I just got back from doing my sprint work in a pool. While I was over there, I was thinking back to almost exactly four months ago when I was writing another article about my outlook at the time and the knee injury I had just suffered. In case you didn’t read that article, I ruptured my patellar tendon, IT band, medial-patellofemoral ligament, and medial and lateral retinaculum (knee capsule) on April 12, 2012. At the time, I was told that I had a twelve- to eighteen-month recovery ahead of me and that I would never have 100 percent use of my leg again.

Right now, I'm back to about 95 percent in just four months and have put appreciable amounts of muscle back on to my leg. But what the hell does that have to do with you? Simple. I'm going to outline what I did to regain my knee health. If you're a serious weight lifter, I'm sure that you have or have had knee issues or that you've suffered some type of injury. It’s just part of the game.

Step one: Find someone who has been there before and who came back with ferocity. It's critical that you believe you're a great healer and possess superhuman abilities. It may sound stupid, but think about the alternative.

The first thing I had to get in check was my mindset. The first two nights were incredibly difficult emotionally. I reached out to Jim Hoskinson and another well-known powerlifter, both of whom were very beneficial to me. They have both been there and came back stronger. Jim went on to set a world record squat after rupturing both tendons, and the other guy had full flexion in his leg just six weeks after rupturing his patella tendon.

Step two: Arm yourself with knowledge. Setbacks cause growth. Don’t look at injuries as a curse.

The second thing I did was to read everything I could about the knee joint. After doing this and thinking about everything I had done with the knee injuries my athletes had suffered, I was armed with a plan.

Next, I realized there weren't any physical therapists or doctors who were going to tell me to do the ‘real’ stuff that would ultimately get me better. You're going to have to take it into your own hands. Joints are made to move. The longer you let a joint remain immobile, the harder your recovery will be. So in this regard, you must do something every single day to help regain your range of motion. Joints can become ‘glued down,’ so to speak, especially if the injury is traumatic and the range of motion is restricted intentionally.

 

That brings us to the issue of scar tissue. Despite what many people say about scar tissue, according to my research and experience, you aren't going to break it. It's made of collagen just like tendons, except there isn't any rhyme or reason as to how it's laid down. Think of a pot of spaghetti. The crisscross pattern is like scar tissue. What you have to try to do is get it to lay down in sequence or parallel to itself. This will allow for freedom of movement. I worked my knee and then rolled the piss out of it with a rolling stick. Then, I took a buffalo horn to it with some lotion (my version of the Graston technique). It hurt, but it helped. If you do try to ‘rip through’ scar tissue, you'll pay a price in terms of more scar tissue. I ripped through mine by accident one day and couldn’t move my knee again for two days because of inflammation. That set me back about a week.

OK, for all you knee ailment guys, here are the main exercises I did. I feel they'll be important for you in regaining range of motion, fluidity, and a strong lower body:

  • Wheelbarrow walking: As soon as I was able to walk, I started doing these. I loaded up a wheelbarrow, walked forward for thirty yards, and then walked backward. This is great for knee stability and proprioception.
  • Terminal knee extensions (TKE): These were instrumental in helping me regain some control of my quad and, more importantly, my VMO. I was incredibly weak when the leg brace finally came off, and I wasn't able to perform a straight leg raise. Perform these off a six-inch box or with a flex band choked off and wrapped behind your upper calf.
  • The bike: I'm not a big fan of ‘cardio,’ but if you're coming off a knee injury, the bike will quickly become your friend. I remember when I first got on the bike. I couldn’t move the pedal more than three inches. I kept at it and found that reverse pedaling with my heel on the pedal rather than my toes allowed me to get a proper revolution. The longer I stayed on the bike, the more I could flex my knee (albeit temporarily). I knocked the seat down a notch every five to ten minutes to get more range of motion. Remember, movement of the joints wash and lubricate them in synovial fluid—your own personal WD-40.
  • Box squatting: I was trying to figure out a way to have gravity assist me in regaining my full range of motion and a fellow lifter pointed out that box squatting was the perfect solution. I started doing these with just body weight and they hurt like a son of a gun. But each time, I knocked the seat down an inch. It was a measurable yet effective way to regain range of motion. If performed properly, there shouldn't be any stress on the patella tendon. Remember, what gets measured improves.
  • Sled walking: After reading Jim Hoskinson’s story, I knew these would be part of my arsenal. I was dragging three plates on the sled within two months of my surgery. A fellow lifter pointed out that sled dragging is the ultimate thing to do for knee rehabilitation and health.
  • High rep leg curls: I don’t care how you do them (my personal favorite is done on the reverse hyper), but whatever you gain in range of motion needs to be put to use with strength throughout that range of motion. Otherwise, I found it to be useless. Of the hamstrings group, only the biceps short head doesn't cross the knee joint. Remember, the knee joint is very unique because it's made up of fourteen bursae pads. Only those and soft tissue make up the integrity of the joint. You have to be sure to strengthen the front and back side of the knee.

 

  • Running and lunging in the pool: Join a place with a pool if you don't have access to one and you're coming off of knee surgery. It will be well worth it. I started this a little over a month ago. I run for thirty feet and then swim back. At the end of the session, I lunge for two minutes, making sure to get a full range of motion. I found the carryover to be very quick from these to the time when I was able to do this on dry land. I’m talking within two weeks.
  • Hill walking/stair walking: In particular, I found it very important to descend hills and stairs. Going up doesn’t quite give you the same bend. When that injured leg is planted (closed chain), you'll get a little extra range out of it going down rather than up. At about three months post-surgery, I found this to be huge in making rapid progress. I could hear ‘pops’ each day (pleats in the scar tissue pulling apart). It has been a steady climb from that point.

I'm sure there are some things I'm forgetting, but these are the main things that I did. Above all, I believed wholeheartedly that I would come back fast and at 100 percent. Whatever the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.