10.05.2009

Yoga, BOSU, and Kneeling [5.5 Months Post-Op]

It's a beautiful thing when you realize you're continuously 'forgetting' about your knee and any limitation you may have post-op. While I am still not at 100%, I have gotten back into most normal activities and feel confident doing just about any activity, with the exception of using my surgical leg for powerful 1-legged leaps... the power is yet to return!

One activity that has been a real confidence booster is Ultimate Frisbee. The constant changing of directions, quick sprints and sudden stops, and 'going long' for a scoring catch in the endzone remind me a lot of soccer or flag football (but with more running!) and I feel this is similar to a 'worst case' activity, yet I have very little hesitation! On top of that, there is no pain or soreness afterwards, which is key!

The yoga I am doing with Jen (today will be the 4th class) has been an eye opener mostly in the case of kneeling poses. When we lunge or stretch or sit in most positions, I do not feel a major difference from left to right. However when I have to put weight on my surgical knee (seeing as how I had a patellar tendon graft) it can become painful after a long period of time or even a short time if it's taking most of my weight at once. To help curb any kneeling pain, I use a foam pad beneath both knees whenever I can. One thing that makes me feel a *little* better is that Jen, an otherwise very healthy and active person, also thinks we are kneeling too much and it bothers her knees a little too... so maybe it's not just me!

One thing I have gotten away from is PT directed at just my left knee and surrounding muscles. When getting into a more active regimen (including running, UF, or BOSU DVD workouts) it's easy to forget to focus on the surgical leg. If it feels good, why keep the focus on one side? But I don't think this is the right approach, since just last night I was looking at the quad muscles from side to side and while it feels good in most activities, there is still a significant difference in muscle mass. This is where having a gym membership or personal trainer might come in handy (which I don't have), but also going back to the basics and doing exercises Drew left me with in our last meeting would probably help.

Finally, I am trying to do the BOSU a little more now that weather is starting to cool down and the local HS track is rarely available with school is back in session. The DVDs are some good direction for working up a sweat and getting some jumping and squatting in, but I definitely need to research some more exercises which will target my knee. I am open to suggestions!

We're creeping up on the indoor soccer season (late October, I believe) but I hope to get out with a ball and work some more soccer-like movements into my routine so I am a little more confident as I hit the turf later this month!


In just 9 days I will be at the 6 month mark. My, how time flies!

2 comments:

  1. One of the good bosu exercises I do was a full lunge onto the middle of the bosu (flat side down) with your surgical leg. Slowly transfer your weight to that leg and lift yourself up into an airplane pose. Hold for 3 seconds.

    Another one is standing one leg on the bosu (flat side down) with your surgical leg and slowly tilt yourself over and touch the bosu with the opposite hand of the surgical leg. Then come back up into a standing pose. Keep the non-surgical leg from touching anything. If it's too tough at first, try touching an object a lot higher off the ground.

    And last but not least, standing one leg on the bosu and close your eyes. See how long you can last without toppling over.

    Hope that helps!

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  2. Hi there, I am sure we are both training for different purposes. I am about 6 1/2 months, and had a similar graft. I was able to run about 4 miles the other day with little to no soreness. I have been doing pretty much all the weight machines, lunges, and rack squat. While the actual weight is controlled, I have been able to increase weight more and more. I do feel my surgically repaired knee is a bit tighter that the other. I can run, pivot, and jump with ease. You can be a bit more aggressive with it. Just be careful. Confidence is the hardest thing to regain.

    Good Luck, I would really look into getting a gym membership, it will help you a ton.

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