5 Months?

I saw my doctor yesterday.  He was WAY behind schedule and I had to wait a very disappointing 60 minutes before I was able to see him.  It was especially rough since I was exhausted from a long, fun, busy weekend.  I should have taken a nap in the waiting room.

It’s been 3.5 months since my injury and 1.5 months since I almost had my ACL replaced with a piece of hamstring tendon.  Dr. Roberts examined my knee, did a few tests on a range of motion, laxity, and listened to me tell him what kind of exercise I’m doing and what kind of pains I’ve experienced.  He told me he was VERY encouraged at my progress.  He had told me something like this after surgery but this time seemed even more optimistic.  The tests that help determine if you have a torn ACL were negative – meaning my ACL had a definite “end point” when he manipulated my knee.

He told me to keep running (no sharp turns) and to stay away from cutting and pivoting.  I’m supposed to start jump roping to work on my agility and to see him in 6 more weeks when it’s likely he will lift all restrictions on my activities.  A full return to sports at 5 months post injury!  For me that means trail running can resume but I’ll probably stay away from softball stuff, ultimate frisbee, etc until at least the end of the year.

Of course, I’m not ready for trail running yet anyway since I’m only running 2 miles max and working on building my endurance.  I had a wonderful 2 mile run last night with my friend Deb.  Sure feels good to be running again.

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica