It’s now been nearly two years since I duffed up my right knee playing rugby (not even in a tackle, just caught my foot in long grass and twisted weirdly). My grade-2 torn ACL was re-habbed back to normality (near enough) by the very excellent Phil Pask (physio for England rugby, as well as me
and I had a good season of rugby on it for a year. Seemingly, I’m back on track…
Then what happens?
I turn 31, I get married, I am the fittest I’ve ever been thanks to Bridal Bootcamp, and I go and do it again just before the season kicks off proper. Once again, an awkward twist signalled the end of the game and possibly of my rugby career (career! Ah, that’s funny to write). OK, not career – but 13 years of fabulous rugger anyway.
Off to the physio again who gave me a bit of a reality check:
Phil the Physio: “So you need to think about the long-term for your knee and you know, you are coming to the end of rugby…”
Me: “But I’ve got a game on Sunday. We’ve gone up a league, I wanna play!!”
Phil the physio: “Er, no. you won’t be playing….and I’ve just been to see Richard Hill who’s had a replacement knee at the age of 40…”
Me: “oh.”
Anyhoo like a good ‘un I once again was on the rehab train and started my exercises in the rugby club gym, pumping iron to the Rocky soundtrack week after week, whilst wistfully watching the girls having fun in the cold mud outside, boo for me. After a few weeks it wasn’t really getting shipshape so I once again went to the knee doctor who had a good old push, pull, twist and clunk on the dodgy joint.
The upshot, is that I’m likely to have an operation before Christmas (eeeeeps!) – not sure what yet, it could be cartilidge/meniscal ligament, or full ACL jobby. I’ve had my scan so just waiting to see the doc and find out what the score is. The main thing is that I’m off to New York with the girls in Feb so need to be up, about and ok to shop by then!!
More news when I get it – no doubt I’ll keep a post-op diary of sorts here as well. It’s been good reading other people’s knee related woes (like Andy’s and Yes Knee Can) !!




