Post-Op Therapy Suggestions

[Daniel Taylor-Shaut]

So, after many years of discomfort, I finally settled on having the bone spur under my VMO removed -- turns out it was 2.8cm long and 1.6cm wide. The single leg squat may now actually be a feasible goal once I'm back to fighting shape.

In terms of GST, I was wondering what people suggest/recommend in terms of therapeutic exercises. I'm going it alone as I've read everything I can get my hands on regarding exercise, therapy, rehab, prehab, rep ranges, and so on, so I don't feel convinced that a physio would somehow surprise me with his suggestions and offer up solutions that I hadn't thought of myself. That being said, regressions of GB movements that could serve as rehab and eventually prehab and other ideas would be much appreciated. I'm obviously not about to jump right into the knee series, though that's an eventual goal. I'm currently doing laps in a pool -- making my way to kid's end ever so cautiously and going to eventually include the F1 elements of SLS series when my knee flexion is back to at least 90 degrees if not greater. I've also noted Coach's support of heat rub and have been using tiger balm very liberally (though being mindful to not lather it on too high up on my thigh...) @Wesley Tan @Coach Sommer @Alessandro Mainente.

 

I will also upload some photos eventually to show where exactly I had surgery (as of July the 7th) and how recovery has gone thus far.

 

Cheers,

[Petra Dvorak]

hey Daniel

Where exactly was that bone spur? Looks like your knee joint is pretty swollen... did they have to go into the joint?

[Daniel Taylor-Shaut]

It was in my femur. It was right above my knee, so not actually in the knee, but close enough to it. I've been incorporating a set or 3 of the knee series daily and that is helping (along with arnica, heating pads, and supplementing with curcumin, gotu kola, and magnesium). My ROM on the knee series is logically really really reduced, but I feel it will prevent scar tissue from locking up and keep my tendons supple throughout the healing process. So, I'm going to stick to it while I continue to rehab with light cardio until the ROM for my normal walking gait is completely pain-free. 

I thought I might get some more hits on this, but, so be it, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

[Petra Dvorak]

When you wrote the article you were 2 weeks after a deep cut into your muscle tissue. Let the wound heal without big stress like training or stretching, only gentle muscle activation like all day activities and it will be fine soon. Don't heat it up as it's swollen, better would be manual lymphatic drainage..

[Nick Murray]

Yep, if you can find someone who does lymphatic drainage it will help. A light compression garment over the right thigh might also help - and you're MOVING, which is 90% of rehab!

[Daniel Taylor-Shaut]

Lymphatic drainage....is that science-backed? It sounds a little "new-agey." Good thing extended family are into that, I'll look into it. Thanks.

[Petra Dvorak]

don't worry Daniel , this therapy has been proven, i am no way esoteric hahaha. But after 3 weeks it should not be necessary anymore, now the swelling and hematoma should have reduced anyway.

[Nick Murray]

Daniel, as a massage therapist, yes, there's a lot of stuff that's new agey and full of witchcraft, voodoo and folklore. Edit: and I don't subscribe to any of this stuff.

There is some disagreement over how effective LD is, but it usually is effective as long as there is "just" swelling and no contradicting underlying pathology.

The lymph system is the body's "drainage system". Fluid from the bloodstream leaks out of the capilliaries (the smallest blood vessels) in order to feed other tissues and provide oxygen etc. That fluid is then soaked up by lymph capilliaries, which feed into lymph nodes, which eventually drain the lymph fluid back into the bloodstream, where the liver and kidneys excrete it. There are little valves on the outside of the lymph capilliaries to make sure the fluid only goes in, and not out.

Lymph nodes are clustered around openings in the body (mouth, groin) and also around folds in the body (hip creases, knee crease, elbow crease and so on). when you bend a hip or knee, the soft tissue compression squeezes the lymph nodes and propels the fluid back towards the outlet into the bloodstream. Edit: unlike the circulatory system, the lymph system doesn't have a pump (heart), so the compressions are the mechanism that moves fluid around.

Manual lymph drainage aims to simulate this compression in order to get lymph fluid moving in people who can't exercise. There's a particular sequence to follow: in your case, the operator would start compressions at the bloodstream outlet (underneath the collarbone, just to the left and right of the upper breastbone), then a large node below the ribs, then nodes inside the pelvis (near the boney part at the front of the hip), then in the crease of the hips at the front of the groin. Then, over the swelling in the leg, make light, sweeping motions to encourage fluid to move towards the groin nodes. Then back to the outlet - starting at the outlet is intended to create a small, negative pressure to encourage lymph to move from places where there is more lymph.

Different people may perform lymph drainage differently, but this is generally how it works.

Edited July 31, 2017 by Nicholas Murray
a few clarifications

[Daniel Taylor-Shaut]

On 7/30/2017 at 7:28 PM, Nick Murray said:

Daniel, as a massage therapist, yes, there's a lot of stuff that's new agey and full of witchcraft, voodoo and folklore. Edit: and I don't subscribe to any of this stuff.

There is some disagreement over how effective LD is, but it usually is effective as long as there is "just" swelling and no contradicting underlying pathology.

The lymph system is the body's "drainage system". Fluid from the bloodstream leaks out of the capilliaries (the smallest blood vessels) in order to feed other tissues and provide oxygen etc. That fluid is then soaked up by lymph capilliaries, which feed into lymph nodes, which eventually drain the lymph fluid back into the bloodstream, where the liver and kidneys excrete it. There are little valves on the outside of the lymph capilliaries to make sure the fluid only goes in, and not out.

Lymph nodes are clustered around openings in the body (mouth, groin) and also around folds in the body (hip creases, knee crease, elbow crease and so on). when you bend a hip or knee, the soft tissue compression squeezes the lymph nodes and propels the fluid back towards the outlet into the bloodstream. Edit: unlike the circulatory system, the lymph system doesn't have a pump (heart), so the compressions are the mechanism that moves fluid around.

Manual lymph drainage aims to simulate this compression in order to get lymph fluid moving in people who can't exercise. There's a particular sequence to follow: in your case, the operator would start compressions at the bloodstream outlet (underneath the collarbone, just to the left and right of the upper breastbone), then a large node below the ribs, then nodes inside the pelvis (near the boney part at the front of the hip), then in the crease of the hips at the front of the groin. Then, over the swelling in the leg, make light, sweeping motions to encourage fluid to move towards the groin nodes. Then back to the outlet - starting at the outlet is intended to create a small, negative pressure to encourage lymph to move from places where there is more lymph.

Different people may perform lymph drainage differently, but this is generally how it works.

Good to know. That was very helpful and very informative. I instinctively had already been doing this, because my leg was thoroughly throbbing soon after the operation. Three weeks on, however, and I've already started exercising and am back on my feet (and driving), so the rehab time shouldn't be considerable. I was able to do squats and skater squats, though the ROM is greatly reduced. Same with the knee series. I'm using a mid-thigh level bench for all of them, and my knee feels much better after the fact. The later torque is obviously intense so I'm being extra conservative on the twisting squats and inside squats (since that's the affected area on my right leg). I'll look into lymph drainage soon, as I'm sure it can't hurt. 

 

Thanks for your help.