So You’ve Torn Your ACL. Now What? A Comprehensive Guide.

How to Avoid Knee Pain Caused by Running | JustRunLah!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical or health care provider of any kind. These articles are written from the perspective of a patient. Please follow the instructions of your health care provider.

So it happened to you. The infamous “knee blowout” they talk about in sports or dance movies but never show in detail. You felt the pop in your leg and were on the ground before you knew what happened.

You have a torn ACL. Now what?

Congratulations! You’ve now joined the elite club of ACL Warriors.

Continue reading “So You’ve Torn Your ACL. Now What? A Comprehensive Guide.”

Little Black Belt is NINE!

Number Nine Clip Art - ClipArt Best

Ten years ago, on April 1, 2013, I started taking taekwondo lessons again after a 20+ year hiatus and began a journey that changed my life. I am a different (and hopefully better) person thanks to the triumphs, challenges, and lessons I’ve gained from taekwondo. It inspired me to start this blog nine years ago, publish a memoir in 2021, connect with the online martial arts community, and continue to grow as a human.

So let’s celebrate nine years of my blog with my favorite posts from the last year:

  1. Frustrated, Disappointed, and Burned Out – So I Changed My Outlook and Went to Taekwondo Class (May 2022) – After not getting a job I really wanted and feeling stuck in my current role, I did some soul searching along wth kicking and kiyahping to feel better.
  2. From Therapy Every Damn Day to Making It On My Own (June 2022) – This was when I was finally coming out of a depression that had haunted me for over a year.
  3. Taking My Own Advice on Feeling Unstuck (July 2022) – This short and sweet article was my most popular post of the year and one I revisit when I’m feeling down.
  4. I Don’t Practice Every Day. Here’s Why (August 2022) – If practicing your hobbies and interests is a form of self-care, so is not overdoing it. I have good reasons for not doing what I love every day.
  5. My Guest Post: Are You In a Martial Arts Cult? (October 2o22) – This has been my most popular and commented upon post for the website Martial Journal. Toxicity and cultish behavior in marital arts is an important topic we’re not talking about enough.
  6. I’m Glad I Got Injured and Gained Weight (October 2022) – No, really, I am.
  7. The Person Who Inspired Me to Persevere in 2022 (January 2023) – Have you heard of the rapper Prof? Click out of this post and go discover him right now. Hilarious, talented, clever, and soulful, this artist from Minneapolis put on the show of a lifetime and inspired me to follow my dreams.
  8. A Year of Private Lessons: My Personal TKD Comeback Tour (February 2023) – From injury to surgeries to rehab and now moving into recovery, my ACL reconstruction journey went to a whole new level when my coach and I committed to a year of individual lessons.
  9. My Guest Post: Seeking Authenticity? Look to Marital Arts (February 2023) – Another guest post for Martial Journal. Authenticity was alluding me for a long time. Turns out it was right under my feet.
  10. Back to School! (March 2023) – After a year of private lessons I rejoined the ranks.

My Guest Post: Seeking Authenticity? Look to Martial Arts

Out of the vast hellscape of the pandemic came a cry for authenticity–in our workplaces, in our homes, and in our hearts. If you’re a practicing martial artist (or have any kind of hobby, passion, sport, etc.), the power might already be within you. In this month’s article for Martial Journal, I describe how practicing martial arts can help you find your authentic voice.

Click here to read the article.

 

A Year of Private Lessons: My TKD Comeback Tour

Getting my mojo back. Photo by Wesley Kirk.

 

The first time I set foot in my dojang after the night I tore my ACL was in mid-December 2020. A girl who had been a student of mine at the old dojang before transferring to our new one was testing for black belt. I was still wearing a knee brace and was deeply mired in rehab at home and at the healthcare facility. 
Continue reading “A Year of Private Lessons: My TKD Comeback Tour”

My Guest Post: Feeling Jealous as a Martial Artist? Feel Inspired Instead!

martial artists can feel fear and jealously too!

I write an article every two months for “Martial Journal” and focus on topics such as mental health, injury recovery, and the emotional aspects of practicing martial arts.

This month’s article is about dealing with the very natural emotion of jealousy. Instead of suffering with it, take it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Enjoy the article.

Feeling Jealous as a Martial Artist? Feel Inspired Instead!

Learning Taeguk Forms

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I’m still calling walking stance “broken knee stance.”

There sure are a lot of outside-to-inside blocks in Taeguk forms.

When I joined my new dojang at the end of 2018 I began learning Taeguk forms. I’d learned the Palgwe style in my other dojang, and since I can’t remember which forms I learned as a child (other than the universal kibon), I’ll claim Palgwe as my foundational set.

I started thinking about the new language I was learning. If Palgwes could be summed up in one or two moves I’d say they’re very heavy on using the front (or long) stance and double knife hand block (in a back stance of course).
Taeguk’s main theme seems to be the outside block…from the back hand…in walking stance.

Sigh…

Continue reading “Learning Taeguk Forms”

Taking My Own Advice on Feeling Unstuck

Part Two

July 24, 2022, was the two year “an-knee-versary” (yes, I’m going to keep using that word) of my ACL reconstruction surgery.

I had a great weekend using my reconstructed and rehabbed knee. My partner and I swam in our pool Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Saturday after my first post-op Body Combat class, we walked about half a mile to a local pub to play pool, have drinks, and eat delicious street tacos, and we did strength training on Sunday before our afternoon swim. Unlike this time last summer, I was not recovering from another arthroscopy. I haven’t reached 100% flexion and extension, but I’m so much closer than I was a year ago.

Despite the current state of the world, I’m feeling more relaxed and optimistic about my future than I have in a long time.

This time last year I wrote a post about “feeling unstuck when there’s no end in sight.” I’d made a lot of progress with my knee, but, progress was still difficult, slow, and at times felt as if it were moving backward.

My life felt like that too. 

I had plenty of moments of feeling pretty bad, but overall I did take the advice I shared in last year’s article. I learned to be patient with my frustration and not get caught in an emotional spiral. I worked on what I could control. I very slowly let go of the need for everything to be perfect and “right.”

The most helpful and yet most infuriating factor: time. I just had to keep doing what I could do to stay sane and get more physically fit and let things work out in time. The deus ex machina I prayed for never came other than a big change at work, and even then, that has required several months of learning and adjusting.

My old therapist Ramona, who is mentioned in my memoir, used to say, “One day at a time…It. Will All. Work. Out.”

So, how to get unstuck? Go back to last year’s article and read the tips. Do what you can, give yourself grace when you can’t, and be patient.

The Pain of a Pretty Facade: Becoming More Authentic

These pictures were taken about two years and five months apart. I am smiling in both and seem to have gotten my hair to cooperate.

The first photo was taken by a professional photographer as part of a photo shoot package to use for my upcoming book promotion. The second was taken by my partner after we had a delicious dinner to celebrate my upcoming birthday. One photo was taken pre-knee injury, pre-mental breakdown, and pre-weight gain.

Guess which one shows the happier, more authentic me?

Continue reading “The Pain of a Pretty Facade: Becoming More Authentic”

From Therapy Every Damn Day to Making It On My Own

Two weeks ago I saw my orthopedic surgeon for a six-month check up. We wanted to see my progress after I’d returned to taekwondo training, took up strength training (not the first time in my life, but the first time since my injury), and continued deep tissue massage treatment from a chiropractor. The possibility of a third surgery to remove additional scar tissue still hung in the balance.

He was so happy with my progress he shook my hand and all but released me from care unless I just wanted to visit the office again.

The following week the counselor I’d been seeing shared she was leaving the practice and wondered if I needed to continue sessions with another counselor. We’d gotten down from sessions once a week to once a month, and I admitted to feeling much better overall about my personal and professional woes. I still have lingering depression sometimes, but I am much better at recognizing and addressing it.

We decided to end my therapy knowing I could always come back if I needed help again.

Today I saw my chiropractor for more torment–I mean treatment, and he reduced our visit cadence from every two weeks to once a month.

Meanwhile, I’ve noticed some recent reader traction on last year’s post Therapy Every Damn Day. 

In that post I wondered if the “down for maintenance time” was necessary for rest and renewal. I spent so much money on healthcare last year that I was able to get a tax break. Was it worth it?

Short answer–yes.

Nearly a year after I wrote that post I have to appreciate how far I’ve come: I DON’T need another scar tissue surgery and am finally seeing more movement with knee extension and flexion–scar tissue build up has been the bane of my existence since ACL reconstruction in July 2020. I don’t hate my job or my life any more, and when I do feel down I have better ways of coping. I’m NOT starving myself any more and pretty much kicked the habits of a thirty-year-old eating disorder.

Life is good. I’m doing well and am able to fully enjoy being back in taekwondo. Third dan test, here I come.

 

Little Black Belt is Eight!

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You guys…for the first time in eight years I forgot to do my anniversary post!

My blog turned eight on April 15, 2022. Since I began my blog I have made new martial arts friends, shared both my triumphs and struggles, and have been able to promote my first book and many media appearances!

I also started writing for the online magazine Martial Journal–you can find links to all my featured articles here.

Thank you all for your support.

As is tradition, here are my ten favorite posts from the past year:

  1. First Post-Surgery Jump Kicks–scary AND exciting!
  2. What’s More Motivating: a Trigger or a Goal?–in the midst of a stressful year, I was beginning to figure out what drove me.
  3. How to Talk to Your Boss About Your Mental Health–this was a big step for me personally, professionally, and in my role as a mental health advocate.
  4. My Post-Pandemic Body is Different. And That’s Okay–it’s still okay.
  5. Letting Go of What No Longer Serves You: Marie Kondo, My Knee, and Me–some wise words from my sister-in-law help me make a choice to move forward.
  6. How to Feel Unstuck When There’s No End in Sight–burnout, depression, boredom were all the bane of my existence. In the midst of the frustration, I learned a lesson.
  7. My Top Ten Pieces of Advice for New Authors–boy, is there a lot to learn when you publish a book.
  8. The Way Forward is Through: a Meditation on Depression–did I mention that 2021 was a stressful year? I had a long-lasting mental health crisis, but unlike my earlier struggles, I had lessons and tools to get me through it. I got through it.
  9. Finding a Happy Medium After a Two-Year Emotional Roller Coaster–2020 was the ignition for collective and individual crises, challenges, and trauma. After two years of struggle (and a lot of therapy), I’m coming out on the other side feeling better.
  10. Developing Mental Agility as a Martial Artist–you can’t keep an old black belt down. I’m still learning, growing, and succeeding.