WHO IS ZACH //
In November 2024 I and had to get knee replacement surgery for a total ACL laceration of the left knee. This is why I want to help you. Post-surgery was the most difficult experience I have ever had and I had to take an SAT exam 10 days after my surgery. All I could thing about was when will it stop hurting and when will I walk again?
I hope to save you from unnecessary pain and downtime. Yes accidents do happen, so if you are injured or recovering or know somebody who is healing, you can share this site and let them know there is help, they are not alone and the most important thing I was told "This is only temporary, just get through today and tomorrow will be better!" Getting my mindset right was half the battle, my first day back from surgery I was foggy in my mind and scared, unsure of how I would be able to complete the simplest task, but with meditation, guidance and most of all Physical Therapy (in a clinic and at home in my room), I was able to rise out of the funk and keep going. You will do the same!!
Luckily it was worth some of the agony, our team won the Championship, although I did not play in the game. I supported my teammates from the sidelines. I intend to play football again by the end of Summer 2025! How? By rest, rehabilitation and taking precautions. I am Zach, a 17 year old at Poly Prep and I play Wide Receiver and Linebacker for the Poly Blue Devils. Our coach is the best a real beast, check out last season's video below. Choach Jerrell Jones comes from the NFL and he has gotten us to the championships 3 years running, we took home the cup the 1st and 3rd year. I never was the most awesome player on the team, but I am part of the brotherhood and sport, my coaches and my team mean the world to me. It is my hope that my experience will help you on your road to recovery.
ACL INJURY DAY - October 23, 2024
I played the varsity team finally, being a Junior in high school, I got a change to play on the championship team and best off all, get off the bench.
The game was going our way, I was on defence and say a opponent gunning for me. I knew they were about the tackle, so I braced myself and they made impact I hear my knee pop.
Falling to the ground I knew I was cooked. The coach had to carry me to the sidelines and I was taken to the medical team on a stretcher. The pain was the worst I had ever experienced, but with ice and motrin at home I got some relief.
About 10 days in I was starting to feel better, able to move without the crutches again, but there was a surgery date on the calendar and my parents had found the best. Dr. Bixby, she used to work with the Panthers team!
I tried to convince them that I didn't need surgery, but they believed that I was young and deserved a full recovery so I was facing down the day when I would be injured all over again, but this time in a hospital, no on the field.
DR ELISE BIXBY AND NYU - January 3, 2025
Before I tell you about them, I must thank my medical team at NYU and Dr Bixby the orthopedic surgeon that got me on the road to recovery. They have been excellent!
As of writing this it has been 2 months since my surgery and I have nearly full mobility, I left the crutches behind weeks ago and hardly ever use the full leg brace.
Dr Bixby said at the last visit that I will be able to run by February, not sure I believe it, but she hasn't let me down yet!
Dr. Bixby is a top orthopedic surgeon in the US, she used to in charge of the medical care for the panther's team. NYU has been very supportive and they alway treated me with kindness and compassion. They day of my surgery I was nervouse, sitting between my parents in the prep room waiting to be called one. Dr. Bixby came in and walked me through the next steps. They would take me to the operating room and give me a sedative and then numb the nerve in the leg. She also fleetingly mentioned that she used to take care of the Carolina Panther's footballers. Humble and awesome at the same time. In the excerpt below from the NYU website you cal learn more about her.
DR BIXBY IN HER OWN WORDS
As a dual fellowship-trained surgeon specializing in pediatric and adult sports medicine at NYU Langone, I am dedicated to helping patients of all ages return to their active lifestyles.
Whether I’m treating young children who already specialize in one sport, multi-sport teenage athletes, weekend warriors, or those gracefully aging through continued exercise, my goal is to ensure that each patient can return to what they love, want and need to do.
My experience as a team doctor for professional sports teams, such as the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Football Club, and Charlotte Knights, as well as high school football teams and organizations like the Skating Club of Boston and the Boston Ballet, has equipped me with the expertise to manage a wide range of sports-related injuries.
I specialize in treating conditions of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and ankle, as well as fractures in children and adolescents. My surgical options often include minimally invasive or arthroscopic procedures, but I also perform larger open realignments and reconstruction surgery when necessary. Additionally, I offer conservative treatments such as thoughtful activity modification, physical therapy, medications, or injections.
MY ACL SURGERY OPTIONS
I had the choice of using an autographt, that is spare parts from my own body or tissue from a cadaver. A dead dude! No thanks. Plus it's more likely that my body would reject foreign tissue. So we went with taking bone plugs and tendon from my patella and tibia and grafting that to what was left of my torn ACL.
If you have to have knee surger you will get a few options. Choose what suits you best based on your age and the level of your injury. Also think about the a mehtod that has a history of success. There is a lot of research out there.
PHYSICAL THERAPY & HEALING WEEK 3 - 7
- Manual therapy, which uses the massage and manipulation of the body's soft tissues to relieve pain and promote healing
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- Preparing the body post-orthopedic surgery, resting, eating well, getting goog sleep
- General strength training
- Adding Vitamin C, Collagen peptides and B vitamines for healing and pain.
- Eating lots of fiber rich foods, smoothies and salads and my digestive system took a hit from the prescription medications.
- Staying hydrated.
- Alternating Ice and heat.\
- Practicing getting around on crutches, switching to 1 crutch asap.
- Strenght work fot the quadricep of affected leg, this atrophies after knee surger and takes time to build back up,