I started attending prehabilitation physiotherapy sessions with Mike Kennedy very soon after my skiing accident in Feb 2017. I had just been for an MRI scan which showed a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). The surgeons had given me a target of 6 weeks to reach a position where my knee would be ready to undergo the reconstruction surgery. The physiotherapy team at Spire ensured me that with hard work, I would reach that goal and get the earliest surgery possible. They shared my target date with me and helped motivate me. I knew exactly what I needed to do to reach that goal and I was determined to not let them or myself down.
I achieved the targets set by the surgeon and I went for ACL and MCL reconstruction surgery first week of May 2017. I started rehabilitation sessions with Mike Kennedy 10 days after surgery. We would alternate between hydrotherapy and physiotherapy to aid with recovery. I followed his instructions and worked every day on my legs and gaining back the strength I had built up during the prehabilitation period.
Mike would always keep me motivated by testing my operated leg against my other leg and setting targets to improve. I followed a daily plan for exercising and ensured I had my rest days with a lot of ice to help with the swelling.
I was able to return to running by August and to skiing by January 2018, which was a great achievement for me and I was able to join my friends for a week away skiing in the French Alps. I would never have been able to do this without the real determination the Spire Manchester physiotherapy team gave me and the high expectations they set. I felt they were invested.