Patients wonder if they can exercise properly after their limb lengthening is complete. The short answer is absolutely, and not only will you be able to exercise, but it is highly encouraged. However, there are several things you must be aware of when planning your exercise regimen.
First, don’t start the process before the bone is fully healed. You will almost undoubtedly want to get up and about once we have finished lengthening your limbs. However, even when lengthening is complete, you must wait about two months for ossification or hardening of the bone to occur. During this time, you must continue to follow your postoperative program to ensure proper union of the bone.
Start slow. Whether you were an athlete or casual exerciser before your procedure, exercise routines must start slowly as you get back on your feet. This is for several reasons. While the bone lengthening process is relatively straightforward, tendons and muscles in the leg are not as easily manipulated. You will experience tension in these soft tissues that require exercises to loosen and adapt them – starting too quickly can lead to injuries and significant downtime. Your physical therapist will give you at-home exercises to perform after the surgery.
Complete your physical therapy exercises. Depending on how long you have been off your feet, you will need to complete an intense physical therapy regimen to ensure that the soft tissue of the limb you have lengthened remains solid and supportive. Physical therapy is one of the best ways to ensure you return to regular activity as soon as possible and is essential to mitigate potential injury once your exercise routine begins.
Vary your exercise program. It is tempting to find an exercise you enjoy and do it repeatedly. This is often true for patients that enjoy cardio. We’re not suggesting that cardio isn’t healthy or essential for you after your limb-lengthening procedure. However, resistance training with weights at home or in the gym or using body weight is critical to strengthening bones and staying healthy.
Keep it low intensity. Any orthopedic surgeon will tell you that low-impact activity is preferable to running or walking on concrete. If you wish to perform actions that require an impact on the ground, try to do so on the grass while throwing in some full-body, no-impact workouts like swimming. Ultimately, while your limb lengthening may be successful, we also want to ensure your joint health.
This is a great question and one that many of our patients ask. Now that the limb is extended, will you see an improvement in athletic performance? Some patients are also concerned about a decrease in athletic performance.
The short answer is that you will likely not see any difference in your athletic performance. If you were an athlete beforehand, muscles, tendons, and critically, your training mentality will remain the same.
Similarly, you should not see any degradation in your physical abilities other than some time to get back to exercise after recovering from surgery. Most patients are comforted by knowing that their abilities will remain the same.
If you wish to discuss these questions in greater detail, we encourage you to contact our office and schedule a consultation with Dr. Basmajian. We encourage you to write down all the questions you may have about your potential limb-lengthening surgery, so you get a complete picture of the benefits and risks of the procedure. We look forward to seeing if we can help you reach your height goals.