It's no news that skiing/boarding (and soccer) place the most stress on the knees of all sports. Combine that, with the fact that women have naturally weaker hamstrings, and you've got a disaster waiting to happen for any female skier, boarder or soccer player. Move the wrong way too quickly, and "POP!" there goes the dreaded ACL, PCL, LCL, MCL, or Meniscus. In a recent email tirade among SheJumps board members and coordinators, co-founder, Lynsey Dyer realized that nearly all of us have had one or more knee surgeries—some over four! An unsurprisng trend, but definitely worth talking about. Over the next couple months, we'll be sharing our "knee stories" and yours (if you submit them)! Hopefully, The Knee Chronicles, will help prevent some tears, or if it's too late and you're facing surgery, prepare you for what's ahead and inspire you to stay strong. —Leah Fielding, Associate Editor

Our first "knee story" is actually timely. Olivia Mannix, a CU Boulder student, and a new promotional/development associate to SheJumps, went through ACL surgery one week ago. Way to stay strong Olivia! Thanks for your story. Send your "knee stories" to leah@shejumps.com.


With a lot of physical therapy and patience, Olivia will be back to doing what she loves.

My Knee Story
by Olivia Mannix
I do not have a really cool/extreme story for how I tore my ACL, but it happens either way (Olivia was skiing a groomer at Vail and launched off an unseen lip). I think there are a lot of precautionary things you can do to try and decrease your risk of tearing your ACL. I for instance, was not in my best shape this year. Every ski season I am usually doing intense training and yoga. This season, I sort of slacked, and since my muscles were not in tip-top shape, they did not protect my knee as well as they could have. I have learned my lesson, and will always keep my legs ready to shred hard!

Pre-Operative:
I was very nervous and had no idea what to expect so I asked everyone and their mother about surgery and what it is like going under. It’s funny everyone had different answers, and almost made it seem easy or fun. Well, this is has been my experience.

Should I use a cadavar? Hamstring graph? Patella graph? These thoughts are revolving around my head for what I should do there are pros and cons to each of the different types of reconstruction. I am going to go with what my surgeon thinks is best, hamstring graph. This is a good option because, I am using my own tissue to reconstruct a new ACL, hopefully, it will heal the best.

My nerves are going, but I have been trying to swim a bunch to get that extra energy out. Doing pre-surgery physical therapy and exercise is the best. First of all, learn how to properly walk on your injured knee, and you pre strengthen your muscles before surgery making recovery faster. Only do exercise such as, biking, elliptical, or swimming. Any hard impact activities will not be pleasant and could potentially lead to further damage.

This is almost a thrilling experience. Being put under and drilled open, I really have no idea what to expect. The though of not being in control of my own body is frightening. They keep telling me that it is such a “breeze,” but how do you know unless you have experienced this!?

Post-Operative:
Being put under and having the procedure done has been the easiest part of this experience. It is very important to listen to all of the doctor’s instructions.

It is vital to have someone help take care of you. I could not fill my ice machine on my own or make my own meals, because I have been too tired.

Taking painkillers such as Percocet really mess with your digestive system. It is imperative to take laxatives and eat plenty of fiber or else you may end up extremely blocked like I have. No fun! Whatever you do, never do a juice cleanse a week before surgery.

My leg/knee on the second day was the worst. In the middle of the night I would wake up and just feel like I was dying. If you can make it through the second day, You can make it though all of it.

I got a Game Ready and a motion machine. The Game Ready is an ice machine/ pressure machine. You fill the actual machine with ice about every 5 hours and it keeps the ice cold, then there are tubes that connect to an ice pack that wraps over your entire knee area. There are different programs on the machine for timing and pressure. This machine has saved me and has really helped with pain and swelling.

Another important gadget to have is a “Flex Mate” This has been also very helpful with swelling and pain because it keeps the leg moving. It slowly flexes and extends the leg to a controlled angle, which should start small and then increase with progress. I feel like an NFL player lying in bed with all these gadgets attached to me.

It’s already been five days since the surgery and I already am feeling a lot better. I went to physical therapy and have already begun to get my movement back. My sutures and stitches look great. I am pleased with the results.

If you are experiencing this, just remember that you can never have your will taken away from you, and staying positive and knowing that it will be over soon is a great feeling.

I am very fortunate to have friends and family who have been very supportive and have helped me through this experience! I cannot wait to get back to the mountains!