In 2011, I tore my ACL. This is a very common injury, one of the most common surgeries. However, it changed what I was planning on doing with my life. Since talking to others who have torn their ACLs, I have noticed a lot of similarities.
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1. You get good at wrapping your knee.
You have to wrap it after you tear it, until the appointment where you figure out it's torn, and then until the surgery. With all of that wrapping, you have to get good at it.
2. Knee braces suck.
If you're short like me, your knee stabilizer brace took up almost your entire leg. They get itchy, and gross after a while, especially with the ace bandage underneath the brace.
3. You have a love/hate relationship with your physical therapist.
You know they just want to help you, they want you to recover quickly. However, you also know that physical therapy is sometimes painful. You can confide in your therapist, so you become close to them. They also know the most about your situation since they see you three days a week.
4. You have a "smaller" leg.
No matter how much you train, you will always feel like one leg is weaker than the other. You will feel like your affected leg is smaller than the other.
5. You can tell when the weather changes like an old man.
Oh it's going to rain? PAIN. It's going to snow? PAIN. You can tell when the weather changes just by the pain in your knee. Friends sometimes ask you if it's really going to rain or not.
6. Crutches are of the Devil.
You try to avoid the pain under your arms by taping cloths around your crutches. It only helps a little. When it rains/snows, your crutches slip easily. They're just not fun when you have to be on them.
7. The scar.
People notice the scar whenever you wear shorts and ask what happened. They want to know how you tore your ACL, and act like you're still affected.
8. Reality sets in.
This is when you could get depressed. Only 65% of people go back to the sport they participated in before the tear. When you're going into surgery you think you can beat those odds and you will be fine. However, when you are sitting in bed because you're injured, the negative thoughts do creep in. So you may never go pro.
9. Pain Killers, 'nuff said.
Post surgery, you will get prescribed pain killers. These are awesome. They do help with the pain. My surgery was in the winter, so my pain was from the weather and the surgery combined. Pain killers made the difference.
10. Strength exercises, so you don't experience another tear.
You want to be sure your knees are stable/strong so you don't experience another injury. You are also extra cautious.
