Injury Recovery Process
This knee injury has been really frustrating.
I’m lucky it wasn’t worse, it didn’t require surgery, and I should be back to my old self somewhere in the neighborhood of three months.
That said, the progression from injury and laid up on crutches to being able to do some (but not all) of my workouts, has been frustrating and mentally challenging. I want to make some notes about the recovery process here - maybe someone else is going through something similar..?
Here are the details of what I’ve gone through. I’m writing this in the middle of my 7th week. (I will update with future weeks’ progress later, as it happens..)
Injury: Dislocated Kneecap, Grade 2 sprain of MCL, Grade 2 tear of MPFL.
Injury Date: 06/13/24
Recovery Process:
Week 1 (Day 0 - 7)
Days 0-3 - Huge swelling, lots of pain. Could hobble gingerly - too much weight caused pain. I was afraid of something serious and didn’t want to do further damage, so I bought crutches and a knee brace.
Days 4-7 - Saw an orthopedic surgeon on Day 4. He diagnosed what had happened, ordered an MRI, and advised crutches were optional - use as needed, but be careful not to step sideways or rotate on my knee. Forwards and backwards only.
Week 2 (Day 8 - 14)
Had MRI done.
Knee remained swollen and tender. Not much change as far as usability. Trying to walk on it more.
Week 3 (Day 15 - 21)
Reviewed MRI with orthopedic surgeon. Good news that no surgery is required. Advised to start Physical Therapy - work hard and be patient.
Started PT. Range of motion exercises. Advised ok to walk as much as I wanted, stairs are ok as tolerated (don’t seek them out, but ok to walk them), biking is ok (prob use the easy gears) as tolerated.
Range of motion and strength are diminished, and my knee reminds me often that I am trying to bend too far or push too hard.
Week 4
PT added strength exercises: leg extensions, leg curls, leg press machine, step-ups/downs.
Knee is clearly healing, although still very far from being ok. Still sensitive to touch/pressure and many movements.
Started doing assisted full squats - holding onto a table/couch/bench for support and slowly going as low as possible before my knee says no. I’m between halfway to 3/4 depth but it requires a lot of support.
Bored from not working out, I tried to make my own heavy club. It came out great, but not quite heavy enough.
Week 5
This was a big week for PT, adding weighted deck squats (15 lbs), single leg press, weighted step-ups/downs, and side step-ups/downs.
Knee is changing but not changing. It is clearly healing, but not enough to do anything differently. Can’t kneel on it, can’t do a full squat, can’t stretch it fully (like for 90-90s and shin boxes). At this point it’s been a long time since I’ve worked out.
I have been using Indian Clubs (1 lb) for the last couple weeks, as well as 7 lb clubs and 7 lb mace - just getting some motion work in. Not enough weight or rotation to fatigue, but it feels nice to pick something up and swing it.
Week 6
PT added jumping (2-feet) and reverse lunges. He also watched me do 2H KB Swings with a 30lb bell, and advised these would probably be ok to do at home. (That was a big green light!)
Started doing 2H KB Swings, trying to get back into the routine from where I left off. My knee feels something at the lowest part of the hinge. I’m not sure if this is physical or mental, but it doesn’t hurt so I continue, carefully.
I also tried doing my single arm club workout, but the pendulum motion and the full rotation made me very nervous. I ended up doing a bit, but not a full workout. I also did lots of Mace 360s with light weight. No pivoting, squatting, or lunging.
Have continued with assisted full depth squats, and I continue to get further into the squat and require less assistance, but I am still not able to complete the squat.
Week 7
Another big week. PT added hopping on one leg and stepping to the side for a weighted side lunge. First sideways action since the injury.
PT also added weight to the other squats and had me do a couple hundred different squats, presses, and lunges. My legs were too sore to workout for 2 days after PT.
I jogged for the first time this week - about 20 steps down the driveway.
I was able to do a full Club routine, including pendulums and full-rotation mills. Very challenging, and not quite to the level I left off at, but I now have 2 solid workout options.
Attempted to do a full Mace kata, but the sideways lunge still gives me pause. Instead I have upped the weight and volume for Mace 360s.
PT thinks range of motion and squat ability is excellent, even though I still can’t do a full-depth squat. The problem is that most people can’t do that squat anyway, even without an injury, so it’s not something PT is usually concerned with. But it’s driving me crazy.
(updated 08/08) Week 8
Today is 8 weeks post injury, the end of the 8th week.
PT yesterday says injury is healed and I am unlikely to do any harm unless I do something stupid.
Jumping side to side, hopping on one leg, side lunges - all ok and recommended.
I can do 95% full deep squat but can’t fully lock-in my left leg. PT says this will continue to improve - lean into the pain without causing “real” pain and let my knee get used to stretching as needed again.
Running, Tennis, Hiking - Ok to do ALL activities, HOWEVER:
Tennis (for example) - only do 15 minutes the first time back, and only try to hit lightly with limited movement. Then see how my knee feels over the next couple of days. Look for soreness (can be ok, just means it’s not back into game-shape yet) or swelling (not as good.) Then increase intensity and duration VERY SLOWLY over time.
I will likely continue to practice these movements and stretches for another week or two before getting back out onto the court.
Updated 08/24 (10 weeks post injury)
Progress continues, but imperceptibly slowly.
I am now doing full workouts - Mace, Clubs, KBs. I can even do a deep squat as part of my mace kata, although I still push back up more with my right leg than my left.
100% full deep squats with both legs still eludes me; I’m probably 95% with left leg.
I am doing full stretch routines, but sometimes I get a signal from my knee to back off, or it might be sensitive the next day.
I played mini-tennis a few days ago for 20 minutes, at light-moderate intensity. Moving in all directions and planting for rotation is SCARY. I am nowhere near ready for full-speed action.
This week I also want to try my electric skateboard (a bday gift that I’ve never ridden.) I might try regular skateboards first.
Overall - I am probably more active and flexible than most guys my age, which is why PT thinks I am fully recovered. But I also know that I am not yet back to where I was in early June. Let’s see how the next couple-few weeks go and I’ll keep checking in.
Updated 09/04/24
No news but more of the same.
I’ve now played small-hit warm-up tennis for 20 mins without any running (2 weeks ago) and then last week I hit on the wall for 25 mins - with some light running but no hard-planting w full rotation. I did hit full swings tho.
I’ve been doing full workouts for awhile now, and have hit new highs in all disciplines.
I was planning to start TGU next, but I still feel tenderness when kneeling on left knee, so I switched into Press instead. I’ll circle back to TGU in a few months when it’s rotation is ready.
Full squats with full weight, pressure, flex is still in the 95-99% range.
I am doing full floor work, but some of the shin-boxing and 90-90s give me alarm bell signals.
I rode the e-skateboard last weekend. LOVE it. Carving was great, and I was fortunate enough to not crash.
I don’t know when the full green light will come on, to do all sports at full speed. I am coming up on 3 months next week, and I’m supposed to be fully healed by now (which I kind of am) and ready for full contact sports in the 3-6 month range, with 6 being a really long recovery. The numbers show I am still on track..
Back to original post…
Overall, from the big picture - now that I can perform some of my workouts and I can see the progress I’ve made, it’s easy to believe the progress will continue and I’ll be back to full speed before too long (hopefully.)
But in the nitty gritty of it all, when any sudden movement causes shooting pain and you can’t do anything at “regular speed”, it can get very discouraging.
For anyone else going through a recovery - work hard and be patient. Keep your head up. Let time be your ally.
Go get better.
- Chris Butterworth