Tris after knee surgery (arthroscopic)
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vanjames posted 1 year ago.
Don't let pain be your guide - it may be too late when it says hello.
I haven't had knee surgery but have worked thru tendonitis and torn (not requiring surgery ligaments). Gradually build your runs. Consider doing 10minutes run/1 walk for long runs. Good stretching and ice after regardless of pain to keep inflammation down. Take at least a day in between runs as well - swim or easy cycling. Make sure your bike is fit properly so you do not overload your knees as well.
When pain shows up maybe switch to water runnning for that week.
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bluebirdbiker posted 1 year ago.
Riverbrady can help with this. He has "been there done that." Good luck, and all the best
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beads1985 posted 1 year ago.
I tore my ACL and had reconstructive surgery back in 1997.
It took a couple of years to regain my muscles in my one leg, and I still have some issues.
I have been running and dome plenty of marathons and triathlons since then.
Start out slow and build up very slowly.
Nothing to it, but to do it
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jmruns430 posted 1 year ago.
I've never had the surgical experience, but I wish you the best of luck in your recovery. My one piece of advice would be to get a second opinion or set of advice if you have decided you're going to run anyways. See if you can find a good sports med ortho or PT that local athletes recommend to help guide you back to recovery.
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skinautique80 posted 1 year ago.
right knee: torn ACL, reconstructed in '02
left knee: torn MCL, ACL & PCL, reconstructed in '05
i've done sprints, oly's and gearing up (or down rather) for a HIM in two weeks. no pain in either knee, only a little pressure every now and then. your doctor is obviously not a sports medicine specialist of he told you that you couldn't run anymore unless you had extreme cartilage damage with your torn ligament. give your body at least a year to heal. strength work and stretching is key. other than cartilage damage, the majority of the pain you feel is scar tissue, which hasn't been broken up/smoothed out. therapy will help, but you have to continue to do it way way after your released.
:cool:
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watrbg2 posted 1 year ago.
I've had five arthroscopic knee surgeries and I've done everything from sprints to an IM to a 50 mile trail run.
Hopefully, you'll be able to continue to do tris but you need to find out why your present doctor told you not to run. Was it because there is serious cartilage damage? (lots of problems down the road if you continue to run) But a good sport medicine doctor can help you through the therapy and rehab of your knee. Check with you local tri club, I'm sure they have members who had similar problems and know the good doctors.
Good luck!
'In a world that tries its hardest to separate us from what matters, the Ironman helps us to reconnect with the pulse of our lives." - Scott Tinley
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Riverbrady posted 1 year ago.
Gotcha Libor ;)
Just went through surgery myself last July. My first reaction to your post was that if your doc is telling you to never run again, to find a new doc. You had knee surgery, you didn't lose both your legs (and even that in iteself doesn't necesarilly mean the end of running). No doc should every tell you "never".
For an extreme point of reference on the other side...one of my teammates has had 7-8 knee surgeries, has no cartilage on the back of her knees anymore, and has qualified for Kona at the masters level once again.
As far as getting back into running. For the first few months I'd only use "let pain be my guide" as far as, if things start hurting, it's time to immediately stop. Some people can immediately get back into running, some can't...I tend to play to the safe side myself.
As far as what I did personally...aqua running to make sure things in the knee are moving correctly with no pain, wierd rubbing, etc. Then it was a week or two of elliptical work every third day (1 day on, 2 days off) starting at 15 minutes and adding 5 per session providing things felt fine, until I had 3 30 minute sessions pain free. After than my PT started me on actual trail running...and I will emphasize trail/dirt over asphault/concrete. I'm forgetting the exact numbers, but if you rate surfaces from 1-10 (softest to hardest) they end up something like this:
- grass = 1
- dirt = 2-3
- dirt/rock trail = 2-5
- rubber track = 5-7
- asphault (black tar type) = 8
- concrete (sidewalk) = 10
Once you start running focus on time, not distance...and make sure to have a rest day between running days to let things fully rest and most importantly heal and become used to the various pounding forces. Start with something like 3 minutes easy running, 2 minutes walking, for 20 minutes. If you can do that three times pain free, up it to 5 min easy running, 2 min walking for 20.
My actual progression for my post surgery running buildup:
- 3 min easy run, 2 min walk @ 20 minutes (x3 sessions)
- 5 min easy run, 2 min walk @ 20 minutes (x3 sessions)
- 5 min easy run, 2 min walk @ 25 minutes (x2 sessions)
- 5 min easy run, 2 min walk @ 30 minutes (x3 sessions)
- 8 min easy run, 2 min walk @ 30 minutes (x3 sessions)
- 14 min easy run, 1 min walk @ 30 minutes (x3 sessions)
- 30 minutes easy run.
- add 5 min every 2-3 sessions as deemed appropriate up to 45 minutes and then start varying things up again.
It did feel like a very slow progression when I was going through it. Then again since I didn't reinjure myself while I was rebuilding I was back to running weekly 10 milers 2-3 months after surgery, along with the rest of my usual training and running days.
"Care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible."
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trimas posted 1 year ago.
THANKS for all the great responses!
I wanted to elaborate on my condition a little. I have a condition in my right knee called Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). I recommend doing a google on this, some good articles out there. I've had this since childhood. I've had pain in this knee, but only at full extension and some times walking. Never had any problems while competing in sports, I'm assuming because one rarely extends their legs fully in sporting events. Recently, I had arthroscopic surgery because I felt a tweak in this knee while playing basketball. The Dr removed cartilage that was "floating around" in my knee, most likely due to the OCD. My ligaments and miniscus are fine. So, after the surgery, it doesn't feel any different than before.
A previous doc told me that the only reason I'm able to do the sports that I do is because of my leg (quad/ham) strength. He advised me to keep my legs strong and that should help fend off surgies down the road.
So there you have it, my OCD, not to be confused with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. :)
Matt
Hi all,
I had arthroscopic knee surgery back in mid March. The doc says I shouldn't run anymore. It was a bummer to hear that. However, I still plan to run and do tris, but will definitely start small with sprints. I've been cycling and swimming with no problems. I started running last week with runs of 1 and 1.5 miles, and everything felt pretty good. I plan to "let pain be my guide." Just wondering if anyone else out there had knee surgery and if they plan (or already continued) to do tri's. What was your experience?
Trimas