Hi All,

Welcome to my first blog post! To be honest, I did think, does the world need another blog? BUT, the inspiration for embarking on this endeavor came from my skiing accident and what I felt was lacking out there in trying to educate myself on the injury and in preparing for surgery. I hope that by sharing my story, it helps anyone going through the same thing feel more empowered, prepared, and less alone

I break down my experience into sections, each with different tidbits of information I’ve learned along the way. It’s best to read in order. It can be an involved read, so thank you if you’re coming along for the whole ride. Either way, I’ve added Conclusions at the end of most sections, so you get the most important takeaways.

All right, let’s begin.

My ACL injury happened during what was supposed to be an epic 6-week skiing and snowboarding trip in Colorado from February – March 2021. At this point the global pandemic was starting to wear, and I was going to take full advantage of the WFH situation to dedicate myself to improving my skills for domination on the mountain (black diamonds here I come!), AND get in tip top shape. After acclimating myself with two days of snowboarding, I was excited to try out my new skis on day 3. I’m a better skier than snowboarder and wanted to challenge myself by trying jumps in the beginner’s terrain park. I was doing SO WELL all day, slowing down so there was control, and intuitively knew to lean forward to maintain balance landing from the air. To push myself further on the last run of the day (mistake), I decided to add more air (speed), and that’s when I came into the jump at a slight angle and ended up landing hard, with my legs tucked, onto my left knee.

HOW IT STARTED

Upon impact, there was a loud CRUNCH, but I thought maybe at worst it was a bad sprain. I couldn’t move my left leg, and as there was still so much time left in my trip, I decided to play it safe and had ski patrol take me down to the medical clinic for an assessment. After X-rays, and a physical and visual examination from the doctor, I was told that I had torn my ACL and potentially my MCL as well. I was in shock and DENIAL. I hadn’t yet tried to put weight on my leg, but there was no pain, everything felt normal. The doctor grabbed a model of the knee, after my protest that it couldn’t be anything that severe, and explained that we don’t have a lot of nerve endings inside the joint, which explains the lack of pain, but he was sure of his diagnosis, as my knee felt very unstable.

I can’t remember who brought up surgery (most likely one of the nurses), but the general feeling I got from the medical staff was that surgery was something I would inevitably have to do. They gave me ibuprofen and some hot tea, and I was advised to continue icing and taking ADVIL, to help reduce the swelling. I was then handed over to the physical therapist, who had me start on gentle range of motion (ROM) exercises and gave me a home exercise program (HEP). After being fitted for crutches, and a large post-op brace, locked so my leg was extended, the therapist helped me onto my feet to try walking. Whatever state of denial I was still in, my knee started shaking the moment I stood up, and the reality of the doctor’s diagnosis started to set in. 

By this time, I was the last patient left and the therapist was kind enough to call an Uber from her phone as I couldn’t get one on mine. I learned that in a ski town like Breckenridge, Lyfts and Ubers are harder to come by, especially in bad weather, as most of the drivers are from Denver or nearby larger cities, rather than the locals in town.

That night I barely slept as all the emotions and next steps logistics swirled around. The thought of even finding a doctor to address the situation was incredibly overwhelming. Without any trusted friends back home with a recent similar injury, where would I even start in finding a good surgeon? I toyed with the idea of getting treated in Colorado, but a friend who had torn her ACL in high school shut down that idea, “You’re going to want to be home for recovery,” she said matter-of-factly.

I LOVE the Nextdoor app and decided to crowd-source doctor recommendations from my neighbors. I received an outpouring of responses, and some physical therapy recos as well. Technology for the Win.

HOW IT’S GOING

The next day at the local orthopedic office, and after similar physical and visual tests (Anterior Drawer Test), the physician assistant remarked that maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked—if it was a full tear it would have pulled more. She could order an MRI, but said regardless I should stay off the leg for awhile, so it made sense to get the imaging done back home. There went all the hopes and dreams of remotely dominating the mountain, at least for that season. I scheduled two appointments with sports medicine orthopedic surgeons back in Los Angeles (better to get the 2^nd opinion on the books already, right?), ironed out details of my last days in CO, and returned home 3 days after my injury.

Stay tuned for the OFFICIAL diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

1. Don’t save your most ambitious run for the last run of the day. Sounds like common sense, but when you’re feeling good and getting more confident, you don’t always make the best decisions
2. You can tear your ACL without pain and without hearing a POP. The ER doctor asked if I heard a pop, which I think is more common when the ACL tears mid-substance (don’t quote me on that, but more details on my specific tear in the next post)
3. Take ibuprofen (ADVIL / MOTRIN) even if you’re not in pain to help with swelling
4. I was given a post-op brace at the urgent care clinic (long story with my insurance), post-accident you may be given another type of brace
5. It’s better to have your own car in Breckenridge and Vail. The bus system loops in a big circle and takes forever. Also shuttle companies/services change frequently and Lyfts and Ubers are rare in bad weather, due to the drivers coming from out of town as previously mentioned