Sore after starting work after knee surgery in August
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Hi,
So I had knee surgery in August of 2019 and have been out of work since July 2019. Today, I started working again and even though I didn't do much movement today, it's more than what I have been doing in the last 7 months. Coming home from work today, I noticed that my knee was hurting, which I was expecting, but my leg muscles are really sore. I have been riding a stationary bike 3 times a week lately so I wasn't expecting my legs to be as sore as they are. My question is: is there anything I can do in the coming days to ease the pain until my body and muscles build up strength again? Also, is this a normal thing to go through? I was expecting to bounce back really quick but I guess I was expecting too much from my body. If it matters, I'm a 25 year old female. Any advice could help.
Thank you!
0 likes, 1 reply
CHICO_MARX samantha22162
Edited
" I was expecting to bounce back really quick..."
Delusional...just like the rest of us. Personally, I've "bounced back" from dozens of surgeries. I even totally rehabbed a new hip in six weeks. I then thought the knee would be the same. WRONG!!!!!!! A knee cannot be pushed to recovery...ever. The process usually takes a full year and MUST include...
Muscle Rebuild
All your muscles (quads, glutes, core, abductors, adductors, hip flexors, etc.) are dead...D-E-D...dead. The only thing you can do is rebuild them. This will take all the pressure off your knee and enable you to walk correctly, regain your balance and do stairs alternately like you used to.
The program involves endurance before strength and takes months of dedicated work to complete. This can be done in a gym or at home with a cheap set of exercise bands. However...it MUST be done. I've been on the Forum for four years now and have read over 30,000 posts. One finding: People who go back to work too soon or haven't done the muscle work are very susceptible to the problems you are having now. No pill is gonna help; no amount of rest will change your condition.
Yes, a lot of "return to work" issues are attributable to post-op time, amount of healing the knee has done, age, type of work you do and much more. And, of course, everyone is different. However, you will never achieve a full recovery without regaining the strength in all those muscles.
Soooo... Head down and concentrate on the muscle work. It's hard but the payoff is amazing. Personally, I was doing 11,000 steps a day in 8 months and stairs, two at a time without holding onto anything, at 14 months. Do the work, reap the rewards. Good luck!!!