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Rehabbing my way back to football
Commentary by KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
I'll admit that I wasn't totally into the Tour de France this year. I didn't know who most of the riders were, and didn't really care since unbeatable and legendary Lance Armstrong wasn't riding.
But then I found out about Floyd Landis, the American who was riding despite suffering from an arthritic hip. Immediately, I started pulling for Landis.
I know the pain he had to endure all too well. And I know the pain and monotony he'll feel after he has hip surgery.
So when Landis won the Tour de France, I couldn't have been happier for him.
I had my total hip replacement surgery July 3. I'm going through rehab right now, on my own for four days and with a physical therapist three days a week. It gets grueling and monotonous at times, but I keep thinking about football as my goal to get better.
And I'm thinking about volleyball, tennis, soccer and cross country. It's those fall sports that are fueling my energy as I do leg lift after leg lift, side raise after side raise, knee bend after knee bend.
Since I have to stay off the leg completely for the first four weeks after surgery, and then use just 50 percent force on the leg for the following four weeks, it's a slow process. Let's just say I won't be doing any punting of the football for coach DeWayne Kellum and the Southside Seahawks (though that powerhouse won't be punting a whole lot anyway).
I won't be doing any spiking of volleyballs with Taylor Rogers and the Washington Pam Pack anytime soon. I won't be nailing any backhands with Rachel Perkinson and the Washington Pam Pack tennis team anytime soon. I won't be running through the woods with Clay Leary and the Northside Panthers cross country team anytime soon. I won't be trying to stop any shots on goal from the Williamston Tigers anytime soon.
But I am anxious to return to full strength so I can get out and watch the wonderful athletes in our coverage area once again.
That's my motivation. That's what keeps me going.
When I read about athletes going through rehab, whether it's coming back from surgery or an injury, I didn't put a whole lot of thought into what they were going through. I have a different perspective now.
Well, first off, let me start at the beginning. Let's just say the moments leading up to surgery weren't an all-time high for me.
A smiling, whistling Jamaican man entered my pre-op room looking at my chart before breaking into a song by Randy Travis. Yes, I get it. We share the same last name. But since I saw he was holding a razor, I decided to be nice and smile.
Of course, one I realized what he was doing with said razor, that smile quickly turned into a frown. He was there to remove hair from my body that had never experienced shaving before and, hopefully, never will again.
Let's just say it was about as awkward as watching George Bush give a massage to German Chancellor Angela Merek at the G-8 Summit.
Why couldn't I have been under sedation for this?
Then I was wheeled into the operating room where all the "fun" would take place. With some sweet juices running through my system, all I needed was a spinal injection to numb the lower half of me, and then it would be lights out.
To be honest, I was absolutely dreading the spinal injection. I mean, a needle into the spine doesn't sound too pleasant.
Though the nurse told me there wouldn't be pain, she told me to lean forward and grab her hand. That either meant she was lying about the pain, or she thought I was cute and just wanted to hold my hand.
Well, the last thing I remember saying was, "Hey, ouch."
The surgery took about 90 minutes. It was a little more extended than they originally thought, lucky me.
I was out of the hospital in two days. I'm trying to function as best I can.
But it's amazing the little things I can't do because of surgery. I can't bend my knee too far for fear of dislocating the hip. I have to use this crazy contraption to put on my socks, a long shoehorn to get on shoes, a "grabber" to pick things up off the floor and a walker to balance myself in the shower.
Trust me, that's just the start of it.
But when I'm able to walk around the football field to watch the Pam Pack, Panthers, Seahawks and others play, it will all be worth it.
On a side note, I have to thank my mother, Carol Travis, for putting up with me so far during my recuperation. Sometimes I think the "nurse" has it worse than the patient! But she's been a real trooper and she has made the recovery process much easier to handle.
Thanks, Mums!
Kevin Travis is the sports editor of the Washington Daily News. You may reach him at kevin@wdnweb.com. He won't return to the office until sometime in August.
I'll admit that I wasn't totally into the Tour de France this year. I didn't know who most of the riders were, and didn't really care since unbeatable and legendary Lance Armstrong wasn't riding.
But then I found out about Floyd Landis, the American who was riding despite suffering from an arthritic hip. Immediately, I started pulling for Landis.
I know the pain he had to endure all too well. And I know the pain and monotony he'll feel after he has hip surgery.
So when Landis won the Tour de France, I couldn't have been happier for him.
I had my total hip replacement surgery July 3. I'm going through rehab right now, on my own for four days and with a physical therapist three days a week. It gets grueling and monotonous at times, but I keep thinking about football as my goal to get better.
And I'm thinking about volleyball, tennis, soccer and cross country. It's those fall sports that are fueling my energy as I do leg lift after leg lift, side raise after side raise, knee bend after knee bend.
Since I have to stay off the leg completely for the first four weeks after surgery, and then use just 50 percent force on the leg for the following four weeks, it's a slow process. Let's just say I won't be doing any punting of the football for coach DeWayne Kellum and the Southside Seahawks (though that powerhouse won't be punting a whole lot anyway).
I won't be doing any spiking of volleyballs with Taylor Rogers and the Washington Pam Pack anytime soon. I won't be nailing any backhands with Rachel Perkinson and the Washington Pam Pack tennis team anytime soon. I won't be running through the woods with Clay Leary and the Northside Panthers cross country team anytime soon. I won't be trying to stop any shots on goal from the Williamston Tigers anytime soon.
But I am anxious to return to full strength so I can get out and watch the wonderful athletes in our coverage area once again.
That's my motivation. That's what keeps me going.
When I read about athletes going through rehab, whether it's coming back from surgery or an injury, I didn't put a whole lot of thought into what they were going through. I have a different perspective now.
Well, first off, let me start at the beginning. Let's just say the moments leading up to surgery weren't an all-time high for me.
A smiling, whistling Jamaican man entered my pre-op room looking at my chart before breaking into a song by Randy Travis. Yes, I get it. We share the same last name. But since I saw he was holding a razor, I decided to be nice and smile.
Of course, one I realized what he was doing with said razor, that smile quickly turned into a frown. He was there to remove hair from my body that had never experienced shaving before and, hopefully, never will again.
Let's just say it was about as awkward as watching George Bush give a massage to German Chancellor Angela Merek at the G-8 Summit.
Why couldn't I have been under sedation for this?
Then I was wheeled into the operating room where all the "fun" would take place. With some sweet juices running through my system, all I needed was a spinal injection to numb the lower half of me, and then it would be lights out.
To be honest, I was absolutely dreading the spinal injection. I mean, a needle into the spine doesn't sound too pleasant.
Though the nurse told me there wouldn't be pain, she told me to lean forward and grab her hand. That either meant she was lying about the pain, or she thought I was cute and just wanted to hold my hand.
Well, the last thing I remember saying was, "Hey, ouch."
The surgery took about 90 minutes. It was a little more extended than they originally thought, lucky me.
I was out of the hospital in two days. I'm trying to function as best I can.
But it's amazing the little things I can't do because of surgery. I can't bend my knee too far for fear of dislocating the hip. I have to use this crazy contraption to put on my socks, a long shoehorn to get on shoes, a "grabber" to pick things up off the floor and a walker to balance myself in the shower.
Trust me, that's just the start of it.
But when I'm able to walk around the football field to watch the Pam Pack, Panthers, Seahawks and others play, it will all be worth it.
On a side note, I have to thank my mother, Carol Travis, for putting up with me so far during my recuperation. Sometimes I think the "nurse" has it worse than the patient! But she's been a real trooper and she has made the recovery process much easier to handle.
Thanks, Mums!
Kevin Travis is the sports editor of the Washington Daily News. You may reach him at kevin@wdnweb.com. He won't return to the office until sometime in August.
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