I'm running again properly.

Previous attempts at running have led to aching and throbbing and a general feeling that it simply wasn't good for my knee, and previous attempts at cycling have cause real pain in my weaker thigh muscles, plus a lot of uncomfortable knee clicking.

But this time I've started slowly, with a few attempts at jogging short distances with no adverse reactions--so tonight was the night to get going properly again.

I've started on an easy preliminary 5- or 10k training schedule (2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, repeat 4x on the first night, 5x on the second night, 6x on the third, 7x on the fourth, with a day in between each, upping the running time by one minute each week--oh, hell, you can figure it out yourself; it's not that complicated), so I'm back to square 1. Never mind: for me, running is just a competition with myself, not anyone else, and I'm just glad to be moving again.

The knee doesn't seem to be complaining yet.

Ahh, yes, I should mention that I didn't ski in Villars.

Please be careful when doing the exercise where you pull your toes back and push the back of your knee down toward the floor. If you are overzealous, like I was, you can irritate your Achilles tendon and get tendonitis.

The first I noticed of it was a tingling in the back of my heel, like when you hit your funny bone. Then, after about a week, my skin went numb (while the tendon was still tingling). I went to the doctor and he suggested a steroid shot, but I declined and asked for a recommendation to see my physiotherapist again.

My physio (Julie again) gave me ultrasound and that electricity buzzy thing. I saw her twice. She said it was a mild case of tendonitis, and since I only had discomfort when I did that particular stretch and sometimes when walking barefoot, I have been avoiding the stretch, wearing a slight heel when possible, and generally taking it easy.

It's taken about 6 weeks to go away, 4 after it was diagnosed.

Just be careful, kids. I didn't even notice that I was overdoing it until I had already injured myself.

All clear to ski or snowboard!
And Dr. Lavelle doesn't need to see me again!

He noted that my muscles are coming back very nicely and that the ligament feels rock solid. I asked if I can ski on our company trip to Villars, and he said that there was no reason why not. His advice was as follows:

* Strengthen the muscles as much as I can in the next month before I go, because the muscles around my kneecap still aren't helping it track perfectly (though it's far better now than it was even two months ago).

* Wear my neoprene/velcro brace while skiing, just for extra security (both physical and emotional).

* Take some anti-inflammatories with me, because the knee will probably complain and swell a little bit.

* At the end of the evening, put an ice pack on the knee to reduce any swelling.

Other than that, he said that everything should be fine, and that I should feel free to make an appointment with him if I have any further problems, but that for now we can leave it open-ended.

I can't believe it's only been 8 months since my ACL reconstruction surgery and I'm 90% back to normal. Lots of people seem to have a harder time with the surgery than that. I did put in quite a lot of hard work to get here, though, and even now I am constantly pushing my flexibility further.

Things that still aren't normal: I still have a slight limp when I stand up after sitting down for a long time, I favor my leg when I go to sit on the floor or anything else that requires extreme bending, walking down stairs is still a little bit uneven, and I haven't managed to sit evenly on my heels yet (but I really haven't been trying--I think I could have got that back already if I had been taking my yoga more seriously over the Christmas period).

These things will all go, and even if they don't, I can live with them (but I'm positive they will).

I haven't needed to go back to see the physiotherapist, for reasons outlined below.

I think the main problem was that I wasn't pushing myself enough in terms of exercise. Since early October, I haven't been running or cycling at all. After running a few times, my knee felt so sore and achy that I stopped. Actually, this might sound strange, but cycling seemed to make my knee hurt more than running. Then the weather started getting cold and wet, and I can assure you that feeling the weather in your joints is no old wives' tale.

But my knee is doing vastly better now. Why? Yoga. After my running petered out, I re-started doing yoga twice a week. I can honestly say that doing yoga is probably the best thing someone who has had ACL reconstruction surgery can do for rehabilitation (after the doctor clears it, of course--which for me was 9 weeks after surgery). It has been essential for getting back my full range of motion.

So if you've come here because you've had the surgery and you want to get back to normal: YOGA! YOGA! YOGA! (ask your doctor though :) ) And doing it in a class is better than doing it at home with a videotape, because the teacher can help you get your positions right, and can suggest alternatives if your muscles are too weak or if your knee is too tender for certain positions.

For me, the kneeling is still a killer, but it's getting there. I think some of the problem is that I'm still a little bit skittish about kneeling.

The doctor said everything felt good and solid, and that the graft should be mostly healed by now. He said there's nothing stopping me from skiing (with a neoprene support) next year, and he wants to see me again in February.

He said that the pain, grinding, and popping I am getting are all consistent with kneecap problems, and that they are caused by lack of muscle tone in the leg controlling the kneecap (which I already knew). He said to wait a month, and if it doesn't get better, I should go back to the physiotherapist.

He was pleased that I'm running and cycling again, but said that I should think about going to the gym and using the crosstrainer and pool to build muscle tone without strain on my knees. I think he's right; I'll see what the gym across the road costs. It's a lot different not having a gym in the building like we did in our old flat!

Quick note--my knee was absolutely fine after my run! In fact, if anything it felt better.

My muscles are a different story! :)

I know it's been a while since I posted, but mainly things have been fine! I probably won't update this blog very often now, except to post milestones--like tonight.

What was the milestone tonight? you ask. Well, my friends, tonight I went out for my first run since my accident. It was a very short run--I only managed about a quarter of an hour--but it was a quarter of an hour more than I've done in the 6 months since I tore my ACL.

My knee didn't end up hurting at all, but the rest of me was terribly out of shape. I don't mind, though; I know that it takes time to get your fitness back. I cycled in for about a week, but my knee got very achy, so I stopped for a while. I think I will get back to it soon, though, especially if I find that my knee doesn't ache tomorrow after tonight's run. If nothing else, it's worth cycling in because the showers at work are gorgeous.

Since the weather has changed, my knee has been aching and popping a little bit, and I've been doing the thing where I end up limping after I sit down for a while. I see the doctor a week from today, so I'll make a note here of what he says.

I have to admit that over the past couple of weeks I haven't been doing my exercises properly, mainly because we've got our new kittens now and they're taking up a lot of my time in the mornings with the playing and the cuddling and the breakfasting.

But today I had physio. She made me jog around and jump and run from side to side and all sorts of things to test whether I was favoring my good leg. Apparently I'm not favoring it in any major way, and she discharged me, saying she's happy for me to start running again!

The doctor said three weeks ago that I could start running in a month, so I might wait another week before I start jogging again.

However, today I cycled into work for the first time. It was a nice easy ride, and I think that's probably the best way to get to work--much easier and quicker than taking the bus, and a lot less expensive.

I think I'll continue the cycling for the next week, then start jogging in the evenings. I am so happy that I can start moving again! I look forward to the next 10k.

I did have a little bit of soreness after cycling today, but I've learned what kind of soreness is ok, and this is definitely just a sort of complaining because I haven't moved my knee that decisively in a while.

Yoga has been brilliant over the past few days. On Thursday and Friday I just did some basic stretching poses, but today I did all sorts of positions. I can especially feel my hamstrings stretching and loving it after so much disuse.

I think yoga will really help me get my flexion and extension back. My physiotherapy exercises are fine, but I don't know why they don't encourage more yoga-type exercises.

Yesterday the doctor said everything was going well with my leg, and that the graft feels very solid. The only concern he had was that my extension isn't where he would like it to be, so he wants me to work hard on that over the next few weeks.

He answered my questions as follows:

1. How will I know if I re-injure the graft?

It takes between 2 and 3 months for a graft to become mature and "stick" at both ends. Before that time, it's easy to tear or stretch a graft without knowing that you have done so.

By now, my graft is a bona fide part of me, so any re-injury at this point would result in the same sorts of reactions as before: pain, swelling, bleeding. He said that I would definitely know if I reinjured it.

2. When can I run? Do yoga? Should I be wearing a brace for any physical activities?

I can start running again in one month, which is earlier than I expected to hear. I can do yoga now (and in fact I already have done 10 minutes of basic positions this morning!). I think the yoga will help with my extension.

I don't need to wear a brace at all, but he did suggest getting a neoprene support to wear for confidence's sake when skiing or running.

3. Did Diclofenac cause my terrible swelling?

He suggested that Dicolfenac could have been the cause, and that different people do have strange, weird, and wonderful reactions to drugs sometimes. He said there are lots of different anti-inflammatories that can be used, so to mention that Diclofenac doesn't work for me if I need an anti-inflammatory in future.

4. What kind of screw do I have? Will it need to be removed?

I have a regular (non-absorbable) screw, but it should not need to be removed unless it works loose. The screw gets loose in about 2 or 3 percent of people, and if that happens, they simply go in and remove it. It does not affect the graft. I would know if my screw became loose either by having pain and soreness or by actually being able to feel it through the skin!

5. Can I stand up on public transportation now?

Yes. There is a small amount of risk involved if I get jostled around a lot, but it's not enough of a risk to cause much worry.

6. When will I see him again?

3 months! My next check-up appointment is October 8th at 6 p.m.