Surgery can be hard on your body no matter how minor the procedure is, and the recovery process can be slow regardless of how fit you were before. In addition to the physical hurdles after surgery, the mental strain of not running can be just as challenging to deal with. Frequent runners use exercise as their way to escape the world, to meditate, and deal with stress. This mental strain can be compounded for runners that have overcome issues such as obesity and may fear regressing into poor habits.
Despite your desire to get back to running post-surgery, it is instrumental not to put added pressure on yourself. Before you grab your running accessories, here we will talk about six tips for how to get you back to running again after surgery.
1. Speak to your doctor
It doesn’t matter how good you feel or how much you might know your own body; it is always integral to get approval from your physician about when it is safe to get back into training and running again. As an avid runner, you likely asked your doctor before surgery how long your recovery time would need to be; however, no matter the time frame, there isn’t a magic number. Try to enjoy the rest, and don’t be too antsy to get back to pounding the pavement. As your doctor assesses how well you are healing, they will be able to give you the green light when it is appropriate to lace up your sneakers again.
2. Don’t start too soon
When you feel up for training again, leave it one more week. Your body will appreciate the added rest, and you will limit any eventual setbacks from starting too early.
3. Start from the beginning
Even a short break of a few weeks for a marathon runner will set back training. When you add surgery to the mix, it is essential to remember to be kind to your body; if you push things too quickly, you’ll inevitably hinder your full recovery and delay things even more.
4. Walking is good for you
Walking is excellent for fitness and will give your body the time that it needs to get back into the movements. You can start slow and continue to increase your distance and pace as the days move on.
5. Short runs are better than no runs
Again, don’t push your body too much. Interspersing short runs with your walking is a great way to increase your cardiovascular fitness and endurance. From there, you can slowly tip the balance from walking towards running. Increasing your running times by 30 seconds per day will ensure you move towards your target time and distance.
6. Take it slow
Give yourself about eight weeks to get back to the level you were before your surgery. With small increments in distance and speed, you may well exceed any of your previously held running records.Analyze you feel during your running sessions and how you feel afterward. Stay in touch with your doctor and contact them if you have any questions. Though you might believe that you need to run through the pain, this is not advisable and can cause more damage. In addition, sometimes surgeries are not successful, and you may be seeking recovery from surgical errors. In these situations, rather than avoiding medical advice, seek a second opinion until you are satisfied with your recovery options.
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