Knee Surgery: Understand YOUR Body And Fight Injury For Good

Come Back After ACL Tear

Shanon is amazing to watch! She has a competitive spirit and attacks each PT session with determination!  She always brings focus, endurance and her "A" game. Shanon also does a lot of "homework" in her home gym, "Iron Jr.," which we all envy : ). This mama's work has paid off and she is back to her adventurous and active lifestyle of biking, climbing, canyoneering, backpacking, diving, and MORE.

shanon

In Her Own Words...

Three Words That Describe You:

Motivated, but Impatient and somewhat Neurotic.

What brought you to PT? I had an ACL tear and Grade 4 meniscus damage in my left knee, followed by surgery (double meniscectomy). I opted to NOT repair the ACL, but to instead use PT to build enough stability in my knee to live an active lifestyle without an ACL. I started PT three days after knee surgery.

How have you benefitted from your PT experience? PT at Iron has not only provided the rehab that I needed, but also the education that I need in order to continue to keep my knee strong. While Dr Mayes and the team have been amazing to guide and motivate me during my PT sessions, it’s been important to me from the start to understand what I need to do on my own, and WHY it’s important. Building stability and balance, developing strength in surrounding muscles like quadriceps and hips, and observing in the mirror how my knee behaves with certain exercises – these are all things I’d never have known if it weren’t for my Dr. Mayes.

What would you recommend to someone who has the same injury as you? Consider your options! While we have a tendency to follow our orthopedic surgeon’s recommendations, it has become clear to me that a good physical therapist, providing 1:1 personalized attention with a customized program (meaning, not the usual “mill” approach) could absolutely be the best approach, even for an high-octane life of physical activity. And when surgery is the answer, PT is absolutely crucial to rebuild strength and mobility. Surgery is not a quick fix!

What activities are you most excited about getting back to? While I love a lot of activities (biking, climbing, canyoneering, backpacking, diving) and am thrilled that I can get back to them now, I am most excited about the little things. I want to climb 3 flights of stairs taking them 2 at a time. I want to show off to my kids that I can do a two foot vertical jump onto a park bench. I want to sit in a yoga hero or lotus pose comfortably. 10 weeks ago I was a million miles away, now I’m just around the corner from them!

Further, as a new graduate of Iron PT, I am now sadly resigned to my basement, where I’ll carry on the many exercises (e.g., the damn dead lifts) that I’ve been taught by my draconian hard-core physical therapist. Attached is a picture of what I like to call “Iron Jr.”

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