The first thing that usually comes to mind with snap, crackle, and pop are the lovable Rice Krispies commercials featuring children eating, laughing, and smiling. If you are an athlete however, snap, crackle, and pop are the last things you ever want to hear while on the field. My knees have been the source of those sounds on two occasions with nearly identical injuries of a torn ACL and damaged meniscus a couple of years apart on opposite sides. I unwillingly donated my body to science and used two very different approaches to my rehabilitation. I like to call these approaches “Right way” and “Wrong way”.

Time Frame:  After injury – Pre-Surgery

Wrong way: At first, I crutched around feeling sorry for myself and abusing my sympathy. Common phrases included, “It is hard to cook while injured and in pain,” “What are you eating, that looks tasty,” and, “I need an extension on my essay.” Knowing that surgery was a couple months away, I treated my knee like it was made of glass and laughed at the thought of physical activity. I resembled Long John Silver with a peg leg.

Right way: I was informed that while I can’t play soccer, the more strengthening and activity I do before the surgery, the quicker the recovery I would have afterwards. Once I got the swelling and pain under control, I turned into a resistance band and balance exercise fiend. I would do exercises and ice daily.

Time Frame: Surgery – Walking without crutches

Wrong way: I lay in bed in pain, only leaving the bed when nature forced it. I rearranged my room so that everything I needed was in arms reach; mini fridge, computer, phone, back scratcher, you name it. I largely resembled a baby in a crib; dormant, occasionally distracted by shiny things and would cry until someone would get me what I wanted. I iced as instructed. It was 3 weeks before I left my room, crutched to physio and started exercises. I would do the exercises 3 times a week when told, and would slow down at any hint of pain thinking once again that my knee was made of glass. It was 6 weeks until I was able to limp around.

Right Way: I crutched my way to physio on day 2, still on pain killers. I was promptly informed to not be an idiot, but to keep the ambition. Within the first week, I was largely self-sufficient, crutched to get water and food, sat outside, and would immediately ice if I felt any pain. This increased blood flow, kept swelling from pooling, and ultimately got me active. I was attending physio by the end of the first week and was constantly pushing myself with the exercises, but also being careful. I was able to start walking within a month with hardly any limp. I was informed that it was the strength of my surrounding muscles that reduced stress on the knee allowing for my quicker improvement.

Time Frame: Walking to playing

Wrong way: Thrilled by my ability to walk, I thought I could walk to the moon if I needed. I would go out with friends, head to the mall, etc., without making any adjustments for the fact that I had a major surgery. This resulted in swelling and pain, but more detrimentally me turning overly cautious again. At this point, I was given a verbal “bollocking” from my trainer, who pointed to a man twice my age that had the same surgery two weeks after I did, yet was somehow ahead of my in recovery. Determined not to let an old man get the best of me, I started rehabilitating with more determination than ever before. I soon passed him and regained my rightful place at the top of the ACL recovery podium. I was able to return to training with the soccer team in 6 months, right on schedule.

Right Way: I continued to push myself, constantly asking my trainer what other exercises I could do, and how to make them tougher. I would have days where I overdid it a bit, but would ice constantly, take a day off, learn from it, and continue where I left off. I was able to start training with the team 4.5 months after surgery and was playing in games 6 months later.

The most important thing to remember about long-term injuries is that the more effort you put into recovering, the quicker you will recover and the less impact the injury will have in the future. Too many people think that surgery fixes the injury and then it’s back to normal. While surgery may repair a ligament, align a bone, or fix a problem, it only provides a platform for which to recover. Many people never gain back the muscle strength and balance needed for a full recovery resulting in more stress and pain placed back on the joint that was injured in the first place. This leads people to think that the surgery wasn’t successful and the injury didn’t heal, when in fact the improper rehabilitation never gave it a chance.

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