Exercise after Surgery (worries!)

[DojiGirl 24]

I am scheduled to have surgery July 6th...and I have been reading these boards for tips and hints. One thing that I read in the frequently asked questions is about exercise. It's recommended you start walking ASAP. Last year I tore the meniscus on my right knee, had surgery....but it is still very painful. My doctor told me weight loss would definitely help it! So my question is this....what are some other ways to exercise for anyone that walking isn't an immediate option?

I have a recumbent stationary bike. I guess I'm pre-worrying, because I am SO ready to do this! I'm very excited/anxious, and the one thing that I see over and over that seems to help people be successful is walking.

My doctor told me that even losing 40 pounds will diminish the pain and make long walks a realistic goal! I just want to make sure I can get to a 40 pound loss!!! Thanks in advance!

Doji

[Shustar 395]

Doji! At first your recument bike will be awesome. Have you done a foot and gait assessment by a qualified expert. A good running shoe with a good arch support might take some immediate pressure off those knees. I only got my sleeve acouple of weeks ago and I am still so excited! Welcome!

[kimby1029 119]

Hello there Doji -

The recumbant bike will be great. I had foot issues and am walking a bit more now. You will likely drop weight pretty quidkly due to the restriction and this will help your knees a great deal. After you heal, maybe some Water aerobics or swimming would be good too. Best of luck. I am 4 weeks out tomorrow and between the surgery and the 2 week pre op, I am down almost 50 pounds. It is an amazing journey!

[DojiGirl 24]

Wow! Thank you both so much! I don't know why, but that makes me feel a hundred times better to know that i can be successful....and put in other forms of exercise.

Shustar...what a cool idea! I will ask my orthopedic doctor about that. I realize that I probably should have asked for more help from him, but I hate going to doctors at this weight. They either look at you with sad, pitying eyes or don't even really see you. One other thing that I hope will come with the surgery and weight loss is that I will stop feeling the need to be invisible....as if I could at this weight!

Congratulations to you both on your fantastic weight losses!!!

Thank you both again!

[lauraellen80 855]

I have problems with my lower back, S/I joint, and hip, which was one of the reasons I decided to get surgery. I was caught in this cycle of not being able to exercise (or even take a short walk), and then gaining more weight, which made the pain worse.

Like you, I was also concerned about being able to walk after surgery like they wanted me to. But since surgery (just 1 week ago) I've actually been able to walk better than I have in a couple years without pain. I lost about 25 lbs under the dietitian's monitoring for a couple months prior and on the pre-op diet, so maybe that was enough to get some of the pressure off my back. I only took pain meds in the hospital and before bed for a few days after, so I don't think that's it.

The recumbent bike may be a good way to get exercise in, but part of the reason that they emphasize walking right off the bat is to help work out the gas that's pumped into you during surgery, so I don't know if the bike would help with that or not.

Good luck! Here's to no more (okay, less) pain!

Edited to add: Like @@kimby1029 said, Water aerobics is great for joint pain. I cannot wait to get back to my classes at the Y. If you can find some deep-water classes, even better, because you won't be pushing off the floor of the pool, so it's even less stress on your knee.

Edited June 23, 2015 by lauraellen80