Of Injuries, Nagging
So about nine months ago I had knee surgery. I had torn my ACL which is the ligament which basically keeps your femur connected to your shin bone, so tearing it is a pretty big deal, functionally speaking. Luckily, we live in the day and age when these things can be repaired by minimally invasive surgery. Incredible.
But knee surgery is a pretty tricky thing in the best of times. It's a complicated joint and there's lots of things moving around in there, and my recovery hasn't been 100% - and I hit the physical rehab thing pretty damn hard - at least until the insurance ran out. I still haven't been able to get the extension of the leg to 100%, so I still have a bit of trouble walking correctly, and it still feels like the knee catches sometimes. It has gotten better, but still doesn't feel right. And the cold NYC winter weather doesn't help.
It's incredibly frustrating to be honest. I am really aching to get back and being physically active and I'm not sure I can - especially return to the martial arts stuff I love. It puts me into an incredible funk.
Truth be told prior to the injury I had been away from capoeira for about three years, and was all ready to dive back into it. I mean I had been practicing it for twelve years, took some time off. Which turned into more time off. Well, you know how that works. But I really was ready to get back to it, but took a quick detour by taking a seminar in some real hardcore kill-the-guy-with-the-ball kind of self defense combatives (with these guys) and *pop* there went my ACL about three hours into a five hour seminar. In retrospect it was pretty stupid of me. I was nowhere close to being in shape for the intensity of a seminar of that type. It was full contact, and I was one of the smaller guys taking it. But I had wanted to train with those guys for a long time and they teach out of Montreal, so I had to take advantage that they were doing the seminar in NY. But my body just wasn't prepared for it and the knee gave out.
So now, I'm sitting here hoping that I can return to doing capoeira this year. At this point I'm waiting to get the sports brace to wear. I still don't trust the knee though. It'll still take a few months doing more rehab at home to get it up to near full-speed. I'm not trying to rush it. Even pro football players with this injury usually take 10 to 12 months before returning to playing full time, and I'm only 9 months post surgery.
I do take heart that I know people personally who have had this exact injury and returned to playing capoeira. Of course they were younger than me, which I always said doesn't count, but you know what, after 40 it kinda does. But just last week I was reading about the UFC fighter Frank Mir. I didn't know he had a bad motorcycle accident a few years back where he tore ALL the ligaments in his knee and now he's back at the top of his game. Gives me hope.
Comments
Oh man... I'm really sorry to hear about that. Soon enough you'll recover, at least enough to get back on track for capoeira. Important thing is to be motivated, which is clearly the case based on your entry.
Anyway, I laughed at your comment. But seriously, customer service in Egypt is terrible! If you don't approach them with a tough attitude, they can seriously take advantage of your perceived weakness.
I also FINALLY got my custom arm socket for my Ibanez S320. I recorded a few videos and am currently uploading them to YouTube. I'll embed them in my blog and post a twitter update when they're available.
Sorry to hear about the ACL... just had yes another blown shoulder (and surgery) last year and have had to retire from BJJ and training.. after two wrecked shoulders and reconstructions.. this cold is killing me! Hope all is well in your recovery and you are back in the gym quickly!
Write a comment
* = required field