Leg

As many of you know, in the summer I got a bad injury. There was some information about it, although very little concrete.

I said previously that I tore my ankle.

It happened after a terrible fall.

But not on the ice. After the training.

I practiced jumping off the ice. Overdid.

I will never forget this sound, as you burst tissues inside you. As if a leg was covered with a bubble wrap, and the package simultaneously bursted each of the bubbles.

The joint "explodes" and in the brain there are so many sensations and impulses at the same time that you can’t concentrate even on one of them.

You can’t find a place for yourself.

You’re in so much pain. 

After the fall, I never got up. There was no one in the hall, I was left alone. For the first 15 minutes, I laid on the floor. In agony in the beginning, then in fear. I was afraid how am I going to perform in a show the day after tomorrow. In Korea.

"How will I do it?" — I thought to myself. 

And then the spirit of the sportsman answered.

"Never mind. Somehow."

But there was, among thoughts, another fear that I had never experienced before. I was afraid to move my foot. It was terrifying to even look at it. You realize that something is so wrong, that you are afraid to make sure of it.

In the past, I studied the psychology of accidents in motor sport, read about disorders of the musculoskeletal system. It was exciting to grasp when a person is paralyzed and he just can not move. At this point, the brain gives commands, but «medulla spinalis» does not perform your operations.

"It must be a terrible feeling," I thought then.

And now I was afraid to make sure of it.

After the fall, however, I never got up.

I was lying on the floor until a Massage therapist of Korean shorts-trackers found me.

Contrary to expectations, I did not get a massage.

But she made me an ice compress.

Then, for the first time, I looked at my leg and found that I had done it in vain. The foot was swollen in a size of a basketball. By looking at it my brain was about to swell. And it would if I had any. 

The inspiration for Mini's head, btw, we drew from a sprained ankle.

A little later, my agent came to the rink and I was taken away in a wheelchair.

Rewinding the situation forward, in the end I visited 5 different hospitals. Sad predictions were given everywhere. The question was not about participating in the Korean show, but about performing in the Korean Olympics.

I injured 3 ligaments out of 4. It was the latter that allowed me to hold the ankle in the "human" position, otherwise my foot would look like a withered flower.

2 ligaments were ruptured. There was a bone bruise, but I learned about it much later. Bone bruise is a an injury that occurs after a tough impact against it. The damaged bone becomes swollen of water and blood in a traumatized place. This causes severe pain, but worst of all, that such things almost do not lend themselves to treatment.

Like broken hearts, bone bruises heal with time.

As for the «global» problem, I had several solutions.

Number one - rest, sleep, get married and do nothing until the leg itself is healed. This method of treatment is loved by most doctors.

Number two was an operation. It is possible (and in certain cases it is necessary) to sew the joint surgically. This is the most effective option, but it also has several cons. First of all, such a trauma in any case will strongly affect the mobility and stabilization of the joint in the future. But surgical intervention will exacerbate the situation in multiple sizes.

Friends, with similar injuries, told stories how such surgeries worsened "performance" of the ankle. And some ankle positions became absolutely impossible. This despite the daily rehabilitation training.

And honestly, for me, all this was trivial. I would be ready to lie down under the knife, do it gladly, but everything was decided by an unsuccessful timing.

Recovery after operations is an unpredictable thing. Some rehabilitate quickly. Some may take years to (!). Such a risk in the Olympic Year is not for me. 

I'’d rather risk with crypto-currencies.

Well, the third option, chosen and developed by me, was a "hybrid" rehabilitation. I would rely on natural healing. I would endure a lot of pain. Continue to train. And, if possible, try to compete.

There would be physiotherapy on a daily basis - laser, shockwave therapy, shock therapy, thermal chamber, oxygen chamber, cryotherapy, contrast baths, deep massage + daily trainings specified on damaged joint, as well as regular trainings in order not to get out of shape.

FYI, the whole process of the above actions took about 8 hours every day.

In my spare time, I was forced to wear an ankle brace. It's such an ugly thing that protects your joint and damages your tired eyes.

In the beginning, I had to move around using a wheelchair. It was terrible. 

A bit later, I traded my chair for crutches.

And when the leg gained 30%, I threw the crutches into the trash.

Obviously, the whole scheme worked economically incorrectly.

I stayed in Korea for the whole time. But first of all, because I was forbidden to fly.

It was impossible to go home, to the states, to Iran or any other place where I would not have gone anyway, even if it were possible.

Because of swelling and inflammation inside the legs, even a minor flight would be fatal for the joint and ligaments.

In an airplane the human body is exposed to a certain dose of radiation, but because of atmospheric pressure, the body even of an absolutely healthy person becomes inflamed (as if you were inflated).

Especially legs because of stagnation in circulation (people who fly a lot, probably paid attention that during and after flights the legs often swell).

Therefore, those who fly often, I would recommend walking in the plane. Do not wear tight socks. Or don’t fly. Often.

And me, by the way, I still have some problems with flights. My leg reacts badly to travels.

And that’s considering that almost six months have passed since the injury. I counted days. About 150 days. During this time, I managed to perform at 5 competitions. At the first start, I did only jumps on my left foot + loop (Rostelecom Cup).

That loop cost me a decent aggravation of the whole situation.

After the Grand Prix stage in Russia, I barely made it home. Because of an exacerbation in the joint, the leg was knocked off by an electric shock even when walking.

After a while, when I returned on ice, I only thought about one thing.

"Probably, I will never recover."

But then there was a grand prix in France. There I did my first 3 Flip. And in Shanghai a week after, I did a better performance overall. 

In December, I landed my first Lutz.

It is worth noting that until December, I absolutely could not take off from the right foot.

Each push could be measured with volts of electricity. Each time I jumped - I went through a shockwave. The ankle was "hollow", the ligaments could not hold it, and therefore there was no amortization and no "explosions." The first one is needed for landings, and the second one is for take offs.

Instead, each jump was accompanied by an impulse, striking two bones against each other. And the slightest error meant a fall. And of course lots of pain. Although I’m used to it. From childhood.

And meanwhile, this week, I went through another examination.

Based on this, I got some good news.

According to the latest scans of MRI, the doctor confirmed that the ligaments started to connect. It's good.

The bone bruise slightly decreased. It is also good.

Bitcoin has grown. It’s also good, but it was not from a doctor.

What’s the verdict?

Today, the joint is still not stable. It is destabilized (untied).

But when you are an athlete, you do not have to think about it. You continue to train. It helps.

Pain and swelling occur only with exercise.

It means my foot does not bother when heading to a University or library. 

If there is no force majeure, I’ve got a bit of a time. 

It's almost 2 months to Pyengchang.

Last time, I visited this country using crutches.

Perhaps, I’ll return as a different person.