To anyone thats suffered a bad injury in the past..

[AGENT WD-40]

So about a month ago I was at the skatepark and in the middle of my run I went to run out of a trick and ended up dislocating my knee cap and stretching some ligaments..Well come to find out after going to the doctor, I tore my ACL, meniscus, and two other minor ligaments located around the knee and am now going to need surgery and extensive physical therapy to fix my leg.

Basically the doctor told me that I need to take a year off of skating, after the surgery, to ensure the ligaments heal properly and so I have a better chance of not doing this again in the future. This past month alone has been hell for me. Skating was and is my life, so for someone to tell me I cannot skate for such a long time has really ####ed my head up. Some days I am extremely depressed. I feel like there is no hope and I find it almost impossible to keep my head up and look forward to the days to come. Other days I am so full of anger that I cannot fully control my actions/thoughts/words/etc and on multiple occasions I have been extremely short and irritable to people, even if they havent done anything wrong to me. I need this to change, I just dont know how. I dont want to cut myself off from skating completely while I heal and at the same time, I cannot keep torturing myself by watching my friends skate, reading skate mags, watching skate vids, etc.

Anyone that has been in my position before PLEASE tell me how you made it through. I feel so lost, without skateboarding I am nothing. Skating was literally my only hobby, the one thing I knew I could turn to regardless of what was going on. Now I am faced with the difficult task of finding a new hobby to fill my void. If anyone has any input to offer, encouraging words or any advice to give I would greatly appreciate it.

[Dancer]

Considered riding on a treadmill?
Had a friend who was in a cast from his ankle to his hip do that.

[El Capitan]

Thats really shitty man, heal up fast. I havent been through anything that bad but my suggestion is find something to take your mind off skating(if possible)or find a temporary new hobby.

[Viebster]

WoW is pretty addicting, that'll make the days go by.

[thatoneblahguy]

voids that we try to fill things in this world never really seem to be satisfied
try jesus, worked for me dude

[oldnbroken]

Try to understand that you will have lots of time left to skate for 30-40+ years after you heal.
Also, be aware that this kind of thing is going to happen to any athlete as he gets older so get used to the idea of temporary setbacks, it's better than giving up and walking away for good like most folks do. So now you have to sit down and think about a long list of things that you wanted to do but did not do because you were busy with your main love.
Read a lot, learn autocad, learn to juggle, get a puppy...........that kind of stuff.
Good luck and I understand, if that helps any.

[allstardavy]

Sorry to hear about your injury man.

Take up board building its a blast

[Barf]

Sorry to hear about your injury man.

Take up board building its a blast

^ Dude beat me to it! Start building boards.

[msk]

After tearing my achilles 4 years ago, I first spent a few months (aka the entire summer) in bed with my leg elevated. TV, books/magazines, and my guitar were all that I had. After I was able to walk and start PT, I was still a long way from being able to skate. I was finally able to go back to work, built boards, and started hanging around the skateparks with my camera. If I couldn't skate, I could at least hang out with my friends and try to get some good shots of the sessions.

And this is how it felt the first day back skating:

[modestme]

WoW is pretty addicting, that'll make the days go by.

^^
this, i played wow for about 4 months and the months went by like seconds. The sad part was, i wasnt even close to doing what i wanted in wow lol but i stopped cus it sucked my life away. For you though since you have nothing to do, its the easiest way out

[The Sliding Gringo 505]

guitar dude. i picked it up when they had me in a cast for 6 months. now people tell me im pretty good and it gives me something to do when i can't skate. give it a shot, oh and the ladies love a hurt guy playing guitar
and remember man better to heal well than fast. good luck

[transitioned]

take up guitar lessons. or whatever you feel you always want to try but never had the time or opportunity. focus on that new skill. set goals. brake them. commit to it!

in a year when you start feeling confident to skate again it will all come back to you and you have learn something new in the process.

it sucks I'm know because I'm already on a 6 months stint with nasty ruptured tibiotarsal ligaments...1 month in full cast ant right now I'm pushing the 60th fisio session. It's starting to finnally show results. I'll be back skating, cautiously , soon.

all the best! heal up fast.

PS - i see someone else recommended guitar. nice

[Daniel M.]

Damn man I feel for you. I love skateboarding and I always try and think about how temporary things can be and appreciate it. Even when I don't skate for a day it hurts me.

I personally would stay stoked on skating watching vids etc. I'm sure you know Cardiel, he was paralyzed and overcame that, still is stoked on skating, checks out comps and stuff, but also doing bikes a lot more since then.

Building boards is fun if you're handy too. You have enough time, you could spend some time making a foam core.

What would Cardiel do?

Stay stoked man, keep lookin forward.

[AlG]

Channel your energy to something positive like volunteering at an animal shelter or coaching a kid who needs it at the skatepark or maybe just offering free tune up/set up help for noobs in your sakte community. Doing something for someone else unselfishly is a huge reward that will take your mind off your present situation and the return is immeasurable. If anything, GTFO of the house. Staring at the same walls will drive you nuts in any situation.
I feel for you and I hope you recover 100%. I can almost guarantee you will come back better than ever, if that help.s Every time I've been off the board due to injury or just been unable to ride I pick where I left off and progress more quickly than before because I think about riding so much that it's mental training and the physical part becomes a smaller component.

[McPoops]

Take up board building its a blast

^ Dude beat me to it! Start building boards.

Building boards is fun if you're handy too. You have enough time, you could spend some time making a foam core.

Stay stoked man, keep lookin forward.

I'm off to the hardware store this morning to browse material for my first deck. WOOT!

[dtwood]

Happened to my brother. His thing was football, though. Try and keep your head up man. Go to the pawn show and pick up a guitar or something. Try and think of all the free time as an opportunity to explore something new, rather than a horrible gap between you and when you can skate next. Good luck and feel better.

[EBasil]

Damnnnnn, Rob! Remember when you fragged your wrist and the doctor told to to be careful? Don't you leeeeesten, man??

I've been down the knee road, and I'm on a similar one myself right now with an injury that's had me in and out of the hospital all summer. If my surgery goes well later this month, my tunnel is shorter than yours but I know what you're going through so I gotta tell you to keep your head up and out of all that negative stuff. Check this out:

--Since you're already physically fit, you will heal faster than the docs are required to tell you it will take. Since you are dedicated, you can set yourself to really do the PT they prescribe and to ensure success (even when that means staying off the skate/BB court/disco dancin'). This totally matters YEARS laters even -- the PT that is.

--You can spend the time when you're off-skate and healing the knee to build up your legs, core and upper body. Hell, we can drive you down to Mex, get you some of them 'roids and...

--Not skating doesn't mean "not involved".

--Chicks dig badass knee braces. "Are you a motocrosser?" "Nah, baby, I'm a skater. Want to see my scars?" And, badass knee braces are pretty damn good these days. When you start skating in May, you're going to be confident in, and amazed by, your brace. Get one.

--This whole mess gives you time to buy and build a bitchen Camaro.

[AGENT WD-40]

After tearing my achilles 4 years ago, I first spent a few months (aka the entire summer) in bed with my leg elevated. TV, books/magazines, and my guitar were all that I had. After I was able to walk and start PT, I was still a long way from being able to skate. I was finally able to go back to work, built boards, and started hanging around the skateparks with my camera. If I couldn't skate, I could at least hang out with my friends and try to get some good shots of the sessions.

And this is how it felt the first day back skating:

For sure man, I wouldnt mind picking up a camera, either video or a still one, and getting some shots/footy of my friends skating. And that picture is epic, the first trick I want to do once I'm back on board is a fat f/s grind on some nice pool coping

guitar dude. i picked it up when they had me in a cast for 6 months. now people tell me im pretty good and it gives me something to do when i can't skate. give it a shot, oh and the ladies love a hurt guy playing guitar
and remember man better to heal well than fast. good luck

take up guitar lessons. or whatever you feel you always want to try but never had the time or opportunity. focus on that new skill. set goals. brake them. commit to it!

in a year when you start feeling confident to skate again it will all come back to you and you have learn something new in the process.

I like this idea alot..Guitar has always been something that has interested me, but I never felt like I had time to take lessons...I guess I do now haha. Ill keep my eyes out for a cheap guitar to pick up, that would be a sick thing to learn.

Damn man I feel for you. I love skateboarding and I always try and think about how temporary things can be and appreciate it. Even when I don't skate for a day it hurts me.

I personally would stay stoked on skating watching vids etc. I'm sure you know Cardiel, he was paralyzed and overcame that, still is stoked on skating, checks out comps and stuff, but also doing bikes a lot more since then.


What would Cardiel do?

Stay stoked man, keep lookin forward.

What would Cardiel do? That is the best quote Ive heard in sometime haha. I appreciate the input man..I am definitely going to keep my head held high and definitely stay connected with skating through whatever means possible...Videos, mags, contests, etc..I was in a slump last night but I woke up today with a newfound optimism so I know I will make it through this and Ill be back on board before I know it!!

Channel your energy to something positive like volunteering at an animal shelter or coaching a kid who needs it at the skatepark or maybe just offering free tune up/set up help for noobs in your sakte community. Doing something for someone else unselfishly is a huge reward that will take your mind off your present situation and the return is immeasurable. If anything, GTFO of the house. Staring at the same walls will drive you nuts in any situation.
I feel for you and I hope you recover 100%. I can almost guarantee you will come back better than ever, if that help.s Every time I've been off the board due to injury or just been unable to ride I pick where I left off and progress more quickly than before because I think about riding so much that it's mental training and the physical part becomes a smaller component.

I like this idea alot too. The skate community has given me so much, it is time for me to give back. Ill have to devise a plan of action to figure out how exactly, but I like the idea of coaching and helping out younger kids in need. And I agree on coming back better, when I broke my wrist the first time I had to take about 8 weeks off my board and came back hungrier than ever before. Even though I was off my board for so long, I came back better than I was when I left off. I feel my hunger growing everyday and when that day comes to start skating again I am going to be better than ever, I can feel it.

[AGENT WD-40]

Damnnnnn, Rob! Remember when you fragged your wrist and the doctor told to to be careful? Don't you leeeeesten, man??

I've been down the knee road, and I'm on a similar one myself right now with an injury that's had me in and out of the hospital all summer. If my surgery goes well later this month, my tunnel is shorter than yours but I know what you're going through so I gotta tell you to keep your head up and out of all that negative stuff. Check this out:

--Since you're already physically fit, you will heal faster than the docs are required to tell you it will take. Since you are dedicated, you can set yourself to really do the PT they prescribe and to ensure success (even when that means staying off the skate/BB court/disco dancin'). This totally matters YEARS laters even -- the PT that is.

--You can spend the time when you're off-skate and healing the knee to build up your legs, core and upper body. Hell, we can drive you down to Mex, get you some of them 'roids and...

--Not skating doesn't mean "not involved".

--Chicks dig badass knee braces. "Are you a motocrosser?" "Nah, baby, I'm a skater. Want to see my scars?" And, badass knee braces are pretty damn good these days. When you start skating in May, you're going to be confident in, and amazed by, your brace. Get one.

--This whole mess gives you time to buy and build a bitchen Camaro.

Haha I guess I didnt listen hard enough, but Ill be sure to learn from that mistake after this haha. I am planning on getting a gym membership to build all my other muscles like you said, that way I can be stronger than ever when I'm back skating..Not to mention, I'm sure the ladies will dig the new muscles haha ... And yeah, after surgery I am going to find a good supportive knee brace to rock, I have already started looking into it.

As for the Camaro, I wish

Thanks everyone for the input, advice and encouraging words, I sincerely appreciate it. I am all ears to anyone else that wants to contribute and again, I thank you guys.

[Pleinair]

Sorry to hear about your injury man.

Take up board building its a blast

This. Have your friends test ride them for you, but it'll give you a better understanding of boards and eat up alot of your time.