Post Surgery (Knee) workouts

RadiantPebble

RadiantPebble

New member
Heya.. so I am going under the knife (insert eerie music here) tomorrow... just for some knee surgery. (Maybe I'll even post some icky pictures! Coooool!) I am going to be in a weird brace and on crutches for a while and still want to do what I can exercise-wise.

My ideas so far are:

Yoga
Pilates
Free weights

I know I will not be able to start the yoga or pilates for a while after my surgery because I will need stability in my knee to do even beginning things in those, but I think overall, they will help my knee strengthen faster! (I am getting a beginner's yoga set for Christmas that I picked out with a DVD and all and I bought myself a pilates DVD as well.)

I am going to be doing physical therapy, but not until after my check up on January 3rd.

What I am curious about is if anyone has any criticism about yoga or pilates in general.. how you like it, how you don't, or really any other ideas of ways to keep active while my knee is sort of out of whack!

I am also curious about how much strength is needed and how much stress on the knee both of those require.. so I can kind of guess how long it will be until I can effectively do them. The doctor has said I will be on crutches for a couple weeks, in a brace for a couple more weeks, then it will be four to six months for a full recovery.. so I don't see myself getting back on the elliptical or treadmill anytime in the near future.
 
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Having been thru knee surgery -- twice... physical therapy - if done properly - will kick your butt from here until next christmas - if your therapist is sadisitic enough (and th good ones are) you won't want to do anything but recover until the next beating... (the surgery is a piece of cake -the pt - that's another story -but i doon't want to scare you)

I'm not a fan of yoga because well-i can't do the whole focus and meditate thing... and concentrate on your breathing and be in the moment - my head doesn't do that -I'm always going ahead...

I'd honestly say - rest and recover -- do some upper body work if you must but - -listen to what the pt tells you to do and don't overdo..
 
*Sigh* okay.. but I still want more replies, hahaha!

I've done physical therapy for my knee before after the first time it dislocated.. but I was only in there for a couple of times. To be honest, I don't really know what to expect this time around.. do they do things that aren't related to my knee as well.. or just focus on the knee?
 
i think i've blocked a lot of it out but I seem to recall a bunch of time spent on a stationary bike and doing work on both knees - the bad one and the good one...
 
Hm, well if I am on a stationary bike, I would be okay with that. I assume I won't be starting on that right away,though.
 
I think a lot of it will depend on the therapist and the doctor - the doctor I had, was a sports medicine specialist (and was t the time the team doctor for the New york jets football team) He was a firm believer in not babying any injury - that give it time to recover but crutches were done in a few days and walking on it was encouraged -and basically what you did was based on your pain threshhold...

You will probably get a list of do's and don'ts from the doctor and therapist - read them - ask questions and above all -just listen to your body...

Good luck witht he surgery today -and remember you get to eat ice cream when you'redone ---no that's tonsils... but you should get to eat ice cream for knees too :D
 
Ahem....

Try to do both, rehab AND yoga/pilates/whatever else you wanted. The rehab will help with your knee and the extra training will help your knee and help you stay in shape post-surgery. It all works out. But if you have to choose between the two, do prof. rehab.
 
Soooooo I took the dressings off and this is what it looks like as of now.. I was surprised that the swelling was as little as it is.. which is great! And my brother got me a set of free weights that I will be receiving for Christmas.. so I think that I'll leave exercise at that for a while.
 
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