I injured my knee over the New Year. On Martin Luther King Day I was subjected to a sonogram and an MRI both of which I hoped would tell me I had a sprain and dislocation which would heal with physical therapy. No such luck. I have torn my ACL (a favorite of Premier League Footballers), torn the lateral meniscus, the medial meniscus (a favorite of skiers), and sprained the MCL … by playing tennis … which is not even a contact sport.
Thanks to my NY trainer Dan Harvey’s connections, he was able to get me scheduled to see the Chief of Sports Medicine at the Hospital, a terrific surgeon called David Altchek. He handles the shoulders, elbows and knees of the New York Mets and the US Davis Cup team, so this was a piece of cake for him. The surgery will be followed by crutches, a full leg brace and rehab. Yuk.
Over the past week since the diagnosis the trick has been to get the leg as strong as possible before the operation and to keep the spirit optimistic, focused and moving forward.
This kind of injury certainly makes you feel for professional athletes when they are laid up. I can function and hopefully work close to max potential to keep me occupied. They can’t. Keep well Ali Williams!
I’m grounded until the stitches come out February 3. So I’ll try to use this time positively as we all look forward to a new year.
