recovering from injuries

morning boys and girls

I'm scheduled to go in for an operation now in december on my knee and will be hopping around on f#*cin cruthes for 3 odd months aferwards.
when I recover and can start training properly again I will obviously have lost a considerable amount of muscle on my legs (the rest of me too no doubt) and I'm real worried coz my legs aren't exactly one of my strongest points as it is.
anyhoo, just wanting some feedback on what you guys think I should do to come back as quick as possible?
I would rather train without any chemical help till I get back to where I am now but not sure on this and should I train legs 2-3 times a week (if possible) or try continue back onto my current program?

Dont train legs 2-3 times a week, you will overtrain your legs and recovery will not fully occur. I reckon your legs are going to be very weak when you come off the crutches so they will need special attention to get them strengthened up again. Your arms should stay in pretty good condition though, from carrying yourself around, so train them as you would usually train them, maybe on less weight though. If you do consider taking any compounds, I would recommend Anavar, to prevent muscle wastage however three months is pretty long but at 5-10 mg a day the impact on your liver wont be too harsh and you should get away with it. In HIV patients I think its 5 mg they use to prevent muscle wastage but I will double check that for you soon.

Jayman...good luck with the op...what are they going to do to your knee?

Best thing you can do to speed up recovery is not to try and speed up the process. Listen to what the surgeon tells you, what the physio tells you and rest the knee as much as possible. Knees are incredibly fragile after an op and you make one mistake and it will set you back months. Once you are 1005 sure its strong enough start off light with basic exercises once a week for at least the first month.
Gradually go up in weights but only if you feeling completely comfortable. If you feel any twinge at all rest it. Rathher err on the side of caustion. Remember your muscles have memory and you`ll be back to where you are now in no time.

thanx Beesting I think I'll look into the anavar (didn't think too much on using anything during my recovery period, was concentrating on afterwards )

@barbell - thanx for the advice bro
they are reconstructing my posterior cruciate ligament
I think I'll do some type of resistance exercises in the pool to strengthen the leg before I even look at weight training ( hehe but I'm gonna BANG my legs when I'm ready! )

anyway, I'll reduce my caloric intake and look at using the anavar.
and one more question, obviously my body will be in a constant state of recovery, but can I still train other body parts while I'm hopping around? maybe concentrate on weak areas?

Get a good bio-kinetisist also. They can work wonders if you get a good one.

Jayman wrote:

and one more question, obviously my body will be in a constant state of recovery, but can I still train other body parts while I'm hopping around? maybe concentrate on weak areas?

I dont see why not

Jyman..I agree with BS...you just going to have to do everything sitting down at first :laugh:

haha won't be the first time
thanx for the help guys, can't wait for this shit to be over and done with now

Barbell wrote:

Jyman..I agree with BS...you just going to have to do everything sitting down at first :laugh:

And he means "everything". I had a knee op and missionary ect. is a definitive no no.

North_Boy1 wrote:

Barbell wrote:

Jyman..I agree with BS...you just going to have to do everything sitting down at first :laugh:

And he means "everything". I had a knee op and missionary ect. is a definitive no no.

:laugh: :laugh:

Since all the other advice have been given

I would from personal experience advise you to train as much as possible before the operation.

By training I DO NOT mean heavy weights, you must get your body as ready as possible BEFORE the operation, the stronger you go into it the better and faster you will come out of it.

I know you may not like it but stuff like stretching and core stabilzing exercises are CRUCIAL! You can bring your timeframe for recovery down by allmost 2 weeks if done properly.

I agree with Vega - go find a proper Biokenitcs that will put you on a program from tomorrow!

Did my ACL powerlifting almost exactly 4 years ago and started rehab about 3 months after my op:
Now stronger than i was before and its all down to my physio and POWERPLATE! They were fairly new in the country and i was quite sceptical but worked wonders, did almost all of my rehab on it and its all closed chain exercises so perfect for tendons. Dont just go do it yourself, look into people who do powerplate specific rehab. Amazing stuff. Expensive but so worth it.
Good luck with the op;)
Peace

hey Mr. Moose, do you mind elaborating a bit on that?
shot

Jayman bud, I dont know your history but do you compete or do you have a future in competition? I know losing mass is hard, but I would err on the side of caution when taking anabolics to prevent mass loss for an op. It's an interesting suggestion though that you don't normally see (well done sting), so I understand giving it some thought but just consider if in the context of the bigger picture its really worth it...

Also, Train your legs back up naturally first. You will be able to get most of your mass back provided you haven't just gained it in a recent cycle...

So many unlucky guys/girls suffering from recurring injuries or even operations that didn't seem to do the trick.
I've had three shoulder ops and my shoulder is now just pretty buggered. Although this won't stop me getting in the gym, some of my exercises will never be the same again and it takes some getting used to...but those are limitations and we have to live with them.
I hope you don't suffer any permanent knee problems and that it heals up properly. Damn joints are always a problem!

A good rule of thumb too use whenever in doubt (Post op of course): Exercising a tired muscle is fine..meaning one which is just fatigued. Exercising a muscle and it hurts is an absolute no. And that means any type of pain, including muscle "burn". Follow all the good advice given above AND TAKE IT EASY! It can't be stressed enough...too much too soon and you'll be having more operations (learn from my stupid mistakes).

Take that mental strength you use each time you kill yourself in the gym and focus it in a different direction of sorts...the virtue of patience!!

I really hope you recover real quick and that no pains remain with you.

AND GET ON ARTHROGUARD OR SOMETHING SIMILAR, DOES WONDERS FOR MY SHOULDER.

Inja, Mr, M thanx for the input, really am thankful
so you think I shouldn't use anything to help prevent muscle wasting then?
and afterwards train naturally till I'm back at my current level?
(to answer you're question, yes I do compete and would love to step back up on stage soon after this opp)

well its quite simple make sure you have sufficient ammounts of protein and you will be fine... no I don't suggest you take something for it...

we all have muscle memory, so don't stress have the op and you will be back in the swing of things in no time... I wouldn't put your body under any extra stress using some anabolic... the only anabolic substance I would suggest is protein

keep it safe... k...