My girlfriend had a lateral release done on her knee about 4 months ago. She was a track sprinter in college and since then has gravitated towards endurance sports—no influence of mine ofcourse. Has anyone out there had this type of surgery or some other form of reconstructive surgery on the knee—how long did it take you to heal enough that you could be ‘active’ again? How did affect your training? what changes did you have to make? Did you recover from it?
She does her pt sessions about 3 times a week. She can jog on grass for short periods of time. Riding the bike for short periods of time is slightly uncomfortable, but not so much that it is painful. I have not got her into swimming yet, but that would seem to be the best form of training for her condition. She wants to stay active to retain fitness, and maybe competitive for age group competitions later on. Again, any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
I had this procedure a few years ago, and full recovery did take some time - longer than anticipated. After 6-8 weeks I was was doing quite a bit of abductor work, and was trying to target the glute-med, and lots of core work to stabilize the hips and pelvis. I started swimming right away, but kept away from the flip turns. My knee was quite stiff, and it took a number of weeks riding and running to loosen things up (I think this is what you described - tightness but not pain). The tightness did go away, and I’ve been fine ever since.
Maybe she should ask her pt about specific abductor and core work?
I haven’t experienced either of those problems; however, even a few years later I am still very carefull to do all my ITB stretches and abductor strengthening exercises.
Recently I had some tightness in my left ITB (right side operated on) and a few session of active release really helped.