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 | working my legs and body from left to right |
| working the inside & outside of the thighs |
| using the abdominals and back, and |
| honing my balance skills. |
More
importantly, I finally got an aerobic workout! Something I'd severely lacked the
months previous, as well as the weeks leading up to finally being introduced to
this device. While initial rehabilitation was effective in recovering knee
function, I had yet to experience an aerobic workout. For the first time
in months, I finally was sweating and had my heart rate up (and not from pain,
but from total body exertion!).
Although unable to actually ' street skate' as before for several months, the Pro Fitter enabled me to work up to my previous fitness level by providing a skating-like workout, while simultaneously working my heart, and with extremely low impact!
The smooth, quiet gliding motion left and right, slightly up and down over the curve of the board was more like floating rather than working against a machine's resistance. The footpads rocking independently, made it feel more natural, very close to the true feeling of skating on a glassy-smooth surface, and without vibration.
Vibration from skating on surfaces other than a finely polished indoor rink, no matter how little or much it is felt during skating, does 'impact' knees and joints. By using only balance and skating-related muscles, with only minor bending of the knee joint, I was ready to get back on the pavement that much sooner. Once I was on pavement, vibrations were more readily absorbed by strong muscles rather than by the joints themselves.
Sold on aerobics with low-impact & no noise
Rehabilitation aside, I was elated to have finally found a cross-training, exercise, I equate to my personal indoor SKATING NIRVANA!
A
few months later, I participated in my first "Roll
through the Wine Country" (30-mile recreational skating event with a
300-foot elevation gain). Without the workout provided by the Pro Fitter,
I'd have never been able to do it so soon, let alone finish. Since then, I
participated numerous Wine Country roll's, and became a regular at the San
Francisco Friday Night Skate as a "Midnight
Roller".
That lasted until I experienced my second ever serious injury. Two years ago I fell with knees bent, on the corner of a curb. (I was told later than had it not been for the Kevlar kneepads with dense foam, I wouldn't have gotten up that night, let alone continue to skate for several more months. ) When the aching knees and icing after every skate got to be a bit much, I visited the orthopedic surgeon.
Arthroscopy on both knees last Fall revealed a chip the
size of a nickel out of each
femur (thigh bone below the kneecap, exposed only when bent as such). The
bad news is that I can't skate in the short-term due to the impact of the
vibration. The good news, is that it's fixable. While I do have to
have major
surgery on both knees (one at a time over the next two years), to replace
the cartilage, I have the luxury of time to strengthen and prepare my knees for
surgery and the inevitable rehabilitation.
With my own Pro Fitter at home now, I'm able to stay and get in even better shape prior to surgery (stronger in, stronger out), to keep me in perfect skating-form until I can once again get back on 8 or 10 wheels.
A follow-up article on the Pro Fitter, it's use in action with photos and videos, is forthcoming with an additional follow-up, post-surgery rehabilitation.
In the meantime, you can get more information about Fitter here - please visit our:
Cross
Training and Rehabilitation Store
Browse for & buy Fitter
First InLine Skating Cross-Training & Rehab Equipment. For sale, from InLineNow.com THE Inline Skating Resource, in association
with Fitter First International.
Fitter First
International
The manufacturer of the Pro Fitter-the equipment that helped to take me from
offline back inline! (Photos of the Pro Fitter reproduced with permission
from Fitter First International.)
Genzyme
Biology
Homepage for Carticel-the surgery I will undergo to replace my cartilage.
InLine Skating and it's
Role in Conditioning
From the Stone Clinic-Orthopedic Surgery Sports medicine and
Rehabilitation by Michael J. Mullin, ATC, PTA.
Whether you skate on paths, trails, back roads or city streets, please remember to do so safely, always wear protective gear, be courteous, Be Safe and and Be Seen.
Stay tuned here, to Get InLineNow
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,
I opted to be outdoors and just do the 'real thing'. I strapped on my
first pair of inline skates in the early 80's (while still in my early
20's). From that moment, I remember just getting on my skates and going as
far and as fast as I wanted without a thought. That was, until 1994 when I
sustained my first serious physical injury: a broken, marbleized patella
(kneecap) resulting from a rafting accident.
y
aerobic and skating-specific muscles far behind. And
lastly, how much more it takes for someone in their early 30's to recover, vs. someone
in their 20's. Not until this, the first time in my life I found myself sore, tired and
sadly, very far from in shape. I made it only a few blocks. As
it turns out, my knee wasn't quite ready for the vibration of the pavement nor
the rest of me for the workout.