UKC

So not that long ago I had a simple slip at the local bouldering wall that resulted in a fairly serious injury to my knee which has required surgery- ACL reconstruction. yuk!

Anyways determined to return to the sport and not be put off, and the closer I get to the time Im told by physio and surgeon that I am fit for it again Im wondering more as to what the best way back into the sport is? has anyone been in this position before? what would you recommend?

My confidence has obviously been abit shaken by the experience, especially as it was such a simple thing that caused the injury, but im loathed to give up a sport that i really enjoy!

In reply to Gills:

I tore a tendon in my forearm and was out for 3 months recently.

I took my return really slowly, sticking to easy climbs with big holds, nothing too technical or in my case involving small pockets, in your case involving potentially slippy footholds.

I found that this actually made me a much better climber as i was effectively starting from scratch again (grip totally gone in right hand) but with the benefit of the knowledge i had gained from my time bouldering before the injury.

Most important thing is to avoid climbs you have done in the past and treat this as a positive learning experience - don't beat yourself up over not being able to do things that you once found easy!

In reply to Davib:

Thankyou! Some good ideas ill definately put into practice!

In reply to Gills:

I had a shoulder injury, underwent surgery and after a period of physiotherapy, was told by my surgeon that I was fit to climb again. So, I did and reignited the injury pretty quickly. My lesson learnt from that is to listen to your body. I should've paid far more attention to my own experience, rather than being seduced by my surgeon's opinion that I was fine to dangle from overhangs again.

You'll know how your knee feels, reacts and works back when climbing, so pay attention to what it's telling you.

Good luck!

In reply to omerta:

yikes! i hope your shoulder is doing better now! thankyou for the advice!

In reply to Gills:

I ruptured my PCL in a mountainbiking accident last October and it's at the point where it is almost back to normal, but heelhooks where I need a lot of pressure really hurt. My advice would be to give it as much time as it needs because an ACL/PCL injury is serious business. Your ligament is in a vulnerable state and needs as much rest as it does rehabilitation; further abuse can make the knee much worse - perhaps even do permanent damage. It is absolutely critical how well you respond to the injury.

Foolishly, I started climbing again as soon as I regained enough flexibility to move my leg back past 90-degrees. There are multiple incidents I can remember which worsened the injury from what was only a stage 1 to a stage 2 rupture. It has set me back at least a year in my training and has just made life pretty shit in general.

Make sure you get your quadriceps and hamstrings as strong as you can too. Any muscle around the knee that has a supporting role, you will benefit greatly not just in strength terms, but in injury/pain prevention.

Have patience, young padawan. Stay safe.

In reply to Gills:

I had about 3 years off climbing, through a combination of moving around the country a lot, heavy drinking and a knee operation. Outside of all the good stuff about listening to your body that everyone else has said, try and not get frustrated that you can no longer sail up routes that you could of done with your eyes closed before you got hurt. Your knee will get stronger, it just takes time.