Jul 18

Jul 18 The ACL Comeback: Post-Surgery Goals and Motivation

Read a personal account of the lead-up to ACL surgery

As someone going into ACL surgery in a few hours, I had the urge to write about my post-surgery goals to keep myself honest.

My journey will be updated every week or two over the next 12 months, helping others who are currently waiting for ACL surgery or experiencing post-surgery recovery.

36 Hours to Go Until Surgery

All I can think about is what I want to be able to do once I’ve recovered from my surgery.

My active life feels so far in the past, but for the first time, I have some hope that sport and activity are in my future too.

In 2016 I ran 10km in 48:08. I’d love to beat that time. Can I do that even though it will be at least 7 years later?
I haven’t played 5 on 5 basketball since June 2019. Can I do that? Is it worth the risk of reinjury? Will I feel confident enough?
Can I jump and reach the basketball rim again? Will I really be able to do that at age 41? Could I even jump higher than I ever did and touch the rim with my wrist? Could I dunk?
I haven’t been skiing since 2014. For the past three years, I couldn’t have dreamt of doing that again as I didn’t want to risk reinjury. Will I feel more confident after surgery and physiotherapy?
I haven’t been wall-climbing since 2019. Could I get back into that?

Although I’m really trying to focus on future opportunities, I also have anxieties:

My knee has been weak for so long now. Is the partial tear in the medial meniscus and the sprained ACL really all there is to fix? Are there other smaller things to fix in there that the doctors might miss while they’re in there?
I’ve never received general anaesthetics. How will I react to that?

In this article, I’m discussing my story- and how I’ve come to plan out my ACL comeback post-surgery goals and motivation.

My Introduction to Basketball

Until the age of 10, I was a die-hard football fan. However, in 1991 my dad and I walked past a sports shop at Brent Cross Shopping Centre and he bought Michael Jordan’s “Come Fly With Me” VHS video.

He bought it for himself- but I must have watched it dozens of times! I can still recite most of it even now: “A young man.. with dreams of greatness in the baseball diamond… possessing the burning desire that could get him there…”

I was hooked on basketball from that moment- and that’s never changed!

Those who love a particular sport will know what I mean when I say it’s not just a love for that sport- it’s an addiction, and it comes with all the highs and lows associated with that word. I’ve never played professionally and there are a lot of things I got wrong in trying to get there- the main one thinking that if I played just 2-3 hours a day, that would be enough.

I didn’t get the best coach to help me work on the right things, so I put in lots of work and became an excellent playground baller, but not a professional player. I sometimes wonder how I would have fared under the right, dedicated coaching.

I played basketball as often as I could and as much as I could- and I absolutely loved it.

The Basketball Addiction Continues

When I was older, I went to university and developed a great career that had nothing to do with basketball or sports, but addictions like that don’t just go away. They’re always there in the background.

I got a basketball coaching certificate just for fun, and I then spent a Summer coaching kids at a US Summer Camp, playing with friends regularly and following the NBA religiously.

I would wake up at 3am to watch playoff games every year between April and June ever since 1996 without fail. When you’re addicted to any sport, it turns you into a fitness freak because you want to compete and be the best that you can at your sport.

My weekly routine included 7am, 6am or 5am runs and workouts for the last 20 years. I ran, did pull-ups and got some weight-training coaching - but if you’ve ever had a coach you’ll know the first question of your first session will be “what’s your goal?”.

My goal was always the same- “I just want to play basketball”.

In 2014, I was living in Amsterdam. I played for a local team where I’d practise once a week and then play a game on weekends. I also went to the gym 3 times a week to stay in shape for it- but it was always at 6am to fit around my career at a fast-growing tech company.

In 2017, a friend and I founded our own tech company, Zen Educate, and it became even harder to stay in shape. The older you get, the harder you have to work to earn the right to play some basketball.

My First ACL Injury

By 2019, I wasn’t keeping up with the gym or keeping my body prepared for the type of action 5 on 5 basketball demands. At 8:30pm on my regular Thursday pick-up game, I’d just made a steal and a layup to bring us within 1 point with time running out. I was back on defence, ready to make another steal. I shuffled right and then it happened. My knee buckled one way, I went the other, and I was on the floor in a world of panic.

A lot of swelling, ice and tests later, I was diagnosed with a sprained ACL and asked to complete some physiotherapy. I felt lucky that it wasn’t torn. I worked hard in physiotherapy every single day at home, and my glutes got stronger than ever.

My range of motion was back! I could squat through my knees to the floor again after about 6 months and I started the “Couch to 5K” programme to start running again. I was back to running 5K in 28 minutes, just 14 months after the injury.

I pushed myself, but it never felt quite right. I was coaching basketball on the weekends, demonstrating everything including rebounding and full-court defensive shuffles- but the confidence in my movement had never really returned.

Knee pain came at random times, especially when I ran. My hamstring would get tight sometimes even just after long walks, so I gave up running and focused on HIIT workouts that I discovered during lockdown. I was in good shape, playing basketball at the park, and I kept wondering if I would ever feel confident enough to play basketball regularly again.

My Second ACL Injury

In Spring 2022, I consulted with a knee specialist who tested my knee and said that it was okay. I decided it must just be in my head, so I started playing basketball alone more regularly to get my body used to the motions. I was building up to playing with people again!

On the Jubilee Bank Holiday, I went to the park as usual to practice on my own for a bit. Usually, if there’s anyone else playing basketball there, they’re beginners. However, this time I stumbled on a 4 on 4 pick up game on the other side of the court and I saw they were all playing at a very high level.

I stuck to my plan to play alone on the unused hoop, but I thought to myself that if they asked me to join them, I would go over and take it easy. After a while, the players asked me to get involved. “Taking it easy” is a relative term- but I really did!

I wasn’t taking over the game and I wasn’t working hard on defence, but the game was so much fun. We were tied 9-9 after 15 minutes, playing up to 11. I was loving it!

I was jogging lightly from one corner into the paint and then I wanted to cut down to the baseline and free the lane again. At that moment, my knee crackled- there’s no better way to describe it. Suddenly, I was on the floor again.

I spent the Jubilee weekend on the sofa with ice, and my first thoughts were “maybe now the doctor will take me more seriously and have a better suggestion.” Sure enough, two doctors tested my knee and saw the MRIs. They were clear that my ACL, while intact, wasn’t actually connected to anything so it wasn’t chipping in to stabilise my knee at all.

As a result, my medial meniscus was now partially torn and it would keep happening if the ACL wasn’t repaired. Worse yet, while waiting to heal and strengthen the muscles ahead of surgery, my torn meniscus got trapped meaning that I could barely walk. Surgery became urgent at that point.

My ACL Comeback and Post-Surgery Goals

That brings me up to date, 36 hours until my ACL surgery. Einstein allegedly said that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Trying to work my way back into shape now would just be insane.

That’s why I’m feeling really good that this is the right course of action. Nervous? Yes. Happy that I’ve got another 9-12 months of physiotherapy and strength training ahead of me? No. Excited about it? Hell, yeah!

I’m so excited that I have the chance to feel strong and confident enough to play basketball again.

That’s why I’m sharing my ACL comeback and my post-surgery goals. I can’t wait for the physio and strength training, and I really want to get back into top shape.

No more “I’ll just work out every morning and feel good about myself”. I’m ready to give this ACL recovery my all and come back in beast mode, stronger than ever!

I’m sharing a few of the milestones I’ve chosen on my way to recovery, to keep me honest and motivated during my ACL comeback. These include: