Total Knee Replacement and cycling

wolfie52

Hello, thanks for reading my posting.

I am I guess, what I would call a hobbyist cyclist returning after some years absence. However, two years ago, my love for tow path cycling got a little out of hand and perhaps obsessive. That coupled with much sport in my youth, football, rugby and cross country running has resulted in a recent double Total Knee Replacement operation TKR.

I am 60 and looking forward to getting back to cycling and also losing the pounds that I have put on over the months! I wonder if anyone else has undergone a similar operation and how they are coping or dealing with training and how quickly they might have got back to a decent fitness level.

I look forward to hearing from anyone who has undergone TKR and I suppose I look for some help and positive inspiriation and guidance as I am struggling a little at the moment. It has been 6 weeks since my op, early days I know but miss getting out on the bike...........perhaps at this stage I should be cycling up the street even, I dont know!!

If you have had the operation, or have any useful worthwhile comments then I would really appreciate your response!

Best wishes

Geoff

Wooliferkins

It seems from an online search to be the ideal recovery exercise. I'd get a programme from your surgeon/physioterrorist. Interesting generic artical here

wolfie52

Some brilliant stuff here!!

Really appeciate your response...........quick too. Were you watching me type this in!!!!

Thanks again!!!!

Geoff

Beanyman

Have you got full range of motion back in your knee ? If so, don't see why you can't get back on the saddle and go for a short ride to see how you get on. Though I'd tell your physio and get his/her opinion first.

The earlier you can start re-hab, the quicker you will be back to 'normal'.

wolfie52

Thanks Beanyman for your response. This is where it gets interesting and I m not being a nerd or an anorak and neither am I dramatising my condition.

I have done physio at local hospital and "signed off" as i was well ahead of all eexpectation. part of that was cycling on gym trainer. I have since bought a cyclo trainer thing and stuck my Marin in this but the geometary is so different that my little metal knees wont go round as they did at the gym!!!

So now I am slowly doing all other excercises and also just back and forth on the marin trying to build up for the moment when i can do a full rotation. jeez it is painful but it is just a training excercise. Back peddaling is much easier but still I cannot do a full rotation!

Sorry, this seems miles away from our interest of cycling and quickly becoming a very self indulgent posting. I dont want any of that.

Oh hell I am missing all this good weather too!!

Geoff

YeehaaMcgee

Get some advice from some medical professionals for sure, but you should be ok with a little guidance.
I read somewhere about a professional snowboarder who's had both knees replaced, and is still riding, so cycling should be nay bother!

amped2

This has inspired me,i broke my leg 12 weeks ago riding downhill.it broke right on the knee joint,ive had a 3cm bone replacement and nine screws and a plate.im really missing my bike(not the dh one)I have a cyclo trainer turning up next monday to hopefully start working on it.Thanks for giving me some hope

Rich

gaylehammondwells

Hi, I wish you good luck, I had a knee replacement back in 2008 and mountain bike regularly I'm doing a 12 hr solo next week! It has taken a few years to get to the best it can be and I gently jog on it now! One frustrating element is that I lost a lot of bend in it so lost the ability to clip in, however after a lot of research I have purchased some Speedplay Frogs and will be gently trying them over the next month or so after the race as I miss being clipped in!

mattshrops

I'm wondering if the difficulty with your Marin may be the length of your cranks? I remember the hospital gym bikes and from what I can recall they had quite short cranks, which would mean you wouldn't need to lift your leg so high/bend your knee as much. If your BB is a square taper you could buy a really cheap chainset with short arms just to get you underway?? Good luck and try to get some professional advice.