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Post by smoothoperator on Feb 25, 2019 7:32:16 GMT -7
Hi all, I've torn my left ACL and am looking to go into surgery in a week or two. Recovery afterwards will be long (6-9 months) and for at least the first few months, any rotational movement on the leg is to be avoided. I am therefore looking for tips, tricks and ideas on training without stressing the injured leg. The most obvious candidate is the fingerboard, which will surely see a lot of use. The main question here is what the best protocols will be to ensure continuous gains over sustained (3-4 months) fingerboard use. At some stage, I will be able to climb with one foot on toprope, and after month 4-5 I expect to be able to use the injured leg in a controlled manner, i.e. toproping (or no fall-leading) without any weird twisting (so no drop knees). Core work will also be done a lot. As will high volume leg rehab work to rebuild muscle and coordination (2-3 hr a day ) Any other things I should be looking at specifically for climbing? Ideally I want to come back strong and be able to climb hard the moment i am cleared for climbing, but I realize my technique will likely suffer from long time away from rock. Right now I am thinking to focus on upper body strength the first few months and once I am able to toprope try and get as much volume in to relearn technique and build stamina (while maintenance for finger strength). Power can be done by campussing on toprope routes in the overhang. Curious about the collective's thoughts....
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Post by acmesalute76 on Feb 25, 2019 8:43:09 GMT -7
I broke my ankle two years ago and did my first hangboard cycle ever while in a cast. What I have found most difficult about injuries (my only other one was a relatively minor broken foot) is that at least with broken bones, once you go weight bearing it becomes very painful, and I felt completely demotivated, almost like I had the flu or something. It was a struggle just to go and walk half a mile each day, let alone do any real training. I got depressed and after my hangboard cycle didn’t climb for a couple months until I could walk without a boot.
Curious if other people have had experiences like this, and I don’t know if it will be the same with a ligament injury, but personally I’d be focused on training if I can, spending time around people who are supportive, and working whatever job you can just to stay occupied and away from the Xbox. I found sleeping to be a problem because of the lack of physical activity. Also I’d expect major setbacks not just in climbing, but all athletic activities. Even just learning to walk again will probably be painful and challenging. Good luck on the long road back to normalcy.
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Post by smoothoperator on Mar 11, 2019 13:14:19 GMT -7
Thanks. I'm pretty fucking motivated to both tackle my recovery head on as well as to train for climbing. I need a purpose to distract me from the amazing ski season happening in front of my window that i am now missing . But we will see how i deal with the pain and depression. Heading into surgery tomorrow Right now I've done roughly 4 weeks of repeaters, after a week of (surgery) the plan is to commence on a 4 wks circle of max hangs. One-legged top roping as soon as possible, or campussing (part of) routes on top rope as a power phase.
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Post by RobF on Mar 19, 2019 3:23:27 GMT -7
Good luck: ACL's are put under strain with full knee flexion so I wouldn't be looking to do too much of that for a while / at least until the ACL reconstruction is fully bedded in. Some TRX type work should help as well as foot on / foot off fingerboard. Think positive, you should come out of it with mega strong fingers...
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