- 9.5 months after ACL surgery, holy moley!by Curmudgeon In Chief
The return to sport after an ACL and meniscus repair has been a long one. I’m no professional sportsman – I’m a desk-based technology project manager by trade so the resources available for recovery are fairly limited to what once-monthly physiotherapy sessions will provide. This article delves into the details of what my situation has been, almost 10 months post operation.
First few sessions
After about 7ish months post-op I started attending club sessions and focused on the warm-up and technical instruction. When randori rounds began I found some willing team mates and focussed primarily on grip-fighting.
I was nervously observing the level of battering my knee was sustaining just by executing the fundamental movements in a typical class. As a lefty, and the injury being on my left knee, the battering itself was fairly minimal. A left-sided Judo player tends to develop a bigger left bicep (given your left hand is your power hand) and a larger right quadricep (since you’re constantly moving and pushing off your back leg). That said, in RvR (kenka yotsu) scenarios leg entanglements have often come about in the past due to ashiwaza attacks. This was playing in the back of my mind all the same.
Physiotherapy path
The physiotherapy I undertook was structured, simple and clear. The path was:
- Initially aiming to strengthen the affected leg
- Then build on this programme with more weighted exercises
- Then add some light plyometrics
- Then more extensive plyometrics
- Then running
- Then sports-related solo drills.
It all progressed fairly well, there wasn’t much pain. The only major setback I faced was after step 5 – when I attempted my first run. I decided to run in Barefoot shoes thinking all was wonderful and dandy. The very next day my knee swelled and I was limping for days afterward! A panic ensued, I’ll be honest. It turned out to be a minor hiccup as I returned to running after a couple of weeks but this time with properly cushioned running shoes. Progression resumed from that point on.
In all, I can’t fault the physiotherapy. It got me to where I wanted to be which is Judo-Ready. By the end I felt that there was a little much of a prolonged closure to the physiotherapy so I ended it prematurely, because I no longer saw the value of it. The physiotherapist did agree.
First randori
My first Randori night was deliberately limited to just two rounds with team mates I trust.
My knee didn’t feel tired and I was able to move freely although nervously. There was some noticeable inflammation but not enough to hobble me afterwards.
I can do a deep squat without a problem, but loading the affected knee in that deep squat creates tangible pressure on the knee. It’s clearly not fully healed.
As a lefty going against righties, I’m regularly getting my left leg entangled and I am very mindful of that.
Before my ACL rupture I found myself getting people in specific setups and not knowing where to go from there. It’s refreshing to see it’s still happening as it gives me something to work from.
Attempting BJJ
Perhaps I was pushing my luck, but I also attended a BJJ session with a local club I’m friendly with. What struck me was the fact that I spent most of the session time on my knees. I had forgotten how ground focussed that sport is and how much time is spent on the knees!
Unfortunately, as fate would have it, the class was spent practicing leg entanglements. The movements felt off because I was being too protective of my knee. I noticed at one point it was getting bent in the wrong direction so I took a back seat for the rest of the session.
Generally..
So far, so good. It’s taking a while to get back to things. It’s also very clear to me that I need to develop a little more confidence with my left leg in general. I’ll certainly feel a lot more at ease when my left knee is no longer numb (I’ve been told this can take up to two years post op).
Previous ramblings..