December 2013 was one of the most eventful months of my life.
After years of chickening out on joining an ultramarathon, I finally finished my first 50k, Bald Runner's Tagaytay to Nasugbu (T2N), on December 8, 2013. I snagged a cash prize for being the 10th female finisher, which made me especially happy because, given the lower back problems I'd been having in previous months, I knew it would be probably be my first and last ultramarathon as well.
But my celebration was short-lived. Less than two weeks later, on December 19, I had a bad fall after doing a jump during BodyCombat class. My knee locked upon landing, and despite icing the injury immediately afterwards, I experienced severe pain and difficulty. When the pain escalated the next morning, I knew something was very wrong, so I consulted my rehab doctor, Dr. Homer Tiangco, who instructed me to have an MRI done a few days after. Results showed that I had a complete or high-grade partial tear on my left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), in addition to a sprain and a Baker's cyst. Conservative therapy was an option, but if I ever wished to go back to running long distance and doing intense yoga or BodyCombat again, surgery was the only option. It was an outpatient procedure, and there were many advancements in ACL surgery that allowed patients to recover quite fast. A few weeks later, I consulted my sports doctor and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Edgar Eufemio whom I last consulted when I had lateral knee pain back in 2009. Dr. Eufemio told me that surgery was indeed necessary if I wanted to become active again. But prior to surgery, I needed to make sure my hamstrings were strong enough so I could make a quick recovery.
Dr. Eufemio mentioned that I should start strengthening my hamstrings since a hamstring tendon graft would be used to reconstruct my ACL. Since I was regularly attending yoga and BodyBalance classes, I figured that would suffice with a few additional hamstring exercises.
My parents, however, were not as decided as I was. I consulted a second orthopedic surgeon, one who seemed to suggest that conservative treatment for me. By this time, however, I was already determined on getting that surgery; I was not only frustrated about being limited in my recreational activities, I was bothered by sudden episodes of knee pain and locking. For me, it was no longer a question of whether or not to have a surgery; the only question was when.
Finally, during the last week of April, I called Jona, Dr. Eufemio's secretary and took a shot at a random close date. My surgery was to be held on May 6, Tuesday. I had the option to have it done at Megaclinic or Cardinal Santos, but since Dr. Eufemio did ACL reconstruction at Megaclinic more often, I decided to have the surgery done there.
After years of chickening out on joining an ultramarathon, I finally finished my first 50k, Bald Runner's Tagaytay to Nasugbu (T2N), on December 8, 2013. I snagged a cash prize for being the 10th female finisher, which made me especially happy because, given the lower back problems I'd been having in previous months, I knew it would be probably be my first and last ultramarathon as well.
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| With my awesome T2N support crew! |
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| FAT ASS 2014...with a bad knee |
Dr. Eufemio mentioned that I should start strengthening my hamstrings since a hamstring tendon graft would be used to reconstruct my ACL. Since I was regularly attending yoga and BodyBalance classes, I figured that would suffice with a few additional hamstring exercises.
My parents, however, were not as decided as I was. I consulted a second orthopedic surgeon, one who seemed to suggest that conservative treatment for me. By this time, however, I was already determined on getting that surgery; I was not only frustrated about being limited in my recreational activities, I was bothered by sudden episodes of knee pain and locking. For me, it was no longer a question of whether or not to have a surgery; the only question was when.
Finally, during the last week of April, I called Jona, Dr. Eufemio's secretary and took a shot at a random close date. My surgery was to be held on May 6, Tuesday. I had the option to have it done at Megaclinic or Cardinal Santos, but since Dr. Eufemio did ACL reconstruction at Megaclinic more often, I decided to have the surgery done there.
Surgery is the best option for long term success. I too did my surgery when I got ACL tear since two years back. Now, I feel better.
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