I've always been an extremely active person, and have had my fair share of injuries, but last summer my past finally caught up with me and I developed a lesion in the cartilage directly below my right knee. My orthopedist recommended O.A.T.S. (a procedure to remove cartilage "plugs" from the lateral section of my knee and graft them onto the anterior lesion). The surgery was successful, and after 6 weeks on crutches, and 6 weeks of walking, I was permitted to recommence running. After two weeks on a treadmill, I just began running outside (so far, so good, kow), but I'm concerned that when I began seriously running (my OLY is not until 09/09) , a new issue will arise, as bad luck ALWAYS seems to find me.
Anyone mind sharing their experiences following a major surgery?
As usual tips, thoughts, and insights would be greatly appreciated.
i have 2 perspectives on
i have 2 perspectives on this:
as an ortho dr, i will say your knee is the best it will be right now; running is the hardest sport on your knees of the disciplines, so do the minimum amount you can do to reach your goals to get the most longevity out of your cartilage and this surgery. that said, if running is your favorite and you want to run every day, then do it. there are too many variables with running mechanics and alignment (although if you had this procedure your alignment should be good) to say that running directly increases your degenerative processes. (but it probably does)
as someone who just had surgery (on my belly, so a little different) and just got to start jogging after a month of no activity and no lifting >10lbs, i will say: take it slow; listen to your body; and don't get frustrated. overtraining is the worst thing you can do when getting back in to it and only invites injury.
good luck.. i feel your pain.. i'm impatient to stop feeling fat slow and out of shape... (although i'm not completely sure that wasn't how i felt before surgery :-) )
I am just coming back from
I am just coming back from knee surgery at the moment, though it was a relatively minor procedure. I had part of my meniscus removed from my left knee. I've always been very active and now that the weather is warming up and my knee is nearing a point where I can fully return to sports, I'd echo firegirl's suggestion: listen to your body and take it slow. Continue to go through rehab exercises to keep everything strong and working properly. Good luck!
the "listen to your body"
the "listen to your body" comment is difficult for many of us who spend so much time trying to ignore pain as we pursue our various goals. this is especially difficult when you're trying to regain use of something that's way behind in strength and flexibility.
i've had surgery on my ankle and on my back. Surgery is easy. Recovery is harder to deal with because A: you're awake for it; and B: it takes a much much longer period of time for it to be over.
my advice is usually: don't do anything to make it hurt until you're at least a year away from surgery...take it easy...if it hurts (this means ANY discomfort), you're doing something wrong.
tri-ac brings up a really
tri-ac brings up a really good point. training for competition does require a certain degree of mental fortitude to overcome the pain, desire to quit, etc. you'll find in most cases, though, the pain after surgery is different than what you're used to. at this point you probably know how much further you can go when your quads are screaming, but you won't know what your boundaries are with this pain. that's the pain you should avoid at all costs. as far as timing, i'd discuss it with your surgeon. more than likely you'll be close to 100% around 6months, but he or she should give you the final word on that.
cheers.
fg