Knee replacement, caching while healing?

[+uxorious]

So I finally bit the bullet and am scheduled for the first knee replacement at the end of March.

 

Reading the paper work they gave me, it sounds like it may be a while before I can go after any caches.

 

Anyone have any experience with this? I usually cache alone, but I guess for a while I may have to limit my cache outings to times I can go with someone.

 

After this knee is healed enough, they will be able to do the other knee. However, I want to try to be able to do some caching for Geowoodstock. I will have to wait until after that to get the second one done, even if I'm ready before.

 

Any suggestions on things I can do to cache during the healing process would be appreciated. After that, I'm really looking forward to getting some of the caches I haven't been able to get because of my knees.

[+ZeroHecksGiven]

lots of events going on right now

[+CaptCosmic]

Sounds like you might need to stick to handicap accessible caches for awhile.

[+WeightMan]

I am in the recovery process now. My surgery was Sept. 29 and have not done many caches that require trail work. I did not find any caches for over a month after the surgery. I was able to drive after 3.5 weeks, but most people take six weeks. They keep telling full recovery is about a year.

 

Spend as much time as you can in the gym and work on your legs. The stronger your legs are when you have the surgery, the better off you will be.

 

Within a week of surgery I was walking up to two miles a day, but that was on the sidewalks on my short dead end street. That worked out to 18 laps a day. Can you say "boring?" Too bad there weren't any caches along there. The reason I didn't go any further is that that would involve hills and stairs, both of which are hard on your new knee. Do expect to use a cane for a few months.

 

Feel free to email me or PM, if you wish.

[+ironman114]

When my wife had her knee replaced it was awhile before she could do much. Then she did just easy ones that were a short walk.

 

It was during this time she placed a wheelchair accessible cache in a swamp.

[+Titus1919]

I just had a bach opperation for a blown disk. I have no more disk between L4/L5. I started caching because walking to walk is boring as watching reruns of dawsons creek to me. I just don't do the hard ones. I started on wheel chair accessable and am working up. Luckley I had 8 caches with in .5 mile of my backdoor. I had on 465FT from my deck and had on clue.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Titus1919

[+Prying Pandora]

You should contact FrodoB, who recently had a total knee replacement on one side and a partial on the other. He avoids forums like the plague and won't see anything posted here but if you email him, he will happily tell you anything you'd like to know.

[+Prying Pandora]

You should contact FrodoB, who recently had a total knee replacement on one side and a partial on the other. He avoids forums like the plague and won't see anything posted here but if you email him, he will happily tell you anything you'd like to know.

[+TeamIDFC]

It was during this time she placed a wheelchair accessible cache in a swamp.

We so DNF'd that back on 2006. The parking lot was OK, but by the time we got within a hundred feet or so of the cache the water was to the top of the goulashes. I remember it to this day...

[+White-Squirrel]

I didn't have replacement, but did have knee surgery with some complications. After I was steady on my feet and not in too much pain, I made sure I wore a good pair of boots, bought a walking stick and tried to stick with easy terrain and not too much bending. I looked for those likely to be hanging in a tree or larger caches. Hope this helps and not too late.

[DannyCaffeine]

My guess is that if the terrain is 1.5 or lower then go for it. Bringing a buddy might be a good idea too if its on the ground where you can't bend.

[+Semper Questio]

I've had a little experience along these lines. Shattered both my heel sin a caching accident a couple of years ago. I was in hospitals for a month, confined to a wheelchair with no weight baring allowed at all for 4 months. During that whole time I was working and doing whatever I could that was caching related. I solved puzzles, got into pathtagging, and helped other cachers when I could.

 

Once I was able to start getting out of the house, we loaded me and my wheelchair up and started getting a few 1/1's here and there. After that I just started gradually building back up, doing what I could as I could. It helped that some folks hid caches specifically geared to my stage of recovery. (We've got some GREAT folks down here!)

 

I am now up to including T2.5 caches in my PQ's and just today I did my first unimproved trail hike caching. It was probably about 2 miles total. Haven't analyzed the track log yet.

 

The point is, keep in mind that you will be back out there again but don't push it too hard. Do what you can handle without causing any damage. Listen to your doctors ad physical therapists about rehabbing and take their advice about what you should and should not do into account. But, ultimately, it is up to you listening to your body and not trying to do too much too soon, but also not babying yourself too much. When you can't get out at all, there are other aspects to caching you can take advantage of to stay involved in the game.

 

Good luck!