ACL Recon: 1 Month Update

Wow! It's hard to think that it's already been a month since I have had surgery. There have been numerous athletes that have torn their own ACL's in this past month; namely, Nerlens Noel, Rajon Rondo, and Leandro Barbosa.With this recent outbreak in mind, I think that writing down my personal struggles and triumphs in my journey is as important as ever. So, how have I been doing? The simple and precise answer to that is one word: fantastic. The more fleshed out answer, however, will require a deeper analysis. Here are some facts about where I am now:

• I have not taken Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, or any other prescription or non-prescription drug since day 14
• I have no swelling in my knee
• I have no pain in my  knee
• I am walking with a normal gait (no brace) and have 137 degrees of active flexion and -3 degrees of passive extension
• I am squatting with a weighted barbell
• I have been given the okay to start doing basic drills in the pool (walking and leg raises)
• I am riding the bike for an average of 45 minutes a day
• I am walking up and down stairs comfortably

I feel extremely confident about how my rehab has been going. I know most people are thinking that I'm moving too quickly to weighted exercises, but I have a clear reason for everything that I have been doing. My final thought: if you have torn your ACL(or injured anything else) I urge you to educate yourself on EVERYTHING that you could be doing to get better; don't just trust whatever your surgeon or PT is saying because, at the end of the day, it's your body and your going to have to live with it. Do everything in your power to return to strength and become legendary. 

Thanks for reading. JG