Already a week post-surgery now and I must say I’m pleasantly surprised at my recovery. I was very happy to ditch my crutches and bear some load through my right leg just two days after being in hospital. The inflammation is gradually reducing and my range of movement is getting better daily. I certainly feel ahead of schedule in my recovery, but in a few days’ time I’ll be re-visiting my surgeon to see how he thinks I’m placed.
Sadly I can see my right quad muscles shrinking right in front of me. That part has shocked me the most. Just after a few days my right leg had lost size and muscle tone…not my cycling legs!!!! It just goes to show how quickly muscles can atrophy when you don’t stress them with load. I have a lot of work ahead.
The rehab process has been a little confusing so far. In the hospital the visiting physio advised me to keep weight off my leg and allow time for the knee to heal by doing three simple exercises that increased circulation mostly to prevent DVT. The surgeon on the other hand visited me and mentioned I should be lightly pedalling on an exercise bike in a couple of days’ time. Talk about a contradiction! So I have decided to approach rehab by the way I feel. By that I mean do all of the circulation exercises and try the bike once my range of movement and swelling allows me and without pain. On top of that I have my prescribed physio exercises from my personal physio (Michelle) that I need to include. Phew! I’m never going to have time to go back to work.
So now I have settled into the twice daily routine of 10mins on the exercise bike, rehab exercises followed by Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. All of this is completed in front of quality TV such as I’m a celebrity get me out of here and half time show of the Super bowl. What a shame my operation didn’t occur a week earlier when the Australian Open tennis was on. First world problem…
