The surgeon says that all went well during the surgery! When he came to see me just before the surgery, he told me that if I came out with a boot on, I would be able to put weight in my ankle after 3 days, but if it was in a splint, it would be 10 days and he would let me know if for some reason it would be any longer. So, the first thing I did when I had started coming out of anesthesia was to lift the blanket and see and there was my leg in a splint. So, 10 days it is. Right after surgery, I had that super groggy feeling that I pretended wasn’t there because I just wanted to get home. The pain was tolerable, until I went to bed and then it was a struggle to find a comfortable position. The next morning, I had big intentions to get started on my upper body and glute strengthening, but I realized within minutes that I had been a little overly ambitious with that thought. I was queasy every time I tried to get up. I did a few leg lifts and called it good. I could feel my body rebelling from the withdrawal that comes with a sudden change in activity level with added aches and a general feeling of yuckiness. I spent the day trying to cope with the pain and ignore my urge to get up and run around. That night I decided I couldn’t manage without pain meds and took Ibuprofen so I could finally sleep, which I did, thankfully. Day 3 (this morning) I started on some light exercises. I just did them in my bedroom, but even so, it felt good to move some. I have listed the exercises below. Don’t judge my pictures- I just had surgery and I have 4 young kiddos.
Some important things to note:
- It is important you get approval from your doctor or surgeon before beginning any type of exercise program. I did speak to my doctor just prior to my surgery and got the OK to do upper body and core strengthening as long as I abide by the weight bearing restrictions. Surgery on other areas of the body may require more time before you can do any exercises and so it is super important to have a complete understanding of what is appropriate before beginning any exercises following surgery..
- As hard as it is for me to admit it to myself, I know I need to be smart and not “over-do” it. With that in mind, there are some exercises that are safe as well as helpful to retain muscle tone and ease recovery, so that is what I plan to focus on now. It is not about becoming my most fit self for the next couple of months.
Upper body exercises:
Seated in chair:
Bicep Curls
Overhead press
Lying on back: (I placed my knees on top of a foam roller so as not to put too much pressure on the splint)
Chest Press
Skull Crushers
Hands and knees position: (I found resting top of foot on a foam roller made it much more comfortable)
Y,T,W,A’s
Pushups (on knees)- tricep and wide arm positions
Core strengthening:
Lying on back:
Bicycles
Crunches
Hands and knees:
Bird Dogs
Planks/side planks (on knees)
Hip dips (on knees)
Hip strengthening:
Leg lifts (all 4 directions)
Clams
Ball Squeeze
Thanks for hangin in there with me! Please reach out if you have any questions!
