another difference between the surgery due to an accident versus arthritis is the pre surgery versus pre-accident fitness level. my ability to walk had been hindered for about 5 years prior to having surgery and my cycling, though less affected than walking, had also been affected. my ftp 15 weeks after the surgery was higher than my ftp right before the surgery because my my ability to ride had been hampered by the arthritis and pain. your baseline will be higher, so 12 months does seem reasonable to be back to your normal fitness especially when considering that the other trauma.
i found reading about other people’s speedy recoveries depressing. the physical therapist and the physicians assistants seemed disappointed in my slow recovery, when i retrospect, i think i recovered just fine, just slower than they wanted considering my appearance.
I’ve appreciated reading other people’s recovery journeys, not least for opening my eyes to the big variation in duration and paths that others have experienced. It’s all very individual - it is what it is and you cannot force it. As you point out, I entered my recovery unencumbered by years’ worth of prior arthritis affects which others may have suffered, and so should have an advantage there but also have accident trauma still very much present!
I’m currently a bit short on physio advice as to how best for me to progress. I’ve been signed off by an initial PT who showed me a few basic exercises for the past 3 weeks, but haven’t yet seen the next PT (which may be a couple of weeks or more away…). I’m keen to progress, but cautiously so, as I don’t wish to bring on problems from overdoing it (learned that lesson before ). With the walking and the super-easy turbo, I’m going off feel, which to date has meant slow progress. I’ve had several days now where it feels like I did too much the day before, and so have dialed things back a bit. I’m being patient, but it is frustrating, as poor mobility just makes doing everyday things so slow! Note to self: “don’t get really old…”.
FWIW, my experience with PTs is that they seem to deal more frequently with older, sedentary people, which results in either prescribing unchallenging work and going on autopilot, or recognizing you can do more and pushing to find your limit. My current PT was a competitive collegiate swimmer and is definitely not on autopilot. But that also means I have to give her honest feedback on what I can handle and what I can’t. Kind of like the TR post-workout survey.
i actually meant that you might take longer not shorter to get back to your baseline, because your baseline is better and you will probably have higher expectations. i could be wrong, however.
). With the walking and the super-easy turbo, I’m going off feel, which to date has meant slow progress. I’ve had several days now where it feels like I did too much the day before, and so have dialed things back a bit. I’m being patient, but it is frustrating, as poor mobility just makes doing everyday things so slow! Note to self: “don’t get really old…”. 