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Friday, May 18, 2012
Media / Athlete/Coach Update / Knee Rehab - Week 4

Knee Rehab - Week 4

Cricket Butler via TotalCyclist Mountain Bike Team BLOG:

Just four weeks after having surgery on my left knee, I was sitting on a spin cycle with no resistance set spinning in slow motion. It has to be the best feeling in the world for a injured cyclist to regain that motion - for me without a doubt. But it did not come easy. The surgery which involved cutting tissue away to release my knee cap has resulted in a lot of swelling and lost of mobility. It has taken great patience and work just to get to this point where I can now sit on a bike again. Any athlete faced with an injury involving some amount of time off to recover will face frustration - it is a given - recovery is the most difficult endurance sport on the planet!

My recovery began immediately with my leg in a Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine the day after surgery. Per doctor orders, I used the CPM for 8 hours a day to reduce the formation of scar tissue in the area. Yes, that is right - 8 hours a day for 2 weeks!! This machine became a mental torture devise as I had to sit around and watch my knee go up and down with no effort on my part but the benefits became apparent. Mobility came back rather quickly and has been consistently increasing as time passes. Along with the CPM, I started Physical Therapy (PT) 3 times a week with Mark Kane (www.kanetraining.com) just 2 days after surgery. The use of manual therapy of the soft tissues supporting the knee and active movement exercises in combination with my time on the CPM is working. The CPM is...


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