just had a new knee , 2 weeks ago. Is there anyone who has had this op and got back into windsurfing? If you did , how long before you got back to "normal", the doc told me about 6 months, but am pounding the exercise bike etc and hoping for sooner
Better a bum knee than no knee.
Here in Vic we have Johnny the one legged windsurfer. You wont find him on this forum because he is missing most his fingers too and cant tipe for s**t. When I saw him rigging up I asked if he needs a hand but he just told me "f'off smartarse" (no pun was intended). He doen't gybe all that well either, but he is awesome in a straight line! Its just inspiring to watch. Did I mention he has tunnel vison too?
Maybe you can strap one of your legs to your bum and do a Johnny?
(6 months sounds right, but you can do it in 3 if you take steroids like the footballers)
You could be back at it soone, then you could congratulate yourself for beating the doctors advice, and then when you are talking to him in 9 months about getting another new knee be sure to tell him he was wrong.
Or you could just bite the bullit for six months and then get back to it knowing your knee is up to it.
I don't see why you could not sail again, it will be almost as strong as a regular knee
Doc's 6 months may be based up what he thinks windsurfing is though - if you are doing fast freeride, freestyle or wavesailing maybe add another 50% to that figure.
Hard part is doing all the physio required for that long. 2 months of it for shoulder and ankle absolutley killed me but the season started about the time I was predicted to be ready so made it all the easier to find the motivation
Lots of glucosamine, protein rich foods, fish oil, and calcium
what did you have done? I had an ACL done nearly 2 years ago now. I stayed off my board for about 6 months. There was crap all wind around anyway so i didn't miss much. But I'm glad in the end I gave it a longer length of time rather than pushing it. I'm sure age had a bit to do with recovery times also, I was 42 when I had it done. Maybe if you're younger you may heal a bit quicker. But honestly, don't push it, you'll kick yourself if you reinjure it. Like Mark said, just do the physio and the gym work and get it strong again. I hope for your sake it comes as good as new. Mine will only ever be 90% at best but that's better than what it was.
Good luck 
Thanks for the feedback and advice. The knee was replaced with a prosthetic, pretty amazing really, when you think about what they do.
You are right Mark , the physio is painfull, mainly exercise bike so far, and some squats, but early days yet and haven't sailed for nearly a year already. Sailing is flatwater am 64 yrs old but pretty fit, so no point in wrecking a $ 15000 knee before its use by date! (That is the cost if you don,t have private cover and won't, or can't wait at least 12 months for the public system......
)
If you cam get the bend to approx 110-120 degrees in the knee you may be ok. Issue arises if it is maxed out at 90. Would be careful avoiding waves and chop. I would say it will be 4-6 months before you could get back to the water. Get the full extension (straightening) and great quadriceps strength back and 120 degrees bend and you'll give yourself the best chance.
Do you waterstarting or uphaul. Sometimes it is difficult climbing back onto the board if you need to uphaul b
I had a hyper-extension injury in late 2006 where the ACL did not snap, but where it anchored on the lower shin received two fractures and a shard came out, so that the ACL was no longer connected to the shin. The first op they sewed the bone shard back into the hole it had came out of and gave it two months to heal, the second op afterwards was to recover the flexibility which had got to less than 45deg (scar tissue from not bending my leg for two months)
Recovery from accident to windsurfing again was 18months. Lots of physio and moping from not being able to windsurf for so long. Now I windsurf like it never happened. Very rough days requiring a lot of leg work over chop are fine, I might have a dull ache afterwards in the knee, but nothing that bothers me.
I suspect I'll only really start to pay for it in my sixties. Do your physio and get their advice, acknowledging that (quite rightly) they'll be conservative when you ask "when can I sail again?". I was lucky that I lived in Canberra and got my physio at the AIS, so they are all about getting you back to your sport as quick as possible. My injury was quite rare they told me, and you see professional athletes are playing ball weeks after the more typical 'ACL blowout' operations, so it can be a quick turn around (once again, pro athletes have all day to rehab and work towards recovery, so they should get back to it quicker than us weekend warriors.)
Thanks again , as I mentioned am 64, but only sailing flatwater, I also think it depends how badly someone wants to do something, am pushing it pretty hard on physio and esp exercise bike.I remember seeing a bloke with an artificial leg in one of my old videos of sailing at The Gorge, and always, thought how much guts has he got !!?
I want to get back into surfing and tennis again too , as soon as I am fit enuff
Ive had both knees arthcroprosied andthe answer is this:
DONT try and push it, you will put yourself backwards, possibly by months.
best of luck with the rehab !!
Thanks fellas, my physio is very happy, have got 110 degrees, but GP says another 6 months, and so that's what I will do. cheers
In the meantime, you could always wait for calm, lighter wind days and just sail around slowly, perhaps on a SUP or a longboard? It's still fun, good practice, no stress on the knees, and will keep the upper body in shape.
Select to expand quotejermaldan said...
Better a bum knee than no knee.
Here in Vic we have Johnny the one legged windsurfer. You wont find him on this forum because he is missing most his fingers too and cant tipe for s**t. When I saw him rigging up I asked if he needs a hand but he just told me "f'off smartarse" (no pun was intended). He doen't gybe all that well either, but he is awesome in a straight line! Its just inspiring to watch. Did I mention he has tunnel vison too?
Maybe you can strap one of your legs to your bum and do a Johnny?
(6 months sounds right, but you can do it in 3 if you take steroids like the footballers)
Flipper said:
yeah i know that guy, i saw this funny looking dude once at rye with no fingers and one leg doing jumps on his windsurfer. Yeah you wont see him on here cause he has no fingers to type withpoor bugger, wonder if his chick could type for him
poor bugger, wonder if his chick could type for him
I told him to once to take up the guitar, cause i said to him i play blues guitar when there is no wind and he started snapping at me saying you been cheeky flipper????
Had a right knee replaced 25/02/09 and started sailing 10/06/09 in about .3 M chop and did 10.5 Km.with no problems and sailed a few hundred k's 'till Christmas. Had a left hip replaced 35 years ago but my left leg was still 4 inches shorter than my right so my right leg cops a lot of work. Just after Christmas 2009 my left hip got infected so they had to totally remove it and are probably not going to replace it. I spent 5 months in hospital and am still waiting for the wound to heal but I love windsurfing and in a month or two, to quote Arnie..........."I'LL BE BACK !!!"
Well I hope they get it sorted soon for you Hoppybob, my Doc is paranoid about infection ( understandably), he told me I can't swim until one month after op. Which is tomorrow, so am hanging out for that. Like you mate I love windsurfing, and can't wait to get back. My GP reckons not to get back into it, but orthopod says go for it ! cheers
Don't get it infected Upwind...5 months in hospital, 16 operations, 7 antibiotics a day causing sickness and strep in mouth, and reading what everybody's doing on GPS team challenge & Seabreeze.....it's worth the extra wait. Me being 69 and you 64, if we can't sail we can buy one of those little white hats and do something exciting like lawn bowls.
Hope all goes well for you 
