Hack Shaft: A freshman in the middle ages

Comfort Zone

2010-07-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Two Sundays ago I accomplished something I've never done before.
I ran 5 miles continuously for the first time, either in competition or in training.

I arrived at registration just 5 minutes or so before the race started, enough time to get registered and pay the fee. Since my goal was to finish the distance without walking, I queued up at the back of the pack and set off at a comfortable pace. My rule of thumb was not to run so hard that I couldn't talk, which I figured to be maybe a 12 minute-per-mile pace, practically speed walking for me.

Throughout the course I chatted up a number of friendly runners, including a fellow in his 50's or 60's with the same goal as me, several first-time racers, even a mother pushing her two sons in a jogging stroller!

There were two young ladies who started off next to me, then pulled ahead. Any time there was a hill, however, I'd catch up at my steady pace and pass them. Then when the course flattened out or went downhill, they'd pass me up. It became a tortoise-vs-hare kind of situation, and made for quite an entertaining race.

When we hit the last mile on main street, where the course was straight and flat, I spotted the two women walking again. I hollered at them to get running, or they'd be "in serious danger of making me look good!" They promptly picked up their feet to run, finishing perhaps 30 seconds ahead of me.

At the finish line, I was excited to see that I came in under an hour; my pace was 11:23 per mile, very satisfactory. I was nowhere near the fastest people, but I completed the course and didn't finish last, accomplishing what I'd set out to do.

Meanwhile my Karate training has been lagging; I missed two weeks from a sprained ankle, another week from pulled quads, and last week a busy schedule only gave me opportunity to attend one sparring class and a kickboxing cardio class.

On Wednesday of this week, we were doing a series of back-to-back slow kicks, and my balance felt so far off I may as well been drunk. I totally attribute it to a lack of training and losing my conditioning in the process.

Tomorrow I am volunteering to hold pads for Danny Long-Legs at his test for Black Belt in the morning. Danny holds a 2nd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do from many decades ago, and is being certified in my school's system as a 1st Degree Black Belt. I'm very proud of him and his hard work ethic, and honored by his invitation.

My hope is watching Danny and 6 other students getting their Black Belts will inspire me to get out of my comfort zone and get serious about training again.

Running from the Storm

2010-07-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm officially done with Tornado kicks for a long time. 2 weeks ago I sprained my left ankle from a bad landing after--wait for it--a Tornado Kick.

I took it as a warning shot across my bow, it could well have taken my left knee out as easily as it sprained my ankle. I'm just not ready for them yet.

Saw my PT today, and I need a lot of plyometric work to really satisfy him. Back to hopping exercises! Did fine on straight single and multiple hops (one-footed), but adding any amount of zig-zag and I just about fell down. Doing some really high retro step-ups as a warm up didn't help, as it somewhat fatigued my legs right off the bat.

I see him again in 6 weeks, hopefully the last visit for a long time.

My running endurance has increased quite a lot this year, and I plan to run in my city's 5-mile race on Sunday. My goal: to complete all 5 miles without walking!

Monday night I plan to return to sparring. I will do warm-ups, work drills, and work with partners on a strictly upper-body basis: no kicks. It'll be a challenge for me, but also for anyone working with me--but it should result in getting some great hand work in. When I do start kicking again, I hope to have mad upper-body skills that aren't typically emphasized among point fighters!

Meanwhile I still plan to make 40-somethings cry as I steal their dreams in open hand forms and weapons at every tournament I can...

Graduation, Part III

2010-06-30T06:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the day I never expected, never wanted, and hope to never experience ever again.

Graduation.

It's been an exceptionally long 6 months of rehab, for the 3rd time.

As I'm old hat at the whole physical-rehab-for-ACL-reconstruction thing, I had no questions for Dr. K, so we spent time chatting about our iPhones and favorite apps.

I have two iPhone / iPod Touch apps that have proven invaluable in my PT and ongoing goal-setting endeavors.

Round Timer - This app is the classic training ring timer. You can set up any number of rounds, with a countdown timer, and separate recurring timers for warning and rest times. For interval training, this thing is tops--and much less expensive as an iPhone app than purchasing the real thing, typically upwards of $200!

For each round, you can set up a warning time and rest time. So a 2 minute round with 10 second warning would sound a tone at 1:50, indicating there were 10 seconds left in the round. Rest time is a period between rounds, handy for actually catching your breath--or in the case of sparring class, switching partners.

As a bonus, you can play songs from your music library while the timer is running, and it will automatically mute the music to sound a tone. This allows you to crank music for your workout, and not miss your intervals!

Tallies - Just like it says, this app helps you keep tally counts of anything. In my case, I have some Summer goals - like 1000 push-ups, 150 reps of my forms, 45 minutes of aerobic activity each week, and 1500 slow-count kicks. Completely customizable, and really cheap, putting my goals on my phone keeps me on-track.

What software or mobile device apps do YOU find helpful on a daily basis???

Time

2010-06-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

I'm back to Karate, recently cleared for non-contact kicks, and assigned these brilliantly complex plyometric exercises--jump forward on one foot, but turn 90 degrees right or left and land on the same foot in a squat to absorb impact. Yikes!

Running has been great, recently did the full 4-mile course I ran last summer without stopping.

Lately it seems time is slipping away from me. Just when I'm getting back into the groove of working out, there's a string of commitments that have me over-booked and exhausted! Fortunately, though, I'm taking a few days off to travel with family and friends to Door County.

I'm looking forward to slowing time down and smelling some roses among the lighthouses and other attractions!

As for sparring, I'll be taking a very cautious approach to re-entry. My PT is incredibly insightful, and commented that right now I'm doing a great job of maintaining proper body position with regards to the knee(s), but that it's still a very conscious effort.

He recognized the common link between my ACL tears is poor positioning; the true challenge is to evolve that sense of proper position into an unconscious effort. This is most important when sparring, since it involves so much spontaneous movement and reflexive action.

So after I see him at the end of this month, I expect to re-enter sparring classes. However, the plan is to limit the risk early on, concentrating on controlled drills and hand work and skipping the open point sparring for now.

Out of a healthy sense of superstition, I also plan to take November and December off from any sparring activity, picking things up in January to prepare for next April's tournament at the end of the season.

Until then, I plan to make grown men cry by walking away with the gold in all the weapon and open-hand forms that I can.

14 Daze

2010-04-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hiya, dedicated reader!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of week #14 since ACL surgery #3 on January 11th.

While I've been back to running for a while, I've taken the past week off due to a nasty head cold. However, I think with the warming weather and a little help from an antihistamine or two, I should be back on the path tomorrow.

I've been assigned plyometric exercises in the form of assisted hops, square hops, and hopping up and down steps on both feet. Adding to that, more strengthening exercises in the form of my favorite slow-count kicks, as well as carefully executed forms / kata.

I see my PT in 2 more weeks. Assuming all goes well, he and I both expect I'll be returning to Karate with similar restrictions as I've had in the past--no hard snapping kicks, no turning kicks, no jumping kicks--until I'm at 24 weeks the end of June.

Coolness!

On The Road Again

2010-03-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a long Winter, and Spring can't come soon enough.

Physically things are coming along just great. I saw my PT today, and we did a bunch of testing comparing the involved leg against the good leg.

Involved. Funny term, involved. I've been involved with Karate for 3 years, my body's been involved with training, my time involved with playing music, being a decent husband, and raising a child, but I never considered just my knee involved with anything. Huh.

Testing consisted of a number of squat-and-reach exercises, such as standing on one foot while touching the floor as far out as possible at a 45° angle each way from the foot without falling. Another test was one-legged squats as low as possible.

Numbers look good, my operative knee is 85-90% as compared to the good knee. That means I can start a re-entry to running following protocol; basically it's walking with short periods of running, working up to progressively longer running periods without walking breaks.

Not that I've ever been much of a runner, but it's at least a change in routine, and one that will get me doing something moderately resembling recreational activity outside. Honestly, I miss the solitude that running early in the morning brings, and I look forward to it.

So, yeah, just over 7 weeks post-op and I'm running. Cool.

Emotionally things are a struggle this time. First time was a novelty, second time was routine at worst, but the third time is really weighing heavy on my mind. There are times when the depression and worry is tangible, like a yoke around my neck that I just can't remove.

There's an annoying, nagging voice in my head that won't stop wondering if I'm some kind of natural klutz. Another one argues that no, it's strictly a case of freak accidents--hardly predictable, not likely preventable except to quit Karate.

And then the people who hear about 'the third time,' and keep saying I need to find a safer hobby.

A hobby.

A hobby??? This is not a hobby, it's part of my way of life!

It's as much a hobby to me as someone going back to school to get a Masters or Doctorate is just a hobby.

Thanks for reading, and pardon my ranting and raving.

It's been a long Winter, and Spring can't come soon enough.

Bracing for reality

2010-01-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

***I'm posting some arthroscopic pics near the end of this post, fair warning for queasy readers.

This time around has had an interesting start.

By the second day after surgery, the knee was bearing weight unusually well when compared to my first two ACL reconstructions. Thursday I got stitches out and did a round of physical therapy. Quads are firing well, straight leg raises are strong, about 70 degrees of flexion and a degree or two of hyper-extension. The slight hyper-extension is a most pleasant surprise, usually that doesn't come along until much later in the game.

I was approved to go without an immobilizer brace during passive activity, such as working at my desk or around home. I'm supposed to continue wearing it as a matter of security until this week's session when my gait will be re-evaluated.

Tomorrow I return to the real world, going back to work for the first time in 2 weeks. We have overlapping responsibilities in my department, so I have all confidence that my partners have provided due diligence in my absence. Hopefully I won't be drowning in backlogged work to do!

Truth be told, I've done just about everything I can around the house, got a few 'administrative' things out of the way after many long delays. I'm ready to get back into a routine, although it won't include Karate for somewhere around 14-16 weeks.

I plan to continue my bench-time tradition of watching sparring classes on Monday nights to help keep me connected with my fellow students, and help satisfy my craving for Fight Night. It helps to keep me focused on what I need to do, and the encouragement from my friends on a regular basis is truly a balm for the soul.

I have made the very difficult decision to stop sparring for a long time. Sparring is part of the curriculum, but for folks over 35 they will adjust requirements for black belt as necessary. I don't plan to give up sparring forever, but 3 major injuries requiring surgical work and 2 other injuries have cost me well over a year of time.

By many accounts I would be screening for black belt later this year, but reality says it'll be some time in 2011 at the soonest. I'm tired of the annual re-set of my training and want to remove the one activity most responsible for my injuries.

There are no guarantees in life, but I need to start stacking the odds more in my favor if I want to continue with Karate for the foreseeable future. I'm damned good at open hand and weapons forms, time to focus on those strengths. I'm not any more afraid of sparring than before, but I am concerned that my reflexes are telling me to move in ways that are dangerous.

1st time: I was falling backwards, torn ACL from trying to stop a fall.
Lesson: Just fall.

2nd time: I was landing from a powerful tornado kick, torn ACL from a planted foot on landing.
Lesson: Don't go overboard on fancy kicks when you're tired.

3rd time: I was ducking under a punch way too far, torn ACL from trying to explode upwards.
Lesson: Don't go overboard on moves you haven't drilled on.

I don't want any more of these lessons.

As promised, here's 2 pics:

This one is of the floater found while inspecting the meniscus. Looks like a tiny bit of meniscus that had torn loose, not a big deal.

Here's the ACL. It starts at the top left looking great, the rest is simply a shredded pile of silvery ligament spaghetti.

Been There, Done That, Got The T-Shirt.

2010-01-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hello, dear reader. It's been a while.

As I mentioned briefly on New Year's Eve, I re-tore the ACL in my right knee December 28th during sparring class. This is the knee that started all this business almost exactly 2 years ago.

I ducked under an opponents punch way too deep, with my right leg forward, and tried to explode upwards with a back fist while most of my body mass was still moving from right-to-left. I made it about 3/4ths of the way up, then my right knee bent sideways and I went down.

Last Monday, January 11th, I had an ACL revision done on the knee. The procedure is much the same as ACL reconstruction, except with a lot more prep work and bigger hardware. The prior ACL is removed and loose tissue cleaned up, and the old fixative screws are taken out. (I have my old screws as a token now.)

As with the prior 2 reconstructions, I opted for a femoral nerve block with a spinal block so I could observe the procedure. Good news is that the meniscus continues to be well anchored, with no signs of damage save for a tiny floater they caught doing laps in the saline on camera.

Again, like in December 2008, the spinal wore off a bit prematurely and I had major cramps in my lower back due to the position I was in on the table. Also, I began to feel the pins and needles in my right leg as the spinal wore off, and the tourniquet was removed. Yes, I could have opted for some sedation or pain killer, but I weighed the cost of $100 a pop against my short term discomfort--we have new insurance that would have me paying more out-of-pocket now--and I decided to save a buck or two.

Because the bone tunnel necessarily has to be enlarged, the replacement tendon and hardware are also larger. The original upper fixative screw was installed into the end of the femur 'from below,' essentially within the knee joint. This time, the screw was installed into the end of the femur from above, which meant my quads took a beating from being retracted while this somewhat gruesome business was conducted. I saw that bit from the arthroscope and realized that it's gonna sting like the dickens when the blocks wear off...

On a funny side note, Dr. K had some difficulty tightening this upper screw, losing his grip at one point and nearly knocking over some monitors and IV poles in the operating room! I suggested perhaps an impact wrench might not be a bad idea, but he replied that using motorized assistance tightening screws could result in over-torquing.

Once Dr. K was done and the other surgeons could take over closing things up, I reminded him of my request for a t-shirt from the clinic; I figure a guy is due something for his trouble after 3 operations! He not only made good on the promise, netting me a nice long sleeved Under Armor shirt with embroidered logo, he even put it in a gift bag with a birthday card and delivered it personally while I was in stage 1 recovery.

The card reads "Each year the wishes just get bigger and better!" with a note: That's 3 years in a row! Enough already! (Just kidding.)

So the first 36 hours post-op sucked as usual, peaking on Tuesday night when I had a major charlie horse in my thigh that felt like a dagger was stuck there! Fortunately a bit of Tylenol with Codeine took care of that and I could sleep peacefully. Since Wednesday I've taken nothing but Ibuprofen, a good thing and par for the course.

First PT session was Thursday. My prior PT clinic has closed its doors due to the recession, so I opted to do PT at the clinic where the surgery took place. There I met Ben, who will be my main PT this time around. I was encouraged by being able to toddle around the house with just a cane already, a very positive early milestone that the knee can bear weight well already.

Surprisingly my quads were firing quite well, and I could do straight leg lifts without too much difficulty. I even have a bit of hyper extension, already nearly equal to my good knee. Flexion is only at about 60 degrees while on my back, maybe 70-75 hanging over the edge with assistance from the good leg. The biggest stopper right now is the local knot of swelling to the outside of the quad, the result of insult to the tissue from installing the fixative screw.

Last night I was wide awake at 3am with a mild fever coming on. So on top of the typical post-operative pain, I had body aches as well, and lay awake for probably a good 2 hours trying to find a comfortable position. I should also mention, it's the first night back in my regular bed upstairs, and not on the totally comfy couch downstairs, so re-adjusting to sleeping on the mattress probably contributed to lower back cramps. Meh.

Well, tonight I'll be hanging out with Mrs. Shaft while G-Shaft goes to a schoolmate's birthday party for a few hours. We plan on tossing back a few Amaretto-Sour's while watching a movie and enjoying a new recipe for cold Thai peanut noodles.

More tomorrow, possibly pictures, and what the future holds for Paul "Hack Shaft" Pederson.

3rd time: NOT a charm...

2009-12-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

I'll be brief since we're heading out the door to a New Year's party (Happy New Year, by the way).

Monday at sparring I tried ducking under my partner's kick and coming up with a back fist from underneath.

At a guess, I was moving sideways too much, and tried coming up while the mass of my body was still shifting sideways.

The result: That too-familiar shifting sensation of a joint dislocating.

Tuesday was the MRI.

This morning's visit with Dr. K confirms that I re-tore the ACL in my right knee - the first knee that started this blog in 2007.

Surgery in 2 weeks. Sorry, everyone.

Best Foot Forward

2009-11-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

My #2 ACL tear anniversary was on election night a few weeks ago. No big deal, but it is an opportunity to reflect.

My broken rib healed nicely, and I've been to sparring classes the past two weeks.

My first class back I made a real effort to pick one thing to concentrate on, besides returning to fighting with my right side forward. That one thing was getting my arm defenses up to snuff, and it really paid off! Rather than getting knocked out of matches with no points, I was at least pushing things to equilibrium--forcing the match to come to the final point to decide a winner.

My regular partner in class and sparring, John, said he really noticed the difference in my defensive abilities, and that I was getting back into the groove. He and I both liken sparring to dancing, and I was finally relaxing enough to just enjoy the dance and not worry about the steps!

This past Monday I began to re-think how I should be fighting.

I've been trying attacks that my body can't execute fast enough, so I really focused on defenses, reading my opponent, and scouring for counter-attack opportunities.

It paid back in spades when I bested one of the guys I consider a top adult fighter, one whom I've hardly had opportunity to score on since returning to sparring, and whose kicks I usually end up eating far too often.

At the end of class, I was again facing the same fighter--but this time with all eyes on us as we finished our match. I think the score was 3-2 in my favor, and the winner is first to 5 points. I watched carefully for a twitch, a sign of commitment to some move from my opponent. Then it came, in the form of a big roundhouse punch! Vigilance paid off as I leaned into a defensive side kick, catching my opponent in the side as the punch bounced scoreless off my shoulder.

I could hardly believe the referees called 2 points in my favor, ending the match 5-2!

That was a beautiful end to a fruitful night.

11 Months

2009-10-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

I have a curse, and it occurs every 11 months.

From my first ACL tear in December, 2007, to the next in November, 2008 was 11 months.
From the second ACL tear to a broken rib this month, October, 2009, was 11 months.
I plan to take September of 2010 off from any Karate-related activity, just to be safe.

It's been a while since I blogged, so let me fill you in.

August was busy with a lot of camping, and a severe shortage of opportunities for me to go to core classes. I maintained my conditioning, but didn't really have the new open hand form memorized. It seemed life was pulling me every which way but where I wanted to go!

September was filled with weeks of getting back to the swing of things, most notably the annual 3 school cross-training sparring classes. Members from 3 of the local schools gather together every 2 weeks leading up to the Diamond Nationals, the largest martial arts tournament of its kind, to spend time sparring with other fighters we don't see on a regular basis. I learned tons and was looking forward to sparring in tournaments again this year.

October came, and so did the Diamonds. It's a 2-day event, and I signed up for sparring and weapons on both days. The first day, Friday, is principally an intramural event, the second day is an open event to competitors nationwide.

I cranked out a 1st place weapons form with my Bo, besting 5 other competitors in the 35+ men's group. Then it was on to sparring.

There were 5 of us in the advanced belts, significant in that our rank allowed us to score points with head contact whereas the lower under-black belts have to avoid it. 2 pairs of us were from the same school, so they mixed up our order to avoid fighters too familiar with each other.

Since it's single-elimination and not round-robin, I pulled a bye with 2 other guys. My main training partner John waltzed through the first match, then the other two guys with a bye had their fight. That put my first match for the weekend with John, which had me somewhat concerned as he's a fantastic fighter and one I was hoping not to face right out of the gate!

The first clash had me executing a double side kick. Due to weird timing and physics, my supporting leg just happened to be in the air as John advanced on me, resulting in getting knocked on my butt. Hard. On a hotel conference room floor, devoid of the padding we have available at the school.

I danced a bit to shake it off, and we proceeded with the match. John and I were both going at it hard, and I returned the favor knocking him on his butt a short while later with a nicely executed front kick.

The next clash had me holding him at bay, but he blitzed me with a perfectly timed back punch just as I was chambering for a side kick. Unfortunately I took it full force on my left side, just barely above the protection of my rib guard. I was fine for about a second, then the pain hit me like a 2 X 4! I took some time to recover and finished the match, but I knew something was up with my ribs.

The following morning, Urgent Care confirmed a broken 6th rib on my left side.

I wasn't able to compete Saturday, including my Bo form, so I spent time video taping everyone I could, and made John buy me lots of drinks at the finale that night!

While I'm waiting to heal, I still go to watch the Monday fights and chat up folks, all the time watching...watching...watching...

John and I have talked a lot about what it was that allowed him to slip inside my kicking range, and with input from a few other fighters I've decided to return to a right-side forward fighting stance.

My right side is my bread and butter. My right leg is much more facile, and my right hand faster than my left, and in point sparring speed counts more than power--so it makes sense to get the faster side back in front. That was confirmed by a lot of the video I recorded.

Plus, I have a slight vision impairment in my left eye that results in less peripheral vision, so I can't see someone's big back punch or round kick coming around!

It's been 2 weeks now, and 2-4 more to go, mostly depending on how I feel. I'll gauge my readiness to return based on whether I can do sit-ups or push-ups at all, let alone getting up to any significant quantity of either.

For those of you who spar, how do you determine the best side to put forward?

Seeing Red

2009-08-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Whew, what a busy month July turned out to be!

I tested for my half-belt (or "stripe") at the end of May, the day after officially having all restrictions removed by my surgeon. It felt like the toughest test I'd done, but I was very proud of my performance and felt stronger than ever.

Throughout June and into July I suffered a string of weird minor injuries, all outside of Karate class.

I strained both quads sprinting way too hard during a routine Saturday morning run, was knocked out of commission for a week with a nasty virus, and two weeks ago I twisted my left ankle something fierce stepping into a pothole on a local walking path that was overgrown with grass.

Waking up with stiff joints and pain has become de rigeur in my morning routine until I've loosened up with a hot shower. I'm OK with it, though, since it's a predictable thing.

What I didn't predict was testing for Red belt just shy of 2 months after my last belt exam!

It went well, but with all my down time I was less conditioned than I cared to be. This was most noticeable when doing slow-count kicks. Remember those??? Well, for Red belt and above, you no longer do them holding a barre or against a wall to steady yourself.

You're in the middle of the room.

And you darn well feel it when the test is done!

I talked to my instructor about having such a short interval between belts after the test. The curriculum requires a progressively higher number of classes between belts as you move up through the ranks, but he feels I'm ready for advanced belt classes based on my progress since returning from injury. Wow, how cool is that?!?

Tomorrow night's class is canceled. My school's head examiner for black belts is personally conducting a special class for advanced belts, which is predicted to be well over an hour long--possibly closer to two hours. It's intended as a preview of black belt screenings, and I'm both nervous and excited to take part in it.

When I went to watch the Family That Fights Together during their final screening back in November, the Examiner spotted me coming into the lobby and took time out--right in the middle of the screening--to offer his condolences, emphasizing that "there is life after this."

You see, he's a 5th Degree black belt with reconstructed ACL's in both knees.

We're an immense distance apart in rank, but wear the same scars marking our initiation into a regrettably elite club.

I look forward to working out with him if for no other reason than to thank him for his encouragement and his faith in me.

All together now

2009-07-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

Before I ramble on in this post, I want to congratulate BobSpar and Black Belt Mama (now legit) on earning their black belts.

Way to go, guys, hope to join you soon!!!

The family and I went for a trip up North last weekend, and taking that time off from Karate and running Saturday paid off. The nasty burning sensation from straining my quads is pretty much gone now. Whew!

Monday night I was back in sparring, and my quads held up well; just a slight bit of stiffness while stretching gave any clue to having strained them.

My first few sparring classes back I was, to put things bluntly, full of piss and vinegar. No matter what I told myself about relaxing, I was getting way too aggressive for my own good!

Monday's class went incredibly well. We worked on some shadow drills, learning how to read others and anticipate their position while concentrating on footwork fundamentals. Then we ran a series of 1-point matches in groups, and I bested 4 people in a row, including one of our assistant instructors.

As my buddy Thunder John keeps reminding me, I just need time and patience to get back what I lost in sparring...but 4 in a row sure goes a long way towards boosting my confidence!!!

There were a few new things I was trying in sparring as well, namely new equipment.

The standard issue boots are just top padding, with straps under your toes and an elastic wrap to hold everything in place. Remember that bruise picture? I blame it somewhat on the boot design, which tended to trip me up a bit the way that I spar, often causing me to stub one toe or another.

I replaced them with fully enclosed Ringstar SuperMaxx sparring shoes and can't say enough good things about them so far. They keep my toes from folding funny, are lightweight, non-marking, and the soles have just the right amount of friction to mimic bare feet on our mats.
Now I know why 4/5ths of the class own a pair!

The other bit of equipment that was new is a rib guard. I had a full chest shield, but it tended to ride too high, exposing my midriff too much. This was evidenced when Thunder John caught me with a square back punch near the liver, which nearly floored me. That same punch on Monday night was much more comfortable to receive, so it was an investment well worth the money spent.

Tonight is the first core class I'll attend 9 days, so it should be interesting. I'm feeling much more put together now!

Feeling Torn

2009-06-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

For the past 2 months or so, I've been running on Saturday mornings with 2 other people from my Karate school. At 7 am we head out for a perfect 4-mile loop, ending up at the coffee shop a block from the school. It's a great way to kick off Saturdays, and good incentive to get some out-of-the-classroom exercise.

The course is perfect, being flat crushed gravel for the first 2 miles, then rolling hills the last 2 miles. You get a nice warm-up while its flat, and just about the time you've caught your second wind you hit the hills.

2 weeks ago we ran the course backwards, hitting the hills first. Not withstanding the fact that I was still recovering from a nasty cold, it was a much tougher run, and all 3 of us needed to catch our breath at the halfway point. For the second half, we pretty much went from fast walking to occasional 50-yard sprints.

I hit one particular sprint pretty hard, and felt some funny muscle thing in my quads, like a group of muscle fiber I don't usually engage that way. Nothing painful, just new muscles being put to use. I was still sore after a week.

Friday while my daughter was sparring I decided to use the time to work on the Summer Goals program, which includes running our form 150 times outside of regular class between now and the end of August. I went through my Bo (staff) form and everything was fine until the last move, which involves a strike while going down on 1 knee.

I made it about 1/3 of the way to the floor when my right thigh lit up like it was on fire. Ouch!
G-Shaft commented from under her sparring helmet, "Knee problems?" I replied that it was my thighs, not my knees. For the remainder of the time, I simply avoided motions that aggravated my thighs.

Since that day, I researched the problem and concluded that I've got a level 1 quadricep strain. Since I have a week full of meetings keeping me away from Karate anyway, I'm resting and stretching, and will pick up a pair of compression wraps. Walking and gentle running don't hurt, I can bend my knees fully, but quad stretches are awfully tight at the moment.

Sudden explosive movement is what caused the problem, and what would aggravate it further; therefore I'll just run (gently) and attend core classes next week. No kickboxing aerobics, no sparring (except as a spectator.)

So to those of you who jog or run and are considering mixing in some sprints, take it easy! I went all-out, and my thighs are paying for that decision.

Weaving Wisdom

2009-06-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

So I tried the weaving thing, and it looks kind of interesting:

This is my prior 8 belts woven together, and the total weight is probably around 5 pounds.

It actually came out looking pretty cool, and is symbolic of how knowledge and ability gained at each belt level is woven into the next.

I don't know if I'll keep adding to it in the same fashion, but for now it's a respectful reminder of the road I've traveled so far.

Still Standing

2009-06-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't say as I made it through sparring class without injury, but I am still on two feet.

The injury was minor, but after a while it got to be some kind of cosmic joke--I stubbed my second toe on the left foot, next to the big toe.

Then that same toe was stepped on while we were warming up free sparring.

Then it was stepped on once more by someone else while I was refereeing a point fighting match.

Sheesh!

It's a pretty shade of purple today, and I intend to get it checked out tonight when I can get a ride--I'm also home with some kind of mild flu-like virus, and a bit too lightheaded to drive myself anywhere.

Anyhow, sparring was a very joyful experience for me, even with the bruising (and possible breaking) of a toe. I was on adrenaline the whole afternoon, but fell into a calm, rhythmic place once I warmed up and did some free sparring.

Now I just need to put into action all the mental notes I've taken watching class for the past 6+ months!

Time to grab some late lunch and take a nice, long nap...

Freedom

2009-05-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm free...I'm free!
And freedom tastes of reality.

"I'm Free" from The Who's rock opera "Tommy"

1. Saw Dr. K this morning, restrictions are removed.
2. "Have a good life," he said.
3. Made a pact with him that we shall never meet again under these circumstances.
4. Got the above song stuck in my head.
5. Testing for my next belt tomorrow morning.
6. Sparring Monday night...

A memorial

2009-05-23T17:07:00.001-07:00

6 days until my final (I pray!) visit with Dr. K, where I should be officially released from restrictions on activity.

One of my goals this Memorial Day Weekend is to clean house. Time to finally get the summer/winter clothes turned over, toss or donate items, and especially important--organize my office.

In one corner behind the door is a small plastic wash tub. When I did Triathlons, it was useful in competition for quickly washing sand stuck to my feet from running up a beach before putting on socks and biking shoes. Most recently it's been put to service holding G-Shaft and my old belts until Mrs. Shaft needed something to soak her feet in.

And so the various colored belts from white through red came tumbling down and are currently lying in a sad heap on the floor behind me.

You know, they really deserve better retirement than that, but there are so many of them I'm not sure what to do!!! Our advancement system has half-belts, referred to as stripes, between each solid color belt. So the order is:

White
Gold
Gold - Green Stripe
Green
Green - Purple Stripe
Purple
Purple - Blue Stripe
Blue (My current rank)
Blue - Red Stripe
Red
Red - Brown Stripe (G-Shaft's current rank)
Brown
Brown - Black Stripe
Brown - Double Black Stripe
Black

So there are 17 of these dear, old friends, just waiting for a creative display.

I thought I might honor them with a vertical rack, and each belt would be hanging properly knotted in a nice array, kind of like a gun rack or sword display one might find in a hunting lodge. If I find a nice design, maybe I'll partner with one of the other parents I train with to sell a few to other students wanting to honor their history.

However, that's a lot of belts--so now I'm thinking of some kind of weaving. While a vertical rack shows progression, I think weaving them together shows the relevance of each belt's lessons to the next.

We'll try it this weekend and see how it looks.

What do you do with your old belts when you've been advanced?

A Beautiful Thing

2009-04-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my school system's Team Tournament, and the last one of the season in this area.
It features tag-team sparring for adults, and team forms for adults and youth.

My daughter and I presented a form together as part of the Family Performance division.
This is an open, non-competitive division for fun--and everyone gets to take home a trophy.
As a family of Scandinavian heritage, we had some fun with the form, calling ourselves Team Uff-Da. That's pronounced "Oof-Dah."

This blog from a local news anchor describes what I witnessed in this division far better than I ever could:

http://www.kare11.com/blog/insley_article.aspx?storyid=651634&catid=286

I am so proud to be a part of an organization that welcomes people of all abilities.

Sparring, sweet sparring...

2009-04-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

My Karate school has an intramural team tournament coming up in a week from Sunday, so Monday night sparring classes for adults have focused on tag-team strategy.

Needless to say, the fighting gets pretty intense, but with some goofy moments as well.

I did extensive taping of our class this past Monday:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F44D11BC0DF6CA18

Check out #5 at 6:25 - the slide kick that was more slide than kick
Check out #6 at 5:30 - Ouch...

The tape of ground work was for the woman in the video. She, along with my instructor, are competing this week at the East-West Open, a "Martial Arts Olympics" held annually in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since some fights at that event include grappling, she's receiving a cram course in basic ground defense. I shot this so she has some study material to review.

Best of luck to both of them!

For Thursday's class we had a guest instructor who was well-versed in one of my favorite torture techniques, the slow-count kick. As a warm-up, we did a lot of stationary work, simply holding stances and fine-tuning them . Then we did slow-count kicks.

While working slow-count kicks, I idly remarked that it'd be interesting to combine stances with slow-count kicks; She took me up on the concept, and we did just that!

So imagine this for a strength exercise:

1. Begin in a fighting stance.
2. Rotate hips forward, squaring yourself up, then bend your rear leg and slowly squat until the rear knee touches the floor.
3. Raise up from the floor slowly and execute a slow-count front kick with the back leg.
4. Lower the kicking leg forward into a fighting stance on the opposite side.
5. Repeat, marching across the floor and back again. Slowly.

I hated it, and loved hating it...

On a side note, big thanks to Black Belt Mama for the free book. Should make for interesting, light reading before bedtime.

2 out of 3 ain't bad.

2009-04-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today is week 16 since surgery, 8 more to go until no restrictions.

2/3'rds of the way, and feeling great!

That first week back was absolute murder on my quads, hams, and shoulders, but absolutely no complaining from my knee. I made it to classes Thursday evening, and though I could hardly walk Saturday morning, I went to a 30-minute class, primarily to loosen up all the stiffness. Last week my muscles complained far less, so I think my body is beginning to acclimate to my return.

At the end of Thursday's class we worked on some kicking drills, including an offensive side kick. No, it's not meant to offend, it's just an attacking style versus a defensive style.

From a fighting stance, the front foot crosses over the center line of attack as the rear foot steps behind the front. This leads to a natural chamber of the front leg for a side kick, and covers a lot of distance while delivering a powerful blow to your opponent.

My partner holding a large body shield was a 13-year old boy who plays football besides studying karate. Since the first side involved kicking with my left leg, I simply walked through the motions. My foot just touched the body shield, no hard kick at all. That was fine, just going through the motions.

Then we switched sides, and the instructor, Miss O, suggested she should probably hold the shield for me, knowing my past kicking ability.

The Kid, being reasonably good-sized, said not to worry--he's used to hard hits playing football...

...and promptly folded like a flying soft shell taco.

Miss O held the shield for me the remainder of the drill.

It's good to be back.

I'm born all over.

2009-03-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Monday I attended a beginner's class to 'wade in the water' a bit. Plenty of slow kick work and fundamentals.

That sucked!

Then I recovered and re-hydrated while watching sparring with a Cheshire Cat smile on my face, basking in the afterglow. It was tag-team drills, and an absolute riot to watch.

Tuesday was the intermediate belt core class.

The first half was open-hand form work, which came back to me quite well. However, while it looked good when I faced the mirror, somehow working form away from the mirror left me feeling unplugged, suddenly unsure of my moves. Strange.

The second half was spent working our Bo (staff) form. I had just begun this form when I was injured, but I still had fundamentals in place for holding the Bo, and remembering what each move was when it was called out by the instructor. By the end of class I could barely hold my Bo, and my shoulders were killing me.

That sucked--HARD!!!

But I got over that too and realized just how much I missed Karate.

How fun it is to push yourself, even with restrictions in place.

How nice my fundamentals still look.

How intensely focused I get while sensing all the feedback my body is giving me.

How priceless it is to come home dead tired and fall asleep with a grin so wide my cheeks hurt.

I.

Am.

Back.

Going Home...Again...and Lemonade

2009-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

For the regular reader of this irregular poster, you'll notice the updated countdown clock.

After passing the mid-point of my 24 week rehab period, I made the decision to update the clock to reflect my return to Karate on Monday.

Am I crazy? No.
Just feeling fat, uninspired, and bored to tears.

The PT I currently do at home in many ways is more aggressive on my knee than perhaps 80% of my Karate activity. I may as well work out in the company of friends rather than in isolation!

Therefore I've decided to return--with certain restrictions until June 1st, the end of my 24-week "restricted" period.

Forms / Kata shouldn't be an issue, since they don't involve jumping or spinning kicks, and the few kicks that are present are with my non-operative leg.

I will make appropriate substitutions for the next 10 weeks:

- Instead of kicks with hard snaps, I do slow-count kicks, substituting a strength exercise for a power drill
- Kicks with my non-operative leg will be performed with the chamber action slowed down (which usually involves some degree of pivoting on the supporting leg)
- Spinning kicks? More slow-count kicks.
- Jumping kicks? More slow-count kicks.

So basically between now and June, I'll be doing a ton of strength work, deep stances, careful pivots, and drill on learning my new weapon form with the bo staff.

Come June 1st, I'll be more than ready to get back to sparring!

I want to thank Black Belt Mam a for the "When Life Hands You Lemons" award:

Like any good blog award, there are some rules:

Post the logo on your blog.
Nominate blogs that show great attitude or gratitude
Link to the nominees within your blog post.
Notify the recipients of the award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link back to the person from whom you received your award.

Paying it forward, my nominee is a fellow Martial Artist, Bobspar.

Bob is a self-declared Middle-Aged Martial Artist, and the first blog I came across when seeking other Martial Artists with ACL tear stories. My own blog title is inspired from his attitude of not only embracing where he is in life, but also having begun his journey in the Martial Arts as a middle-aged person!

Bob found a particularly sour lemon to make lemonade--he was literally minutes away from completing his black belt exam when his knee decided to play a game of "Pop Goes The Weasel," tearing his ACL and delaying his black belt for over a year as a result. He is training hard for his test coming up this May, and I wish him the best of luck!

I've given up.

2009-03-06T08:23:00.000-08:00

What??? Say it ain't so, Hack ol' buddy!
Big guy like you, strong like an ox, you say you've given up?

Yes, it's true. I'm done for a while, and giving up.

Giving up something for Lent, silly!

What, you read the title after hearing nothing from me for weeks and just assumed the worst? C'mon, gimme a bit of credit here!

As has often, but not always, been my practice in the past, I'm resisting nearly 7 weeks of temptation. This year I've given up alcohol (except Communion at church) and fried food--specifically hamburgers and anything deep-fried. Believe me, as casual as it sounds it truly is NOT an easy thing to do.

So why bother?

I don't consider myself a fundamentalist or terribly evangelical sort of person, but I do enjoy a good challenge. For those unfamiliar with the basic premise, before he faced his final series of challenges culminating in execution, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert and facing temptation by Satan to give up his mission.

These 40 days are represented by the season of Lent, during which the Christian church asks its membership to sacrifice some practice from Ash Wednesday through Easter. Somehow giving up red meat and opting for Fillet-O-Fish for 6 or 7 Fridays in the Spring just doesn't resonate with me as true sacrifice.

Instead, I chose something I take for granted in my daily life, like the evening beer I drink while whipping up dinner, or the Wendy's I have after band practice on Wednesdays. Besides, I was putting on too much weight. Quoting Joni Mitchell, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone!"

Temptation? You bet. Worst temptation so far was Tuesday night. I cooked Beer Cheese Soup, where the recipe calls for one beer in the pot and one in the chef. Somehow it tasted different.

In conclusion of this topic I'd like to suggest to those of you who observe Lent to really think hard about what practice feels impossible to give up. Then DO IT. Believe me, after nearly 7 weeks, you will be a changed person.

This coming Monday the 9th marks my half-way point. 12 weeks since surgery, 12 more weeks until June 1st when (barring any complications) I will have no restrictions on activity.

I'm meeting with my Karate instructor Monday evening to review leg movements. I'm going to review the various stances and core movements with my PT next Friday.

I intend to return to Karate within a few weeks. There's no reason to do exercises in solitude at home when I can do them in the company of my peers! I'm running nearly 4 miles these days, and will add plyometric exercises shortly. Heck, some of those go beyond the boundaries of what we do at Karate!

My restrictions are fairly self-explanatory. Obviously I won't risk re-injury:
- No sparring (DUH!)
- No jumping kicks
- No turning kicks
- No snapping kicks (slow-count or slow-motion only)

But even with these restrictions, there's TONS that I can still accomplish.

I'm giving up on waiting.

Old doc, new tricks

2009-02-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Thursday's visit with Dr. K went as expected. No surprises, and I'm cleared to begin running. Granted, in the chilly state I live in it's not been above freezing the entire month of January, and mornings are still dipping into the negative numbers even today. Combine that with a nasty cold I've been dealing with over a week, and I'm just not ready to head out for an early morning jog! I do promise to post some pictures when I do, however, since the mornings are so beautiful this time of year.

Having been through all this before, I had some fun with Dr. K and the medical student working with him. As I sat on the table with my legs dangling down, he asked "OK, which knee are we looking at today?" I told him to guess. "Well, they both look the same," he quipped.

I replied, "If you can't tell, then you must have done a pretty good job!" as I pointed to the left knee. Truth be told, they did look very similar in terms of minimized scarring. The only real give-away would be the slightly shorter patch of hair around the left knee and shin, still growing back from being shaved.

He demonstrated good surgical results to the student with a cursory Lachmann test and a pivot-shift test that months ago would have insulted the MCL sprain accompanying my torn ACL. We also chatted about the mechanics and root cause of injury to each knee, making for really rich conversation between surgeon, patient, and student.

At my 6-week appointment last year, I was asked if I had any more questions. "Sure," I said, "Am I going to be able to play drums??"
A puzzled Dr. K: "Well, I certainly don't see any reason you couldn't."
Me: "Great! 'Cause I can't play them at all!"
(insert rim shot: ba-dum bum)

This year: "Am I going to be able to pilot a plane?"
A year wiser Dr. K: "Could you do it before?"

See, you can teach an old Doc new tricks!

One down, four to go

2009-01-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Monday was my 6 week mark. This represents being 1/4 done with the 24 week protocol!

I celebrated today by forgetting my appointment to check in with Dr. K, and re-scheduled it for Thursday morning after my PT session.

Today's report: 30 reps @ 4 pounds, 32 sit-ups and push-ups. Numbers keep going up as the days go down!!!

Equality.

2009-01-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

This morning's PT report:

- Flexion at 138°, full extension.
- Approved for slow-count kicks with the operative leg only, supporting on the non-operative leg. Cool!
- Step-down exercises are assigned to work further on strength and smoothness of transition when walking down stairs.

My last measured flexion in the other knee was 138°, so they both seem to be about the same. Further flexion is limited simply by my physiology, at least until I can kneel and sit on my feet!

Using 2lb. ankle weights for straight leg exercises (raises, abduction, adduction, standing hamstring curls). I can do about 20 reps without a pause, working up to 30 solid reps before increasing weight. By the end of the program, the goal is 10 pounds, 30 reps.

My non-operative leg is no stronger than my operative one, so I'm making an effort during PT to emphasize both legs equally.

For those who don't know what they are, slow-count kicks are an excellent exercise for strengthening your hip flexors. Their purpose is to enable greater height and control of kicks.

You begin in a fighting stance, then kick in 4 steps.
This example is for round kicks:

1. Pick up your kicking leg in its chambered position.
2. Slowly extend it out.
3. Slowly swing it just across that centerline.
4. Slowly swing it back.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 until your leg drops like a lead weight.
6. Re-chamber the kicking leg.
7. Put your kicking leg down (if it hasn't dropped of its own accord!)
8. Switch your stance and repeat with the other leg.

They are murder to do at first, but I've grown to enjoy slow-count kicks. When you begin, start on a wall or with a barre to grab, gradually progress to doing them without holding anything for support. Your hip flexors will be crying for mercy, so watch those first steps when you're done! If you do them for a while and they start to feel too easy, try adding ankle weights. Even 1/2lb. at the end of your leg is a huge challenge.

Kicking high takes two things: flexibility and strength. Leaning the torso way back does very little for improving kick height if you don't have strength, and slow-count kicks are probably the best exercise I know of to develop that strength. Enjoy trying them out--I know I will!

The 30's: Arriving and Leaving

2009-01-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I enter my 40's.

Today my PT confirmed that I've entered my 30's, so to speak...I have 133° of flexion in my knee!

That gives me a great feeling of accomplishment, especially in light of being just over 3 weeks out of surgery. By comparison, I was at 126° at this point with my right knee.

My final ROM in the right knee settled in at about 138° of flexion, -10° extension, so hearing my left knee is "in the hood" is quite exciting.

My extension still needs work, as I'm not quite into negative (hyper extension) numbers, but that mostly comes with time. I plan on prone leg extensions to push that issue. You lay on a bed face down, dangle the leg out with your knee at the edge of the bed and allow gravity to gently stretch things out into a slight hyper extension.

Taking stairs going up has become quite easy, but I'm still a bit unstable bending the operative knee going down. I'm fine until the last inch or two before my other foot lands, so I need some more strength work in that part of my range. I expect massive improvement when I begin squats in the next week or two.

I'm hoping my nighttime leg cramps go away soon. Other than ibuprofen--which is eventually gonna wear a hole in my stomach if I'm not careful--the practical solution has been a combination of a hot water bottle applied to the thigh and a large pillow between the knees.

The pillow keeps stress off of my sprained MCL, which I'm still nursing while in rehab for the ACL. Padding between the knees gives Mrs. Shaft a better night's sleep; I can sleep on my side comfortably and avoid waking her with snoring!

The weather around here is hovering near zero degrees, with forecasts into the negative double-digits next week. Boy I sure hope it warms up a bit before I start running!!! I'm looking forward to Robert Frost moments.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Phase Won.

2009-01-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

My rehab program is in 4 phases:

I. 0-4 weeks: Range of Motion. Goal: ROM of 0-120° and walking without a limp.
II. 4-6 weeks: Strength, balance, and proprioception. Goal: Unrestricted walking, including stairs.
III. 7-12 weeks: Power, speed, and more strength. Goal: Begin return to running program.
IV. 13-24 weeks: Function, agility, hopping, sport specific drills. Goal: Complete rehabilitation.

Sunday marked the end of week 3. My last PT visit had me at -3° to + 116° ROM, which seems far ahead of my prior rehab! I've been taking stairs leading with the operative leg going up now, but we're waiting on leading with the good leg going down until I demonstrate more control.

The busyness of the holidays has kept my mind occupied, and these first 3 weeks have simply flown by. Here's the basics of where I'm at currently:

- ROM: Objectively I'd say I'm well into 120°+ of flex, and extension isn't hardly uncomfortable at all.
- Swelling: I have dimples around my kneecap again!
- Scarring: Scars are healing up nicely, just one persistent site that's still rather swollen but not painful. My PT is having me massage the scars to keep them from bonding to the underlying tissue.
- Mobility: Haven't used a cane since the first week.
- Bruising: The last traces of pooled fluid in my foot have faded to nearly nothing now.
- Walking: I still catch myself in a conservative gait, working on lengthening my stride.
- Strength: Strapping on 2 lbs. of ankle weights for straight leg lifts currently.

Since swelling has gone down, my other ligaments have taken the opportunity to get some exercise of the knee-cracking variety. Things are still a bit tender in that area, so I'm careful whenever getting up from sitting for long periods. I still get these wicked charlie horse cramps in my thigh in the evening, but ibuprofen usually takes care of those. If they continue much past about week 6, I'll get them investigated in case there's funny business with nerves in my back.

I'm two days into my resolution for sit-ups and push-ups, hoping it's a good habit that will develop over the next few weeks. Can't wait to start running in another 3 weeks, which is odd since I'm not normally much of a runner to begin with--but it always manages to fire me up for the day.

Black Belt Mama is heading in tomorrow morning for some corrective surgery on a protruding sheath from the interference screw installed in her shin. Keep her in your thoughts that her healing will be quick and devoid of any PT requirements!

Thursday is the next check-in with my PT. Friday is my 40th birthday. I expect great things from both.

Love

2008-12-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

My wife loves my knee.

She said as much this week.

Well, she loves the rest of me, too, but my operative knee in particular comes in handy for Christmas shopping since it nets me a handicapped parking pass.

Notable milestones:

- 110° of flexion, -3° extension, and straight leg lifts with no noticeable lag.
- Beyond weight-bearing and walking without a limp, I was actually able to balance on the operative leg on a mini trampoline at PT!
- Stitches are out.
- Immobilizer brace and cane are gone. Amen.

Only noticeable ongoing issues are my leg coloring up (normal, but rather gruesome looking) and mild cramping in my quads. I'm strictly on Ibuprofen, and should be weaning off that soon.

This year we added a Wii to the household. With the addition of the Wii Fit, I hope to work a lot on balance as I work on strength and flexibility throughout my rehab.

As I reflect on the events of my 39th year, I realize that I am approaching 40 with 3 people and 4 screws inside me.

My resolution this year is simple; Start daily push-ups and sit-ups January 1st, adding more each week. Starting at 10 of each daily, in addition to my PT regimen, and add 1 each day. By my anticipated return date in 20 weeks, I should be at around 150 daily. Wish me luck!

What's your fitness resolution this year?

Hack Shaft II: The Clone (Pictures!)

2008-12-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the sequel.

Unlike many movie series, my second ACL reconstruction experience so far has exceeded expectations. Here's a few comparisons:

- Initial injury. No swelling vs. puffing up like a balloon. My ACL had somehow managed to fold over itself immediately after rupture, effectively choking off any hemorrhagic blood flow and preventing swelling. What a miracle and a blessing, it saved me from Pre-Op PT to restore Range Of Motion.
- Locating the femoral nerve. Got it the right away vs. needing a few minutes (and hitting some raw nerves in the knee joint.)
- Lower sedation levels. The spinal block injection didn't bother me any more than the prick from insertion of the I.V. catheter; last time they knocked me out for about 15 minutes. Since I was far less sedated, I was able to experience the whole surgical procedure without memory holes. Yes, I'm one of those sadists who watched his own surgery...Again!
- No nausea from pain meds. Since Vicodin made me constantly nauseous, I raised the issue this time. We ended up with good ol' Tylenol 3 (Tylenol + Codeine) and it worked like a charm. Vicodin and its analogs are powerful Codeine synthetics, and my pain threshold just didn't justify the side effects. I remembered tolerating Tylenol 3 in the past, so we combined that product with 800 mg doses of Ibuprofen and I was much more satisfied with the results. As of this morning I'm strictly on Ibuprofen since I had no significant pain when I woke up.

Some things weren't as positive. The spinal block began wearing off as they were closing up; last time it didn't begin wearing off until I was in Stage II recovery hanging out with Mrs. Shaft.

It didn't cause problems with any surgery-related pain since the femoral block was still active, but my posture on the table made things uncomfortable at that point.

My operative leg was strapped to an immobilizer board, and the end of it was digging into my left butt cheek. My right leg was dangling unsupported over the edge of the table at perhaps mid-thigh position.

The resulting dead (rapidly becoming live) weight pulled my lower back into an increasingly uncomfortable arch and began tweaking my lower back something fierce! I tolerated it to a point, and when it seemed like closure was still gonna take a bit I brought it to the attention of my nurse anesthetist. Since lumbar support wasn't available, and raising my torso to a higher angle just exaggerated the discomfort, I ended up with a shot of some narcotic (under protest.)

I felt it was overkill, and when the first dose didn't settle my lower back I got another. That settled things down, but made me a bit more woozy in recovery than I cared for. Leave it to an anesthetist to conclude the solution to any pain is more drugs.

My advice for anyone reading this and preparing for surgery: If you're awake, get lumbar support in place if possible!! My conclusion is they probably couldn't place anything there since it was the injection site for my spinal block, and perhaps they needed to watch it or something.

Once closing up was done, my cryo-cuff was installed as well as the immobilizer brace I'd brought in for re-use. This time, however, they installed a compression wrap along the length of my leg, rather than just gauze to hold dressings in place. Unfortunately this resulted in a lot of insulation between cryo-cuff and my knee, so it was pretty much ineffective until dressings were changed the following day and a few layers removed.

This morning was the 48-hour mark and so I removed the dressings to shower up. Things look pretty much as expected, but my leg as a whole seemed much more swollen than last time. I assume removing the compression wrap probably induced that, as well as a lack of proper cooling for the knee the day before.

The only thing out of the ordinary was a nickel-sized blister at the end of some of the steri-strips on my shin. I contacted a nurse at the clinic, and the conclusion is it was most likely the result of unusual rubbing at that spot. I trimmed back the steri-strips to better expose the blister, then padded the site with some larger gauze to protect it until it either drains or the fluid is re-absorbed. Fluid in it was clear, so I'm not too concerned unless it bursts and creates an opening for infection. Just something to watch over the next few days.

As for getting around, I'm on a cane at home already and crutches in public (for speed), so am able to bear weight well. Couldn't do a straight leg raise at PT yesterday, so I'm working on quad sets and assisted raises using my non-operative leg along with passive extension while icing and such. My numbers are +10° extension (should ultimately be around -10°) to about +75° flexion.

I got a looong way to go, baby!

For the gruesome of yousome, here's before and after pics of the ACL:

The tip of the probe is in front of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament, the ACL's partner. "Cruciate" refers to the crossing of the two ligaments working in concert to hold the shin in proper position relative to the thigh. The lower end of the ACL took some bone with it when it ruptured, and somehow folded over itself choking off blood flow that would have otherwise caused massive post-injury swelling.

Welcome the PCL (top-left to bottom-right) and it's new ACL partner (bottom-left to top-right.) May they perform their duet perfectly in concert until the day I die.

In closing this post, I want to take a moment to thank two anonymous people for their decision to be organ donors. Since my replacement ACL's are both allografts, (harvested from cadavers) I give my most heartfelt thanks to them both for checking that box on their state ID or driver's license forms. I hope you both enjoy the ride as I cruise into my 40's next month and continue my journey to black belt and beyond.

For Daze

2008-12-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday I went to cheer on 5 people from my school testing for black belt. All 5 were awarded thier black belts, and I'm very proud of their efforts!

I decided to hang out and catch the fights on Monday night. I was pleasantly surprised to see all 5 of our new black belts show up for their ritual beating (except one, who doesn't spar due to low back complications.)

Each fresh black belt faced off against everyone else present, from under-belts to 2nd degree's, finishing with our head instructor. That was a blast to watch!

I plan to make Monday nights a regular thing. It's karate-related activity that will keep my spirits elevated, I can keep connected with that particular group of folks regularly, and very importantly, I can study my opponents and plan strategy!

Now this all sounds somehow underhanded or sinister, but I'm a visual learner and will absorb anything I can while laid up and rehabilitating my knee. One guy in particular, John, has always been a wonderful partner and a particular challenge to me. He's an inside fighter, and I prefer to keep guys like that at a distance with kicks, which are my stronger weapon.

I hate when he gets inside my kicking range!!!

However, even in the short down time I've had I can see massive improvements in John's technique. He's putting more kicks out there, and is developing a wicked-sharp reflex for getting his head out of the way of punches. I'll have to keep an eye on him for certain, and really look forward to getting back in the ring with him in June.

Four more days; Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday.

To be honest, I'm ready for this. My left knee has gotten progressively weirder and unreliable, with more "tricks" than I care for. I want my predictability back.

Sing it with me, folks:

All I want for Christmas is my A-C-L,
My A-C-L, just my A-C-L
Gee, if I could only have my A-C-L,
Then I could wish you Merry Kicks-mas!!!

Nesting Instinct

2008-12-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

Being a father, I've seen this sort of thing before but never experienced it quite as much as I have lately.

The Nesting Instinct.

It's a phenomenon which occurs among pregnant women nearing birth. They get this burst of energy and seem driven to 'get the nest ready' for the new arrival.

In my case, I've been tackling not only the necessary details for surgery (PT, pre-op physical, follow-up appointments, FSA funds) but also a number of other projects around the house. I had a trim job on the stairs that I've buttoned up before Winter arrived. Gotta re-organize the garage and swap the lawnmower for the snowblower so it's ready for Mrs. G when that first big storm arrives. Buying some comfy, large pillows for leg padding. Gift-wrapping my sparring gear and uniforms.

And very importantly, getting my studio cleaned up and organized so I can perhaps do some music writing while I'm laid up!

I have no other way to describe it other than a nesting instinct. I'm making sure all I'll need those first few weeks following surgery will be at-hand without any fuss.

On a side note, please welcome Wei who is in late stages of ACL reconstruction PT as of this writing. She's a student of Tae Kwon Do, and a worthy read. Plus, I discovered the cool new gadget for blog links you can now see!

Time, and time again.

2008-11-24T19:29:00.000-08:00

The date and time are set, the countdown reset.

December 15th, 8:30 am.

Saw Dr. K on Friday, he confirmed it is a complete ACL tear, and is just as baffled as I am as to the lack of swelling. He mentioned that sometimes it's the result of chronic ACL wear, but he saw no indication of that. Guess I'll just count my blessings I didn't have to go through the whole swelling-reduction program prior to surgery!

No indication of Meniscus damage, and signs of an MCL sprain which will resolve itself without surgical intervention.

As I head for my repeat, it's a reminder of all the things I had to do last time. Pre-op physical. PT appointments. Follow-up appointments. Work scheduling. Short-term disability. Allograft decision.

On.

And On.

And yes, I will be watching surgery again. That was cool the first time, gotta catch the sequel!

I will pack and gift wrap my uniforms and equipment this weekend. It was a ritual I used before, and one worth repeating. It symbolizes the pain of putting away my Karate for a while, with the promise of rebirth, restoration, and renewal in 27 weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Really Weird.

2008-11-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone who commented for your support. It may be a few words on a blog, but I'm glad to know I'm not taking the trip (again) alone!

Friday night's screening was really cool. I'm sure the 5 people from my school will fly on to the final exam with no problems! Lots of people were asking about me, whether what they'd heard was true.

I hadn't the assistant instructor from that night since the injury, and he took time to step off the mat and check in with me. Mr. Fab was, ironically, the only one present for both ACL ruptures.

Most impressive, however, was our 5th degree in charge of Black Belt screenings. Mr. War took a moment--right in the middle of screening--to give me his personal condolences. He himself has had both ACL's re-constructed, and stated "There is more after all this..."

So on to the "Really Weird" bit.

This time, my ACL tear emitted a 'pop' as one would expect. However, there was no swelling whatsoever! Now, I've no idea how that's even possible, unless some unusual situation--perhaps a bit of bone on the end--managed to immediately close off the blood vessels that typically run through the ACL. Normally these suckers swell like a balloon almost immediately from the hemmorhage, but not this time.

Weird, huh?

While Dr. W stated the MRI did confirm a torn ACL, I forgot to ask if it was partial or complete tear in his opinion. Hopefully Friday's visit with Dr. K will shed light on that particular mystery.

So tell me: Anyone reading this experience a partial tear only, or some level of injury where no swelling occured???

Details

2008-11-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

For the creatively challenged trying to read last Tuesday's post, here's what happened on Election Night:

1. Obama won the Presidency.
2. Hack Shaft lost another ACL.

Oy. Well, it's been shocking to so many in my extended Karate community to hear the news, and everyone is surprised at how well I'm taking it.

Should I take it some other way?

Wednesday night I did some power-grieving with a few beers and a surprisingly large quantity of Jack Daniels. Understand, folks, I'm not a heavy drinker and don't recommend my blatantly juvenile, childish, alcohol-fueled reaction--but that night the reality of being out until June again hit me hard.

Why June? Primarily financial reasons. Like last time, I plan to use pre-tax money from an FSA at work to pay for surgery expenses, and the new funds aren't available until January 1st. The medical services have to occur in the same year as the FSA funds.

Then again, I may forgo the tax benefit if I can get surgery scheduled in early December. Guess I'll know more Friday after my visit with Dr. K.

Primary considerations are scheduling--such as carpools, time off from work, holiday parties--but maybe, just maybe, I can trim a month off the process...

Well, 'nuff for tonight. I'm heading out to support 5 friends from my school at their final Black Belt screening session.

Reset.

2008-11-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

Folks, I am sorry to report that I'll be re-setting the clock at the top of my blog shortly.

Saturday I got the call from my doc, the MRI confirms I've torn the ACL in my left knee now as the result of a bad landing from a tornado kick on Election night.

At this point, looking at the second week of January for surgery for a variety of reasons, some financial, some just plain timing.

I mentioned to the staff at the clinic that I really didn't intend to make this an annual visit, and I'm not looking forward to the look on Dr. K's face next week.

On the plus side, it's almost time to plan for flexible spending accounts again, so I can set aside pre-tax money again for the next round. I also have all the specialty stuff, like an exercise bike and the all-important cryo-cuff.

And so another round begins.

Plbbbbbbtttttttt!!!!

Two Words.

2008-11-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night.

Tornado kick.

Planted foot.

Left Knee.

Lachmann test.

Suspected rupture.

(Not again?!?!?)

Hurts bad.

No swelling...

Noon MRI.

Results Saturday.

Feeling hopeful!

Positive thoughts...

Pretty please?

Fighting Fatigue

2008-11-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

Good piece of advice: Don't Fight Fatigued!!!

October's tournament was a tough one for me this year. 13 guys in my division doing open hand form, and just as many fighting, too. On top of it all, my band had its CD release party the night before, and I ended up getting about 3 hours sleep. Not exactly a good set-up for competing in the top-ranked national tournament of the year!

I achieved Finalist status in open hand form, which means I was in the top 8, and I'm satisfied with that. At this belt level my school's open hand form is not as complex or difficult as some I've seen. The winner was from a Tang Soo Do school, and had an incredible form; very powerful and clean presentation, and most deserving of a top placing.

Going into fighting, I pretty much knew I'd be out after the first round. New rules extended fighting to 2 minutes or first to 7 points. While I lost 4-7 to the fighter who ended up in 2nd place, I did have one bright moment.

Forgetting that I fight best reactively, the first two clashes went to my opponent as I tried to take off from the line. 3rd clash I began moving around and finally popped in some points. We went back and forth trading punches, and while I landed a solid kick to his chest right in front of the center judge, neither corner judge saw it well enough to award me that particular point.

The last blow I delivered came as a complete surprise, and ended up being the most revealing and valuable lesson of the tournament.

I have this habit of turning away from my opponent. Bad idea, I know, but in this particular case I turned while pulling my head back out of range of his fist. 1/3rd of the way through turning, I thought to deliver a back fist with my left hand, which missed my opponent's head. However, my right hand, seemingly of its own accord, delivered a beautiful follow-through that delivered a solid blow to his chin! That moment is awfully fun to watch on video...

What exactly did that moment reveal??? Simple. I need to return to fighting conventional stance vs. southpaw.

See, my right (operative) leg is really good at delivering repeated, jabbing side kicks. However, when it comes to follow-up with my hands, my left fist is really slow. Sure, my right hand in front is fine for back fist work, but there's just not much else to back it up!

I began fighting southpaw when I returned, mostly because I wanted to guard my operative leg from too much sideways motion. Conventional stance put a lot of pressure on the knee, either taking off forward, or if I was retreating. Since that time, however, my knee has toughened up significantly, so it's now time to reconsider my stance to take advantage of my strong side.

I'm right-handed, and my right leg is the stronger one these days. My first sparring class back I forced myself back to a conventional stance, and it was weird...but very effective! At first it felt like I was exposed, but now I realize the true feeling: freedom. Suddenly I felt like my hands truly did have something to contribute to the party, and it's really liberating.

Two Monday's ago we did something unusual that forced fighters to keep constantly on the move; we fought 2-on-1. This forced me as a defender to constantly try to position myself so one opponent was between me and the other opponent, effectively blocking the second attacker.

It was nuts. It was insane. It was a blur of motion. It was exhausting.

It was...A BLAST!!!

Next opportunity for tournament fighting in 2 weeks. Hope to have better results to report afterwards.

Where is the love?

2008-09-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

Inter-school sparring went so well, we're doing it once more this coming Monday night. We've got 3 other schools sending students over to mix things up in preparation for next weekend's big tournament, and it should be a blast.

Lately I've been challenged to find that certain joy in doing battle during sparring that keeps me focused. Last night it returned by the bucketful, and I came home with such a buzz, it was really surprising!

I stopped concentrating so hard on myself and took time to work with a new student, and celebrate developing skills in other fighters. A few suggestions here and there, couple of good knocks to the head, and I was in Heaven.

Now...to keep that going and find it again a week from Saturday...

Updates

2008-09-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hi, there, faithful reader! It's been nearly a month since my last post, time for some quick updates.

I attended my first tournament since my injury in December 2007 and had a blast!

In open hand form I took first in my division by .01 point. Just goes to show that victory can be by the slimmest margins sometimes!

I was also very satisfied with my sparring performance, taking second in my division. We had some great competition, and I have some very useful video provided by one of the parents to study what worked and what didn't work. I can't stress enough how useful it is to study video of yourself, be it during class, rank testing, or tournament. No matter the outcome, you're always way ahead of the game with video documentation!

That being said, G-Shaft accompanied me to an inter-school event this evening and ran the camcorder.

4 schools gathered for a mass sparring class at what is likely the smallest school in the system. Fantastic turnout, we had fighters from yellow/green through multiple black belt degrees, 13 to 40-somethings, about 30 fighters in total.

The purpose was to mix things up between schools, so that each person had an opportunity to work with unknown fighters. This helps to mentally prepare oneself for tournaments where you often meet fighters you've never been in the ring with, and it's an invaluable experience. I highly recommend it!

I came home having met some GREAT fighters, really nice people, and walked away with a nice Charlie Horse in my right thigh. Oh, well, any class you can walk away from...right?

G'night folks, and keep those hands up!!!

Taking a break from getting high

2008-08-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

In Thursday's core class we worked some drills to extend kicking height.

Round kicks went great, I'm easily at head height getting much higher than I thought possible at this relatively early stage in my journey to Black Belt.

Hook kicks went well, but...the last one or two had me extending a bit far and I suffered a minor hamstring pull in my left leg.

As my supporting leg at the time, it was pretty much under maximum tension as I stretched to reach the target; leaning slightly back, I felt it give right where the muscle meets my pelvis.

That's the closest thing I've ever felt to a broken butt. The pain was sharp and very localized, right near the bony bit of pelvis one sits on.

After talking with my instructor, I decided to take a week off to rest the leg, not wanting to chance more injury sparring tonight.

The pain has subsided, but I can still feel some tension with mild stretching. I should be fine, just have to watch that leg--and avoid high hook kicks for a month or two!!!

Monday's lesson: being seen

2008-08-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sparring class on Monday was quite a blast this week.

An early lesson we had involved studying your opponent: If they make a move twice, expect them to keep doing it.

Warming up with some free sparring, I faked a hook kick to one side drawing my opponent's guard, then followed through with the same leg delivering a round kick to the opposite side of my opponent's head. He congratulated me with, "Wow, nice fake with that hook!"

Worked so well, I did it again with the same result. It was kind of funny, but just drives home the importance of not being predictable in the ring!

I also managed to go about 6-7 minutes with one of our top fighters before losing 5-4. Wow. My developing defenses and counter-attacks actually keep me from being a 30-second punching bag!

He said I deserved the win, actually, since one particularly well-landed kick was not seen by enough judges to award points with a majority decision.

Lesson learned. In point sparring, majority rules for judging an attack; therefore, try to position yourself where the center judge can see you score the most!

Opportunity

2008-08-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

My Karate school is remodeling which presented me with a golden opportunity:

Purchase several 40" X 40" squares of interlocking floor mat squares for $5 each!

Since I have plans to add a major addition to the house, which includes a workout area for Karate, I snagged 25 tiles--enough to make a 16 X 16 sparring area. These premium mats usually go for $20-22 each, so it's an easy choice to make.

As for Karate, things are going fantastic. I'm still enjoying Monday night sparring, and look forward to my first tournament on September 14th. It'll be my first time sparring in a tournament, and first tournament since last November!

Also, my band will be performing an acoustic show in October that'll broadcast live over the Internet. I'll be sure to post a link.

Meanwhile the knee is holding up just great, and I pretty much give it no thought these days.

Be good. Keep smiling at those opponents!!!

Anyone have time for sale???

2008-08-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

If I could save time in a bottle...

Just a short note to let you all know that things are proceeding wonderfully.

It's been a fantastically busy summer, lots of great things happening at the moment:

- My band's CD recording is wrapping up, hopefully this week
- Spent a week camping hard-core, canoeing on the Canadian border
- Most significantly: Monday I accepted a new job at my company with a 20% salary increase!
- Loving the hell out of sparring, learning a lot and having a blast working out with so many great fighters.

Tournament season starts in September, so our classes will begin to intensify very soon in anticipation of the first event. I look forward to trying out my sparring skills against unknown opponents after hanging out with 13 or so of the same fighters all Spring and Summer.

Be good, and keep smiling at your opponents!

Well healed

2008-07-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today's core class was quite a bit of fun. We worked on slow kick drills for side kicks, worked with body shields on a variety of side kicks, and finally grabbed hand pads and tried out 360 round kicks.

One of the drills was on a step-through side kick. From a fighting stance, the rear leg is brought up and cocked with a 90-degree bend (hip rotation is a BIG part of this one) while the front leg rotates 180 degrees to support you, then the kick is delivered like a typical side kick. Besides hip rotation, that supporting leg and foot MUST get full rotation to be effective.

My instructor related that this particular kick tore the ACL of the school's owner long ago when he failed to rotate his supporting leg! As we worked on them, he declared that if I could deliver step-through side kicks, I must be well-healed.

Later we added a combo of step-through side kick with a turning back kick. The result is that you almost pivot the kicking leg as it strikes your opponent, turning and swapping legs to deliver the second kick. An interesting and very challenging combo, but not practical in sparring except as a final shot since it eats up a lot of energy.

For fun we turned to 360 round kicks. Take a typical tornado kick, tilt your axis of rotation back maybe 30 degrees from vertical and add more hip rotation--presto, a 360 round kick. Being somewhat adept at tornado kicks, this came to me quickly after just a few tries. Man, did those pads make some nice, thunderous pops, quite fun to do!

My sister came to town for a Triathlon this Saturday that the family team is participating in. I invited her to watch sparring class back on Monday, and unknown to me she was shooting short videos with her digital still camera. We had fun later that night analyzing the clashes frame-by-frame. I was really happy to see Danny Longlegs get into using his hands much more, and I managed to best him 1-2-3 in our last clash by sneaking quick jabbing side kicks under his guard.

Tonight made me feel quite well healed, though not necessarily fully recovered. I'd put myself at, oh, 90% since I'm still a bit stiff in the mornings!

Here's a question for ACL recoverees: How did or how will you gauge your recovery?

Testing my study habits: Duck!

2008-07-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

My posts lately have been about sparring and how much I'm really getting it now. Spending almost 7 months laid up, one has a lot of time to study things. In sparring, I believe that knowing your opponent's style and tendencies is of the utmost importance for you to have a chance of surviving a match, let alone victory.

We have a lot of 1st and 2nd degree black belts in my sparring class that are 18 or younger. The primary thing this gives them is SPEED, which at my (ahem) more advanced age is something still in development. My best defense until I gain speed is to anticipate what might be coming at me, and work on counter-attacks accordingly.

Two Mondays ago I was up against a zippy 13-year old 1st degree. I could hold him off or drive him out of the ring with repeated side kicks, but the very moment I turned away or otherwise took my eyes off of him, he'd nail me with a flying sort of blitz punch. It's a popular attack among the young black belts.

Guess what: I noticed.

In my head I reflected on it, and played out scenarios on how to deflect or avoid that particular attack. Watched a lot of WCL, checked out YouTube videos, and noted how advanced point fighters dealt with the attack.

Last Monday I was in the ring again with the same kid, but a different outcome. Anticipating the blitz, I ducked my head back out of range while delivering the last side kick in a combo attack. The result was an introduction of foot to chest--2 points!

Tuesday's core class was also a revelation. We worked on a lot of skip kicks, a long-range attack. That night I discovered my range is a lot longer than I thought. One more thing to note when gauging distance to my opponent.

Happy 4th of July!

Is it breaking with tradition?

2008-06-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

In my down time, I enjoyed studying other interesting martial arts on You Tube, such as I Liq Chuan. ILC incorporates a lot of spiral movements and embraces the idea of coiled energy. Once in a while I'll find myself unconsciously trying out techniques in sparring I've seen but never practiced.

An example from my first sparring session after returning: Rather than meeting my opponent's jab with a hard block, once or twice my leading hand would move in a spiral motion like scooping ice cream. At the same time, I pivoted on my rear leg to angle back and outside of the attack.

The result was my opponent's hand would continue on its trajectory, but not in a straight line. The scooping, spiral motion caused my opponent's hand to angle down and cross their other hand, looking rather like someone tried to braid their arms together. It was weird, but effective.

So I suppose it leads naturally to the question of tradition. If I discover a move from a martial art other than the one I study, and it's not illegal to use, is it fair (and respectful) to incorporate it into sparring?

I think so. Until I develop more speed, I think it's OK to drop a few surprises now and then.

Sparring #2: Hey, watch it!!!

2008-06-18T20:47:00.001-07:00

Monday night sparring was quite sweet. Only 6 of us in class, so we all had ample opportunity to go a few minutes with each other.

The new knee isn't quite up to full strength when it comes to sideways forces, such as quick take-offs or retreating from an opponent (never in a straight line, right?) As a result, I've found it more comfortable to spar southpaw, with my right (operative) leg and hand forward. After almost 7 months of consideration, I've also adopted a fresh attitude about sparring.

Don't jump out of the gate like some hyperactive young buck; study your opponent, figure out their 'style' of attacks, then anticipate the attacks and go for the targets they leave. Above all, SMILE--it really seems to put an opponent off balance, especially if you compliment them when scoring a hit!

It seems so simple, but I have found it amazingly effective to enter the class with the right attitude. I'm not gonna best the energetic 13-18 year old black belts, but I can at least cover my butt. Sometimes I actually sneak in a good, clean shot, and can stretch out a matchup rather than simply be a punching bag for a 30-second, 5-0 bout.

There were a few dicey moments, however.

Fireball G, a non-blackbelt 13-year old with a killer blitz punch combo, didn't anticipate that I'd follow up a side kick with a second one. He lept for a blitz attempt, and caught my right foot squarely in the ribs as though he'd just run into a fence. I felt horrible, but found out later I'd simply got him squarely in the spot tenderized earlier that evening from sparring with another 13-year old.

Danny Longlegs, a fellow ACL tear recoveree and second degree blackbelt in TKD and Hapkido working through the curriculum at my school, had a tendency to go for spinning kicks without any punches or other combos to follow up. Telegraphing the spins, I was often able to parry his effort by stepping in for a jam, or a side kick to the waist to unbalance him when he was halfway around.

It was using my operative leg as a shield that gave me pause to think.

Danny executed a turning side kick that went off early. Rather than striking my torso, the early side-kick nailed my knee while I had it up for shielding, jolting it uncomfortably sideways. It's fine, no damage done, but his kick did smack me right where the lower screw is installed in the shin. Ouch!

A good bit of icing and things are just fine as far as I can tell, and now I know what NOT to shield against with that leg.

Batting .333

2008-06-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

First sparring class in November, 2007: Rolled my foot, re-spraining an ankle.
Second sparring class in December, 2007: Tore my ACL trying to recover from a fall.
Third sparring class in June, 2008: No injuries.

Injury-free sparring class stats: a solid .333. Not bad, eh?

After last Friday's green light from Dr. K, I made a point to feel my way through full contact pad hits at Saturday's morning class. Everything was fantastic, no soreness in the knee, so I decided to attend sparring class Monday night.

I had a blast!

I made my instructor a bit nervous, kicking away at the punching bag while he finished teaching the beginner belt class, but assured him that my goal was to survive injury-free and I'd go easy. We warmed up with hopping drills, working on slide kicks and blitz punches for point sparring. So far, so good, and the operative knee was holding up just fine.

As we drilled on specific techniques with partners, I concluded that while it's the stronger one, my right leg didn't care to be in back. Throughout the evening I switched up stances, and it felt more comfortable with my right leg in front. If it stays that way, I may have an advantage in future matches, since my back would be towards most people's kicking leg--not a legitimate target in point sparring. We'll see.

It wasn't really until Tuesday's class that I felt any soreness at all, though I've been faithfully spending time with the cryo-cuff after classes. Things were just dandy yesterday and today, so I think I'm at a good pace right now.

The next challenge: Summer goals! Here's what I need to achieve between now and August 31st:

- Attend at least 12 regular classes
- 1000 push-ups
- 1500 slow kicks
- Minimum 150 times going through form
- 45 minutes of aerobic activity per week

Keep in mind that any of this activity done in class does NOT count. Should be easy, and the master of our school system will be presenting patches at the end of the summer for those who make their goals.

A little 5-7-5 of thanks to all you readers:

"Pop" went the weasel
My fighting spirit, broken
Your spirit heals me

Surgeon's Report: 3 Lovely Words

2008-06-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

I had my final visit with Dr. K this morning.

His exact words:

WELCOME TO GRADUATION!

No more restrictions--even if I played football, he'd have OK'ed me for full contact.

The sky doesn't get any bluer, nor the light any greener than that. AMEN.

Just for fun!

2008-06-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a Karate demo video of my school I created from the local main street art festival a few weeks ago.

Enjoy!

Everybody hurts sometimes

2008-06-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

So. My first report since returning to karate.

I gotta say, things are going fantastic!

I am resigned to non-contact exercise until I speak with Dr. K Friday morning, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun!

My first class last Friday with new students and lower belts went well. We worked on punches and elbow strikes a ton, with no leg movement save for shifting weight and proper hip rotation to put force into any given strike.

Saturday morning was an all-belt class, and in deference to my non-contact status, we worked with X-Ray paper. It makes effective targets, is durable, and offers a great snapping sound when you smack it! That class incorporated not just round kicks and hook kicks, but combinations and spin kicks as well. I proceeded cautiously, and by the end of class my knee gave no signs of trouble whatsoever delivering moderate effort kicks. It handled being the support leg on spin kicks just fine.

Monday I opted again for a lower belt class in lieu of sparring, which occurs immediately after class. Black Belt Lindsay brought birthday treats of killer cake and homemade ice cream, and we worked our stances.

Tonight's class was form work, and we ironed the wrinkles out of the middle section of the form where there's some odd front-back-front stance moves that challenge your thinking a bit! Class finished with body pad kicks, and I took that time to do my favorite slow-count kick drills. I'm impressed that most of my flexibility remained after slacking off of stretches the past 6 months.

So there's the first report since returning, folks.

Everything is far better than expected, and I'm much more relaxed since getting back into the swing of things. As my PT pointed out, I have some good experiences to use as feedback Friday morning when I meet with Dr. K.

And the knee? Haven't given it a second thought except to remember the all-important post-workout ice down. Truth be told, my knee is the one part of my body that isn't sore, and that's a good thing.

To quote R.E.M., "Everybody hurts, sometimes..."

To Be Continued...

2008-05-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

Ever watch a great show, only to be smacked by a To Be Continued... credit at the end?

Well, here's another one.

I thought my appointment was at 9, turns out it was at 8:30! And of course, the surgeon was leaving early today, so no possibility to wait for an opening later on. Now I'm scheduled to see him next Friday at 10:30...

AAAUGH!

Well, here's my deal. I'm already OK to work on my own with moderate tempo Karate per my PT. I will return to the mat tonight, with a self-imposed limitation of moderate tempo, non-contact kicking until I see Dr. K next Friday.

At this point I've just got to be out there with my peers, and I find no risk in doing what I'm already approved to do.

I'll just be doing it in uniform.

***UPDATE***
I spoke with my PT this afternoon, and she agrees with my limitations until I see Dr. K. That is, moderate tempo, non-contact activity on the operative leg. It's the same training I've been doing, just in a different venue and with friends. Yay!!!

The final countdown.

2008-05-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, less than 24 hours to go. I can't believe how this is impacting my life!

Speaking to my school's manager, tomorrow night will be plenty quiet for my test drive.
Unfortunately he's fighting in an out-of-town tournament and won't be there for my first class back, but he wished me lots of luck.

In an eerie coincidence, my knee hasn't bothered me one bit this week. Usually first thing in the morning there's some soreness at the top of my shin, but this week there's been nothing.

Nothing.

I spent 6 hours Sunday squatting and kneeling while replacing a strut on Mrs. Shaft's car.

Nothing.

I spent 7 hours Monday up and down ladders, renovating the band's rehearsal studio.

Still nothing.

It's about time.

Final week, and it's killing me!

2008-05-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

One more week.

I'm dying here, folks, I really am. This week is going to feel as long as the prior 5 or so months unless I keep myself busy!

I'll admit, I have totally slacked off lately. However, I think I have the reason pinned down.

As I mentioned in my last post, I used to train for Triathlons, but the solitary nature of the training just wasn't my bag anymore.

Helloooo???

I'm training in solitude again!!! Geez, no wonder I'm going ape-shit.

I'm grateful for the long weekend and shortened work week. I'm finally getting a handle on some new responsibilities at work, and not stressing out nearly as much.

I plan to attend the evening class Friday, normally for beginning adults. At this time of year, however, it's sparsely attended if at all. I thought it'd be good to go for a gentle test drive during a quieter class. One of the younger students has been keeping tabs on me and is pledged to be at that class when I return.

I ran into one of our black belts at the store late Monday night (adult sparring night), and he shared how 'intense' sparring has gotten. They're even trying tag-team matches! Depending on my surgeon's opinion, I think I'll take the same tack that Bobspar did, and work sparring strictly on an upper-body basis until I've worked the knee a while in core classes.

My ultimate goal? To finish a sparring class injury-free. See, I've only ever made it to two classes; The first one, I rolled my ankle, aggravating an existing sprain that wasn't properly braced. The second one, I popped my ACL.

Besides running up to 4 miles, jumping rope, and doing some nutso hopping exercises, I have been doing moderate karate, primarily forms and my favorite slow-count kicks. There's a summer goals program that I look forward to, since it involves committing to and documenting additional aerobic exercise outside of class, push-ups and sit-ups. This much I can handle in solitude, given regular core classes to work out 'socially.'

I'm not going to go crazy when I'm back to karate, really I'm not.

But I am willing to learn how...

Three weeks: A Genesis Story

2008-05-08T13:18:00.001-07:00

In the beginning, there was Tri.
The Tri was with me
I was in the Tri
It was, you know, good.

It began with one Sister.
Then two.
Then three and four joined in, and numbers swelled to 9 of us doing Triathlons.
Crazy, good-natured, trash-talking, family relationship-building fun. That's 6 siblings, a brother-in-law, mid 70's mother, and a blind friend who is still inspiring to watch in competition.

While I no longer compete, training did establish comfort and familiarity with the core Triathlon elements of swimming, biking, and running.

While biking, I would watch my odometer and note mileposts to use for gaging distances when I was running. This morning I reached one of those well-used mileposts, the one marking a turn-around point 1.5 miles from my house.

I made 3 miles today...And it was good.

Four weeks to go:Time for some numbers.

2008-05-02T15:02:00.001-07:00

I had it in my head that a 6 month rehab program = 26 weeks. From my surgery on January 2nd, this works out to July 2nd.

However...the rehab program is actually 24 weeks, or June 18th!

I'm going with my PT's opinion and my gut at this time (and it's still pretty sizable), that my visit with Dr. K on the 30th will result in my returning to Karate. Updated my countdown to reflect this.

I am exhausted this week. I'm trying to wrap up mixing my band's CD so we can publish it this month (www.oceansmusic.net), and only get time late at night at the rehearsal studio. Combine that with the early morning regimen to prepare for returning to Karate at the end of the month, and I'm burning the candle at both ends!

To fit everything in, I created two alternating day schedules, with a lighter "rest" day on Sunday.

M-W-F: Running and Karate

- Run 20 minutes, increasing to 30 by month end.
- 15 minutes of figure-8 running, starting long and wide, shrinking to sharp turns by month end
- 5 minutes of backwards running uphill, increasing as I'm able
- 15-20 minutes of slow tempo Karate form, stance marches, slow-count kicks, increasing to moderate tempo by month end

T-Th-Sa: Jump, Hop, Strength and Balance

- 5 minutes of jump rope, working up to 10 minutes by month end (great for sparring footwork endurance)
- 20 minutes of hop exercises: box, diagonal, straight line, zig-zag line, working up to one-leg by month end
- Strength exercises working up to 10 lbs. of ankle weight, various squats, hamstring curls, planks, core, pushups and situps
- Closed eye balance and stances with G-Shaft gently pushing or pulling to challenge proprioception

Sunday: Light 20 minute jog with extensive stretching

It's aggressive, but I truly want to stage a decent comeback. So far I've got no unusual pain or aches from all this stuff. I also have it written out so I don't have to think so hard in the morning!

Time to shop for cross-trainers...

Two words: Five weeks?

2008-04-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

PT Visit on Friday went very well. At this time I am in the final phase of my program, and my homework for the next five weeks is:

- Increase running to 3-4 days per week, adding more distance by the 4th week
- Jumping rope with a target of 4 days per week, 5-10 minute sessions (good for sparring endurance)
- Continue strengthening exercises 3 times per week with emphasis on the hamstrings
- One leg bridges (Lie on my back, bend knees about 50-60 degrees and lift the hips up with one leg raised)
- Reverse Planks (Like bridges, except propped up on my elbows)
- Box jumps by the 4th week
- Moderate effort karate (lots of deep stance transitions and slow kicks)

My PT is betting that when I see Dr. K at the end of May, he might allow me an early return if I bust my butt a little bit between now and then! My goal is to set up a calendar with daily routines (including a rest day) so I don't have to think too hard at that time of day.

I can get up early in the morning just fine, it's always deciding what to do that breaks my routine!!!

If I could save time in a bottle...

2008-04-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone. Send a special welcome to Chad.

While I'd never wish the pain and suffering of ACL injury, reconstruction, and recovery on anyone, I do sincerely welcome him to this growing circle of Martial Artists blogging about their experiences. While Chad found my blog first, I still have to tip my hat to BobSpar for being the blogger I first found!

My usual posting time at work has been consumed with, well, lots of actual work lately! I never did post the milestone at PT back on April 9th: I am cleared for exercise with no restrictions.

Does this mean I'm back at Karate? Not at all. But it does mean I can go beyond linear motion and really dig in to my final phase of rehab.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am now slow-count kicking on both legs, and it feels great! It's amazing how what once was a dreaded class drill in strength, balance, and muscle memory is now something I embrace with gusto. I feel a lot of pride in being able to stick a leg out there and hold it rock steady again.

I've pushed my running to a strong 2 miles, typically 7-10 minute bursts with a minute or two of walking to give the knee a break. I mix up the walking segment with backwards walking, and do some drills running in all sorts of ways.

Working myself around in a circle:
- Running forward for a 10-count (1-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4, etc.)
- Grapevine sideways, left (good) leg leading for a 10-count
- Running backwards for a 10-count
- Grapevine sideways, right (operative) knee leading for a 10-count
- Back to regular running

If you're a regular runner, give this sequence a shot to break up your routine. Just one of these gave me the muscle burn of an extra 1/4 mile sprint!

I tried skipping rope for about 2 minutes before I had to give up. The one I bought is plastic, which is rather stiff in the cold morning air. Not only does it tend to trip me up just as I'm getting into a rhythm, it also whistles really loud, and I don't wanna wake the neighbors!

I plan to buy a spool of cotton clothesline that's heavy enough to be effective. My hope is to work up to about 5 minute jumping sessions, mixing up alternating feet with one-foot hops. I really want to be light on my feet when I return to sparring, and this is the best exercise I can think up.

Coming soon: visits to the local park for some more interesting drills such as running figure-8's, walk/run uphill backwards (there's a variety of slopes available at the park), and the occasional break for forms / kata.

Happy Half-Way Day!

2008-04-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

And so Wednesday, April the 2nd arrives, and along with it the end of week 13. The official halfway point of my 26-week rehab program.

Assuming they're on similar programs, I want to send a belated "Happy Half-Way Day" to Black Belt Mama and Michelle. Jed is on his third (owie!) reconstruction, and given his aggressive-sounding program, I've no idea where he is in his current rehab!

To celebrate, I'm bringing treats tomorrow to G-Shaft's sparring class. It's well attended (typically 17 or more kids), and I've received so many positive comments from the parents and some of the kids that I just had to say 'thanks' in one of my special ways--my infamous "bribe" cookies. Two of these have bought me into many events at no charge in the past...

Here's a few photos I took on my running path a few days after snow melt last week.

Whose woods these are, I think I know,
His house is in the village, though.

He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow

While beautiful, this is also a somewhat treacherous time of year. I had to keep switching sides of the trail to find good traction. See, the snow melted the day before, but re-froze overnight with a hard, slick glaze on top!

Here's a tribute to the boys of summer, may they bring it soon:

This is a baseball field at my turnaround point, lying in wait for the grass and baseball players to return. It's very quiet and peaceful at this time of morning!

This one I call Dawn of Health:

That's the shell of the new L.A. Fitness going up, just steps from the running trail. If membership is as reasonable as I've heard, and they have a pool, I'm all over it!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

2008-03-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

...But my morning run Tuesday was delightful!

I awoke to this sight:

32 degrees and heavy, sticky, new fallen Spring snow was on everything.

I really debated going for a run in that muck, but as it turned out the snow was only an inch deep. I geared up and headed out to my usual running path.

The path was perfectly undisturbed. Not even as much as a rabbit had left its mark, leaving me first to plod through the snow.

With trees arching overhead forming a sort of roof, it was a very Robert Frost moment.

Wednesday I had a brief visit with my PT to review exercises and status. You want numbers? My final ROM is 138 degrees flexion, probably -10 extension. This is identical to my good knee, and further flexion limited by the bulk of my thighs. All is well, except she wants me to concentrate more effort on hamstring development, which she states is quite important.

I see Molly again in 3 weeks when I pass into the final phase of rehab--weeks 13 through 26--and begin hopping, tons more balancing, figure-8, square hops, and finally running with cutting motions.

12 more days and I'm halfway home. New countdown clock to celebrate!

An analogue

2008-03-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

There's an LA Fitness along my running route being built, opening this summer just a measly 4 blocks from my house. It's so close I can see it walking a half block North, then looking West.

I thought it'd make a nice analogue to my recovery. They broke ground about the time I was injured, and will be open for business right about the time I return to Karate. I'll post occasional pictures.

For those who celebrate the season, hope you had a nice Palm Sunday!

Hitting the ground running!

2008-03-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today I celebrate day 2 of my return to the PT bandwagon.

It was simple, yet profound; my first early-morning run in perhaps 6 months. Granted, it was walking 4 minutes, run one, for 20 minutes total, but what a gorgeous time of year to do it.

If the weather outside is at least 20 degrees, I'm very comfortable running. I don't own a treadmill, and haven't had a health club membership in over a year. Better than all that, I have a packed-gravel bike path that is flat and straight for miles, located a scant block from my front door.

It's also kept clear of snow throughout the season!

I ventured down this path, in the prescribed walk-4-run-1 fashion, and was just enthralled by the sheer beauty of the sky at 7 am, and the peaceful silence that wrapped itself around me. It's a great time to mentally walk through the form I'm learning, too.

Ahhhhhhh...

This is where I am meant to be.

Keeping the dream alive!

2008-03-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

Boy, oh, boy, have I been just horribly busy lately! Unfortunately, I've totally been slacking on my PT. It's a horrible thing when you hit these doldrums, here in good ol' week 9 going on 10.

I mean, I'm grateful for having full ROM back. I'm thankful for not having put on extra pounds (well, one too many buffets this weekend, but other than that...)

Most of all, I loved the look on Dr. K's face two Fridays ago!!! At the beginning of that visit, the nurse strapped me in to a KT1000 Arthrometer and measured both knees' laxity--the displacement of the shin relative to the knee joint. This is essentially a carefully measured version of the Lachmann Test for ACL injury. the KT1000 gives 3 different tones throughout its range corresponding to three amounts of force the clinician is pulling on it with.

So...what were my results? At the three different pulling forces, my good knee was 4, 5, and 7mm of displacement. My operative knee was 4, 5, and 6mm! Technically tighter than the non-operative knee, but for all intents and purposes they are about even. Cool.

Dr. K said I can start the slow kicks planting on my good leg, including ankle weights, but nothing involving planting my operative leg right now. Apparently at this phase, the ACL will be at its weakest, about 20% of final strength. Ah, well, I'll take what I can get!

The weather has finally broken with a threat of springtime, and I'm really looking forward to it. This morning I got back on the PT wagon and strapped on the ol' ankle weights for some 5-pound lifts of fury. Gotta work up to 30 reps @ 10 pounds!

I am resolved to alternate days of running, ab core and pushups with days of exercise bike warmups, leg lifts, various tugs and squats, and lots of stretching everywhere.

Oh, and here's a relatively current photo. No, the fuzziness isn't my camera out of focus, it's my hairy-ass legs:

Speaking of which, a piece of advice for men getting ready for ACL reconstruction: Shave the surgical area. I had a particular knob of scab that didn't want to let go--turns out it was tethered by hair that was sewn into the wound...

Can you hear the drums?

2008-02-25T14:34:00.001-08:00

I can. My knees are back to talking with each other in bed in the morning, setting up an interesting rhythm sometimes. Mind you, these are normal sounds, nothing painful or out of the ordinary, but most certainly entertaining:

"Crick?" "Snick..."
"Pip?" "Pop!"
"Crock?" "Pip-crack-snick!!!!!"

As remarked on once by Black Belt Mama, I am most definitely in the Doldrums phase of recovery.

No huge exciting leaps of progress, though I am by many accounts far ahead of the typical person recovering from ACL reconstruction. I still attribute my accelerated recovery to rapid response to the injury more than anything else; I simply didn't have time to atrophy or cause collateral joint damage prior to surgery. We're talking almost exactly 1 month from injury to surgery here folks, and that's unusually short by so many accounts.

It's been colder than blazes since I was OK'ed to start power-walking in anticipation of running. I have no treadmill, so the only walking I've been doing is daily stuff around the office and shopping. I did put in a good dose this past Saturday, walking 6 or so blocks to the Karate school to video tape record belt promotion testing instead of driving. Felt absolutely fine afterwards.

This morning I had every intention of getting out and power-walking for 20 - 30 minutes, but alas I went to bed way too late last night and couldn't rouse myself in time.

You see, I was glued to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows until just past 1 am when I finished the book.

So...as long as I get to bed at a decent hour tonight, I should be good to go for power walking tomorrow. My plan is to alternate walking (eventually running) with the usual squats, leg lifts with weights, and Sloooooooowwwww kicks--quite possibly my favorite Karate-related exercise.
Plenty of stretching will accompany all of this, along with getting around to doing push ups and some cool core muscle stuff with an exercise ball.

I got a treat last Wednesday night at G-Shaft's sparring class. With a tournament coming up, the instructors wanted to maximize ring time for the kids, so they called me out to referee a 3rd ring. I was nervous, having never really called points during sparring, but put on a confident face--and promptly forgot ALL the kids names! Things were just fine, though, and I held my own.

It was cute when the kids would make an exchange, but I either didn't see it clearly, or it wasn't clean enough technique to stop the match and call for a point. They would each stop and look at me to say something, and I'd remind them to keep on going until I called a halt. Do that in a tournament, and your opponent is likely to plant one square in your torso while your eyes are turned away, snagging an easy point.

Don't ever take your eyes off your opponent, kids!!!

6 Weeks: What's going on???

2008-02-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

To you reading this latest post, thanks SO much for waiting! It's just over 3 weeks since my last post, and I've been busy as hell. My usually relaxed afternoons and evenings have been just so jam packed I haven't taken time to keep you all updated.

So here's the poop: I am at full ROM. My visits to PT and Dr. K have shown my progress to be excellent; quoting Dr. K, I'm "Way ahead of the game!!!"

So what does that all add up to?

Here's what.

Exercise bike - forward pedaling with resistance set as tolerated; right now it's the lowest, since I have to troubleshoot wiring of the brake motor!
Range of motion - Molly wants me to do some extension work, but the difference between good knee and operative is negligible; We've stopped measuring. Just consider me back to full range.
Stairs - I'm not even thinking when taking steps currently. I can lead equally well with my good leg or my operative leg going up or down, no handholds to balance or anything. Granted, my operative knee still likes to remind me that I have a remanfuactured body part, but I expect that'll last the rest of my life in some form or another!
Running - With jam packed days full of work, bitter sub-zero temperatures, transporting G-shaft around, Videotape and DVD production, as well as recording with the band, I just haven't had time to start my speed walking program. The exception was today, when I took my parents dog for a walk. Good ol' Maggie was testing me!
PT - I've been cleared to add ankle weights as tolerated on my straight leg lifts and hamstring curls. I've also been working both legs, since the strength is pretty much equal at the moment and I don't want the good one falling behind. Stair stepping, two leg mini-squats, and one leg mini-squats are the movements of the day. Add exercise ball work for stabilizing core muscles and interesting stuff like one-leg balancing on a mini trampoline, and I've got a big menu of stuff to choose from any given morning!
Surgery - On my visit with Dr. K February 29th, I heard he'll be strapping me into a machine--I assume something like a KT1000 Arthrometer--to quantify just how good my operative knee is doing. Based on those results, I may be approved to start a favorite Karate exercise, the slow-count kick.
Running - Yeah, right! Not quite yet, but hopefully this week's weather won't deter me from getting outside to do some power walking, working up to running within the next week or two.

So...I'm feeling great, getting a bit lax on PT--but that's not to say I've been sedentary at all! I'm able to sleep in MY choice of position now, and nightly cramping is pretty much non-existent.

Well, off to watch another episode of Torchwood. Ice those knees, and good night!

That old feeling...again!

2008-01-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

It may seem a mundane thing, but a sweet little event happened this afternoon...my operative knee gave just a teensy "crack" as I got up from my office chair late this afternoon. Ahh, what a nice thing to hear again.

It echoes some progress I noted today, such as dimples in my knee when flexing the quads. Just a bit of persistent (but not painful) swelling remains below the knee cap.

At PT today, the big news is that I hit 126 degrees of flexion here on day number 22!

Next Friday when I go to see Miss Molly at PT, We'll begin "Closed-Chain" movements, if I recall the term correctly. That means one-legged knee bends, essentially, and taking stairs normally without guarding the operative knee. Later that same morning I have my 4-week follow-up with Dr. K.

In the meantime, I picked up an ankle weight, adjustable from 1/2 to 10 pounds in 1/2 pound increments. Was going with just 1 pound of weight for most leg lifts last week, and 3 pounds for prone and standing hamstring curls. This week I graduated to 2 and 4 pounds, respectively.

I'm gonna have to start exercising both legs at this point, or risk my operative knee and leg becoming stronger than the other!

Day 18: A day almost like any other day.

2008-01-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

Today was a nice change. Went to church, and comments varied widely from noticing I was walking so well and without a cane, to "Gee, your surgery is soon isn't it?" and "Didn't you just have surgery?"

It was nice to start being "normal" getting around. Yes, the daily life does have that background hum of soreness in the knee, but really things are smoothing out.

I figured out a way of using my arms and good leg to go two steps up or down at a time, so I don't have to take so much time navigating stairs until week 4 rolls around. Thats when I can officially start using my operative leg on steps, although I've already had it out for a test drive.

Gotta find some ankle weights for PT around 1 and 3 pounds, hoping that local sporting goods stores offer a wide enough variety. I'll be surfing the web to see who has what, or if online prices are good. Any suggestions from ACL/PCL tear rehabees reading this?

Other than continuing to improve on swelling and range of motion, the most annoying thing I deal with daily is cramping in the quads. Re-learning how to walk, as far as I can tell, is going to largely be a matter of getting my quads to back off a bit. Right know they seem to be in "guard" mode, and are hyper-reactive to any command my brain sends them to contract. As a result, by bedtime I have wicked cramps in my thigh!

Mrs. Shaft recently remembered where the heated massager was stored. That now provides me with most excellent relief from cramping at the end of the day.

Next weekend is going to be a busy one for video work. Friday night is the wife's choral concert, and Saturday is belt promotion testing at my Karate school. Then I have to dump and edit everything!

Day 15: It's about time.

2008-01-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry if I kept anyone hanging in suspense, it's just been a durned busy week.

Sunday: Ditched the crutches over the weekend, down to just a cane. Wasn't thinking, and stepped up with my operative knee. Hmm. Didn't hurt, but seems too early to even consider doing that by all accounts!

Monday: Back to work. Got caught up, so no stresses there now! Spent lots of time at my desk working that flexion range, and icing down the knee with a large gel pack.

Oh, and stepped down leading with my good knee. Again, it didn't hurt to bend the operative knee, but doesn't seem right I should be able to do that. Another hmm.

Monday night brought another episode of American Gladiators, and another contestant gets awarded a torn ACL. This time it's Adam "The Hebrew Hammer" Levin, taking a sideways tackle during Power Ball in a classic ACL-ripping moment. As typical, he shakes it off for a moment and collapses a few seconds later. They're going to have to seriously train these gladiators to watch what they're doing, it's getting a bit too aggressive out there!

Tuesday: Work decided to catch up with me this day! It's also the last day I used a cane walking. I'm taking things carefully, looking for the non-icy walking paths wherever I go, and will keep the cane at-hand in icy situations, but I'm bearing weight on the operative leg just fine now and walking well.

Wednesday: Took much of the afternoon off to go to PT and do a few things at home.

PT can only be described as amazing. To begin, we measured 120 degrees of flexion.

Oh. My. God.

Am I really progressing this well only two weeks post-op? I thought it a good sign to lose the immobilizer last Friday, but this--this feels HUGE!

We added ankle weights to the 4 directions of leg exercises (straight lifts, adduction, abduction, and hamstring curls), and did an easy 5 minutes backwards pedaling on the exercise bike without resistance.

I talked to my PT about leading with the operative leg going up steps, and leading with the good leg going down. I've read a few times that even months post-op, many people with ACL reconstruction unconsciously guard their knee by leading with the operative leg when stepping down. She put it kindly--bad news, but in a good way. Protocol says not to do those particular movements prior to at least week 4 post-op. Wow.

I'm not sure quite how to take that, except now I have to force myself to guard the operative knee until I'm "officially" allowed to use it in that manner.

Protocol also says 2 visits per week through next week, but my PT exclaimed that she had no further exercises to work with me until we hit week 4. She'd simply be watching me work while drinking tea. Things seem to be going well enough that we canceled tomorrow's session, and the first session next week. Barring anything unusual, I'll only check in with her late next week.

Oh. My. God.

The day later continued watching G-Shaft sparring with a dozen intermediate belt boys. Yes, she's the only girl in her class, and 2nd tallest. This serves her an advantage in 2 ways - she's got reach with punches (once she gets a bit more hip rotation to properly deliver the blow), and being a girl, many of the boys seem intimidated to attack! Just needs a little more work on throwing a punch with conviction, and she'll be a potent point-sparring student.

After all that excitement, I capped off the evening with a vocal recording session. My band has been working on a 6-song "EP" since Spring, and we finally have a lead vocalist to record. Overall, an amazing day--I'll link to the band's web site when we post some music for y'all to listen to.

Thursday: Finally we come to today. I caught up with the staggering blow work delivered me on Tuesday, and maybe I'll have a bit of time to slack off tomorrow afternoon at the office.

Tonight I volunteered at the Karate school's Winter Carnival, the biggest event for recruiting new students each year. I managed the balloon hop race, and that was a blast seeing all the kids enjoying themselves. The last half-hour of the evening was demonstrations by the students, and the ones who brought guests got the opportunity to break boards. G-Shaft was bummed none of her invites came through, but she still has 2 weeks to get a friend in for a trial class--and another chance to bust up wood.

So I sit here in shock and awe. I read about Black Belt Mama's struggles and feel bad she's still in an immobilizer brace, even though she's 4 weeks post-op at this point. I feel somewhat guilty for my progress, but need to remind myself constantly that people are all unique in how they respond to surgery.

So, Hack Shaft old boy, knock off the guilt trip.

Oh, and get on with the push-ups and crunches already!

Day 9: Antici..................................................

2008-01-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

...pation!

I was just perusing the protocol for rehabilitation from knee surgery. Looking at weeks 13-24, about 4 to 6 months post-op, I'm shocked at the hopping exercises. I mean, my knee is giving me sympathy twinges thinking about square, diagonal, zig-zag, single-leg, and straight-line hopping! YIKES!

Still, I have to trust that my surgeon and PT know what they're doing. Based on costs, they'd darn well better!

For the martial artist reading this, think back to that very first class, when your uniform and white belt were both creased and stiff, still reeking of the plastic bag you just pulled them from.
Remember how far away your current belt seemed then!

The sick irony is that it will be longer for me to return than I've been taking classes. 7 months from injury until I expect to return, and I was just entering into month number 5 of classes. (I've studied the Arts previously, albeit quite some years ago!)

However, I realize that I can still fill time with Karate:
- Work on core.
- Do Form in a chair or in my head. Limp through it when I can, walking through the motions without actually kicking.
- Get familiar with that new Bo, so it becomes an extension of my arms when I return.
- Improve my upper body and core strength while getting the knee back in condition.
- Figure out exercises to use as a sub for some boring PT--like 4-count slow kicks vs. side leg raises to work abductors and hip flexors.
- Continue to record belt tests on DVD for the school--then review and learn from them, using the "best in class" as a visual aid for Bo and open hand Forms.

On a side note, I've taken notice of ACL injuries in the media all of a sudden. It's contagious, I swear! Previously I mentioned Jason Chambers' poorly executed tornado kick. Then comes the return of American Gladiators, where Jesse Foster tears her knee up during Power Ball. Looks like yet another one bites the dust!

Day 8: Lots of excitement

2008-01-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

Lots of exciting milestones today, far more than I expected this early in the game!

Was able to stand in the shower this morning comfortably, no more showering on a bench.

Saw Dr. K this afternoon. Stitches are out, immobilizer brace is gone, and he agreed I could drive after demonstrating good weight bearing and a solid straight leg lift.

Got a first measurement of post-op flexion at PT, 113 degrees. Woo-hoo! Jumped on an exercise bike for 5 minutes pedaling backwards with no resistance, and was introduced to more exercises for the hamstring and adductor muscles. Ouch!

Forward pedaling on the bike won't start until 4 weeks post-op.

After PT I went to watch my daughter's Karate class as they worked on beginning Bo forms and movements.

Auto-chill option showed up 2 days ago, that's some serious cold on the knee now. I love having the cryo-cuff cycling with gentle compression pulses, and staying wicked-cold the whole time.

Losing the brace also means I can start wearing regular pants. No more lounging around the house (and around town) in baggy sweats!

Things aren't all completely rosy, however. Once I've posted this blog, it's down the stairs to the basement--carefully--to take care of some overdue litter boxes. Man, I thought I could scam out of at least one cleaning cycle!

I also really gotta think a bit harder when going up steps. I stubbed my big toe when I had a momentary lapse of reason and tried to lead with my bad right leg. It didn't clear the step, leaving me a painful reminder to take it easy, stupid!

So...all in all, a phenomenal day. New freedoms, returning obligations, and the constant task of reminding myself to proceed carefully as I go forward.

The journey back from surgery is well underway, but there are still potholes to avoid on the road.

Day 6: On the cusp

2008-01-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

Things went tremendously well at PT this afternoon. I've a challenge to work on straight leg raises now--initially it was only 9 in sets of 3, 4 times a day. Today I found out the goal is 300 in a day, which I don't intend to do right away!!!

Flexion is improving, and the auto-chill accessory showed up today. That'll be fun to try out this evening.

Took my first full-fledged shower on the loaned shower bench, and it was mahvelous, dahlink! I've been keeping clean and all, but ya just can't beat a good shower--except with a nice long, hot bath. The Steri-strips fell off, so I put a large band-aid in place to hold two clear nylon sutures that were poking out, looking rather important.

Oh, and looks like some extra blood is pooling around various places in my leg now, most notably on the instep of my foot. Not painful, not swollen, just a pretty shade of purple down there.

Been walking real well today, even with the brace. Hoping I'll get permission to drive Friday from Dr. K, as I'm doing well bearing weight on the new knee.

Tomorrow I'm 39, so today is the cusp-of-the-cusp, if you will, of turning 40. Aw, it's just another plateau in life's uphill climb anyway, may as well pause to enjoy the view!

Day 5 post-op: Progress and accessories

2008-01-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

Ahh, my first day home alone. Nice and quiet, good opportunity to catch up on home office things like tidying up the room a bit!

G-Shaft and Mrs. Shaft are back at school and work respectively. I'll be waiting until at least next Monday before I head back to the office, want to see if I can return without the immobilizer brace.

Yesterday and today I've been able to move around the house without a walking stick. The brace is a necessary evil, yes, but it's close to the point of getting in my way walking! I also hope after my visit with Dr. K on Friday to remove stitches that I can at least lose the brace while sleeping.

Last night I returned to the 2nd floor bedroom as well. It was awesome sleeping on the adjustable firmness mattress again, away from the squeak of the hamster wheels.

My auto-chill feature should show up via UPS this afternoon. That'll make my ice sessions so much more convenient after PT. And speaking of PT, I go tomorrow afternoon--we'll see how things sit at that time. I also have a shower bench showing up that a friend is loaning me this evening, that'll be nice--along with the new hand-held shower that Mrs. Shaft installed Saturday!

A few of my favorite recovery accessories:

Useful for PT, for calf muscle stretching, for a neck roll.

This one keeps me entertained!

Several of these kept me company while sleeping on the couch downstairs.

These keep my crutches from taking flight in the land of ice and snow I live in.
First pic is the ice grip retracted, second is engaged.
Had to modify them slightly as well as notch the rubber foot of my crutch, but they work like a charm!

Wishing continued healing and progress to Black Belt Mama who had a bit of a setback last week..

PT and Pics

2008-01-05T08:45:00.001-08:00

My first PT session yesterday was quite an eye-opener.

My first attempt at a straight leg raise was futile-the quads simply did not want to acknowledge my command to lift! That gave me quite a chuckle.

My PT then spent a good 15 minutes with gentle massage on the quads to loosen and wake them up, then the usual heel slides and quad sets with towels rolled under the knee or the ankle.

I had full extension, which was not surprising since the immobilizer holds my leg almost all the way in extension. My PT picked up the leg and I was astonished to see very close to 90 degrees flexion with the PT bearing the weight of the leg. No official numbers, but that's a helluva start.

Once we got the quads wakened up, we did some straight leg raises, making sure to engage the quads first to wake them up. Just 10 of those was enough to get my hip flexor complaining!

Finally, we strapped the immobilizer back on, and he took a check of me walking. I had a pair of crutches, but was able to bear weight on the reconstructed knee quite well--another shocker.

Since then, I've set aside the crutches except when traveling out of the house. Protocol asks to bear weight on the leg right away, so I'm using the walking stick around the house. We'll see how I feel tonight, and maybe I'll carefully ascend (with lots of supervision, and backwards) to the second floor and sleep in my bed tonight. Though the couch is mighty comfortable, the hamsters running in their cage keep me up at night!

I continue to be narcotic-free, eating well, and am strictly on ibuprofen at this time. Overall I'm feeling much better than I expected, except for just a general sense of tiredness which I attribute to my body's response to surgery.

OK, picture time!

Does this make my leg look fat?

Cryo Cuff: your best friend post-PT!
Button at the top connects to the hose for chilled water.

3 days post-op, swelling's not too bad:

The "OK" is Dr. K making sure he works on the correct knee!
Sorry for the mess, I plan to wash up that leg later today.

Arthroscopic pics below:
skip this part if you get queasy about medical pics.

Nice, clean meniscus:

Good cartilage, too:

Torn ACL stump, no wonder it felt like a wrench in the works:

New ACL (kinda pretty and glimmery!):

Surgery: Let me introduce you to my good friend, Annie...

2008-01-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

Folks, let me tell you. When having ACL reconstruction, you've got to meet Annie.

Her full name is Anne S. Tease-Ya, and she loves playing mind games! (Annie is a man actually, but humor me for the sake of word-play.)

I met Annie the morning of surgery, and she wore many labels that day:
- Femoral Nerve block
- Spinal block
- Monitored sedation

I was firmly against meeting her military aspect, the General, having seen the aftereffects in my daughter G-Shaft many times over the years.

The fun began with the Femoral Nerve block. Annie gave me a shot of something to bend all the straight lines on the ceiling. While I admired the interesting patterns forming overhead, Annie got busy with a probe making my right thigh jump in various ways. One location made my patella jump quite uncomfortably, so I warned Annie not to go there again with the probe! After a short time, she was satisfied with the location and shot me up with a long-term agent to shut down feeling in my thigh and knee for the next 12 hours.

Next was the Spinal Block. This one I remember nothing about after sitting up and leaning forward on a pillow in the operating room, so Annie must've slipped me a Mickey to make me forget those 10 minutes.

From that point on I was nicely mellowed out as I watched the team set up for surgery.

I felt just fine, no anxiety or anything while watching video of the procedure on a nice flat screen monitor. Once the scope portion was done, the nurse asked me if I wanted to watch the rest. I agreed, and she angled the monitor like a mirror for me to watch in fascination as the crew closed things up.

Rolling into recovery I felt just great, and was SO glad not to have general anesthesia when they shortly offered me coffee and a granola bar to snack on while Mrs. Shaft and I discussed lunch.
Once the tingling in my legs went away and I could differentiate between a rub and a scratch from the nurse's fingernail, I checked out and we headed for home.

For cryotherapy options, I went with the gold standard of a Cryo/Cuff Cooler. However, the system offered by my orthopaedic clinic was a manually cycled system, as opposed to the AutoChill system that many other people mention in their blogs about ACL reconstruction. The manual cycle isn't bad, just far less convenient than the autochill system (and only 50% of the price.) For a manual cycle, you connect the cuff around the leg to the cooler with a hose, open the air valve, and let gravity drain the warm water out of the cuff. Then you close the valve, swish the water to mix it with ice water in the cooler, open the valve, and hold the cooler above the level of the cuff. Gravity pushes chilled water into the cuff.

As you might imagine, this is a PITA to keep doing, and the chilled water in the cuff only stays effectively cold for perhaps 5 minutes, requiring another manual drain/chill/fill cycle.

So Mrs. Shaft and I did some digging and found a local sales rep to order the AutoChill add-on. It's a simple air compressor that connects to the top of the cooler, creating alternating vacuum and pressure to force chilled water in and out of the cuff automatically. It should arrive Monday.

So if you're reading this for research, my advice is to plan for the extra cost and get a cryo cuff with the auto chiller system, or plan to do a lot of 10 pound arm raises to cycle your chilled water manually.

Back to our story...once arriving home, I was blissfully pain-free and enjoyed my lunch and a couple of Vicodin, relaxing with the Mrs. and generally enjoying the afternoon.

In the evening, young G-Shaft went to her first sparring class--reluctantly--and I was very proud to hear she survived intact, winning two of three rounds against her fellow students. I heard one other student really wanted to wail on her and was reprimanded several times for swinging wildly. G-Shaft scored all her points with punches, which is pretty cool considering her slender build doesn't look like it packs much of a punch. However, the night before surgery I had her put on her gear and throw a few punches at my palms with sparring gloves on--that kid has a lot more power than I thought!!!

About 10pm, the femoral nerve block began wearing off, as evidenced by my leg broadcasting a moderate burning sensation to any nerves that were tuned in. Fortunately it was just in time for my next dose of Vicodin, so things settled down about an hour later.

That first night I tried just a half dose to keep my stomach settled, realizing that I'll need a full dose for a while longer and will just need to tolerate the slight nausea that accompanies it. Toughest challenge was finding a comfortable position that didn't push, pull, twist, or squeeze the leg in its immobilizer brace. I didn't really find a good position.

DAY TWO

The second day was filled with me tackling the near impossible task of finding a comfortable position to recline in, along with a post-up visit with the surgeon and a bit of running around at the local Target store for some odds-n-ends.

Dr. K was very happy with surgery results, and the good news is that I have no tears in the meniscus. Yay!!! I'd been using a walking stick regularly until surgery to avoid further injury to the soft tissues, looks like my vigilance paid off. I'll post a picture of the good and reconstructed knees once I download them from Mrs. Shaft's cell phone.

Target was fun as I toodled around in one of those electric shopping carts they make available to customers. That thing had the most obnoxious backup alarm, people must've thought I was a semi trailer backing up in the aisles!

A side note here to BobSpar--I bought a urinal at a local store, but haven't needed it yet since I'm currently recuperating on the couch within 20 feet of the bathroom. However, based on the sound of my voice this morning, I need to push fluids a bit more, so we'll see if anything "urgent" comes up! The urinal comes with a cap, and is probably a bit easier to use than a pickle jar. Also doesn't flavor the pickles...

DAY THREE

So we finally arrive to today, day number 3 post-op. The good sign I had this morning was that my leg had no pain in it while lying passively, so that's a major improvement. I go to my first PT session in about 2 hours, we'll see just what's what at that time and report back tomorrow.

(yawn)

I think I'll stop here, grab a quick bite to eat, and nap until PT.

Thanks to everyone for their advice, positive thoughts, and prayers. They're helping me tremendously!!!

Excellent videos about ACL injuries

2007-12-30T22:44:00.000-08:00

This video has an excellent animation on the ACL's function, and how it tears:

This video of a wrestler tearing his ACL is just plain disgusting to hear. So why can't I stop watching it?

Another one bites the dust!

2007-12-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

If you're a fan of Human Weapon on the History channel, they just aired an episode exploring the origins of Tae Kwon Do. At the end of the episode hosts Bill Duff and Jason Chambers are matched up with one of South Korea's best TKD instructors.

Bill gets knocked out during his second round, even being the large man he is with full protective gear on.

Jason tears his right knee's ACL with about 20 seconds left in his round. He attempts to execute a tornado kick with a poor landing, and the resulting torsion snaps his knee. He also lets loose an impressive stream of expletives that were beeped out.

He attempts to finish the round, but the pain and expletives just increase dramatically. I wanted to reach through the screen and smack him.

Macho...foolish...idiot.

I also had a conversation with a co-worker yesterday, and discovered she too is having reconstruction in about 3 weeks. She believes her "event" was likely about 10 years ago. Ten times she has endured episodes of excruciating pain as her knee joint locked up in flexion, apparently dislocating and requiring an ER visit to anesthetize the joint and pop it back into place. She's finally decided to get it diagnosed, and to have reconstruction.

I'm so glad this has been no more than a 4-week period from injury to surgery.

I can't imagine living longer than this with a sloppy, floppy knee joint, constantly concerned for whether my knee will pull a "flamingo" and bend backwards.

Dead man walking

2007-12-26T18:32:00.001-08:00

I got confirmation from my health insurance company today that an allograft for my ACL reconstruction is an acceptable option, and they'll cover it.

For those not in the know, this option means using donor tissue sourced from a cadaver to build a new ACL in my knee during orthoscopic surgery in (gasp!) less than a week.

To the man or woman blessing my knee with their donation of a replacement body part: I give you my most heartfelt thanks. Hope you enjoy the ride.

Hi. My name is...

2007-12-23T07:53:00.000-08:00

Allow me to drift a bit off the usual topics of Martial Arts and ACL reconstruction.

The nickname Hack Shaft has a cute story behind it.

Several years ago, my band was having a bit of an identity crisis; we'd left the old name behind, along with the old drummer (who absolutely insisted that HE owned the name, though we were 4-to-1 in majority against him) and needed something new to call ourselves.

So I did what any entrepreneurial punk would and hit up the Internet, looking for the perfect name. I came across a variety of random band name generators and took one for a spin.

The funniest one that popped up was Explosive Nutrition. GNC stores pop into my head every time I remember THAT one!

Hack Shaft just showed up in one list, and kinda stuck in my head. I mentioned it to my co-guitarist at the time, and his first reaction was "Ow!!!"

Anyhow, it's unique enough that I began to use it regularly for home recording and video production. Hack Shaft. I like it.

Oh, and since being called "Hack" in comments sounds a little harsh...my name is Paul.

I'm dreaming of a lame Christmas!

2007-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

As if things aren't challenging enough doing extensive shopping solo with a bum knee, I got news my father-in-law tore his hamstring earlier this week. He's being taken care of by the same orthopaedic clinic as I am, so that gives me a good feeling having experienced some top-quality care myself from that place. We're gonna be quite a pair of lame guys come Christmas!

Got a letter off to insurance from Dr. K regarding the allograft option, plan to pound on them hard to put it through during the short work week coming up. I suppose I could have kept quiet, but with this kind of expense I wanted to avoid surprise charges after the procedure.

I'm hopeful to be driving within 2 weeks of surgery, but that all comes down to PT and the doc's OK. If I can't, then I may look into working remotely from home or coming up with some kind of taxi arrangement. Fortunately it's a mighty slow time of year, so I don't expect things would back up much if I extended my winter vacation a bit longer.

My wife, God bless her soul, is really having fun playing in the snow with the new snowblower. Still, the sidewalks have a lot of ice on 'em from under the snow, so it's gonna be tricky navigating for a while.

On the surgical front, this is the last 24 hours pre-op I'm allowed to have any kind of blood thinner, such as Tylenol, ibuprofen, or aspirin. Just gotta keep calm the next week and a half, and use ice packs for any headaches!

If I don't post during the upcoming holiday, may all of you reading this enjoy a most peaceful and happy Christmas, a glorious celebration of the lights of Chanukah, an introspective and solemn Ramadan, or a boisterous, festive Kwanzaa.

Whatever your mid-winter celebration, enjoy!

Ah, that familiar feeling returns.

2007-12-18T19:49:00.001-08:00

Rehearsal Saturday went well with the band, and so did the show late last night at a local club. The knee held up well.

Today I tried to go without my usual neoprene support velcroed around the knee, I didn't like it. I could really tell just how much slop there was in the joint just sitting at my office desk! Even with the irritation of occasional Velcro hooks rubbing on the back of my thigh, going with is tons better than doing without.

Black Belt Mama is recovering from her ACL reconstruction currently. Stop by and give her your positive thoughts and good wishes.

I haven't felt any normal 'pop' in my right knee since the adventure began last week. Generally there's a bit of resistance and discomfort while bending the knee, but no pop.

One jumped out of the joint this morning as I was going through some PT exercises.

It's amazing how nice that can feel!

The countdown begins.

2007-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

Today I chatted up my surgeon. After discussion options, I'm planning to go with an allograft, unless my medical insurance won't cover the additional costs. The insurance company wants to review the case, so I'm glad I made the inquiry.

My surgeon, Dr. K, also mentioned that besides the torn ACL there was a tear in the meniscus that he'll clean up as part of the procedure.

Tomorrow is a very busy day. Morning begins with belt promotion testing at my Karate school, and I'll be taping the show to put on DVD. My Daughter is going for her green belt, which means she can start sparring classes and weapons training. She's very excited about that!

Afternoon is band rehearsal for our show on Monday, then it's the company holiday party in the evening. Whew!

My ACL reconstruction is January 2nd. Let the countdown begin...

Organ donation

2007-12-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

Yowsa, such a flurry of responses to my last post--thanks to everyone for weighing in.

For tomorrow's consult, I'll be sure to keep an open ear and mind about options.

The three surgeons recommended to me are all part of an orthopaedic facility, with very experienced specialists in sports medicine--both surgical and non-surgical. I believe experience won't be an issue.

That pretty much leaves it up to the surgeon's recommendations, and his particular history and experience with each option. I will dig hard to find out if he's specifically worked with martial artists, and I promise to log in tomorrow afternoon and report back!

I'm mostly Ok with an allograft, it's the Wife who has concerns. I trust medical science to do what's in the best interest of my health, as long as procedure is strictly followed!

Reports of disease transmission by allograft of a ligament are statistically insignificant. I would prefer avoiding the strip mining of my patella if I can, and there's the insurance side of things as well. If purchasing material for an allograft isn't a covered option, that may limit me right there.

It's just a bit creepy thinking of trading in human remains, but I myself make sure to check the Organ Donor box on my driver's license application each and every time. If I'm willing to be a donor, I should be willing to honor someone else's decision to do the same if it's truly in my best interests.

Calm before the storm

2007-12-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

OK, here's the latest scoop.

Saw my PT over lunch today, she confirmed that my ROM is pretty damned good right now (130 degrees flexion, I think minus 2 extension? Not certain about the latter..) Monday I could tell the swelling was on the downside, and this confirms it. If not for the weird characteristic instability of the ACL-absent knee, I could almost imagine myself having only a sprain. Almost.

Speaking with my OD's assistant, I got recommendations on surgeons. Looked at their bios and went with my second choice, since the first choice isn't even doing consultations until mid-January; I'm NOT waiting that long to book a date for surgery!

I'm hoping for surgery early in January. I'd do it sooner, but have to hold off until 2008 for financial reasons.

I consult with the surgeon this Friday around lunchtime and with a bit of luck we'll come to an agreement about surgical options and scheduling.

In considering an Allograph (ligament harvested from a donor) I do have concerns due to the recent story of 4 organ donor recipients in the Chicago area contracting HIV and Hepatitis C. That, and in many studies it's been shown that an autograph using part of the patella ligament from the patient's own body tend to result in stronger knees, and shorter time spent on crutches compared to allographs.

So...when it comes down to it, I'll sacrifice a little extra discomfort from the harvest to reap the benefits sown by providing my own hardware for the fix.

On another front, my daughter has decided that she'll take on sparring. She really didn't want to do it right away, but I think she's more comfortable since she'd be starting with a fairly good sized group of her classmates at the karate school. Good for her.

Now if I can just scrape up $400 for the gear amidst Christmas shopping...

Rituals, and saying goodbye

2007-12-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight I stopped by my Karate school before the usual Monday Night Fights (sparring class).

I wanted to honor my sense of ritual and say goodbye to the sparring instructor, since he only teaches Monday evenings. Taking my daughter to her classes wouldn't normally have me crossing paths with him, and it'll likely be late summertime or early autumn before I see him again.

The neat thing is he took some tickets to come see my band play next Monday, conveniently late enough not to conflict with sparring class! There should be quite a crowd from the karate school showing up. That is the coolest.

I decided to adjust my walking stick one more notch taller, and that has helped the stitch I've been feeling in my left hip. I was probably leaning too far over using the stick, and I'll confirm things with my PT on Wednesday. Oh, the interesting coincidence is my PT saw the same Orthopaedic Doc for a shoulder problem that I'm seeing for my ACL!

Final thought for the night: I'm giving in to gluttony this week. I'm indulging in a little bit of self-pity. I'm gonna enjoy a bit of excess eating M&M cookies with peanut butter chips, if only for a little while.

Just for a little while.

That's OK, right?

The Woodwork

2007-12-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's always interesting to see who comes out of the woodwork when you experience some life-changing event. This morning at church I spoke with a few long-time friends and was related their personal ACL tear stories!

Judy, recently on the losing side of the equation between scooter and automobile, currently suffers from a torn ACL among other ailments as a result of her accident. Kerry tore her ACL 16 years ago skiing. Anne's son tore his playing soccer within the past few years, and I'm promised an introduction at Christmastime to talk with him about his experience.

This past week I've felt out of place in my own house, especially this weekend as the Wife and Mother-In-Law paint up the entryway and stairs.

I came to the realization that I'm sitting around doing nothing, because that's the time I'd usually spend at Karate class! DUH! I've been so entrenched in the daily and weekly rhythm of classes 4 to 5 times a week that it's really disruptive putting it on hold.

A man of ritual, I plan to give my fairly new sparring equipment (only twice used) a good cleaning and, along with my uniform and belt, pack it carefully away. Then I'll wrap it as a present to myself, to open on that special day when I get a green light from my PT and doc to return to Karate!

Bonus Video

2007-12-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

Here's my form during belt exams, 2 weeks prior to trashing my ACL.

Laundry List

2007-12-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

Nothing new today except a fresh sheet of PT to do, and a few items to pickup from the local pharmacy - Ace bandages, a proper height walking stick, and a larger ice pack than I currently own for cryotherapy to knock down swelling.

So far things have been OK on the pain front, except for the loss of range of motion due to swelling. The way I would describe the sensation of bending my knee right now is like taking a long inflated balloon and trying to bend it. The further you bend it, the more resistance you meet!

My goal for the weekend is to prepare for the next PT visit on Wednesday. My PT gave me no specific sets and reps to do, trusting that my ambition will suffice to keep me going.

Meanwhile, check out Black Belt Mam a - another martial artist in pre-op stages of her own ACL reconstruction surgery.

EDIT: Forgot to add the Laundry List!

Concerns:
1. Getting fat. Might lose weight just from surgery, but gotta watch out for the sedentary lifestyle! I need to develop at least a core and upper body routine as soon as possible until I can resume aerobic activity.
2. Losing flexibility. It's so important in the legs. I worry about whether I can find a way to keep at least my good leg relatively flexible!

Goals:
1. Returning to core classes.
2. Getting my next belt.
3. Competing (most likely in the Forms division) at the Diamond Nationals in October.
4. Completing a sparring class without injury. In my first sparring class I rolled my left foot, re-spraining it. My second class landed me here in ACL Hell, as some have so accurately put it!

In the beginning...

2007-12-07T14:25:00.001-08:00

My story, or at least the part I will journal here, began 4 days ago on December 3rd, 2007.

Some will read this and think I'm a complete dork for overdoing things at my age. I could wrap it in glamor and call it a Karate injury, maybe blame it on a malevolent deity who decided to pick on me, but the truth is much plainer than all that.

I took a clumsy fall and tore the ACL - Anterior Cruciate Ligamen t - of my right knee during the last point of the last round of sparring class. Yeah.

Kinda dumb, eh?

Typical of this sort of injury, there was a lovely popping sound as my knee decided to bend at an angle it was never intended to. My sparring partner and I had tangled our legs after an exchange of blows and I stumbled clumsily backwards--and just sideways enough to rip the strongest ligament in my body into two pieces. I still shiver at the thought.

I suspected the damage was bad, and visited a local orthopaedic specialty clinic during my lunch hour the following day during their walk-in "Acute Injury" hours. Think of it as Urgent Care for the bones.

During the visit X-rays were taken which--typically--didn't show the extent of damage, other than perhaps there were no broken bones. The Orthopaedist performed a number of manipulation tests that pointed directly at ACL damage, the extent of which would require an MRI. I scheduled it for that same night after work.

Preparing for the MRI wasn't tough, I just had to remove a 6-pack of semi-permanent earrings to avoid getting my ears torn off by the incredibly powerful magnets involved. What was tough was battling winter storm traffic for an hour, covering perhaps 5 miles of roads between the office and clinic!

The following morning I got the call from Dr. W, the orthopaedic doc (and sports injury specialist as well). He confirmed I have a completely torn ACL.

Having already researched my options, I immediately agreed with the need for reconstructive surgery (ACL's do NOT heal by themselves) and scheduled Physical Therapy. The goal of pre-op PT is to eliminate the swelling from injury, much like a sprain, and restore full range of motion to the joint.

Last night at my daughter's class I broke the news to two of my Karate instructors. Beyond the initial disbelief, there were of course a flood of questions as to "How Long..." and "What's Next." I'm touched by the fact that my main instructor almost bowed out of teaching the following class, he was so impacted by news of my injury.

Thankfully this ill-timed event had a bright side - I have decent health insurance, and was in the midst of my company's enrollment period for pre-tax spending accounts for Medical and Childcare needs.

So that's it for the moment, had my first PT this morning, started the blog this afternoon. I'd like to mention BobSpar, a Middle-Aged Martial Artist who is himself recovering from ACL reconstruction, and inspiration to start recording my journey.

Reading advice from BobSpar, I plan to keep very involved with my school and the sport. As much as recovery allows, I will continue supporting my daughter in her journey to black belt and beyond, videotaping belt promotions and tournaments for the school's students and instructors.

Watch this space for occasional video.