Not much going on with respect to my knee. I’m still continuing my leg strengthening routine with leg weights and biking with the resistance trainer. I was on my feet for a few hours again over the weekend and again noticed that I was more tired than before the surgery had I done the same thing. Maybe it’s the biking, but it’s hard to tell. Regardless, it’s a far cry from the daily fatigue I faced while running on the track and cross country teams. Some guys used to hate it, but at the time I really didn’t care — it was just something I dealt with. Now, I’m starting to realize how much effort it took to get through practice every day and how ransacked I got after nearly every workout and race. Tiredness for me now equates to about the level of tiredness I faced during the first few weeks of a new training cycle when I was on the team.
I still have occasional pain in my left knee, which is probably just the IT band again, but sometimes I think I feel something in the joint. I’ve been stretching more after biking to help keep everything loose before I get in front of the computer for most of the day. I spend about 15 minutes or so now, which is better than when I first started biking, where some days I wouldn’t stretch at all. I really should do more so that I can adjust better if I bike more or start running. If I start biking on the roads for any significant amount of time or add in running, I could be in trouble with not stretching enough. Plenty of typical soft tissue injuries could be in store for me if I don’t watch out.
I drove the Mustang again yesterday for the second time since I’ve had the surgery. I’m planning on driving it again more now that I can handle it, but it still has me worried whenever I put my foot on the clutch. Each time I even touch the clutch I think about the popping and pain that ensued prior to the surgery. It’s like going down stairs was for awhile. I just have to overcome the fear, but at the same time I wonder if the clutch is going to wear down the fibrocartilage in my knee in the same way that running might. I will gradually drive it more and see how it goes. I may throw in the towel if I start to get discomfort.
#1 by Darren FitzGerald on January 13, 2009 - 4:19 am
Matt, I came across your blog while searching for some rehab resources. I had microfracture on my right knee on October 15th and I’ve been a little frustrated with my PT routine (I’m in the Army and stationed in Germany…so I had a German surgeon do my knee and I go see a German PT 2x week) Bottom line, I wanted to do a little more research and see what else I could be doing for my knee. I’m currently at microfracture +13 and my surgeon has told me not to expect to even start trying to run until February (+16 weeks). I’m 38 so I’m paying attention to his guidance because I don’t intend to have another knee surgery any time soon. I plan to go back and read the rest of your posts on the surgery….good luck with the remainder of your recovery!