Knee Rehab Thread (Page 4)

Yay!

(And just a wee bit of jealousy ;-))

Yay!

(And just a wee bit of jealousy ;-))

It feels weird...I've been on crutches for exactly 3 months.

You'll be there soon enough..

Headed into week 6...

I've been here before, but I always forget how long it is

Our "realistic" goal is Mid-May (16 weeks). I am secretly hoping for 12 weeks :-)

Ah, six weeks out, and good news...!

Just back from the doctor, took new Xrays, and the second fracture has begun to "stick". Nice calcification on both fracture sites. I got my brace unlocked all the way now, and can do light toe touch (about 20 lbs) PWB!

I CAN GET OUT OF BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can take walks! I can bend my knee and drive a car!

I was sent out the door with instructions to return in 4 weeks for more xrays and in the meantime "DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID. You are on a leash, and it is SHORT. If you overdo it, WE WILL KNOW." I believe he may have even mumbled something about having spies out and about, but I may just be paranoid. :p Why on EARTH he would ever suggest something like that, I have noooooooooo idea.

Nice

Maybe we are part of the spy network!

Kevin

Congrats!  Must feel liberating!

I'm at week 4 and saw the doc yesterday.  3 more weeks before I'm allowed to "test" it.  It's better each day but still cannot move it very fast.  Might try some swimming this week.

Lack of exercise is killing me however.  My stress levels are way up and I'm close to 10lbs up.  Eech!

Congrats!!! That is great news!!!!!!!

I'm just over three months post op and I saw my OPS Monday and he said everything is progressing well. This coming Monday I'm starting my early morning swim workouts!!

Hello

I did a 60 mile charity ride this weekend.  My legs were strong for the first 30 miles but like jelly on the way home.   It was a good test so  I know I am not near ready for 100 ride but I can handle a sprint race just fine. Well just fine with the swim and bike.  The run is a slow work in progress.

Kevin

He11, I'd be jelly for the last half or third of a 60 miler on a good day when I'm IN shape...I'd say you're more than good! :-)

Well I'm back!

7 week post op lateral release and cartridge "clean up".

It was too depressing reading about everyone training while I was out with the knee surgery so I kind of dropped off the radar.  But got the OK to "take it slowly" late last week.

Sunday I went on a 3 mile ride and 1/2 mile run with my 8 year old who is doing the kids tri at St A's again this year (that's the kid's distance plus a 100 yard swim... he does 1500+ daily at swim practice so I don't think that'll be an issue)

Knee did not hurt but it told me that was enough for the day.  Wow.. it's like starting all over...

I don't think the logs will accept 3 miles as a bike ride...LOL

welcome back!  you got to start somewhere so log it I say!
I'm having mine checked out this week.  I've put it off long enough.

Welcome back!

Can't help ya with the logs, though, as I don't use them.

I am 10 weeks and 2 days out from surgery.

Minor annoyance: i broke my toe on my good foot. Painful and annoying, but not much I can do about it.

Good news: The osteotomy is healing apace, and the second break is healing really well. I had xrays yesterday, and the doc was suprised at my progress. I got clearance to take my brace off at night when I sleep, and to do PT.

I can now swim, with a pull bouy, and get on the trainer (no resistance...ROM work only). I DETEST swimming...but may give it the old college try, simply to be able to do SOMETHING.

Tomorrow marks 11 weeks post-op. I am working on adding a little bit more weight to my leg, up to around 30-40 lbs of pressure. Sleeping without the brace is WONDERFUL.

As per PT's orders, I started last week on the trainer (no brace) at no resistance for 8 minutes. After 4 days, I had no significant additional pain and swelling...so today I got to move up to 10 minutes! Woo Hoo I marked the occasion by wearing bike shorts to ride. Totally not necessary, but it was sort of a mental boost. The 10 minutes went by fast, and while I am lacking coordination and strength in that leg, it didn't hurt. The funniest thing is trying to get on the bike, really. Seriously, grab a pair of crutches and try to get on your bike without putting your weight on one leg. It's goofy :p

I also have gotten back in the pool. Last season, I swam about 1-2x a week, from March to August. Haven't been swimming since then. Needless to say, my swim fitness was poor without having been sedentary for several months.   The nerve damage in my arms isn't helping either. I'd say I only have maybe 85% strength still, and it's worse in my left than in my right. Fortunately, I have good enough form that I can compensate a bit for the lack of power.

I started out small--short sets of boardless kicking and some pulling and some free. Today, I made it over 1000 meters for the first time. I did:
200 boardless kick
200 free
200 pull
150 boardless kick
150 free
200 pull

I am slow--I've gone from an easy pace of about 8:30/500 to around 10:00/500, and trying to turn and push off without using one leg (and with a broken toe on the GOOD leg) is, ah, humorous to watch, I am sure... but it feels GOOD to be moving again, however limited.

I am also trying to get rid of a few extra pounds. I weigh about the same as I did pre-op (about 139, versus 137). BUT since I lost the muscle mass of an entire leg, I know I've gained. Well, that and the bits that spill out of my swimsuit tell me it's time to get serious about calories in versus calories out.

At this point, I am not going to change much about my diet, per se... but I am going to work on limiting my alcohol consumption to weekends only. I know EXACTLY where my weight gain came from, and it isn't food :p

Oh, and here are a couple of Xray pics for you from my most recent visit.

In this one, you can see the "hanging chad" of bone on the left side of the picture. That's the second break. It will never come back to the fold, but eventually new bone will form over it and in that gap. (You can see it's already starting--that's what the cloudiness is). The "chad" is about an inch long.



This one's a side view. You can see both breaks (The osteotomy cut and the second fracture) if you look at it right.

Congrats on the progress, that is awesome!!!

And wow those xrays are intense!! Exactly how did you hurt your knee to begin with?

When I was 12, I dislocated my patella in PE class. When that happened, I broke off an OCD fragment, leaving me with a full-thickness defect of the lateral femoral condyle (basically, the lateral side of the end of the femur) and a torn meniscus.

They did a partial meniscectomy, debridement, and lateral release on me. They dd NOT due a microfracture for the lesion, as they were thinking that it would heal on its own (in children, this can happen).

It didn't...and just got steadily worse and worse. I've had five scopes (including chondroplasties, debridements, and a microfracture) and my osteotomy, which was in January.

OWWWWW. I literally cringed when I looked at your x-rays.

I'm glad you are back to training.

"Training" is a bit generous...but it's nice to be out of bed and mobile, at the very least! :-)

Wow that is unreal!!! Glad to see that you are doing good now.

Hello


Just a word of advance-  no GOLF for at least six months post knee surgery.  Knee has some swelling with fluid.

Two weeks before I open the 2010 season and my running has been very weak.   

Kevin

Hey guys.  I'm now.. (what?.. um...) 10 weeks post op.  Been spinning a bit on the bike to build up the leg strength.  No issues there.  Not ready to ride with the group yet (lost lal my fitness over the winter).

Been doing some speed walking during lunch.  Very hard to not break into a run.

Those x-rays are hardcore!