My Experience

I tore my ACL in February 2024 during Taekwondo practice, a sport I had practiced for over 8 years. I landed awkwardly on my knee when performing a flying kick and felt it quickly pop out of place, which was followed by a piercing pain that kept me down on the ground. It was sudden and happened when I least expected it. I had not warmed up properly beforehand, which likely contributed to my injury.

After immobilizing my knee with a brace for about 3 weeks. I spent another 2 weeks doing prehab exercises with light weights, like straight leg raises, hip abductions, hip adductions, and glute bridges. This helped mitigate my post-surgery muscle loss.

Instead of waiting 9 months for surgery in Canada, I flew to Vietnam to receive surgery, so that I could sooner return to sports. The days leading up to surgery were nerve-wracking. Entering a room of surgeons was also frightening. The surgery went by quickly while I was under anesthesia. Waking up, I was met with discomfort from a postoperative fever and my swollen leg, as the numbing medication wore out. Any time I left my bed and stood up, I would be met with a terrible aching sensation in my leg. 

The initial days were difficult. My leg's circulation had not yet returned to normal and standing up would cause an uncomfortable aching sensation. I struggled to do simple unweighted exercises, like straight leg raises, hip abductions, and hamstring curls. It was especially painful to bend and extend my knee, though it is essential to restore the knee's range of motion in early rehab. I followed a training plan that was given to me by my doctors, that had a list of exercises and goals for each phase of recovery. With the help of a physiotherapist and YouTube videos, I ensured my form was correct when doing the exercises.

About 5 months post-operation, I restored my full range of motion, developed a normal gait, and regained most of the strength in my left leg. I now spent more time with a physiotherapist, who provided me with exercises to improve my balance, agility, strength, and explosive power. I also started going to the gym and developed a balanced workout schedule. Later, I focused more on workouts that were specific to my sport. In total, I spent almost 1 year in rehab before returning to sport.

When finding out that my ACL was fully torn, I was devastated. I was filled with frustration and grief that I wouldn't be able to participate in activities that I once could, let alone practice my favorite sport. Leading up to surgery, I was filled with fear and anxiety for what was about to come. My rehab journey was filled with fatigue, frustration, soreness, and a constant longing for being "normal" once again. The determination to return to sport and a passion for my sports kept me going during that time.