Date: 2/11/03
Author: Marty "McFly" Head, Waterski Boats Dallas

Related Items:
The ACL Experience - Part I - Injury and MRI
The ACL Experience - Part II - MRI Results and Surgery Prep
The ACL Experience - Part III - Surgery
The ACL Experience - Part IV - Physical Therapy
The ACL Experience - Part VI - Guess Who's Back Wakeboarding

Toward the end of November, I had an appointment to visit with Tom Robinson, the Don Joy representative with whom I would be working to find and fit me into the knee brace that would best suit my needs. I wanted to make sure that I met with him and got my order turned in before the end of the year for insurance purposes. A lot of people don't realize that many insurance companies reset your out-of-pocket and your deductible expenses at the beginning of the each year. It just so happens that this was the guideline for my insurance company and I did not want to end up having to pay any more out of pocket than I had to.

I met with Tom at Dr. Donegan's office and we discussed how I was injured and what I planned to do after recovery. Tom knew that I wanted to return to full sport and he suggested the Defiance Brace by Don Joy. He told me that most of the professional athletes in the Dallas area prefer the Defiance and he also mentioned that this was the brace that Brett Favre was using after he took the ugly hit to his knee early in the football season.

The brace also came with a "Knee Guarantee" that I thought was pretty nice. Tom said that Don Joy has a Cadaver Lab where they test various types of braces against the hard impact and various situations that athletes place themselves in every day. Since the Defiance brace has passed the tests with flying colors, they placed a "Knee Guarantee" on the brace, meaning that if you are to re-injure your knee while using this brace, Don Joy will pay up to $1000 against your deductible for the repair of your knee. If you have ever had to file an insurance claim, you know that any money that you can get that will go toward the deductible helps, and a $1000 isn't too bad.

Tom had me stand on a line with both toes even and he placed a measuring device on my leg to get the exact measurements. Once the measurements were taken, I was shown a catalog where I could choose the custom colors that I would like to have my brace painted.

The course of action was very simple, yet very informative. Tom told me to keep my eyes open over the next week or so and my brace would arrive at my home. Don Joy took care of all of the insurance work and I did nothing more than show up at an appointment. It was a very hassle-free process.

About a week later, the brace arrived in the mail and I returned once more to meet with Tom just to make sure that the brace fit me correctly and that I was wearing it right. There is a sequence in which the wearer needs to cinch the straps on the brace for the optimal fit. If worn correctly, the brace will not slip down whatsoever and will give the knee all of the support that it needs.

I began working out on the bike and on the treadmill while wearing the brace to get the feel of it. Once all the straps had been adjusted and the brace was broken in, I could hardly tell that I was wearing it.

I returned for one last visit to Dr. Donegan on January 29, 2003. This was just a monthly check-up to see how things were going and how far my progression had come. The 29th was exactly four months and 10 days out of surgery. Dr. Donegan told me after he checked out my leg that I could return to wakeskating and surfing right around Mid-February. He said that the rehab and fitness programs that I had gone through had made the knee strong again and that everything looked very good. However, I told him, just in case, that I would return to the water on or after February 19th, since that would be the five-month mark.

Dr. Donegan went on to say that as far as wakeboarding went, I would not have to wait the complete six-month term to return. He told me that if I wanted to cut that time down by 10-14 days, it was fine with him. He told me to just take it easy and get a feel for the water again on the wakeskate and let my new knee get broken in a little, and then return to the wakeboard when I feel ready. I was heavily advised to return slowly and to not rush anything.

Over the past couple of months I have been trying to ride the bike, run on the treadmill and spend some time on the Stairmaster as much as possible. I have also been working out the upper body since I have not wakeboarded since early September. I know the return to the water will be a long awaited event, but I also know that by the next morning, I will be very sore!

As far as my knee goes right now, it feels really good. Each morning I wake up and the first thing I do is give my knee a good bend and it pops really loud. That basically kick-starts my day. It doesn't hurt or bother me, but if I am on it all day, like I have been lately while working the Dallas Boat Show, it will start to get a little tight and sore toward the end of the night. But, after a good night's rest, it is fine in the morning.

I have no swelling, no immobility and pretty much full range of motion. Right now, to help get 100% range of motion, I will sit down on my knees and slowly lower my butt toward my heels. I go as low as I can, hold it for five seconds and then rise back up. Each time I lower down, I can get a little closer. Here it is almost five months out and I can just now touch my heels to my butt. However, some people gain full range of motion much sooner than others.

I am hoping to return to the water very soon and, as soon as that happens, I will let you know!

Check out more on Marty's recovery coming soon...

Part IV - Physical Therapy

Part VI - Guess Who's Back Wakeboarding

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