Healing ACL Naturally: My Road to Recovery

Here are some much anticipated, but long overdue, updates about my ACL recovery (see healacl.com and my previous posts: Kicking off the New Year with a “Bang!”, Breaking Away from the Path Well Traveled, and The Paradox of Placebo)

Now that I’m up and running, and done dealing with my bracing protocol, and busy getting my Feldenkrais practice and classes rolling, it’s been hard to just sit down and write.  So here we go, in a nutshell ….

April 15

I had my much anticipated appointment with the sports medicine doctor to let him assess my knee laxity.  I was finally free from the brace, and was ready to find out if all the patience and diligence had paid off.  I was so nervous going in to the appointment.  If he pulled on my lower-leg and the knee didn’t exhibit a nice firm stop (through what’s known as the Lachman test), then it would have meant that what I believed so strongly in (that my ACL could heal itself) wasn’t true.  In my mind, it would have meant that maybe I hadn’t done enough to help it heal.  It would have meant that I’d have to go back to my doctor and say “you were right”, “yes, it was just wishful thinking”.  It would have meant I’d have to re-evaluate my desire to ski again vs. my desire to avoid this elective surgery.  And it would have meant I’d have to put myself out here again and say “I failed. My experiment was not a success”. 

So when he did the pull test, and looked up in earnest surprise, saying “wow!  It’s not very lax at all!”  I wanted to cry.   He seemed dumbfounded, and even a little giddy, to see that my knee had indeed healed (at least enough to show a negative Lachman test).    His AVS (after visit summary) notes stated “her biomechanical exam … is quite impressive up to this point.”  Plus, as an added bonus, I had no issues getting him to order a new MRI so we can see what the imaging shows. He did warn me, though, that it might be hard to get insurance to pay because my knee was no longer bad enough to justify one. That’s a good problem to have.

Wow!  That visit went better than I could have imagined. 

April 19

4 days later, I was at the MRI center, getting my updated images. 

As I waited for the images, I dared to share with the world (via an ACL rehab group I had just discovered on FB) that an ACL can indeed heal without surgery.  I had no idea how offensive such a celebration would be.  So many people tried to tear me down for spreading BS, or for gloating, or for jumping the gun (telling me it’s too early to think such positive thoughts).  All I could think was “I’m sure glad I didn’t dare put myself out there any sooner”.  I could not have handled all that negative energy when I was doing my best to just heal my knee and rehabilitate my self. 

Luckily I quickly found a different FB group that is dedicated towards healing the ACL without surgery, and wow!  A whole new world opened up.  There are thousands of people out there like me, healing their knees without surgery, and going on to live amazing and very intense active lives.   Skiing.  Playing basketball.  Running marathons.  Climbing.  It’s all possible.  And I’m not as alone in this as I had thought.  If you’re interested in seeing more success stores of people healing their ACL without surgery, I highly recommend this group: ACL + Meniscus Tear Recovery Without Surgery. There aren’t many things worthy of my limited time on FB, but this is definitely one of them. This isn’t a group about bashing surgery or conventional medicine. It’s a group about sharing the other side — the side that surgeons don’t see. Sharing stories about recovery without surgery. Sharing information about what works and what doesn’t work — anecdotally and through clinical research. It’s a group of people like me, on a mission to make sure that future ACL-torn people know their options.

April 30

By the end of April, I had gotten my MRI images back.  

There is intermediate signal at the posterior aspect of the ACL with indistinct morphology of the fibers, overall improved from previous exam. There is no redundancy, discontinuity, or fluid filled defect to confirm presence of a full-thickness tear

From the Radiologist’s MRI Report

There appears to be a healing process all around which is great news. 

PM&R doctor’s note about the MRI findings

Yes, great news indeed😊. The vindication was finally real.

Now I have to keep reminding myself that this is not the end of my recovery.  Physical therapy continues.  I must continue to rebuild strength, stability, and the overall biomechanics that support a healthy knee that will last for decades to come. 

May 2

My next big milestone was a trip back to Canada for an advanced Feldenkrais training and to see family.  The experience of traveling through an airport, and carrying my own bags, leaving the security of home to go see friends and family, had never felt so sweet, or so liberating. 

Every day, I would amuse myself with the pleasure of being able to walk up and down stairs — like a toddler who had just learned to do this all by herself.   I was ecstatic to be able to walk up and down the hilly streets with ease (using hiking poles for extra security and to help my body re-learn good walking mechanics).   In my Feldenkrais training classes, I kept surprising myself (and trying to surprise others) with my ability to kneel on the floor comfortably.    I was able to hike through the trails and gardens.  I felt incredibly fortunate and blessed to be back in the world again, able to move on my two feet, and to kneel or bend to smell the flowers. 

May 24 (Memorial Day long weekend)

My most recent big milestone was getting back onto the nature trails — on my mountain bike, and hiking in the redwoods.   On my bike, my intention was to just ride an easy section of flat paved trail, but once I got out there, it felt so good I had to keep going.  I ended up doing the entire 12 mi mountain-bike loop around the reservoir, which is always a challenge for the first ride of the season.  But to my surprise, I felt stronger than ever! (thanks to the PT exercises I’ve been doing)  I still walked the challenging parts where I thought there was the slightest chance I’d need to step out of my pedals.  But I did it!  And the next day, I felt good enough to do a 10 km hike, with 600m of elevation gain, through the redwoods. I was devastated to have forgotten my hiking poles at home, but luckily I found a sturdy weathered branch to use for a cane.  Perfection!

May 23

So now, here I am, looking and walking like a normal person.  But far from feeling “normal”. I’ve found a new normal.  And it feels great!

I know so much more now about the knee, and all its connections to the rest of the body.

I know more about the challenges (and importance) of rehabilitation and strength training.

And I know so much more about the upstream battles people face when trying to do what feels right to them, while everyone keeps telling them they’re heading the wrong way.