14 months post op!

An update is long overdue as quite a bit has happened in the last couple of months which I will try to summarise! Most importantly my health is good and the knee is going great thank god! I have managed to play every game this season for my cricket club playing a total of 7 games up to now. My confidence is increasing with every game played and I am now even diving around in the field which I never thought I would get back to! In general the knee has been pulling up well after games but I have been icing after every game as a precaution.

I'm still going to the gym 4 times a week and continuing with my upper body plan as well as working on my legs twice a week. I've started doing squats recently and it's making a big difference to my legs as I am putting on additional muscle even if I'm not doing it too heavy (usually work up to 70 kgs total). The biggest news is that I played in a 6 a side match of soccer last Wednesday night at training!! I was very cautious though and was not tackling. I was generally hanging back around the goals and just enjoyed being on the pitch to be honest :) I still have no intention of making a comeback with soccer as I am happy enough attending training sessions to keep the fitness up as well as playing cricket in the summer. All in all it's been a good couple of months!

One year post op!!

I can't quite believe it, but it's been one year since my second op (for those who don't know I had my original knee recon on the 1st of October and 2nd op on the 11th of October 2010 to clean out the staph infection I had). This time last year I was celebrating my birthday in hospital awaiting my second op so I'm quite relieved not to be in the same position this year! I've come quite a long way since and on Sunday played my 2nd cricket match although it was a friendly.

The week before that I played in my first match and it was quite nerve racking to be honest. Although I did have 5 training sessions prior to it, playing in an actual match is always more intense. It was a 20/20 game and we fielded first. After warming up I started fielding at my customary mid off/on position. Thankfully I didn't have to dive around to much during the 20 overs although I was definitely cautious with my knee which will probably take time to overcome. At one stage I had an opportunity to slide and keep the batsmen to one run, however I decided to run after it instead which allowed them 2 runs. I figure I'd rather look after my knee than worry about giving away an extra run!

Unfortunately with the bat I didn't stay in long enough to test my knee as I was out clean bowled for one on my 3rd delivery which was a great ball by the way :) Overall it went well and it was good to play my first cricket game in over a year which gave me some confidence! I then played my 2nd game on Sunday which was a 'friendly' match due to the official game being cancelled due to weather conditions (which was a bizzare decision as it wasn't a bad day!). It ended up being a 30 over game which was a really good test for my knee.  I ended up having a great day, making a good solid 19 (batting for approx 7-8 overs) and taking 2 really good outfield catches which tested my knee! I also captained our team to a 2 run win :) The recovery was quite good even if the knee was a little sore in the evening. Overall I am really happy with where I am at and looking forward to the official season commencement this Sunday hopefully!

Solid progress 11 months post op

I've made solid progress in the last month since returning from my overseas holiday. I resuming training at the gym and have managed to put 3 kgs (mainly muscle I hope) during that period. My operated leg feels a lot better now that I've resumed doing stationary bike riding, leg presses, leg curls, calf raises and glute work. I can see now why people say that once you've had a knee reconstruction rehab is on going!

Not that I mind though as I've always been into the gym anyway. One area where I have slackened off is running though. Apart from the fitness sessions I've conducted at my cricket club I haven't done as much running as I would have hoped for. I am to step this up in the next couple of weeks. I am really happy to be in a position where I'll be able to play cricket this season. I attended my 3rd pre-season training session last Sunday and once again it went really well (I had another session 2 weeks prior to this one). This Sunday we have another training session and the following week will be my first game for one and a half years as I will be taking part in a 20-20 match. Hopefully all goes well.

Back from holiday & 10 months post op

It is has been a while since my last update as I only just got back recently from a 6 week holiday in Europe. The holiday was absolutely fantastic although it has impacted my rehab program! As my wife and I were only staying a few days in each city in made it nearly impossible to visit a gym so as a result I have not done any weights for the last 6 weeks. As a result I've lost a fair bit of muscle from both my upper body and legs. I actually dropped 5 kgs (mostly muscle) and now weigh 92 kgs. I haven't measured my legs as yet but I'm sure I have lost a lot of size from my quad and hamstring from both legs.

The only good thing was that we did a lot of walking whilst in Europe (on same days 10-12 kms) so at least I have been active in this sense. I also did go for a bike ride or two but clearly not enough to prevent muscle loss. I am not too concerned though as I'm planning to start back in the gym this week and re-commence with my running program. Hopefully in a few weeks time I'll be back to where I was. I am also planning to attend my 2nd pre-season cricket fitness session this Saturday so it will be interesting to see how it compares with the first session 6 weeks ago!

Nearly 9 months post op (1 week away)

It is now nearly 9 months post my original op (had a 2nd op 10 days after the original for those who haven't followed my blog up to now) and overall I'm very happy with how I'm going. For the first time (last Thursday) I was very tempted to take part in a kick around at training but I came to my senses and decided not to! Not until I get clearance from my surgeon that is. It doesn't make much sense to be risking anything at this stage as I am going overseas for a holiday next week! Apart from that I'm continuing with my usual routine of gym 4-5 times a week along with running, riding the excercise bike and doing the cross trainer from time to time.

I had another breakthrough approximately 1 week ago when I ran a fitness assessment for a few of the players for the cricket club I play for. I was pleasantly surprised that I did quite well in the activities I participated in. I took part in a 1km run and did it in 4 minutes and 28 seconds. Next I did a beep test and managed Level 8/2. Although not at my best I was still happy with the results. I plan to run a few more fitness sessions before the season starts so hopefully my results improve! I won't be updating this log for a while as I will be overseas so until then take care and hope everyone is progressing well with rehab!

First round of golf post op!

Quite a bit has happened in the last few weeks but I haven't had a chance to update my blog due to being extremely busy at work! As you can see from the photo below I played my first round of golf post my op. I played at the Waterford Valley golf course in Knoxfield on the 5th June with a couple of my close friends. The course itself is 6.5km in total so it involved a lot of walking which was great! That along with teeing off and testing my right knee during my iron shots etc gave my knee a really good workout. After the game I felt fine in general although my knee did feel the effects but nothing a little icing didn't fix! I iced my knee for 15 minutes or so and the next day I felt fine. It was a great feeling to finally do something sports related and to pull up well.

Unfortunately last weekend I got sick (again) but I was able to recover fairly quickly. It has meant that I haven't been to the gym this week at all, however I am planning to go tonight after work. Interestingly as a result of not doing much over the last 5 days my right calf in particular stiffened up a bit. I did see my physio yesterday who also noticed that my flex wasn't as good as it has been and he worked on the back of my knee. After massaging the area for a while my flex was back to normal which was a relief. The mix of being sick and not doing much in the last week was probably the main reason. I did manage to go for a good run last night (around 4kms in total) and it was great to do some activity again. It also helped my calf niggle a bit although it still remains a bit tender today.

There is approximately 2 and half weeks before I go away on holiday to Europe for 6 weeks. In this time I hope to get back on track gym wise and running wise and get myself as fit as possible. As for Europe I am sure it will involve a lot of walking and my physio has also encouraged me to do as much as possible and to also do the odd gym session or two. Until my next update take care and hope everyone is doing well!

Nearly 8 months post op (1 week away)

I had my 'final' appointment with my surgeon this morning unless I want to go ahead and play soccer next season in which case he will do an assessment to ensure I am ready. Once again my surgeon was very happy with how I've progressed and says I've come a long way since the early days and the complications I had. He asked what stage of my rehab I was up to and I filled him in saying that I have started weaving between cones when running, hoping between 4 different points of a square whilst supporting my weight on a bench along with all the usual activities - leg weights, bike riding, walking, using the cross trainer and running.

He then said I was ready to start light cricket training (batting in the nets) which is great news! Mind you since I've been cleared to play golf I still haven't done so up to now! I'm looking forward to playing both golf and cricket hopefully and will provide an update once I do so. My surgeon agreed that my plan to first play a season of cricket and then decide whether I want to soccer or not is a good one. So overall a good outcome and I can not wait to get back to playing sport!

Next Phase of Rehab

After recovering from a virus I'm now back on track and enter the next phase of my rehab program. I haven't been able to do as much as I would have liked lately due to the virus I had an work but I'm looking forward to stepping it back up especially after seeing my physio yesterday. The following is a summary of the session with him:

• He stated that my knee is looking very good, the graft is strong and the supporting muscles are coming up well
• He took a measurement around my quad/hamstring. The first measurement was taken 7cm up my quad and the next one was taken 18 cm up my quad. Each time there was only 1cm difference and he was impressed with the progress I've made. The measurements (relaxed) 18 cm up for the good leg was 56cm whilst the operating leg was 55cm
• He got me to hop without support on each leg. He said that I'm still thinking about it when hopping on the operated leg whilst with the other leg it's more natural. He said that there's not as much spring in the operated leg and I'm clunking on it on landing
• He wants me to hop between 4 points of a square diagonally whilst supporting my body weight on a bench or table
• He wants me to commencing weaving between cones (5m apart) when running. In 5-6 weeks time I can reduce the distance between the cones
• He wants me to do more walking, 3 times a week 6-7 kms each time
• He wants me to continue running, bike riding and weights twice a week
• He said I will be able to kneel with comfort after around 12-18 months (after I asked the question)
• He said that returning to cricket in September still on track and should be no issues. I can commence playing golf :)

My next appointment with my physio is on the 16th of June. I went for a run last night at training (approx 4km in total) and did some weaving as well as some hopping between the 4 different points of a square. It's great to be able to do something different and I'm looking forward to hopefully making good progress in my next phase of rehab.

Nearly 7 months post op

It has been a while since my last update mainly due to progress being slow. Unfortunately I picked up a virus last week and as a result have not done much in the last few days apart from rest. I have managed to walk a bit and also do a 25 minute ride on the exercise 3 days ago but apart from that have not done much. Now that I'm feeling better I'm looking forward to getting back in a groove at the gym over the next 3 days.

I also haven't gone for a run in nearly 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to going for approx a 2.5km run either tonight or tomorrow night followed by another run on the weekend. Another thing to look forward to is seeing my physio next Thursday (May 5th) and hopefully he will give me some more plyometric type exercises to work on. Until my next update I hope everyone is doing well!

Day 193 - Good progress

It has been nearly 200 days since my orignal op and time has flown by! The last week has been a good one and I've put in plenty of hard work. I've done the following over the last week:

Monday - 10 minutes on the excercise bike, chest workout followed by abs, also did some side to side hopping 3 sets) & 3 sets of step ups

Tuesday - rest day at the gym, ran 2.5 kms at night

Wednesday - Back workout followed by leg workout (leg press, hamstring curls, 3 sets of side to side hopping & 3 sets of step ups). 20 minutes on the exercise bike at home

Thursday - Shoulders workout & abs. Ran approx 2.5 kms at night

Friday - Biceps, Triceps and legs workout. For legs I did hamstring curls, seated calf raises, 3 sets of side to side hopping & 3 sets of step ups.

Saturday - did 40 minutes on the exercise bike (approx 14 kms)

Sunday - rest day

Hopefully I have another similar week this week!

6 months post op!!

Tomorrow marks a big milestone in my road to recovery - 6 months since my original ACL reconstruction! It's been quite a journey so far and I've still got a long way to go... in all honesty I am only half way there due to the early complications with infection and also due to my body shape / weight i.e. 6 ft 5 and weigh 97 kgs. I say this as my physio says it's hard for taller people who usually weight more to come back as the knee has to cope with and support more which makes sense.

Today I saw my physio for the first time in 5 weeks and he re-iterated that I am on track with my rehab program. He also said that I am around half way there but that I have caught up with most other people who would have had a knee reco around the same time last year which is encouraging to hear. He asked how my running has been going and I said that it has been good as I've been running twice a week (2-2.5 kms at a time) along with doing leg weights twice a week. He introduced me to two new exercises:

1) Hopping from side to side on my operating leg but supporting my weight by holding until something i.e. desk, table or bed. So I finally get to do some plyometrics!! I did this exercise in front of him and he said that it was noticeable that I had much more spring in more good leg which is to be expected at this stage. He wants me to do 4 sets of 30 seconds every day if possible.

2) Steps Ups (on a step or bench) - He noticed that when I did a couple of bridges on each leg that my glutes on my operated leg where lagging behind my good leg. So he wants me to do 3 sets of 15 steps ups. When it gets easy I will progress to holding 5 kgs dumbells in each hand

I will be doing the above 2 exercises for the next 5 weeks along with continuing with running and leg weights. He has also encouraged me to do more bike running and lots more walking. When he sees me next he will assess if I am ready to take the next step which is running between cones (weaving). I'm looking forward to the next few weeks and to progressing further hopefully!

Hamstring soreness!

In the last couple of days the hamstring of my operated leg has been quite sore along with some knee soreness as a result of a 2km run I did on Wednesday night. Whilst I'm really happy to have come so far it just shows how long I have to go! Despite running on soft grass once again and walking laps in between running laps I felt the impact of running the longest distance I have to date. In the last 3 weeks I've been running twice a week and have been building up the distance slowly as advised by my physio.

I've also been doing my usual gym routine - upper body weights, leg weights, cross trainer and excercise bike regularly. On Sunday I went to the pools for the first time in a couple of weeks and it was great to be back in water once again. The low impact activites helped and the knee felt a lot better after it which is a reminder for me that I should be spending more time in the pool! One of the highlights from Wednesday's run was running a lap with the boys at soccer training. They were happy to see me running and gave me lots of encouragement. It gives me a lot to look forward to and to continue to train hard towards.

Tonight I'll be doing another gym workout followed by 10-15 minutes on the cross trainer. I hope to go for another run on the weekend and hopefully pull up better this time around.  I'm seeing my physio next in two weeks time and hope to be running 2.5 kms by then. Hopefully I will be cleared to do some direction change type running shortly along with plyometrics.

First proper run

I went for a proper run on Saturday for the first time and it went really well! My physio has advised me to start slowly and to run one lap followed by walking a lap so I followed his protocol.  I ran a 400 meter lap to start with and straight away I could see how much fitness I have lost as I was breathing quite heavily at the end of it. I then walked a lap, ran another, walked another lap, ran a 3rd lap and walked one more lap completing this all in approximately 20 minutes. So overall I ended up running around 1.2 kms and walking around the same distance also.  My physio wants me increasing the overall distance by 800 meters every 10 days and wants me running approx 2.5-3kms by the time I see him next (in 5 weeks time).

It's also worth mentioning that I ran on soft grass around an oval and that definitely help so my knee didn't complain too much and I didn't have a bad reaction at the end of it. I'm looking forward to running next (most likely tonight) and getting my fitness back up!

Clearance to commence running!!

So it's been a few weeks since my last update mainly as everything has been going to plan. I've continued my rehab program going to the gym Monday-Friday doing upper body workouts, leg weights, cross trainer, exercise bike and shuffling/jogging once a week. On Saturdays I've also been walking around the Botanical Gardens (the tan) and occasionally have gone to the pools although not as much as I would have liked!

I saw my surgeon this morning and I got the news I've been waiting for - I am now officially cleared to run! I'm very excited as I can now increase my rehab intensity although obviously being sensible about it and following what my physio advises. My surgeon was very happy with my knee and said that I have now caught up to all his other patients who were operated on back in October. He said that whilst I could probably return in 2-3 months to full sports he wants to take a cautious approach due to my early complications (staph infection) so therefore said I can return between 9-12 months from my first operation (4-7 months time).

So I'm roughly half way there! I mentioned returning to cricket (pre-season commences in September) was my goal and he said there shouldn't be a problem with that. I'm obviously very excited and will be interested to see what the physio has in store for me when I see him later today.

February 2nd – 4 months post op

Yesterday was the four month anniversary since my original operation although I did have a 2nd op 10 days following the original one due to staph infection. Considering the early days and where I was at I’m very happy and thankful where I am currently at. Since my last update (last Friday) I have continued to do quite a bit – on Saturday I walked 4.3 kms in the morning followed by some rehab work in the pool in the afternoon, Sunday I took a well deserved rest day and for the first two days this week I’ve been doing my usual work in the gym.

Last night I attended soccer training and walked laps of the oval as well as doing some jogging/shuffling every 50 meters for 10-15 meters. I’ve been doing this once a week as well as walking on Saturdays for the last 3 weeks so I am in a good routine right now. Basically my standard week looks like the following:

•  Monday – chest & leg workout at the gym, exercise bike at home for 20 minutes
•  Tuesday – back workout & cross trainer for 10 minutes at the gym, walking/jogging at soccer training for 45 minutes
•  Wednesday – triceps & exercise bike for 20 minutes at the gym
•  Thursday – shoulders & leg workout at the gym, 15-20 minutes on the exercise bike at home
•  Friday – biceps & cross trainer for 10 minutes at the gym, 20 minutes on the exercise bike at home
•  Saturday – walking 4.3 kms (around the tan) in the morning & pool work in the afternoon
•  Sunday – 20-30 minutes on the exercise bike

As mentioned in an earlier post I am seeing my surgeon on the 24th of February where I hope I get given full clearance to commence running again!

January 28th – 17 weeks post op (or 120 days)

It has been 17 weeks since my ACL reconstruction operation. I have had a good week of rehab starting at the pools on both Saturday and Sunday. I made myself a program based on what I’m able to do in the pool currently. The pool I go to is 50 meters in length so my plan was as follows:

•  Walk 10-15 meters
•  Lunges for 10-15 meters
•  Jog for 10-15 meters
•  Swim remaining 10 meters or so

I did approximately 10 full laps (1km) on both Saturday and Sunday as well as doing the exercise bike for 20 minutes at night. This program works well for me and the knee always feels a lot better once I’ve done pool work. Apart from that I also did leg weights on Monday followed by 20 minutes on the exercise bike, I did the shuffle jog / walk for an hour on Tuesday as well as doing the cross trainer for 10 minutes, I did 30 minutes on the exercise bike on Wednesday and yesterday I did another 10 minutes on the cross trainer. Today I am planning to do leg weights once again followed by the cross trainer and exercise bike tonight.

16 weeks (or 113 days) post op!

Another week has passed by and I'm getting closer and closer to my next goal - running! I saw my physio yesterday for the first time in around a month due to the Christmas / New Year break and he was very happy with what he saw. He was pleased to see nearly all of the swelling around the knee gone and then tested my flexion / bend which he said was excellent at this stage (heel around 5 inches or so away from my butt). He then tested the strength of the graft and said that it was fantastic as well.

My legs: Taken a lot of hard work but muscle finally coming back

I updated him on what I had been doing over the last month or so (leg weights, cross trainer, exercise bike, walking & pool) and he said I am on track considering the complications I had early in the recovery. He then said I was ready to start doing a shuffle like jog (not quite a full jog yet) where basically it's like jogging but keeping my legs close to the ground i.e. not elevating them too much so there isn't too much impact on the knee. He then showed me how to do it and then got me to do it. It was a strange sensation but it was nice to almost be jogging again!

The plan is to do this shuffle (best way I can think of to describe it) over the next 4 weeks before I see my surgeon next when he will hopefully give me the all clear to commence proper jogging / running. The program he gave me is to shuffle for 10 meters then walk for 50 meters. I went to soccer training last night and gave it a go and did that for around 2-2.5 kms. The knee reacted well and I reckon if I really pushed it I could probably almost jog now but I'll stick to the plan! I then did a further 20 minutes on the bike at home after icing the knee for 15-20 minutes before that.

He also gave me an idea of what we were targetting in future:

16-20 weeks: shuffling along with leg weights, plenty of bike and pool work
20-24 weeks: return to full jogging / running + usual program
24-28 weeks: Slight change of direction (i.e. running between cones in a fairly straight line)
28-32 weeks: Full change of direction (i.e. running between cones but making a full turn)
32 weeks: Return to partial sport (not sure what this means! Assuming some light training)
48 weeks: Return to full sport

Exciting times ahead and looking forward to making more and more progress hopefully!

106 days or 15 weeks post op

Not a great deal to report on. I had another gym session yesterday and missed training at the gym on Wednesday due to being too busy at work. I did manage to get a 22 minute bike ride in on Wednesday night at home though. Yesterday I had a biceps workout followed by a leg work once again doing hamstring curls, seated calf raises and the leg press machine.  In general the knee is feeling good although the hammy is feeling a little tight on the medial side probably due to all the exercises done lately! I can’t quite believe it’s been 15 weeks since my original op and time really does fly after the initial 6 weeks post op.  I’m looking forward to seeing my PT next week to see what he makes of my progress in the last month or so and what I have to look forward to next.

Day 103 (or 14 weeks 4 days) - Decent progress

Progress has been ok although I was run down and had a cold for a couple of days late last week. I did manage to get in 3 workouts however (Tuesday, Thursday & Friday) and also had a pool session on Saturday where I walked a few laps as well as doing some leg exercises in between. My legs are quite sore today after a good leg session yesterday which included:

·         Hamstring curls - 4 sets of 15 (20 kgs)

·         Seated calf raises machine - 3 sets of 15 (20 kgs)

·         Leg press machine - 3 sets of 12 (individual leg - 80 lbs each leg)

After being quite sore as I mentioned I decided only to do cardio today after my back workout. I did 10 minutes on the stationary bike and a further 10 minutes on the cross trainer which gave my legs a really good pump! I’m planning to have 2 more gym sessions this week along with doing the stationary bike at home for 20 minutes each night if possible.  I’m also planning another pool session on the weekend.

Day 96 - Last 2 weeks

It has been a couple of weeks since my last update and the rehab has been going along nicely with no major hiccups. I have also had 10 days off work which in some ways have made it more difficult to follow my rehab program as I have had to travel into the city to go to the gym whereas with work I am already in the city! Therefore I have been doing some rehab at home as well as the gym. Since my last update I’ve hit some other small milestones:

·         First time watching a movie at the cinemas since my knee reconstruction on December 27. This may seem like a very minor milestone and it probably it but it was good to get through an entire movie for the first time. I did have to stretch my leg out a couple of times but in general it felt fine

·         First time dancing since my knee reconstructions (if you call it dancing haha). We attended a wedding on the 29^th and I was on the dance floor with my wife for around 45 minutes in total. Obviously I wasn’t going nuts on the dance floor but it was good to have a bit of a dance. The knee only swelled up slightly which is a good sign J

·         First time doing 10 minutes on the cross trainer. The first couple of times I was able to 5 minutes but last week I did 10 minutes for the first time

In general I’ve been doing straight leg raises, quad tensing and stretching in the morning. If I can I go to the gym in the afternoon to hit the weights and generally at night I’m on the exercise bike as well as using the sports cord to work on my balancing. Today’s program is a good example of what I have been doing lately:

·         Chest workout – Smith machine incline bench press (4 x 8), flat bench dumbbell press (3 x 7), flat dumbbell flyes (3 x 10) & dips (3 x 8)

·         Quad tensing & ankle pumps – 1 set of each

·         Straight leg raises – 3 sets of 10 (both legs)

·         Side leg raises & raises whilst lying on stomach – 1 set of 10 for each (both legs)

·         Ab workout (crunches) – 3 sets of 20

·         Hamstring curls - 3 sets of 15 (15-20 kgs)

·         Calf raises machine - 3 sets of 15 (20 kgs)

·         Leg press machine - 3 sets of 15 (140 lbs)

I’m seeing my physio next on the 20^th of January so it will be interesting to see what he says on my progress. I’m seeing my surgeon next on the 24^th of February by which time I hope I am given clearance to run. Overall the progress is coming along nicely.