Continuing on the theme of compiling and writing out my emailed ACL recovery updates…
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ACL Update – Week 13
Sent, 30-May-2017
I can jog!
Last week, I got cleared to not only jog, but start doing short jumps (forward, backward, and side to side. No bouldering or jumping off buildings just yet). So, on Saturday, Sarah and I went out into town and bought me my first ever pair of running shoes. Then, on Sunday and Monday, we did jogging adventures!
Recovery is going really well, now. My knee still hurts, and I definitely jog with a noticeable limp, but it’s getting better very quickly. My legs are, unsurprisingly, almost constantly sore / tired… but that’s good. The knee hasn’t slipped or been painful throughout the process, which is really what matters in the end.
Tomorrow I’ve got an appointment with Dr. Burgoyne here in Hood River… it’ll probably be more of the same, but we’ll see what he tells me. I’m hoping it’ll be positive, and more of a “patching up loose ends” situation.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone!
– Ben
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ACL Update – Week 15
Sent, 11-June-2017
Hi all! I am tired! Sarah is tired, and Ollie is (somehow) tired as well. Why, you may ask?
Well, because Physical Therapy has kicked up another two notches. The important two, even: rock climbing and hiking!
Yesterday was momentus, my first adventure to the climbing gym post-injury! Sarah and I went late morning, while the gym was as empty as it could be. The goal was to stretch out, remember what climbing is like, and make sure that I felt confident enough to keep trying it. No pushing myself, just enough to warm up the climbing muscles.
And they got warmed up! I only climbed routes rated 5.6, the lowest that the gym has. And I had some trouble with them… but nothing that wasn’t expected. Just remembering the movements, and reminding myself (or, more often, Sarah reminding me) to use both legs to climb, and to not favor my left leg. After a few routes I was feeling good… but definitely tired. My legs just aren’t really used to that much stepping up. They’ll have to remember, though, because I’m not planning on slowing down much 🙂
Today was another major milestone; doing a hike called Dog Mountain. It’s about 8 miles round trip… pretty good, on its own. But that’s not including the elevation gain – nearly 3,000 ft over the entire hike. But the reward up top (at this time of the year) is worth it: massive fields of wildflowers, as far as the eye can see.
The hike up was good; It was tiring, but not actually that bad, truth be told. The challenge came up on the descent… we made it, but my knee was definitely tired. Not much joint pain, though, which makes me pretty happy and confident. It was mostly muscle pain, which just means that I need to hike more! Woo hiking more!
So, long story short – recovery is going well. Really well. It’s a lot of work, and a lot of time spent jogging and jumping rope (ew, I hate jumprope) and doing silly crab walks with a resistant band up and down the deck. But, it’s paying off.
Now, We’re off to bed. Tomorrow is my rest day… two days on, one day off. And I’m looking forward to doing nearly nothing, playing video games, and sitting at my computer at work.