Injuries suck. Let's just start there. Whether the injury is acute (happened suddenly) or a chronic issue that has been steadily getting worse over time, they can derail your plans for fitness and weight loss.
All injuries are difficult, shoulders, ankles, elbows, and my dreaded personal favourite, the knee!
If you haven't or you're new to my blog, here's a quick rundown:
Torn ACL on my left knee in November 2015 in jujitsu, then I tore my right ACL 7 months later in June 2016, at jujitsu again. I had bilateral ACL surgery to repair both my knees in September 2016.
Then in May of 2017, I got a small tear in the meniscus of my left knee. My surgeon was confident it was small enough to heal on its own. It didn't bother me and I continued to train, lift weights, run, etc until January 2018, I tore it further warming up for kickboxing class. I tore it enough to create a large bucket-handle tear (the tear looks like a bucket handle, and then flipped in my knee causing a lot of pain and inhibited my movement) and need to have surgery again to remove over 65% of the meniscus in my left knee.
That's the very shortened, Cole's notes version of the story. The rest involves a lot of heartache, tears, questioning if I'd ever be able to do jujitsu or run again and physiotherapy. So much physiotherapy! (if you want to read more about my ACL surgery & physiotherapy journey check out HERE and HERE and HERE)
All the while during this journey, I persisted forward with my workouts and fitness goals. I couldn't allow these injuries to stop me from being active and doing what I love in fitness and especially martial arts- much against the advice of my surgeon, who encouraged me to quit jujitsu and martial arts altogether.
In my personal journey of multiple knee injuries, surgeries and working my way back to fitness and doing what I love, I have gathered some tips and advice to those who may be facing similar knee issues.
Tips for those with a knee injury.
1. If the injury is acute or just happened, get it checked and look after it. RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Get the swelling under control with ice and anti-inflammatories. And again, get it checked by a doctor or physiotherapist.
2. Get your range of motion back. Most knee injuries result in a lot of swelling, which inhibits the range of motion of the knee. Each time my knee was injured, I had to work really hard at physiotherapy to be able to properly straighten and bend my knee.
2. Get your range of motion back. Most knee injuries result in a lot of swelling, which inhibits the range of motion of the knee. Each time my knee was injured, I had to work really hard at physiotherapy to be able to properly straighten and bend my knee.
2. Walk properly. No duh right? But when we hurt ourselves, the body's reaction is to protect what's injured. Of course when the initial injury happens, and the knee is swollen and painful, you're going to limp or maybe even need crutches. Eventually, when the pain subsides, you might continue to not walk properly. It's good to have your gait (walking) assessed by a physical therapist who can help you walk properly to prevent further issues.
3. Strengthen, but strengthen properly! Weak, injured or painful knees need the help of strong leg muscles to support the joint. Muscle imbalances can exaggerate issues. Squats help strengthen the legs yes, but if your knees keep falling to the inside or outside, you may have a muscle that needs to be isolated more and worked on. It is good to be assessed by a physiotherapist to find out where your muscles need help and they can give exercises according to what you need.
4. See a physiotherapist! You'll notice in the above tips, I mention physical therapists a lot. This is because I know for a fact that physiotherapy saved my knees and helped me stay active. Seek someone out who can understand what you love to do (whether its running, sports, etc) and knows what you need to do to get back. Do everything they tell you to do! If they say to do physio exercises 3 times a day, do those damn exercises 3 times a day!
5. "Find a way to stay active, keep strength training and keep yourself at a healthy weight" This is a direct quote given to me by my knee surgeon when I asked about how I am going to age with my inherently bad knees. I am in no way fat-shaming or weight-shaming here, but her advice makes sense. Extra weight on the body puts more pressure on the knees, which can increase pain, and stress on the joints. The more active you can stay, and especially if you strength train, the healthier your bones and joints will stay. You don't have to strength train every day of the week, even 2-3 strength training workouts a week can help keep bones, joints and muscles strong.
6. Don't put a time limit on your rehabilitation. I was initially extremely impatient with my injuries and had a set amount of time in mind that I would return to certain things. I had in my mind I needed to have surgery by a certain date, be off crutches by a certain week and be back at jujitsu and running by a certain amount of months after. The truth is, none of those timelines were followed. I remember my physiotherapist telling me, "Look you're doing well, just focus on doing your rehab properly and let go of the timelines because you'll only frustrate yourself!" Which is something I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss, so you'd think I'd be able to tell it to myself haha!
If you are struggling with a knee injury or have in the past and it is still inhibiting your activity, just know it is possible to get help and return to activities you love. I mean if McDavid can come back from a debilitating knee injury can't we all? I know we all aren't McDavid but with proper rehabilitation, time, a shit ton of patience and determination, you will get there!
6. Don't put a time limit on your rehabilitation. I was initially extremely impatient with my injuries and had a set amount of time in mind that I would return to certain things. I had in my mind I needed to have surgery by a certain date, be off crutches by a certain week and be back at jujitsu and running by a certain amount of months after. The truth is, none of those timelines were followed. I remember my physiotherapist telling me, "Look you're doing well, just focus on doing your rehab properly and let go of the timelines because you'll only frustrate yourself!" Which is something I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss, so you'd think I'd be able to tell it to myself haha!
If you are struggling with a knee injury or have in the past and it is still inhibiting your activity, just know it is possible to get help and return to activities you love. I mean if McDavid can come back from a debilitating knee injury can't we all? I know we all aren't McDavid but with proper rehabilitation, time, a shit ton of patience and determination, you will get there!
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