Day 12 - Look ma, no brace!

Last week, I had been gingerly walking about my apartment for several days without wearing the brace. But I kept putting the brace on whenever I left and when I slept. On Saturday, I finally threw caution to the wind and left my apartment without wearing the brace. I stepped gingerly, carefully and slowly. The warnings from everybody from my doctor to my physical therapist to my mom had instilled in me a strong fear that without the brace, my leg would snap in two at any second. But to my surprise, my leg held up. Here's a photo (Notice that my leg is not crumbling):


And here's one from the side, lest you think I'm being propped up on poles:


It turns out that despite all the hoopla and urgent warnings to wear the brace, even while sleeping, it actually doesn't make a difference in recovery. Several studies have looked at those who adhere to the brace recommendation and those who don't. They haven't found any difference. The brace provides support, but after the surgery, your leg is so beat up and swollen and sore, you're taking it easy on it anyway. So the brace doesn't provide any actual protection that you're not already giving yourself.

By the way, the same goes for the cryocuff and the CPM machine. Studies have looked at both and neither of those have been shown to do much at all. So use 'em if you want to, but don't feel bad if you don't.

So I've been brace-free since Saturday. And so far, so good. They say it takes about 6 weeks for the bones and other tissue to fully heal and incorporate the new ACL, but as long as you're taking it easy, you won't rip out the surgical anchors, which generally consist of screws and bone.

Supposedly, I can return to cycling in 3 weeks after the surgery. But I'll save that for tomorrow's post.