It’s been six months since I came home from the hospital with a brand new knee. A new knee and the optimistic hope that starting to run again was approximately 6 weeks away. If you have been following my knee replacement recovery posts you’ll know just how wrong I was.
Six months post-op and I am just now starting to think about running. Ok, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been thinking about it the whole time – and yes, I’ve even given it a try a time or two. BUT six months later my “team” (my trainer Devin and my physio Sarah) are almost ready to declare me ready to start.
Before I can run again my team have given me the following targets to hit:
- walk 45 minutes 3x per week
- 20 single leg squats
- 20 single leg calf raises
- 20 single leg hamstring curls
These targets will help ensure I have the strength and cardio to begin a running program and reduce the chance of injury. I have already hit the 45 minute walks, but the others are a LOT harder than I thought they would be.
Before my surgery Devin and I spent a lot of time working on single leg squats. We wanted to make sure that I would be able to stand up and sit down without using my surgical leg while it healed. I thought that this would carry through post-surgery, but after not working my muscles for so long, I had lost that strength.
My Run Rebuilding Plan
A key moment in my physio treatment was when Sarah told me that I could start working on building strength. Prior to this our focus was on bending my knee, breaking up scar tissue and reducing inflammation. Getting the go ahead to start building muscle meant I had turned another corner in my recovery.
My rebuilding plan includes the following components:
- 1x week strength building
- 1x week pool workout
- 3x week walks (building the time and distance)
- 3x week mobility(yoga, stretching and rolling)
Strength Building After Injury or Surgery
Coming back after an injury or surgery is almost like starting from scratch. While you will have muscle memory (and this will significantly reduce the amount of time to get back to your previous strength), you need to make sure you start your rebuilding back at the beginning. Trying to do too much too soon may result in additional injury and setbacks.
My experience has been at times rewarding and at other times frustrating. I have days where I can go into a proper squat and complete three sets, and others where my legs just don’t want to cooperate. But overall with consistency I am seeing results and improvements every week.
Cardio Building after Injury or Surgery
Just like with muscle recovery, getting your cardio back in shape after a long break will take some work. I was fairly horrified when I realized the state my cardio capacity was in once I started my rebuilding program. Getting in the pool has done wonders for helping rebuild my cardio while I work in a low impact environment.
You can check out my individual workout posts to see what I do in each one of these workouts. Following this plan is the starting point in getting my muscles, joints and lungs ready to start running again.
I will share my progress with you as I go – all of the good, bad and ugly (as I’m sure there will be all of these!) And hopefully I will soon be able to report that I have completed my first run! Thanks for coming along for the ride!
