Eight days a week… rehab is a constant job.

In ‘03 I launched a ski jump at the Canyons in Park City. After a 35′ high, fly-away experience, I landed. My left femur kept going and blasted through the tibial plateau. Shock set in as little pieces of bone began to float around the knee capsule.

After 3.5 hours of surgery performed by Dr. Horowitz at the University of Utah hospital and a week of initial recovery (and five catheters being removed and replaced), I left in a wheel chair to catch a plane back to L.A.. I wouldn’t be allowed to walk for another three months.

Rehab in 2003 involved learning how to fire my muscles again so I could learn to walk again. Complete atrophy in one part of your body results  in accompanying amnesia on how to do fundamental actions- like walk. Descending a set of stairs was the scariest event of my life.

In 2004, the hardware was removed- 11 screws and two plates. Well… actually only 10 screws, because Dr. Pevny from Orthopedics Associates overlooked one of the screws. What was the nurse doing during surgery?

“Eleven screws on the x-ray, and we only have a baggy with ten … hmm … that’s weird. Oh well, it’s lunch time!”
Fast forward to 2007. The scar tissue has built up so much that the patella (knee cap) isn’t moving much and pain is experienced during heavy exertion. Dr. Pevny’s response = “early arthritis.” Dr. Sterett from the Steadman-Hawkins clinic = create space in there by removing the scar tissue.

April 4, I go in for surgery. Now its 2 hours of physical therapy each day in an attempt to recover properly from this. I’m hopeful that I’ll heal properly and be back playing hockey this summer.

Look for a future post where I share a video clip of the surgery!! How fun is that?!