⛷️ How I self-rehabbed my knee in three months

From a likely sprained LCL back to normal—it was easier than you might think

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Good morning! Let’s take a (hobbling) walk down memory lane today—but just three months back. ⛷️ 

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⛷️ How I self-rehabbed my knee in three months

I went skiing this February for the first time in several years. I was just going to ski for two days, but opted to add on a third and make the most of it. I was finally feeling confident and comfortable again. Risky—daring—even. You probably know what comes next.

I decided to reroute and “send it” down a steep, mogul-y blue as fast as I could. Turns out that wasn’t actually the fastest way to the bottom. Not exactly sure how it happened, but my skis got twisted, my left knee hyperextended with a varus bend (knee bending away from midline), and I went tumbling. Probably my gnarliest ski fall to date. By the time I finally stopped somersaulting like a baby giraffe that fell off a roller coaster, I scanned my body for where I was feeling pain.

“Sh**, sh**, sh**,” I thought and probably said in some mumble beneath a snow-caked ski mask. My left knee was hurting, a lot. Once I realized I could still move, kinda, I gathered myself and veryyy cautiously made my way to the bottom of the slope. That hurt.

I managed to make my way into a lodge and thankfully navigated to a store with some ibuprofen to pop. I normally try to avoid NSAIDs, but this dose was worth it. After a little break, some analgesics, and a Celsius™️ (sponsor me already?), I did end up doing a few more easy green runs with friends to make the most of my overly-priced last day. 🙄 It was alright, but I knew this one was gonna be problematic for a while.

After a combination of self-diagnosing tests and consulting with my PT friends, I figured I had some degree of sprain to my LCL with possible meniscal involvement. I also discovered a probable hamstring tendon strain when I absolutely lit it on fire (but in a good way I think?) with single leg hammy curls one day. This wasn’t an athletic career-ending injury, but it wasn’t going to be a cake walk either.

So here’s the thing. Consult professionals and seek expert-level rehab if/when you can. But with a stubborn resolve combined with a low budget and over-confidence in my own rehabilitation knowledge, I decided to tackle this process myself.

Dance Lol GIF by The Great Pottery Throw Down

Gif by potterythrow on Giphy

What are the key aspects of my self-rehabilitation that got me back?

I remembered the acronym PEACE & LOVE and put it to work over the coming weeks. I kept moving in the ways that I could (walking, cycling, rowing, lifting what I could lift) to keep the healing blood flowing. And today, a few months later, I’d say I’m back at about 97–98%!

I quickly learned what I could and couldn’t do. 

  • I remembered that anything that hurt more than a 3/4 out of 10 was probably not a good idea

  • I also recalled that isometrics (holding a contraction without moving) are great for pain management and reintroducing load-bearing on joints

I slowly (okay, maybe not so slowly) reintroduced resistance training my lower body, trepidatiously testing every leg day exercise I love to see how bearable it was. And then we just progressed from there, baby!

I got my squat back, got my deadlift back, got my leg press and step-ups and split squats and calf raises back. It was a process of navigating the twinges and flare-ups, the tight surrounding muscles doing their darn best to protect a vulnerable joint.

Here’s the thing: Our joints, ligaments, tendons, etc. are there for structure, stability, and movement. When they’re compromised, the muscles around them often contract and spasm to protect from further injury. This can also cause its own kind of pain. Much of the rehab process is walking the line of letting your body heal the joint injury the best it can while getting those muscles to work and behave normally again.

Many people think they have “bad” joints—which they very well may—but thus can’t resistance train the muscles around them. That’s actually the opposite of what we should be doing! You want to take the stress and pressure of movement off your vulnerable little joint structures and put it on your muscles. The more muscular strength and stability you have around every joint, the better they feel and move. 

So now in the past few months, I’ve hit PRs on leg day. I’ve eased into the end ranges of knee extension and flexion that were so painful initially. With a slow, progressive approach, those ranges of motion become less and less painful. 

I’ve also done my best to keep protein and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) intake high to support the healing process. You are what you eat, and I want my rebuilt body parts to be made of the finest ingredients possible, not Doritos and chocolate (though those still may have a place in my diet).

And here we are! A few months later, I’m feeling pretty darn good. End range flexion and extension still cause a little twinge. There’s sometimes a little click if I sway one way while standing. Those may go away over time, or they may persist to some degree. Either way, certainly nothing I can’t live and fully function with.

Our bodies are miraculous. They’ll often heal themselves if we give them the right stimuli and nutrition. 

Will I be après-hensive next time I ski? Probably. Will it stop me from living life to the fullest? Snow way.

Move to improve, and you’ll never stop doing either.

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: Do you have a nagging injury that you’re “protecting” instead of healing? Consider reintroducing more movement and see how it feels.

Level 2: Painful joints don’t mean you shouldn’t strength train. Flip that mindset 180 degrees and strengthen the muscles that support your joints!

Level 3: You’re probably not a PT, but whether you work with one or not, it’s so easy to source rehab exercises these days! What body parts of yours need some TLC? What exercises can you incorporate to shore up their strength and stability?

✍️ Drew's Picks:

  • Heal: This was honestly one of Dr. Peter Attia’s best podcasts to date, in my opinion. An absolute masterclass, yet totally digestible, on injury prevention and rehab.

That’s all for this week! Copy the link below and share with a friend if you enjoyed this week’s article!

Keep moving,

Drew

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The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).