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Squats / Deads after surgery

V

viking

New member
Hey All,
Another noob to the forum.
I've had a few years experience lifting weights, but not much much for the past 10 years.

2 years ago I hiked the Bibbulmun track. It was awesome but 300kms in, I started getting knee pain. Being the stubborn bugger I am i kept going for the remainder 700kms. I ended up with significant holes where my cartelidge should be.

The surgery I had 10 months ago was bilateral tibial transfers also known as patella reallignment
. I've done the rehab thing - strengthening the vastus medialus and other supports.

I've started back with deadlifts 5x5 @ 100 - 130 kgs and some very light squats 3x20 @ 20 - 60 kgs.

Has anyone else had this surgery? If so, did you ever get back to normal? What do you guys think about leg work following the surgery?

I've done a bunch a work of the leg ext and leg curl as well as the 45 deg leg press - light weights. But now the gym has closed, I'm back to the home gym.

Cheers
 
Hi and welcome.

I've done the Bibbulmun Track, it's awesome.

How do the squats feel? Do they give you any pain? If not, then plough ahead in small increments and you'll be back to your old strength levels.

If they do hurt, then you might be best to see your physio about this.
 
I didn't have that surgery, but I had half of my knee cut out to reshape it because of weak vastus medialus. Also in the same (left) knee I had meniscus removed to the left side of patella.

At my highest ever I did 1RM 180kg squat and 200kg deadlift, they are not that much different weight wise, since my knee is the limit. At the moment I squat around 110kg and going up, since I'm recovering from few broken bones. I'm planning to settle at doing ~125kg for reps, I don't need the huge numbers I did in the past, since I want to preserve my knee as I'm 35 and I had the knee surgery 10 years ago.

What I do is take 8g of fish oil per day and 6g of glucosamine per day. Few studies say that the later doesn't do anything, but without it I would be barely able to walk up stairs, I will not even mention lifting weights. And yes, I had stopped using it few times and I had to start it back up. Experiment for yourself and see what works.

Lifting wise it seems to me that you have weak VM. I would concentrate on getting your formed nailed first, since weak VM means bad form. Are your knees to the outside of your toes? Or are they collapsing to the inside when you are coming out of the hole? The later means weak VM. Are your knees behind your toes? Have you read Ripptoe's Starting Strength and watched his videos on youtube?

If I were you, I would get a Olympic or Powerlifting coach to see you through this movements. That's what I had done in the past, it's a worthwhile investment that will pay off in years of being able to train.

The number of people I see in gym doing this mistakes makes me cringe and I get pain in my knees just looking at them. Just last week in the gym I go to I saw one of the personal trainers teach one of those guys who has massive upper body and no legs (I'm the opposite at the moment) teach him how to squat. This guy was teaching the guy who has never done squats really bad form from the start. I would say 99% of personal trainers don't know how to squat, so don't ask them unless you are looking for more knee surgeries.

Also good shoes are important, throw away your soft running shoes with 0 support. Get Converse Chucks or something with very hard thin sole. My next purchase will be Olympic lifting shoes.

By the way, I squat 3 times a week and my knee is doing fairly well for the past 10 years. I would also avoid lunges if I were you, they are hard on knees.
 
Get yourself some TK knee bands, these things are life saving for knee problems (Personally have had torn, stretched and reoccuring pain in my MCL and a minor patella tracking problem).

Pick your footwear to suit your squat style, if your squatting PL style then flat soles will be fine, but if your choosing to squat Oly stlye (A2G) then some olympic shoes would benefit your knee health greatly.

Ive found since doing A2G squats combined with my TK's, my knees are in the best condition they have been in years as apposed to trying to train around the knee injury or doing "prescribed rehab work" with leg extensions, VM isolation contractions etc.
 
the TK knee bands are good idea, I've older/original Rehband 7mm knee sleeves and I've been using them for 6 years+, love them. Few other people at my gym use them and everyone praises them.

I also agree that deep squats are easier on the knees, It deloads your knee at the bottom of the movement and puts more force on your hamstrings to get out of the hole
 
Knee sleeves are great. I have the TK ones and they are OK. Got some Titan ones and they were better than the TKs but after a couple months use they have already fallen apart.
 
oioi said:
the TK knee bands are good idea, I've older/original Rehband 7mm knee sleeves and I've been using them for 6 years+, love them. Few other people at my gym use them and everyone praises them.

I also agree that deep squats are easier on the knees, It deloads your knee at the bottom of the movement and puts more force on your hamstrings to get out of the hole
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'm reading you right oioi, it is in fact the muscles of the hip and quads that are the prime movers, supplying the speed strength and power to get one out of the hole, the hammies really doing not a lot at this point, just holding the knee in place.
 
The deep olympic squats help develop the musculature around the knee joint more effectively (such as the VMO which inserts close to the knee joint) than the powerlifting squat which primary goal is to move as much weight with emphasis on the glutes, hams.

Always emphasis controlled form with any knee injury.
 
Cheers Guys.

Will take the Deads and squats easy & I'll try to get some coaching from a S&C coach or someone in PL. I like to lift bare foot if at all possible - is this not a good idea.


Oioi - I find the fish oil helps 5000-8000mgs per day - depending on how many fall into my hand. Glucosamine - tried it in increasing doses - not much for me - but good if it helps others.

I'll look into the knee bands.

Wingman - physio says don't do anything that hurts. GP, sports physican and ortho surgeon all say man of 120kg plus 20-25kg pack should not walk Bibbulmun.

Before the surgery I went through the whole process - orthotics, VMO exercises, stretching IL band, isometric leg extensions etc etc.

Cheers guys much appreciated.
 
knee arthroscopy

I have had surgery on my knee to repair a tear in the miniscus of my left knee.
apart from leg extensions what else would be recommended to regain the strength in my legs
 
I wouldn't do leg extensions, but that depends on where the tear was. Can you do body weight squats? If you can do them, they are much better than leg extensions.
 
I would suggest a progressive introduction to weight lifting after injury, going straight into squatting is not advisable.
Leg extension/leg curl
To
Leg press
To
BB squat
 
steve4116 said:
I have had surgery on my knee to repair a tear in the miniscus of my left knee.
apart from leg extensions what else would be recommended to regain the strength in my legs
Click to expand...

Fuck leg extensions off completely.

If you can use a stationary bicycle without pain or discomfort.

Your best bet is to cycle your ass off.

Starting light and for short periods, and gradually increasing the resistance and length of time riding. Increased blood flow > increased recovery. And the movement strengthens all stablising musculature of the knee rather than just the quadriceps with leg extensions.

Although take this with a grain of salt, i rehabbed my knee (torn MCL and patella tracking issues) with cycling and ATG squatting. The miniscus may be different.
 
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