Email from patient..
"I am now 9 weeks since my knee operation and all going well.."
"I am keen to start practicing my golf with a view to playing again (hopefully end August/ September) but I don’t want to do anything too soon and risk my recovery!!"
Here's my reply..
Dear..
At 71 years of age and 9 weeks post partial knee replacement it's great to read that you're doing well and thinking about returning to golf.
My advice is always to scale up the exercise bike until doing 30 minutes most days, listening to the knee as you progress.
Meanwhile practice your putting, try some chipping, and progress to some half shots on the driving range before progressing to a full swing.
Build that low impact exercise bike cycling from something like 11 minutes daily (now) in week 11, to 12 minutes daily in week 12, to 13 minutes daily in week 13 etc.. until doing 30 minutes on most days.
Progress quicker than this if the leg feels good but listen to the knee.
And it’s not just whether the knee hurts while you cycling (it often doesn’t)
BUT how it feels in the days following an increase in activity.
We want to keep any inflammation stable and under control.
Make sure that you've built up your walking to the same distance / time as the number of holes you plan to play. Don't surprise the knee..!
Perhaps start back with 3 or 4 holes (using a trolley),
=> Listen to how the knee feels
Then try playing 6 holes, 9 holes etc until playing a full 18 holes.
=> Each time, judge how the knee feels
Then progress from using a trolley to carrying a light set of clubs only.
=> Listen to how the knee feels
More important perhaps is to make sure you get good recovery days in between. Rest and recovery are important.
Good luck and let me know how you get on.
Best wishes
