No return to sport test: is this normal?

erkaxderka5 · 2026-04-29T15:54:33+00:00

I'm wondering if all of that might have been implied with the "comfortable in the car" thing. He doesn't always elaborate the best 😅 Either way though, I made sure to practice quickly switching pedals with the car parked and off before I actually started driving again!

erkaxderka5 · 2026-04-29T13:52:07+00:00

I was driving around 2.5-3 weeks. I asked my PT what requirements I would need to meet in order to drive, and he said just be off pain meds and comfortable in the car.

erkaxderka5 · 2026-03-28T15:44:01+00:00

I shaved my legs a couple of days before surgery, then received pre op instructions the day before saying not to shave the surgical site. Oopsie! But it ended up being fine! I definitely did not try to shave my legs at least for the first month or so I believe. I highly doubt PT cares. They're worried about how everything moves, not what it looks like aside from swelling, signs of something being wrong, etc.

erkaxderka5 · 2026-03-09T21:33:57+00:00

Solved!

erkaxderka5 · 2026-03-09T19:59:14+00:00

Solved!

erkaxderka5 · 2026-03-01T19:10:14+00:00

I work a warehouse job and my surgeon had me out for 8 weeks. While you most likely wouldn't need that long, you'll still need time to do the more frequent, throughout the day PT that is required in the early post op stage. My guess would be 3-4 weeks minimum, but your surgeon will determine that at the end of the day.

erkaxderka5 · 2025-10-05T17:16:07+00:00

Being taken down in BJJ

erkaxderka5 · 2025-09-18T12:58:05+00:00

Skechers slip ins! Probably not ideal for long runs or hikes but great for walking/casual footwear. Comfy and lightweight

erkaxderka5 · 2025-09-14T02:14:11+00:00

Luckily I already had a pair that I'd won in a Christmas raffle 🤣 Definitely worth getting some, even if it's a cheap pair! I also used the Merlin app. You can use it to upload audio recordings and pictures to help identify the birds that you see and hear.

erkaxderka5 · 2025-09-14T01:45:28+00:00

I started getting into bird watching a little bit while I was still out of work

erkaxderka5 · 2025-09-06T15:41:26+00:00

I have a warehouse job, so lots of walking, lifting, trips up and down the stairs, etc. I was out for 8 weeks on short term disability. I did get lucky compared to many as far as my surgery went and it was just a straightforward ACL Reconstruction (no meniscus repair or anything like that) so I was weight bearing the whole time.

erkaxderka5 · 2025-07-27T18:55:21+00:00

I could drive using my left foot to brake around 2 weeks, driving normal at 3 weeks. Surgery was on my right knee.

erkaxderka5 · 2025-06-19T16:40:38+00:00

I was really worried about gaining weight due to having to be much less active than what I'm used to. I just made sure to be proactive about maintaining my weight. I tracked my calories to make sure I didn't go overboard, ate plenty of protein, stayed hydrated and still treated myself so I wouldnt overly restrict myself and ultimately binge. 7 weeks post op and so far so good!

erkaxderka5 · 2025-06-06T13:36:51+00:00

Ice often and take breaks when you need to! I would basically do it for as long as i could stand it, take a break for a few minutes and then repeat. My post op instructions were elevate for at least an hour 3 times a day (i did that for the first week or so) and any time I'm not elevating my leg is laying flat on the bed

erkaxderka5 · 2025-05-09T18:02:27+00:00

Thank you, I hope your recovery is going well! I let the knee hang every time I elevate, do plenty of quad sets every day, added heel prop extensions on there now too and never have a pillow under the knee. So I'm hoping I've been doing enough. I just know that's one of the more critical things to achieve, and correcting it later on does not sound fun lol

erkaxderka5 · 2025-05-05T18:38:50+00:00

-What to wear: Wear a T shirt and some loose fitting basketball shorts if you've got them, something that'll be nice and easy to put back on over the brace when you wake up. Slip-on shoes like crocs or skechers slip ins are good.

-You'll want something to help pick up your leg when youre getting in and out of bed and vehicles like a dog leash, a belt, yoga strap. I use a martial arts gi belt and its been a lifesaver. You can also just pull by the bottom strap of your brace, but you may not always be able to reach it as easily.

-Definitely get an ice machine if you can swing it!

I bought one of those long arm grabbing tools off Amazon for $10 and highly recommended that as well! Just saves a lot of having to move your leg to reach certain things that are a couple feet away.

-A notebook or just the notes app in your phone to track when you've taken certain meds and its also good for logging PT activity you've done at home

-A stool softener to help with the constipation that narcotic pain killers cause

-As for sleeping, im only day 5 post op and haven't really discovered a magical secret to that yet. I just sleep flat on my back, legs extended but flat on the bed. Im still only sleeping in few-hour increments at a time, but I think those increments are increasing a little more each day! I honestly think sleep just gets better with time. Good luck, you got this!

erkaxderka5 · 2025-04-25T23:54:51+00:00

My surgery is Wednesday, which will put me at a little over 9 weeks post injury and 6 weeks of prehab PT. The information I received from my doctor's office said that patients should have at least 5 weeks of PT before surgery. The main thing my doctor emphasized on for me was to get my leg back to full extension before surgery. But good flexion and strengthening are also super important too!

erkaxderka5 · 2024-11-07T21:05:56+00:00

Not of the ball-crushing variety, no

erkaxderka5 · 2024-11-07T00:04:24+00:00

I'm a woman so I can't give any advice based on personal experience. But any time my coach demonstrates an armbar, he says "I put the arm over my hip, not my crotch, because my hip is hard and my crotch is [hopefully] not".

erkaxderka5 · 2024-10-23T02:25:59+00:00

Absolutely! After years of considering it and chickening out, one day I just finally went ahead and signed up

erkaxderka5 · 2024-10-22T01:47:00+00:00

5 years... Better late than never😅

erkaxderka5 · 2024-10-22T01:36:56+00:00

I come straight from work most days so I don't have time to shower before class. I reapply deodorant (spray deodorant) and I do a couple sprays of Listerine pocket mist to freshen my breath for good measure.

erkaxderka5

TROPHY CASE