13 days post ACL surgery protocol

13 days post ACL surgery

Logged 3-3-16

Rehab protocol:

Stationary bicycle for 8 minutes to warm up. No resistance.

Stretched. On my back, PT stretches to improve extension. On my belly, PT stretches for flexion. 

Single leg extension with 21 lb weight 20 reps per leg

Pistol squat 20 each leg on incline but was too sore to achieve 90 degree squat

Hamstring curls 30 increased weight 50lbs

Leg press 30 increased weight, extended with both legs and released using the left leg. 

Monster walks 2 laps

Side step with band 2 laps, band at ankle

Balance on one leg standing on the squishy disk

Giving Up

I am only an amateur fighter and I already have had 2 ACL reconstructive surgeries as a result of direct blows in training. I don't know of any amateur fighter who has had 2 major knee surgeries and also competes at a high level. Im not talking about the person whose dealing with injuries and just trains. Im talking about a competitive athlete with major injuries. 
At the pro level, I can name several muay thai and even mma fighters that have had at least one ACL surgery. Dom Cruz is the only pro fighter I have heard of that has also blew out both his knees AND had extraordinary comebacks. However, he hasn't fought a lot over the years. Not as much as I did after the first surgery. 
As an amateur this is all very discouraging because I do want to go pro one day. Although I had great results fighting last year, I feel some kind of hole in my heart to think that was all I got. Was last year the highlight of my fighting career? Does it all end there? Fuck no. I don't want it to end there. Maybe my ego is too big, but I feel like I have something more than that.
3 weeks post op I felt like the only way to adjust to the situation was to choose to give up. It tore me up inside trying to accept that giving up was an option. But thinking about it just made me furious. I get anxiety if I think about never returning to training and even more when I consider never fighting again. I thought about coaching more. But seeing people train pisses me off right now. I am not a coach. I suck at coaching. I can train people but coaching is something I don't do well.
I am told that I need to adjust and adapt. I am also told to feel blessed with all the things I have and to also feel good about my rapid progress with my knee. Every day I look at the calendar and count how many days Im away from being able to pivot. Its like being in jail. I know some people can just deal with situations like this, but I can not. I hate every moment of this recovery. I am not positive one bit about it. I try to occupy myself with things to do. Yet, nothing satisfies me. I pray that God brings me some peace every day. But, theres this burn inside my chest and I can't breathe. Its rage. I refuse to accept my situation. The moment I accept it and adjust is like giving up. I can't  just forget about training and fighting. I can not just push away my desire to fight. I refuse to get comfortable with my situation. I do not like it and don't want it. I hate every moment of this with a passion. 

Day 12 post ACL surgery

Yesterday was a suckfest. Did PT then worked.

Protocol for Day 11 PT session:

Massaged and stretched the shit out of my leg. Flexion is good but I can't achieve anything beyond 110 degrees without the PT cranking down on my leg.
-Standing knee extensions using 17 lb weight 3 sets of 10
-Balancing on my leg, catching and throwing a light soccer ball ~30 catches
-Monster walks with resistance band, 2 laps
-Side step with resistance band, 2 laps
-Leg press 4 sets of 10
-Hamstring curls 3 sets of 10
-Incline pistol squats at 90 degrees flexion 30 reps
-Iced for 10 minutes at the end

Milestones/comments:
I can go down the stairs but not comfortably. I think its a range of motion issue and not a strength issue. Going up is a little bit of a challenge but I can do it slowly.
The hamstring curl was a bitch when I rehabbed my right knee, but they seem easier with the left knee.
Muscle tone is reduced already compared to the right knee. That bummed me out yesterday. All that work for it to disappear in 11 days.
Bicycle is easier and doesn't hurt much anymore.

Knee is sore today. I will work in the lab as long as I can and then go home to rest before attempting PT on my own at the gym. I only did one PCR yesterday. It was a full 96 well plate though and it took me extra long to prepare it because I would sit and get up to do stupid things I forgot to do. PT days will be the hardest to work on my feet. It should get easier.

I am really moody like 24/7 pms.

10 days post ACL reconstruction

Day 10


Stitches are out! Saw my doctor and he was impressed with my ability to hit a 110 degree heal slide. He said my quads look good. Prior to the visit I have been riding the stationary bicycle to help with my mobility at a resistance of 7. I think a reason why I can bend my knee well is because I have been putting the seat as forward as possible and pedaling to get that flexion I need. My doctor told me not to use any resistance, but I will ask the PT what to do and if it is ok to use a little resistance.
"Be patient" is all that my doctor really said. I asked how long before I can be certain that the graft isn't going to mess up. He said 7 months. That sucks. Looking at my journal from the first ACL rehab experience, I was able to lightly pivot and hit pads 14 weeks out. I am going to wait as patiently as possible and start at the 14 week mark. Thats on June 3rd. It seems so far but I can focus on other things in the mean time. Like, standing and very slowly focus on my footwork (fwd/back/lateral) and very slowly shadowbox the way Miriam always told me to do even before the injury. As for hand speed. I am just going to have to sit and do that to ensure I don't pivot.
I will strengthen every part of my body and focus on my diet so that way when I am cleared I will be ready to jump into sparring and eventually fighting. I am going to devise some kind of conditioning/training and meal plan to help keep me focused. 


Milestones: 

No crutches and no brace. I am supposed to wear the immobilizer but I dont. I will ask my PT what he thinks tomorrow.
110 degree flexion 
Planks no longer hurt
Balancing on one leg is fine

Goals: Walk normally because my right knee is hurting just as much as the left. 

Day 7 
Drove myself to PT this day and flexion is 90 degrees.
Rode the stationary bike very slowly for 7 minutes.
Stretched out.
Knee extension using 17 lb weight
Balancing on leg, arm pulls and then later ball tosses
Monster walks with resistance band
Lateral side step with resistance band

Day 5 

Walking without the brace feels weird but when I did it at pt in the am I felt confident and I did it. Walked down and up the grey strip. I need to bend my knee more when I walk. 

Active flexion is 78 and passive flexion is about the same. Extension is still good.

Leg raises: i need to work on flexing the quads and raising the leg with the leg at -10 deg.

Flexion: on my belly, do a hammy curl and use my right leg to hook and pull it toward my butt. 

Planks: plank with one leg raised. Try planking with the left leg supporting and raise right leg. 

Step ups with no weight are a go 

Knee band exercises are a go

Day 4 

90 degrees flexion 

Full extension 

Leg raises and leg extensions on point 

Walking without crutches but with the brace

Day 3 
post op visit

45 deg flexion 

Full extension 

Day 1 
I didn't take any Percocet but did take two doses of the naproxen. Still can lift leg but it does feel heavy. 

Day 0

Took two percocets one at 3 and one at 9pm

Able to raise leg but at 9.30 pm it's starting to feel heavy

Pre-ACL Surgery Checklist

Its Wednesday and surgery is Friday am. Bathroom is clean and bedroom is neat enough for sanity.  Heres things to do asap if you are a procrastinator like me....do it tonight or tomorrow!

Can't take a shower for the first 3 days...

-dry shampoo 

-wash cloths 

For when I can shower, but still can not wet my stitches:

-saran wrap

-tape

Clothes

-shirts

-hoodies

-loose pants that can fit over the big ass immobilizer

-shorts

-loose fitting clothes that are comfortable 

-put clothes somewhere easy to get to (need to do!)

Food (need to prep!)

-no junk food. Healthy foods only! Don't eat like shit. Eating clean promotes healing...so eat good and feel good.

-for me: chicken, kale, sweet potato, oat bran, fruits (banana, berries), almond milk and protein shake

-crackers and ginger ale for upset stomach just in case

-3 or 4 gallons of water to cover the next few days

Prescription is set up already, so no bs at CVS Friday

The night before:

-charge ipad, laptop, bring papers to read, lab notebook

-buy a bag of ice to put in the freezer

-meal prep

-wash anything last minute

-pack clothes bag 

-eat something thats not greasy and gross before midnight. No food or drink after midnight!

Day of:

-clothes bag

-pillow in the car

-paperwork and id
-crutches and cryo machine are at the hospital waiting for me

The rest I am doing on the fly. But, I think all bases are covered.

WKA World Championships Spain 2015: After the fights

Its Wednesday, November 11th and I am sitting here in lab at work. I should definitely be working and catching up on experiments. I have lab meeting on Monday and a lecture to prepare for the 24th. I just can't stop thinking about what happened at Worlds. Its only been 3 days since Finals. Just 3 days since I earned my gold medals. The funny thing about life is that things just keep going.
Monday, November 9th, was spent traveling home. We got back at midnight. Tuesday rolls around, and its 7am and I decide that its time for work. I woke up sore. My head was kinda pounding and my biceps were sore AF that I could barely extend them. I stopped by the grocery store to pick up food for the week. Went back home to drop the groceries off and jetted to work. At work, people are excited to see me healthy. I came home nearly unscathed.

Today, I am not sure if I have a concussion from all the fights. I picked up fish oil which I believe soothes any inflammation in my brain...fact or placebo...I think it heals me up. My brain is functional today. Yesterday not so much. No eye strain today which is good. I think I just needed some rest.

Later tonight, I am visiting the gym. I was supposed to visit last night but I was exhausted from the jet lag. The 6 hours back into time really gets me around 5pm. I am excited to hang up the 2 gold medals and the silver medal at the gym. I feel like thats where they belong. All the work was done there and so thats where they should be.

I feel like I have accomplished something and nothing at the same time. Yes, I am a nut. Accomplished, because I got the results I wanted and hoped for. Unaccomplished, because I feel like there is some strange part of me that still feels nothingness and insecure. I do feel relieved that I did it and I got the job done. My biggest fear was coming home a loser and disappointing my coach...my team....and letting myself down after all the training and pressure I put on myself. I wanted to prove it to myself that I could sign up for all the divisions and try to clean them all out. I needed the affirmation that I was good enough at fighting. I suppose I didn't think about how I would feel after I had won it. The only thing I could visualize was up until my hand being raised, but nothing after. When I got to the venue and saw the podiums, I just told myself that I was going to be on it and there was no other option besides that. I don't know if it was a lie I told myself. Sometimes I tell myself lies so that I am not negative and feeding fear and doubt. Nevertheless, I don't think I believed I could be a world champion title holder. Even when coach would announce in class that we are bringing home gold. I didn't think about really bringing them home.

I am in a state of anticlimax. Pretty much for the whole year I have been putting in 2 a days. I have been sparring, doing the classes, pad work and drilling, doing my strength and conditioning, trying to maintain my weight and be on diet. Everything I did was to make sure I performed well and was successful. I put so much pressure on myself leading up to Worlds. The excitement and high of winning right after the fights has dissappeared. All of that is gone now. Mentally, I feel like I hit a reset button. I feel like I need another goal to tackle. I don't know why I always need something to attain or work toward. But, I already feel it and its only been 3 days.

Results for WKA Nationals 2015 118 lb weight class

WKA's seems like so long ago already and its only been a few months since March 21st. Since then, I  went on a job interview on April 1st. I had to write my dissertation which was due April 15th. Finally, I defended my thesis April 30th.

I need some time to just sit and write about what went down. But here are the results:

Open Glory rules Win
Open Muay Thai rules no elbows Win and Loss

I fought once and won my first Muay Thai fight on Saturday. On Sunday, I fought twice. I got the decision on the Glory rules open division and lost my second fight in the Muay Thai open division. That Sunday, I was scheduled to fight a 3rd match in the full rules division. Since I had 2 scheduled in my weight class, I pulled out of the 3rd division.

More later.