As an avid indoor rock climber, I am always impressed by the number of climbers I see continuing to climb, despite having injuries that would keep many folks out of the game. CAVEAT: Obviously, if someone has an overuse injury, such as tendinitis of the shoulder, the last thing they should do is continue to use the shoulder in an aggravating activity. Inflammatory/overuse injuries need time to heal, so they do not become chronic.
However, the girl featured here, Alex, fractured her cuboid bone (one of the many tiny bones in the foot) during a climbing injury, and was required to keep it immobilized in the cast shown in the picture for 6 weeks. She managed to continue climbing (rehab) and prepare for returning to climb with all 4 limbs (prehab) by donning the cast designed to protect her ankle, and climbing routes that she could manage with her remaining/functional 3 limbs.
The reason I’m posting these pictures is that many people I ask in the hospital say that they could not have possibly done prehab before their surgery, because the joint was so damaged. I challenge anyone with an osteoarthritic knee or hip, or a herniated disc/fractured vertebra to prepare the rest of the body for surgery, with the help of a skilled professional, who can determine ways to prepare the rest of the body to bear the brunt of the post-op recovery time, when the operated body part truly will not be functioning normally.
If you are an athlete scheduled to have orthopedic surgery, or just someone looking to get ahead of the game before an operation, contact us to schedule a pre-op consultation!
