By Dr. Gross' rapid recovery protocol, at the 6 month mark, all restrictions on physical activity are lifted. The most significant restriction for me was the ban on running. Tack on another couple of months pre-op when I was in too much pain to play and I haven't been on the soccer field since last May. This is a pickup game so you're never sure how many people will show up, this morning we had seven a side. My intention was to play referee (kind of a joke with this crowd, in over 20 years we've never had one) to get used to wearing cleats and running on grass.
I did that for most of the morning but when someone had to leave and one of the teams was a player short, I took the plunge, albeit tentatively. We have an unwritten rule that you back off from 50/50 balls, but this morning I was also backing off from 80/20 balls. As a defender I spent most of the game playing containment and didn't get much into ball possession or tough tackling and dribbling. Overall I was pretty happy with how it went. I felt some pains in both legs but nothing that seriously impeded my game or persisted for very long - I even got some compliments from the guys afterwards. After the game I had nothing like the intense lower back soreness that I carried with me post-game for a couple of years prior to the surgery.
Fortunately my right (non-op) leg is my strong side and it felt as good as it did from before this saga started. My left leg was a different story; the couple of times I did try passing with it, I had neither strength nor accuracy and the ball just wobbled hopelessly away. My aim is to play as much referee as possible during February and go back to full games starting March. Hopefully my left leg will improve over time.
Wish me luck.
Topic: 6 month milestone - back to the field (Read 15782 times)
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