Cycling After A Leg Injury

[swampy1970]

What Alex said...

His injury was horrific but the lad had the determination and drive to not only get back to where he was before his accident but could put out even more power in longer efforts. Amazing stuff indeed. Just thinking that 4 years after an amputation he's competing in a UCI world cup event and going really fast. UCI world cup events are the domain of the very fast guys and girls. Awesome stuff.

Take baby steps. Ride for a few minutes and see how things are. Maybe the next ride is a few minutes more. Sometimes you'll hit a setback and things will seem really hard. Sometimes that happens but keep on trying and when progress is slow just enjoy the fact that you're out there riding.

If you want some fairly risk free exercise - try swimming. Great exercise and because you don't have to walk/run and carry your own weight, it may be less uncomfortable for you too.

Good luck and all the best with your riding and recovery.

 

[mayasupernova]

See my Avatar? That's me winning the local A grade race, in the same week as setting a time trial power best at UCI world cup 4 years after a trans-tibial amputation resulting from injuries sustained following a bad training accident.

Coming back from injury takes time and the more serious the injury, the longer it takes. It requires patience and perseverance. How much of each you have depends on your personality as well as the strength of your desire to achieve certain goals.

The indoor trainer is exactly where I started, and I just gradually built from there. Eventually I tried a ride outdoors. It was like learning to ride a bike again, lots of little things you take for granted that I had to re-learn, and that was strangely enjoyable experience.

The process of training to get back to fitness is the same whether you have been injured or chronic illness or other long layoffs. It just means you may need to dose your efforts more carefully and increase how much you do at a lower rate, but the bike is a great way to do that as the impacts are low. You will encounter set backs along the way, but realise that normally these are temporary, not permanent blocks to progress.

The most important element is your motivation and desire to ride. If you have a passion for it, you will find a way.

All the best with your efforts.

I really appreciate this long reply and that you took some time for me.
First, congratulations! You are officially my new role model and my new inspiration. I am sure you are these things to people around you, too.
Second, I agree with you. It is all about someone's personality, patience, and perseverance. And yes I know I have to be patient.
I will get there eventually
Thank you for your kind words.

 

[oportosanto]

That's something we all need, role models and people who have passed by similar situations. When we have passed by a difficult situation we need to overcome it and that will not happen when we don't struggle and give it all we have, we need to go for it.

 

[pwarbi]

As others have said, it's not really something that others can advise you on, it's just a case of not overdoing things and maybe getting some medical advice from your doctor or physiotherapist and see what they say.

While it's only natural to want to get back to what you was doing before, it does take time to adjust and doing too much too soon could leave you worse off in the long run.

 

[likeascroll]

You just have to ease back into it little by little. I'm sorry that happened and I hope you get back to riding comfortably.

 

[mayasupernova]

Thank you again for your nice words, and compassionate replies. I will make sure I rest during the winter due to the obvious fear of snow and ice, and maybe another fall, and from the spring, I hope I will get a bit more stronger so I would be able to slowly get back on the track, literally.

 

[oportosanto]

Yeah, if you have waited for so long maybe it's wise to wait some more for the good weather and in the spring you hop back in the bike and start slowly.

 

[pinkride]

Just try to take things step by step, no need to rush things. If you go slowly you will not risk another injury and your body will begin to adjust to it.

 

[pwarbi]

Just try to take things step by step, no need to rush things. If you go slowly you will not risk another injury and your body will begin to adjust to it.

That's the main thing to watch, because an injury on top of another injury will obviously set your recovery back even further, and while it's understandable that people want to get back to normal and get back to cycling as soon as they can, patience is sometimes all it takes to get back to 100% fitness. Even though it can be frustrating.

 

[guitarmom1279]

I think you have received some great advise and it sounds like you have got a lot of friends on here. I agree the first thing you should do is don't get into a big rush,start slow. It's not going to do you any good if you start out trying to do what you did before and wind up re injure yourself. Listen to you body and if you are fatigued then you may be over doing it.

 

[Personablue]

You have already received a lot of warm replies here. and here's my cents- I think you should rest a lot, healing is definitely slower during cold days, you don't want to damage any tendons or ligaments. Try it in when it gets little hotter. Before working on cycling, you should do some physiotherapy every day. Rest assured, you will be fine, may you get well soon completely.

 

[Dilof]

I'd probably continue on your stationary bike until you feel the muscles in your legs are strong enough. When that happens is suggest just casual riding to begin with (no going up hills) like going around town or to shops. If you want to start doing faster biking I'd really ask a professional if I were you.

 

[rajeshcycles]

Yes, you can again ride. Just follow your passion. You should drive slowly and day-after-day, you can increase your speed. You should drive on the roads with less traffic. You will be able to enjoy fast riding very soon.

 

[Dilof]

Wouldn't exactly say fast riding is very soon though. It's great to get your hopes up but I'd be weary about going fast speeds at least until you've gotten a feel for your bike again. It'll definitely take some time as I said above, but as long as you commit yourself to actually overcoming this injury, then you'll be able to do it.

 

[warrengeb]

You will be able to ride again after your legs are completely healed. It may take a lot of time to heal but the wait will definitely be worth it. Don't think that you would not be able to ride and again and please don't lose your motivation. Your mind may play various tricks on you but don't fall in the trap and use your conscious mind for the decisions.

 

[pwarbi]

You will be able to ride again after your legs are completely healed. It may take a lot of time to heal but the wait will definitely be worth it. Don't think that you would not be able to ride and again and please don't lose your motivation. Your mind may play various tricks on you but don't fall in the trap and use your conscious mind for the decisions.

When recovering from an injury, I think the mental aspect of it can be the most challenging part, and the hardest to get over. While the injury itself might have healed and be well enough to start cycling again, if it's been a particularly nasty one, then you're going to be very wary, especially at first of trusting that part of your body again.

 

[oportosanto]

When injuries are involved we need to give it time to heal properly, no way around that.

 

[warrengeb]

When recovering from an injury, I think the mental aspect of it can be the most challenging part, and the hardest to get over. While the injury itself might have healed and be well enough to start cycling again, if it's been a particularly nasty one, then you're going to be very wary, especially at first of trusting that part of your body again.

You are right. The mental emotions that come out after a leg injury can be misleading and it can even demotivate a particular person. That's really bad. It is important to control the emotions because most of the emotions are misleading. In that case, we should encourage and motivate the victim so that he can trust his/her skills again.

 

[pwarbi]

When recovering from an injury, the mental aspect of it often get's over looked and I think that that's the main reason why people don't get back to cycling, or keep away from cycling more than the physical injury itself. Building up your confidence again to trust our body can be hard work, and I should know because I've had a broken leg in the past (non-cycle related) and it was months after I was recovered that I even dared to go out on the bike again, even though I was told it would be fine.

 

[Jcycle]

An stationary recumbent cycle was an important part of my recovery after several leg surgeries. I think when and how you ride again depends on the nature of your injury. If it is severe enough to curb normal activity you may need to see a physical therapist to help you get back to where you need to be.