Greetings, hoping to tap into the hive mind, and any coaching tips, here. Just had first full day out of knee brace for nearly 2 months, off the back of couple of prior months rehab of the same knee (mainly support musculature work) for an earlier, milder, issue.
Current state is some meniscal damage, which won’t be treated, and somewhat worn but not torn ACL.
I need to start back on a training plan to build up general strength and fitness, and especially stability in that leg.
First thought was to just start re-acclimatising with some Inspiration videos, elements of the strength & mobility programs, and yoga, but would really appreciate any advice on how to build and bring in intensity without making things worse.
Anything appreciated, thanks
Not silly at all I’ve got another lighter semi-supported knee brace for just things.
I think my main worry is how best to increase the cycling (which the consultant advised me to “do lots of” - bless him) towards higher intensity, and endurance which is my focus. Do I increase duration over power, concentrate on building up smaller but higher efforts, and so on
I know it’s impossible to say what’s actually best for any one person, but any general tips, or things to avoid, would be great.
Many have said it here, including the coaches: Slow and steady. Listen to your body. Like they say in strength training, if it hurts, back off and stop if necessary. Now that you received the go ahead doesn’t mean throw common sense out the window.
Start with a test…Half Monty using reasonable numbers. Then an FTP builder block. Retest. Repeat. Maybe MAP builder. Then retest. Look at that time for where your A event is and go from there. All have been discussed here in the forums
Hey brother, hoping for the best for your recovery! With the seriousness of that injury, I would consulate with your doctor and physical therapist. Those guys are going to have the best vantage point into how much load you can handle, frequency, intensity, etc. Find a good physical therapist, ideally someone who is an athlete themself, even better a cyclist! The last thing you need is to over complicate your injury or prolong recovery. Listen to the health professionals you are working with.
Tim, as Corey says go and get some professional help as a starting point. I had a serious knee injury amongst other injuries (crushed in a rock fall) and I worked with a physio for rehab. We used Sufferfest a lot in the later stages. Earlier stages I was just riding a spin bike single leg at a time, forwards and backwards. I used the old S&C videos from Sufferfest a lot and I still do them. When I skip sessions my knee lets me know. For me those sessions were good as they were progressive and they do a lot of work in different planes of movement (as opposed to cycling which is single plane). Those side lunges and single leg squats made a huge difference to knee stability which is key for me as my tibial plateau was very badly damaged. Those Sufferfest S&C videos are very underrated. Watch a couple of sessions and discuss with your physio if they can be used to help in your particular case. For me they were vital in my rehabilitation. Good luck.
I am a bit late to this but I hope you dont mind me weighing in with my experience. ACL deficent eg. missing for 35y. Should have been replaced way back. I developed a torn meniscus and very large bakers cyst inn the same knee. Surgery successful. The consultant did offer to use my hamstrings to replace the ACL but i chickened out. 9 weeks in the knee brace. Not nice watching the quad muscles shrinking! I started back slowly, building up to 2hrs z2 on the turbo and 11 weeks out of the brace completed the Tour of Sufferlandria that year but at low intensity. 5 months later i rode for a week in the Alps. All that z2 turbo riding seemed to work wonders. What i didnt do enough of and should have done are the standard post meniscus/ACL tear/repair leg strengthening exercises. I was simply too scared i would put my recovery back. It was a mistake. Similarly i didnt do enough core work because, inevitably my core and posterior chain suffered from the lack of exercise. As others have said take the advice of your consultant on non cycling activity. I have since found the E3 rehab youtube videos really helpful. As an aside, i had been cycling for 3 years in some pain before my operation. My body had adapted but inevitably created issues elsewhere and I needed a bike fit to correct my posture and allow the knee/leg to track properly. Goodd luck with your recovery!
I’ve got another lighter semi-supported knee brace for just things.