Off the Bike and it's Killing Me

[brendan]

That sucks, Jim.

In the interim, talk to the docs weekly about what activities you can do when: they'll adjust this based on how your recovery is going. But make it clear you were active and want to be active again, sometimes it affects their treatment techniques. And as you start becoming more active, check with them on how to watch for too much too soon.

Look forward not just to the start of riding, but how strong you'll be again six months after you're riding again.

I crashed hard on a lobster-pot sized pothole at the construction at 18th and Florida on Halloween, struggled to get back home to Clarendon to pick up my costume and only then realized my knee was swelling so much I couldn't ride back into DC. A few days later, I was diagnosed with a fractured patella and had to be in a locked-at-extension brace for a month and no biking for two months.

Riding *was* my mood stabilizer and just *what I did*. So I got myself to a shrink pronto. That helped.

Slowly working back up to the fitness level I was at last summer and looking forward getting there.

Brendan

[JeffC]

After a very busy winter (thanks to moderate weather), I have been stalled a bit too on biking over the past two weeks with various ailments.

As to recovery, there is definitly a recognized process called "muscle memory" wherein ones muscles and central nervous system having once been acquainted with a type of physical endeavor, more quickly readapt to it than if learning it anew.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memory

[SerialCarpins]

Sorry to hear....I spent close to two months off the bike this past winter due to a wonky knee...Whenever the weather was nice, or I would see other people out and about biking, it would drive me nuts....I know your pain, and just wanted to chime in to wish you luck, and a speedy recovery.