Fitness After Knee Replacement Surgery

Hindsight is 20/20.  I started running 13 years ago.  Like anyone, I started small and my passion for running grew.

Four years ago someone very close to me was diagnosed with cancer.  A lot of my time was then wrapped up in driving to New Jersey for special treatments, local appointments and just time spent together.  Still having the need and desire to run, I began training super early in the morning to fit it in.

As time progressed, cancer won out and running became my therapy.  I now can look back and see that the amount of miles I was running was far more than necessary for the races I was doing, but mentally it was my crutch I needed.

I physically was exhausting myself so that I could numb the pain of my loss.

As a reference, I was running 75-100 miles per week (5 days with 2 days of rest).  I decided to tackle my first ultra, a 50k and instantly loved it.  Trail running, especially ultras, are a different breed.

It isn’t about time and BQ’ing.  It’s about camaraderie, connecting with the trails and let’s face it – running and walking a lot of miles.  I fell in love.  From this point, I signed up for a 50 mile race in upstate NY and really committed to back to back days of hard running in preparation.  8 days out from my run, it all happened – my knee blew and that ended my running career.

The Diagnosis

At first, my diagnosis was a torn meniscus.  It happens.  So easy to repair and I should be back in no time.

It wasn’t that simple.  I had a root tear, way more severe than the typical case, and it was near the blood line which meant it could be successfully repaired.

I had the surgery and it was the most painful thing I had ever gone through both mentally and physically.  I was bedridden for 2 weeks. No pressure was permitted at all.
{Amanda’s note: my surgery involved a lot of clean up, but was in no way this painful. I was walking sans crutches, albeit very slowly and only to the bathroom the next day.}

You clearly can understand the pain portion but the mental side was devastating.  I went from running 3-5 hours per day to completely sedentary. I slipped into a depression very quickly which I struggled with getting out of.

Therapy was brutal.  And the long and short of it was that the procedure was not successful.

I started running low distances again, but it never felt right.  It quickly exacerbated to having so much pain and swelling that I couldn’t walk.

I would only tolerate going up or down the stairs in our home 1x per day.

My knee looked like a balloon.

At this point, I changed orthopedists.  We began with draining my knee.  Then the gel injections, which never helped.  From there they determined I had another tear on my meniscus they wanted to repair.  To no avail.

Finally, sitting in my orthopedists office I begged for a replacement.  I was 45 at the time and this was a flat out no.  I was too young.  But by the grace of God, he finally agreed and I received a partial replacement a few days after Christmas, 2017.  I walked without crutches the night of my surgery with great relief.

Tips for Recovery after Knee Replacement:

One of the things I noticed in Robin’s story was how she immediately started finding ways to get back to exercises after the replacement. She might miss the runner’s high, but darn it she was going to find other ways to keep going.

Here are some of her tips.

Embrace Physical Therapy

Committing 100% to my physical therapy both at their office and at home.  The exercises they gave me helped to remove a lot of the fluids collected in the surgical site.

Eventually, we began building up strength and mobility.  From there I continued working on my own, at my gym on strength, form and function again.

Amanda’s Note: couldn’t agree more! I did 90 minutes a day to get back my strength and come back a better runner. The PT said it was absolutely why I came back faster than many…that and I did a LOT of PT before ever having surgery.

• KT Taping was fantastic for helping to reduce swelling
• Ankle pumps and elevating the leg help with swelling as well
• Don’t rush the PT, but stick with it everyday. Do everything they ask.
• Listen to your PT and don’t try to progress too fast, you’ll set yourself back

Eating Right

As a plant-based eater, this was pretty easy.

• I avoided dairy and gluten, which can cause inflammation.
• I focused on a diet of dark vegetables and fruits.
• I drank a lot of water for proper hydration.
• And lastly, a reduction in my salt intake to avoid extra water retention.

This may sound funny but my PT also asked me to cut back on my calories I normally eat (remember I was used to burning 2000-3000 calories per day) to a normal level so I didn’t gain any weight while recovering.

Amanda’s Note: I think most of us understand how important a healthy diet is to support our running, but it’s almost more important during recovery. This might be when we’re most prone to pity parties filled with whip cream toppings, but that’s not going to solve this issue. Checkout other tips for anti-inflammatory eating!

Sleep Then Activity

The other basics were obviously sleep.  It’s when our body repairs itself.  I focused on 8-10 hours per night.

Amanda’s Note: I freaking love sleep and swear runners don’t get enough anyways. But in addition to that I think the recovery period is when we have to find other ways to keep busy. For me that meant reading tons of books, doing the PT, finding things to keep my mind occupied and create different habits.

During the time that I was running, I kept finding ways to be active. It wasn’t the same as running, but you HAVE to keep moving for your mental health and to be strong when you want to try running again.

• Lifting upper body
• Small baby steps in walking to eventually a jog
• Swimming
• Stretching
• Biking

Mental Training

Mentally, I focused on mediation and keeping my thoughts positive.  This may sound cliche, but your body will go where your brain takes it.

I also needed to deal with my loss of the race I couldn’t do.  Now, some days I’m still bitter about it but I’m thankful for my crazy journey and where it has taken me.

Amanda’s Note: Possibly the worst part of injury is the mental side of things. I mean we’re tough as runners, so handling the pain seems like just a small piece of the enchilada. Here’s my steps for mentally and emotionally recovering.Finally, Robin didn’t set any outlandish goals for the year other than allowing myself to heal and building up the strength she had lost. Since surgery, one year ago, Robin has focused on becoming an all around stronger athlete.

She hits the gym for strength training, crushes it on the stair climber and is slowly testing out some running again. While part of her seems to always miss that feeling, she’s also found a whole new world of fitness and is embracing the way it makes her feel as well!

Can you run after a knee replacement?

Technically the answer is yes. Amanda had this discussion with her orthopedic surgeon when trying to figure out her knee pain. A partial replacement was the first recommended option because it would alleviate the intense pain and allow me to run again.

That being said here are the often quoted potential downsides:

• Knee replacements only last around 15 years
• The pounding of running can definitely decrease that lifespan
• A partial knee replacement that needs to then be replaced is very likely moving towards a total knee replacement

On the FLIP SIDE this is why you go to a sports medicine Dr. They can tell you about the advancements and tell you that running with it is possible, if you follow some of the basic GOOD RULES of running that I’m constantly shouting about around here:

• Improve your form for a softer landing
• Alternate hard and softer surfaces (yes like the treadmill)
• Improve your hip strength for better knee control
• Improve your core strength for better overall form

Consider Dick Beardsley, who in his 60’s with two total knee replacements is still running 50 miles per week! Now, I’d like to point out he was an elite athlete who built up the muscle, the stamina and the drive. But he also didn’t go to a standard physician telling him to now just take it easy.

My take is if you freaking LOVE to run as much as I do, then find a way to do it safely and pain free if it’s possible. Listen to your body, be smart and enjoy whatever movement it agrees to give.

Robin is a former ultra marathoner, mother and passionate plant-based food blogger and recipe creator.  She is passionate about fitness, travel and living a balanced life with her family. Get more of her recipes on Knead to Cook or follow her journey on Instagram.

Have more questions? Shoot them over and as always I will do my best to answer or find people like Robin with experience or Dr’s with tips!

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