Knee Surgery and Return to Riding

zeekat

zeekat

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This is a question to anyone who has had knee surgery and then returned to riding. How did you find being able to ride afterwards ... any adjustments or issues ... especially with say a SS or sport touring (mine is a Kat 750). Or perhaps a change in bikes?

Some background here ... ruptured patella tendon in right knee about a couple months ago. Had the surgery thing.

Just thinking towards next year and figured that I would ask for other experiences now because I'll probably forget to next spring.
 
I've had that surgery done to both of my knees (25 years ago). You already know it's not going to be pleasant. I find I have reduced mobility in my knees (Even after a year of physio I cannot bend much more than 90 degrees at the knee, without pulling it by hand) and the position on a sport bike is impossible for me to maintain, my knees balloon up with fluid then I cannot walk. For me a sport bike was not an option, I can only physically handle the riding position on a cruiser style. However, that's me and my surgery was 25 years ago, a lot has changed and if you have good mobility in your knees you should be fine especially if you have a bike that you love, there's incentive there to push the healing as far as it will go. :)

Get well, and get back in the saddle soon!

Chris
 
Never had that particular surgery, but I did have a meniscus removed and by the end of the recovery had very little mobility in that knee. I was a young punk at the time, and got back on the bike as soon as physically possible - it was my only transport - by sitting farther back on the seat to reduce the angle a bit (1982 GS860G - no sport bike!).

You'll just have to diligently do the physio until you have enough mobility, which might take a while.

One danger with pushing it to quickly is this...you cram youself onto the bike with your leg hurting but barely fitting, ride in a straight line for 20 min, then try to stop. You may find when you try to straighten your leg that it has stiffened in that position and you can't get your foot down quick enough at a stop. Tipover, bad news.

So, take it easy and work at it bit by bit, and maybe take your foot off the peg now and again just to quickly stretch it out.
 
had knee surgery 4 yrs ago, the biggest factor in recovery is the shape you were in before the injury. Too late once your headed for the OR, so..... do all the physio they ask, then do some more, and stretch. If your health insu. doesnt cover physio and you get the OHIP special, borrow money from your girlfriend and get good help.
I was back racing sailboats and bike riding in a month, my recovery was 98%.

Do all the excersizes they give you, don't whine, and dont drink while your on the most excellent drugs they will give you.
 
Since '75, I've had 7 left knee surgeries. Nothing left to do, except a TKR, and I'm not a willing participant, yet.
Because of the sick left knee, I've heavily favoured that leg for numerous years, and my right knee finally gave up on the 11th of this month.
I can't ride since.

Like someone mentioned above - If you can exercise the **** out of that leg, and build a strong quad, you'll recover in less than half the time.
Good luck.
 
I have been recommended for acl surgery on my left knee. Still on the fence whether or not I go ahead with it. Still have half decent movement with it, done three races with soar this year;). Still get the knee locking and muscle cramping on the warm up lap. But because of my age, the surgeon says I will suffer with arthritis when I'm older if I neglect the surgery now.
 
Had two on the same knee and they cant fix it so its only a matter of time for a new one (sooner the better). I ride ok however I have to say it does bother me. The surgery can go all over the map. My first one was a hip to ankle brace for 3 months. The second and I was on my roof no brace three days later.
Bigger issue watch the painkillers they are worse than the surgery.
 
kneedragger88 said:
Bigger issue watch the painkillers they are worse than the surgery.
Click to expand...

So true ... I was given Oxycontin for after the surgery. It's scary that I can understand how people get addicted to that stuff ... you have to will yourself off that stuff.
 
Had my right knee worked on last Jan. I can't remember the name of the procedure but they put me out and jammed 3 probes into my knee and cut and vacuumed out a bunch of dead tissue. Very painful, could not walk for a week and a half and then 2 weeks with a cane. If you want full mobility you have to work that sucker, more than the they tell you to. My knee is good as new now but I have this CLICK in it now that can be a bit painful.
The Docs say they have heard this before but they don't know what it could be.
You learn to live with it. Riding a sport bike with no problems.
 
I have had a knee replacement done, going for a second. Not much in the way of problems when riding the bike. More mental the first couple times out on it. New knee is ok, not a good as the old one when it was in good shape. Waited to long before having it replaced and was in lots of pain before it was replaced. Pain killers and stool softeners neither of them worked that well. I ride a cruiser, don't think I would be able to stand a long trip with my legs bent back on a sport bike. I have not tried it, just my opinion. Worst part of the whole surgery was getting the 60+ staples removed
 
Gary said:
Since '75, I've had 7 left knee surgeries. Nothing left to do, except a TKR, and I'm not a willing participant, yet.
Because of the sick left knee, I've heavily favoured that leg for numerous years, and my right knee finally gave up on the 11th of this month.
I can't ride since.
Click to expand...

sorry to hear that Gary.
 
Englishj said:
I have been recommended for acl surgery on my left knee. Still on the fence whether or not I go ahead with it. Still have half decent movement with it, done three races with soar this year;). Still get the knee locking and muscle cramping on the warm up lap. But because of my age, the surgeon says I will suffer with arthritis when I'm older if I neglect the surgery now.
Click to expand...

it's true. without a proper ACL, there's a lot more "slop" in the joint and increased wear and tear. How fast it deteriorates is anyone's guess, but the more aggressive/active one is, the faster they can expect it to wear out.
 
Englishj said:
I have been recommended for acl surgery on my left knee. Still on the fence whether or not I go ahead with it. Still have half decent movement with it, done three races with soar this year;). Still get the knee locking and muscle cramping on the warm up lap. But because of my age, the surgeon says I will suffer with arthritis when I'm older if I neglect the surgery now.
Click to expand...

You're told you are going to suffer if you don't get it and you're on the fence?

What exactly are you on the fence about? Are you saying you might choose to suffer with arthritis on purpose rather than be fixed?

Strange decision but it's your life.

I've had ACL replacement on the left knee. PM me if you want details.
 
I'm also looking forward to next season as I have missed all of this one due to a total knee repair (torn MCL, ACL, PCL, and meniscus, with an avulsion fracture, and, a dislocated knee cap too) from an unfortunate sidecar incident at Shannonville in April.

It's been 4 months since my surgery and I have been off crutches for about a month and a half. Even with all of the physio, I could not bend my knee more than 58 degrees so I needed a manipulation (which I had done 3 weeks ago). After that I have been able to reach 120 degrees but have to work at maintaining it. Also have lost pretty much all of the muscle mass in my thigh and calf. So, even if I could get back on the bike right now, I would take a risk of not being able to hold it if it started to tip.

Yes, the painkillers are almost as bad as the condition. I've found that they don't really do much for me personally except make me sick so I have had to battle through the pain as well as the physio to get where I am now. Having a goal in mind helps to keep you focused.

IMHO, stick with all of the physio and work as hard as you can at it to get better. If you reach a plateau, you might also need a manipulation. There's nothing to it, except your knee treats it as another trauma so there is swelling to deal with again. Stick to realistic goals and re-assess at the start of next season to gauge what you can ride.

And, if they're telling you (Englishj) that you need surgery, get it done. It will only get worse as time passes and recovery will take that much longer as you get older too. I know - I'm 51 and it's taking way more time than I expected.
 
I had an ACL replacement a few years ago. Alot of physio and its OK, not what I would call great.... but I make due.

The early and later months are friendly to my knee whe it is cold and i lock up a bit. I try and avoid stop signs and lights.

good luck and a recover quick
 
I'm in the middle of things right now. I had a soccer injury back in Feb and the MRI showed a full ACL tear, partial MCL, Full thickness fissure on the cartilage and partial meniscus tear. I had a scope done at the end of August and I have been doing some cycling and running. Currently my mobility is pretty good, but I don't know if I need the ACL reconstruction or not. Right now I could ride no problem... before the scope no way. I will know more by the end of the week. I have worked pretty hard at getting my mobility back and trying to increase strength... so that helped A LOT!
 
I have torn my MCL in my left knee twice - once on the bike, when I put my fut down to avoid dumping the bike - bad move, but I kept it upright (and rode home with a very "loose" knee), the second stepping off of a ladder. Recovery time both times before I felt safe riding was about 6 weeks. Even then, I found the position on the Trophy not good for long rides. I eventually had an MRI, but by the time I got the results I figured the knee was good enough, and surgery wouldn't necessarily improve it. What I do find important to me now is regular work on an exercise bicycle to ensure everything stays in reasonable shape.

Good luck. If you do surgery soon you should be ready to go next year.
 
In 2007 I shattered my patella in an encounter with a tree. The patella was wired back together and the knee was immoblized for 2 months. After removing the 40 staples I could start physio. I regained full range of motion but i found that my knee was in agony after about 30 minutes of riding my SV650. I still race dirt bikes and bicycles but I haven't bothered getting another sport bike. I think I could likely ride a SS again with less pain but I have no inclination to do so. If I get another road bike it will be a 70's vintage bike or something with a more upright position.


I found that bicycling was the best thing for recovery. Low impact, lots of motion, and it builds muscle strength.
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