As some of you know, on January 10, 2009 I was in a crash on the interstate. My immediate concern, while I was still waiting to be cut out of the car, was that my right foot was broken. My suspicion on that turned out to be correct and I never really gave much thought to the stiffness and swelling in my left knee. I figured it was just some of the inherent soreness from being in a crash. So I went back to Denver for two more weeks training for my new job in a walking boot and on crutches. My knee was painful enough that I had to start putting weight on my ankle before I was really supposed to, but luckily that didn't cause any trouble with the ankle.
When I returned from training I went for a follow-up appointment, where the doctor determined that it was probably that my ACL was torn. I was refered to a knee specialist who determined that it was not, in fact, the ACL, but the PCL that was torn.
Originally, we decided that we would treat the knee conservatively with some strengthening exercises, but after a couple of months there really wasn't much change and the knee still felt unstable. At that point I scheduled surgery to have the PCL reconstructed. I also asked for a brace so that I am able to play at least a little this summer. The brace works well and I managed to scrape some of the finish off of it while playing with some younger cousins and the children of a cousin. I suppose I could wear the brace forever and get away without having surgery, but everything I've heard and read points to a high likelyhood of arthritis a few years down the road.
I have done a little research on the procedure and the recovery, but everyone seems to have their own take. These are the things I know: my surgeon will use an allograft (cadaver graft) to reconstruct my PCL (most likely an achilles tendon); I will be in a full leg brace completely extended for the greater part of six weeks, with no weight bearing; full recovery takes nine months up to a year or more; I will be out of work a minimum of two weeks, with three to four being more likely.
Anyone who comes across this blog who feels inclined to leave their own experiences with this type of surgery, or who has more information than I presently posess, please feel free to leave comments. I will continue to update this as surgery gets closer and then as recovery begins.
