A Day in the Life

I think that I've settled into a bit of routine during this phase of the recovery period.

10 pm - 12 am : Attempt to sleep
12 am - 5 am : Sleep
5 am - 7 am : Wake up, do physical therapy exercises/stretches
7 am - 8 am : Get ready for PT, Breakfast period
8 am - 11 am : Physical Therapy
11 am - 1 pm : CPM for 2 hours
1 pm - 4 pm : Rest from CPM, Lunch period
4 pm - 6 pm : CPM for 2 hours
6 pm - 7 pm : Dinner period
8 pm - 10 pm : CPM for 2 hours

Also, since I have the CPM dialed up to a (mildly) uncomfortable 100, my PT session today involved an attempt to try to pedal on a stationary bike. I'm not quite at the level where I can bring the pedal all the way around.

Continuous Passive Motion

I have been quite fascinated with the continuous passive motion machine that is part of my immediate post-surgery therapy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_passive_motion

Basically, it's a fun little device that saves me the trouble of having to flex and extend my own knee. In theory, scar tissue won't form and circulation should increase into the affected area allowing more toxins to leave and more nutrients to enter.

I have been prescribed to gradually build up to a 90+ degree bend in two to three weeks from the date of my surgery.

Here's how I've been doing so far:
(Mon) December 15 - 50 degrees [date of surgery]
(Tue) December 16 - 55 degrees
(Wed) December 17 - 60 degrees
(Thu) December 18 - 65 degrees
(Fri) December 19 - 75 degrees
(Sat) December 20 - 80 degrees
(Sun) December 21 - 80/85 degrees
(Mon) December 22 - 85 degrees
(Tue) December 23 - 90 degrees

I'll see how close I can get to comfortably get close to 125, which is the maximum setting on the machine. I get my sutures off on Monday, so I'll also find out if I'll need to keep the CPM much longer. (It costs $35/day to rent!)

In Six Months

On Thanksgiving weekend, I had the opportunity to play in two different football games. On Thanksgiving morning, a large number of guys (some who knew, and some who I didn't) were going to gather in a "friendly" game of flag football. On that Saturday, I also had the opportunity to play with some friends (guys and girls) for our annual non-competitive game of flag football.

Guess which game resulted in me tearing my right ACL?

I played in the Saturday game, and within the first half an hour to forty five minutes, the damage was done. Our team went down quickly by two touchdowns and being the competitive sort, my frustration was increasing. So while cutting back to catch up to flag tackle the ball handler, I pushed off on my right leg. That's when I felt the stiff ground push back against my leg, and I felt/heard a soft popping noise. All the strength left my right knee, so I ended up forcing myself to fall down.

To make a long story short, my acl was completely torn. In six months (filled with hard work), I'll be able to play cutting sports like basketball again.