#my dad tore his meniscus and might need surgery

[s0fter-sin]

i don’t think i’ve ever experienced so many things going wrong at once in my life

[jeynearrynofthevale]

Just watched the Connor McDavid: Whatever it Takes documentary and my main takeaway is that he’s insane but here are a bunch of random notes and pics:

““If it was up to my mom, we probably would’ve been a skiing family”

The drive, that’s who he is, he’s always been that way, since he was probably 3 or 4, he refused to let his parents help him get dressed and he would carry his bag everywhere, the bag was bigger than he was

“He’s intense and he’s competitive”

Bobby Orr said when he was 15 that he was gonna be the greatest skater to ever play

Tracy Wilson: Olympian and skating coach “what I love about Connor is it’s all about power, doesn’t matter how it looks, it’s about getting there”

Kassian “we haven’t seen a player like that in the game in maybe forever”

McDavid “at the end of the day, you’re still playing an nhl game, but that’s not much to hang your hat on” in reference to being out of the playoffs

“Right on the post square and I just felt the pain right away, thought I’d just broken my leg into a couple pieces”

They keep replaying him going into the net at top speed and it’s fucking horrible to watch

He whispered to me “I think it’s broke”- Kassian

“I was having flashbacks to Stamkos’s energy and I know stammer really well”

Stamkos texted therapist: “did he break his tibia?”

“If I could do it all over again, you’d like to take it back”- giordano

Team physical therapist asked if he could move his leg and told him he could either try to get up or call the gurney. Connor said “no, no, no” and stood up even though he was worried and thought his leg was going to give out”

“I held it together until we got though the tunnel and then I was just a mess” it took them 10 minutes to get back to the room

He said “stop, just give me a second”

3 guys had to hold him up the way back

Lauren “it was really hard when he called me, he just said “I think I broke my leg””

Brian “he was really upset and in pain, as a parent it’s hard”

Kelly: “it’s the worst thing in the world”

“Maybe in hindsight it would’ve been better if it was broken”

Never realized the infamous scene where Leon squeezes Connor in the hallway is from this.

Grade 2 strain of his pcl

“Hey dad, just want you to know I’m going for a second opinion in Colorado Springs”

Doctor told him it was a full pcl tear where tears on bth sides of his miniscus, “tore the popliteus right of the bone”

Full reconstruction of the knee, pcl, and popliteus would require a year recovery, doctor said he needed to do it asap, within a few day

“He was distraught, very, very under described”

His mom wanted him to have the surgery

Surgical intervention is to give it stability back

Had to make decision in 48hrs about whether or not to operate.

“He was very emotional and it was very difficult for him to talk.”

3rd opinion in LA: 2nd doctor is right about the issues but thinks the surgery is risky and doesn’t believe in it, wants to try to rehab it

Had to make that decision at 22 in 24 hours

Pcl cut right in half, back of knee joint completely torn, popliteus also completely torn, lateral and medial meniscus are both torn, crack in front of tibia from where he hit the post

“Hockey is my life”

He wanted to hear that he didn’t need surgery

His rehab guy literally lived with him

7 days a week, 10 hrs a day

50% chance to get him maybe skating again by end of summer

He was in a hyperbaric chamber daily for 40 days, 2 hours at a time

Claustrophobic in a literal tube

“At one point, doctor cleared him to flex his quad muscle”

They had to keep the injury as secret as possible, didn’t tell Ken Holland how bad it was

He would call his mom right after every mri appointment

He was in the pool all the time working on his knee

While rehabbing, his core specialist was like “might as well work on everything while we’re stuck here” and they worked on his core, pelvic floor, rotational movement, spine, everything

Gymnastics coach also helped

Didn’t want him to skate till September

He went on the ice with just his dad on his doc’s recommendation before September

He was so happy to be back on the ice with his father, completely changed emotionally that day

You can really see how much he loves just skating

He was so happy to know that even if he couldn’t fully heal he could still go on with the brace and skate

He’s so smooth in these skating exercises while in an insane brace

“One thing to be out there playing the game but another to do it at the level he was capable of”

Tracy Wilson did in their own words “edging” with him for afternoons, taking him through all sorts of movements and exercises without his brace

Opening night started to look like a possibility

He wanted to be there for training camp

He decided not to participate in biosteel

He wanted to play in all 7 exhibition games even though most veterans only did 4

“Like my first game all over again”

Seeing him on opening night was incredible for his training people

Okay, seeing the canucks slashing at him and shoving him into the boards in the home opener is now making me so protective

“He willed himself back”

[mrlongkgraves]

A dream deferred but not denied by ACL tear

The dream of playing college soccer was within reach. Emily had been working on her game since she was four years old, and at 16 was now co-captain of both her high school and club teams. Colleges were taking note.

Just three games into club season, Emily was on the field in North Carolina, running back to her net when she tore her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). She heard her knee pop, and knew immediately what had happened. “I’ve always had a high tolerance for pain, but that definitely raised the bar,” she says. Her mother Lauri can still hear her daughter’s screams from that day as she watched the event unfold from the sidelines.

Six months later, Emily is tackling recovery the same way she tackles life. “Emily is a go-getter,” says Lauri. “In school and in soccer, she works and works and works — she just never stops.”

Double diagnosis: Torn ACL and meniscus

The day of the injury, Emily and her family bought a pair of crutches and some Advil at a local pharmacy, and flew back to Boston on their scheduled flight. Despite the pain, Emily went to school the next morning because she didn’t want to fall behind in her studies. Her dad picked her up early from school and they drove together to meet with Dr. Benton Heyworth, orthopedic surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine Division.

An MRI confirmed Emily had torn both her ACL and meniscus. She knew it was coming, but the diagnosis was hard to hear. “I remember looking out the window in his office and just crying. That was a tough moment.”

But in typical Emily fashion, she wiped off her tears and geared up for what was next. “Dr. Heyworth explained everything about how the surgery is done, what to expect during recovery, and how important physical therapy would be,” says Emily. “Dr. Heyworth is incredible,” adds Lauri. “He talks to both the patient and the parent, and answers all of our questions.”

“Emily is ambitious and passionate about soccer, and she is also a caring and loyal friend who would do anything for someone else. She is beautiful inside and out.” ~ Lauri, Emily’s mom

On December 21, just 17 days after the injury, Heyworth performed reconstruction surgery on Emily’s knee — repairing the meniscus and replacing the ends of her torn ACL with a tendon graft from her own hamstring. “One of the many ways we invest in our patients’ long-term health is by focusing on joint preservation,” says Heyworth. “In Emily’s case, we repaired her torn meniscus instead of performing a partial meniscectomy, which involves trimming part of the meniscus out and can cause an accelerated rate of arthritis.”

Recovery: A focus on injury prevention

With ACL re-tear rates as high as 13 percent for teens, the right recovery program is key to a healthy and strong return to play. “Our ACL Program is unique in that everyone who undergoes ACL surgery at Boston Children’s has access to The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention,” explains Heyworth. “Here, sophisticated injury prevention assessments are performed 6 months after the surgery, and again at 9 or 12 months, if necessary. The extra support is important and allows us to assess lingering or persistent issues before an athlete returns to play.”

Emily’s early recovery involved a full-leg brace and no physical activity. She admits those first few months were emotional as she longed to get back in the game and doubted her ability to do so. Frequent check-ins with Heyworth and The Micheli Center helped remind her she was on track. And two friends who tore their ACLs before Emily offered companionship and support. Their high school classmates refer to the three girls as “The ACL Crew.” 

Prognosis: College soccer still in sight

Emily in her element before injury.

Today, things are looking up. Emily wears a more flexible sports brace and can run on a treadmill. She maintains a rigorous schedule of daily physical therapy, as Heyworth had recommended. “Obviously I’d rather be at practice, but the only way to get better and play soccer again is to do what I know I need to do.”

Emily is likely to be back on the field by September, just in time to shine for college coaches. She is hopeful but patient. “It took me years to get the hang of skills like cone dribbling and shooting with both feet, but I never gave up. I learned that things take time and will always fall into place.”

Until then, Emily is exploring other interests. “I miss soccer, but now that I’m not playing, I’ve been able to focus more on my schoolwork and start a job. I believe that everything happens for a reason. You might not know why something happened to you, but if you’re willing to accept it, you’ll see things you would have never noticed before and you’ll be stronger in the end.”

Learn more about Boston Children’s Hospital ACL Program.

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