and to lose weight. But I know that I have a false sense of security, because my knee feels so good. It’s not fully healed. I also know that returning to sports too early is the biggest cause of injury. I’m not going to be one of those statistics. I accept the risk that the ACL could tear again. But I certainly don’t want to go through it again because I got ahead of myself or made a careless mistake.
The leg is coming back. I’m excited. It feels strong now. I’m trying hard to be very careful. I just have to look at the big picture. It’s just a short period of time. Really.
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