Getting Back on Track After ACL Surgery
Travers Smith has been a Jackson local for 12 years and has been training at Wright Training for 4 years. He spends his summers climbing and riding in the mountains and his winter snowboarding or teaching at the Jackson Hole Winter Sports School. Travers tore his ACL in March. Travers broke his back 11 years ago, but this is his first injury where he has incorporated strength training into his recovery process. Wright Training has been helping Travers to make a full recovery. Four months post-surgery Travers is running, jumping, and getting stronger. Today we completed the 6-week 5-3-1 program (Pip's class) and Travers' back squat improved from 165 lbs. to 235 lbs! It's amazing to see what handwork, dedication, and a little bit of sweat can do!
Wright Training got me back on track after ACL surgery I tore my ACL on March 7th and had surgery 6 days later. The surgeon did a hamstring graft. This is when they remove a piece of your hamstring, then drill into your tibia and femur, attach it, and done... a new ACL. I knew I would need consistent physical therapy for the next several months; what I didn't know was how much my entire body would be affected by this injury. In the two weeks following surgery, I lost almost twenty pounds. Three weeks post-surgery, I had gone to eight PT sessions. I mostly worked on bending my knee, getting off crutches, and trying not to limp. Feeling achy, fragile, and depressed, I called Crystal and asked if I could come to a class despite my injury. She assured me that I could come and convinced me that it would be really good for me. She wrote me a program specifically working with and around my injury. I went to class and limped around. I felt weak and uncoordinated. But as the class went on I got my heart rate up and started to sweat, two things I hadn't done in almost a month. It was the best I had felt in a long time! I left the gym feeling charged.
That class had such a positive effect on me I kept going. For the next nine weeks, I continued going to Wright Training and PT twice a week. In the first handful of classes, I went to, I did my own workout. Crystal programmed specifically for me and I would do it while she coached the class. This was great because I was motivated by the other athletes. It was a great source of energy. After a few weeks, I started doing regular class programming. It was a big milestone in my recovery; I had gone from laying on the couch with an ice machine to strength training classes at Wright Training! I saw real progress in my body. My blood was flowing and my appetite was back. I felt more normal every day, both physically and mentally. At twelve weeks out of surgery, I was released from routine PT. My therapist left me with a few home exercises and orders to do more stretching, mainly trying to get a full range of motion in my knee. I have continued with two classes per week at Wright Training and worked with almost all of the coaches. Their knowledge, experience, and motivation are invaluable. I feel strong and energetic. Every time I do a new exercise or add weight and reps to an old one I know I'm making progress. I am now four months out of surgery. I would not be this far along in the recovery process or this strong if it wasn't for the coaches at Wright Training. I still have limitations with my knee and don't expect to be back to normal for another few months. But right now I'm in great shape and motivated to be stronger than I was pre-injury. Crystal has a lot of experience with injuries of her own. If you have an injury, she's been there and done that herself. She's a World Champion skier, rodeo competitor and coach. There is no one I trust more or am more motivated by when it comes to recovery and training. I owe it to all the coaches for getting me where I am now. Big thanks to everyone!
