Snowboarding

Coming in 2007: Arthroscopic Knee Surgery (“Arthroscopy”)

Today I paid another visit to the orthopaedic surgeon, so he could have another look at the knee I oh-so-brilliantly screwed up this winter. It also gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my totally extreme commitment to snowboarding.

How extreme? I told the surgeon I didn’t want to be operated on until
next spring, so I could ride another season.. and he obliged. Woohoo!

So here’s the deal:

-Although it’s outpatient and I’ll walk out of the hospital (possibly
with crutches), the recovery process for an arthroscopy is a pain in
the ass. Apparently I won’t feel up to walking much for a week or so,
but, as the surgeon said, “you get really good drugs” to mitigate the
pain. So that’s nice.
-The doc said I might not be able to snowboard for up to a year
afterward. But he said some surgeons let their patients ride again
after six months, so I think 2008 is still a strong possibility. I
could be back mid-winter if I’m operated on this spring (which is the
plan).
-I think I might be putting my knee through a bit too much playing
ultimate frisbee, and basketball (which I was thinking about) is
definitely out until the operation. I think I will finish my ultimate
season outdoors but not play indoors, as hard surfaces are apparently
really really bad for this type of injury.
-I might not have a full tear; the arthroscopy will tell. My knee is
apparently more stable than most injuries of this type. So that was
some good news; maybe it’ll make the recovery process easier.

I will get my date in early November. I could have chosen
September/October, but I’m glad I didn’t; I would have wiped out all of
2007! At least this way, I can ride in 2007 and have a chance of riding
in 2008 as well.

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