The day before
It’s now over eight weeks since the injury, and surgery is tomorrow.
It has felt like a long wait and I am very ready. Before the surgery, it’s like you are waiting for a big competition to start. You prepare as much as you can but there’s still nervous energy and a feeling that you just want to get started.
Waking up from surgery is like the referee blowing his whistle to start the game, and you can finally get stuck in.
Over the last few weeks, I have been staying as active as possible.
I planned out a 45-minute prehab session with my physio and followed that 5 or 6 days a week. You can get a copy of that here:
🔗 https://bit.ly/backtofitness-prehab-001
Fortunately, I have still been able to get out and stay active with cycling, mild hiking, and paddleboarding.
We have been staying in Dénia, Spain for the last few weeks and our place is high up in the mountains. The roads leading up are steep, and that’s been perfect for keeping up cardio fitness with bicycle hill sprints.
Bicycle hill sprints are a great way to get the heart rate up and maintain cardio fitness without stressing the knee.
I track my workouts with the excellent Gentler App, which gives you great feedback on your current fitness condition.
On top of that, I have been walking as much as I can to keep everything moving. I try to stay aware of how I am walking and make sure I am not compensating to reduce any pain.
The Apple Watch gives some good insights here. In your Health app, browse to the Mobility section and you can see metrics like Double Support Time and Walking Asymmetry.
Even the slightest mild pain can cause you to start putting less weight on one leg, which can develop long-term bad habits in walking and other movements.
Apart from that, there has been a lot of planning leading up to this operation. I spoke to the hospital physios, had two pre-op appointments with blood tests etc., and have been preparing everything I will need afterwards.
This time I decided to go for an ice-circulating machine. It’s expensive to rent (£300/month) but the ice and compression have a lot of benefits.
I chose the PhysioLab Knee Package, which will be delivered the day after surgery. I will write a bit more about this once I have tried it out.
Some of the other things I have bought are:
- Knee pillows for sleeping, and some for sitting to keep the leg raised
- Nose strips for better breathing, because I will now be forced to sleep on my back
- Antiseptic and hand sanitiser, to easily keep the crutches etc. clean
- A couple of PlayStation games to pass the time
Now, the night before the operation, I am trying not to think too much.
The usual fears and doubts are here. Will the meniscus be repairable? Maybe I was lucky before, and this operation won’t go so well. Have I prepared enough?
I have done all I can, and now all that is left is to trust and let go.
