3 things a ruptured ACL taught me about care and ageing

Sharing the fruits of a 6-week convalescence – an embodied learning about the sliding scale of mobility and the importance of cultivating physical and emotional safety nets.

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The ‘event’

About 7 weeks ago I had an awkward and extremely painful landing on a netball court and instantly felt that I’d ruptured my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in my left knee (having ‘done’ the right ACL 8 years prior, also playing netball).

After visits to the GP and hospital Emergency department, an MRI, lots of painkillers, and an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon, my suspected diagnosis was confirmed and I booked in for ACL reconstruction surgery. All went well and I’m slowly rehabilitating – an interesting process in many ways, especially given it’s my second time around.

Some of what I’m noticing now is very informed by my interests in ageing and care (which began after I’d recovered from my last ACL injury). So whilst I’m in it, I thought I’d share some of the themes of this experience.

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1. The importance of accessible and age-friendly design

Being on crutches for the last 6 weeks has forced a particular lived experience of space and interior design. My body has felt the safety of wide doorways and hallways, open floor space and stepless living. These elements directly impact my potential for independence, supporting stability and confidence. At the other end of the spectrum, spaces that have stairs or inclines embed a sense of risk that discourages moving around – which suppresses both physical rehabilitation and freedom. Having to ice and elevate my leg several times a day, I’m also really appreciating recliners (a complete 180º change of perspective, life is amazing hey?). And for the first time, I’m preferring higher seating to low lounging, because the extra height greatly assists with entering and exiting, reducing load on the ‘good’ leg.   

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2. It’s difficult to receive care

As someone who usually moves around in the world in a fairly freeform fashion, being dependent on others is a massive mental and emotional challenge. I’ve been lucky enough to have family looking after me – my lovely cousin in the immediate aftermath of the injury, and then my amazing Mum, who travelled interstate to care for me for 3 weeks post-surgery. Some of the things I found particularly difficult were feeling like I was a burden and being ‘demanding’ by asking for things or wanting things in particular ways. This burden perspective came up in my Master’s research as a major concern of ageing, particularly in ‘Western’ paradigms that value and promote independence. In many other cultures, however, interdependence — including being cared for at different stages of life — is considered the norm, and even something to look forward to. This may seem impossible, but being cared for at some stage is a likely reality for many of us, whether due to age, illness, injury, pregnancy, child-rearing, or financial/social circumstances.

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3. Life is a team event

The challenges of being cared for were overridden with moments of immense gratitude. In addition to in-home care generously delivered by my family, I am so grateful to the hospital staff, my surgeon and his admin team, my health fund, physio, and support network of friends, family and colleagues who’ve been checking in on me. Even now, 7 weeks on, my cousin is still chauffeuring me to appointments, and my aunty, who I live with, turned up at my bedroom door (way before her usual wake up time) the morning after my Mum went home, offering to make me breakfast. Without all these wonderful people around me, life would be much harder – particularly in times of vulnerability like injury, illness, and indeed ageing.

And it’s not just the people around me who have imprinted upon my experience. A host of authors and my local library, musicians and this Track Star platform I stumbled upon, lots of television creators, mint slices, and adorable and hilarious animals all over the world who’ve come into my world online, have all brought moments of much-needed pleasure and joy to this journey.

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The takeaway

Having experienced all this, I’m more certain than ever that community is one of the best investments we can make to survive and thrive long-term. And equally important to the ‘software’ of relationships is building in the ‘hardware’, the physical designed elements to support people of all ages and mobilities.

We are all intergenerational in ourselves, moving through the flow of time and life seamlessly. And whilst our age climbs in a steady fashion, our need for care and dependence on others moves within a more dynamic spectrum, ebbing and flowing with the circumstances of life. This too shall pass – and probably, too, it shall come again.

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