Trampolines bad

So, this whole thing started a couple weeks ago. I was out in Jersey (bad things always happen to me in Jersey.) at a friend's BBQ. This friend owns a trampoline, and I thought it would be fun to jump a bit with the kids.

We're on and off and on and off all day, playing games, trying old cheerleader jumps, and otherwise having a great time. After a bit, my friend Margaret got on the trampoline with me. In one quick jump, we landed too close to each other and my left knee buckled. I crumpled, and couldn’t straighten my leg. The pain was pretty intense, and I was pretty sure I had done something bad.

Over the next few hours, the knee stiffened up and started to swell. Not really grapefruit z swelling, but my knee cap had lost it’s shape, and there was a lot of puffiness.

A couple of doctor’s visits and an MRI revealed I tore my left ACL completely thru. There are a couple of treatment options for this injury. The first is physical therapy, with no surgery. Not a bad option, as I’m not a big fan of anesthesia or knives, but it has drawbacks. Any kind of side to side cutting motion is pretty much not going to happen ever again, and the probability of osteoarthritis at an early age is pretty high.

The other option is to have the ACL surgically reconstructed. This is the option I’ve chosen, but it is not without it’s penalty. The surgery itself is outpatient, but up to 9 months of physical therapy are tacked on to the back side of that surgery. Crutches, a brace, and a lot of work lie ahead for this broken girl.