With Hannah Antony
Hannah Antony is a Canadian physiotherapist who trained in Australia, and has worked with clients through orthopaedic injuries, surgeries, and in particular Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstructions. Her current role see's her providing virtual physiotherapy and coaching from her home in Canmore, Alberta, with a main focus on ACL injuries.
In the piece below, she outlines how her own experience of an ACL injury gave her a deep understanding of the rehabilitation journey involved, and how she has used this, alongside her clinical expertise, to develop an ACL Injury eBook for others going through the process.
My ACL Injury Experience
Having played soccer my entire life, I’ve had numerous friends and teammates who suffered ACL injuries. Fortunately, I never had this devastating injury during my prime years of playing soccer in Canada and Australia, where I studied physiotherapy. During those years, I diagnosed and treated multiple ACL tears, some on the field of play with my teammates, and some in the clinic. Delivering the news about an ACL tear is never easy to do. It sidelines that athlete for at least a year - a season-ending injury.
When I tore my own ACL in the summer of 2021 playing soccer back in Canada, I immediately knew what I had done and was able to diagnose myself right then and there. I started questioning each moment leading up to that point in time.
Even as a physiotherapist with the knowledge of the injury, I didn’t fully understand how this could have happened to me. I think that is the mindset of most athletes who have torn their ACL - why, how and now what?
I am now 21 months post-ACLR surgery, and during this time have worked with ACL patients and athletes from the pre-habilitation phases to the return to sport, while also going through the entire process myself. However, during this time I also found there were still so many gaps in the treatment process, and I continued to be baffled at the lack of information that patients receive from their physio, doctor or surgeon.
ACL Injuries eBook
My ACL Injuries eBook aims to fill that gap. My goal with this ebook is to provide quality and accurate information about the first steps of the ACL injury recovery process, tips for the initial stages and expectations for the recovery stage, all in one place.
Starting the process off strong will set patients and athletes up for success, and having the information and tools to take the steps in the right direction for them is key. The ACL Injuries ebook is an online resource that patients have lifetime access to.
In the ebook they will learn about the factors that contribute to the high rates of ACL tears in female athletes, how to navigate the first few weeks and months, options of surgical or non-surgical rehab paths, how to find a community - like Brace - and how to find a proper physio. Finally, they can read about what they should expect post-operatively, from a physio and personal experience perspective, and both from the mental and physical side.
I hope this guide is a resource that helps anyone going through ACL Recovery wrap their head around their injury, and take the first steps towards recovery.
Thank you Hannah for telling your story and for developing this incredibly valuable ebook for ACL Recovery. If you'd like to access Hannah's ACL Injury eBook, you'll find more information here. And if you'd like to follow more from Hannah you can access her social channels and more great content here.
Want to read Injury Recovery Stories from people going through the process? Click here to read about Ellen's Recovery Journey!