Hiking is a popular recreational activity cherished for its combination of exercise, stress relief, and opportunities to connect with nature. However, recovering from major surgery and regaining the strength and endurance needed to hike can be extremely challenging. If you’re an avid hiker determined to lace up your boots and hit the trails again after surgery, take heart. With a gradual, careful approach and some prudent strategies, you can successfully ease back into hiking after surgery as your recovery allows.
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Listen to Your Doctor’s Advice
Before attempting to get back to any strenuous activity after surgery, it’s essential to get the green light from your doctor. They can help assess factors such as:
- Your readiness for exercise based on the nature of your surgery and healing timeline
- Any activity restrictions related to your procedure you need to follow
- Warning signs to watch for that may signal you are overexerting
- Guidance on building up mileage appropriately based on your fitness level
- Recommendations for any strength training or stretching needed before hiking after surgery
Make sure to ask when it’s advisable to return to hiking, how to modify activity at first, and what a reasonable progression plan looks like. Your doctor knows your medical history and surgical details, so their input is invaluable for mapping out a hiking plan that aids your recovery versus impeding it. Don’t let eagerness to get back out on trails lead to choices that jeopardize healing.
Start with Accessible Short Hikes
When first getting back to hiking after surgery, choose trails carefully to set yourself up for success. Extremely steep and strenuous routes with significant elevation gain are not advisable, especially right after surgery when your body is still regaining strength and stamina. Instead, look for relatively flat trails without too much uphill hiking that have even, wide footing. Go for loops or out-and-backs with easily accessible bailout points.
Many local nature parks or state parks have short hike options under a mile in length that only involve minimal inclines. Look at hiking websites and trail maps to assess difficulty and accessibility. Aim for woodland walking paths or gravel canyon washes versus rocky summit trails when choosing your first post-surgery hike. Even just hiking 20-30 minutes on gentle terrain provides a great start to rebuilding foundational fitness.
Take It Slow
It can be easy to get over-eager when returning to beloved hobbies like hiking after surgery, but patience and moderation are key. Your doctor likely gave you an idea of when light exercise could resume, but that doesn’t mean immediately going for long, strenuous hikes. You need to give your body adequate time to heal while slowly rebuilding muscular strength, cardiovascular fitness, and endurance.
Start by hiking short distances just 1-2 miles over mostly flat terrain for 30-45 minutes. Pay close attention to any pain or discomfort, and turn around or take a break if needed. Build up your abilities gradually. Don’t compare your early post-surgery hiking pace or distance to your pre-injury abilities. Appreciate small accomplishments and know that with time and consistency, your fitness will improve.
Listen To Your Body
Tuning into your body’s signals is crucial when returning to hiking after surgery. You want to be active for recovery but must avoid overexertion that risks re-injury or surgical complications. Pay attention to your pain scale rating during every hike. Levels above 3-4/10 are signs you need to take a break. Turn around if the pain intensifies or persists despite resting. Likewise, listen if your body seems excessively fatigued and is asking to turn around earlier than planned.
Scheduling brief breaks every 30-45 minutes lets you evaluate your exertion levels and stop before exceeding your current limits. Hydrate and refuel during these stops. Don’t just pause when problems occur – prevent them by regularly assessing how you feel. It’s better to turn around early than stubbornly push through significant pain or exhaustion. Remaining active is important, but heeding your limitations allows for safe, gradual progress.
Use Trekking Poles
Trekking poles are extremely helpful when rebuilding hiking endurance after surgery. They enhance balance and stability on variable terrain, providing two extra points of contact on the ground from your arms. Trekking poles effectively let you share the workload across your whole body, reducing strain on vulnerable joints in your lower body that could still be affected post-surgery.
When using poles after surgery, adjust them to provide some – but not all – of your body weight support. Keep elbows slightly bent to avoid locking them at 90-degree angles, which can lead to pole strikes jarring your elbows and shoulders. Seek out anti-shock trekking poles to further ease the impact on recovery joints. Adjust pole length for uphills versus downhills based on your needs.
Wear Proper Shoes Having appropriate hiking footwear promotes stability, comfort, and injury prevention when your body is still reconditioning after surgery. Choose sturdy trail shoes or boots with excellent traction, stiff midsoles for support, and secure uppers reaching above the ankle to prevent rolling. Proper shoes provide essential cushioning and keep your feet dry. Break them in gradually pre-hike to prevent blisters. Consider custom orthotics if you need additional arch support. Your shoes can make or break your post-surgery hiking recovery and comfort.
Stay Close to Help
While gradually building up your hiking abilities after surgery is important, it’s also wise to stay relatively close to help during your initial recovery months when feasible. Avoid remote backcountry trails lacking cell service and populated access points. Stick to marked trails in case you need assistance. Tell someone your start and end time, exact planned route, and when to call for help if late returning. Bring a satellite communication device to call for emergency extraction if issues arise in remote areas.
Bailout points allow you to safely cut hikes short if you feel fatigued or sore. Hike with a partner for aid in case problems occur. Arrange someone to pick you up at the trailhead rather than finishing solo, just in case. While carefully expanding range and independence, remain conservative in case the unexpected happens far from help. Wilderness first aid training is also advisable to manage potential hiking injuries.
Strengthen Muscles Gradually
Talk to your doctor before attempting strenuous training, but as your recovery allows, targeted strength exercises can aid in getting back to hiking after surgery. Focus on the lower body and core muscles needed for balance and stability. Strong glutes, quads, hamstrings, and hips prevent injury. Crunches and planks build abdominal strength; bridges and bird dogs target the core. Yoga helps flexibility.
Start with easier exercises like walking or stationary cycling before heavy weight lifting. Strengthen all muscles gradually – don’t overdo it after being inactive. Stretch regularly to increase the range of motion and prevent overly tight muscles. Consider working with a physical therapist to develop a custom, safe strengthening progression. The appropriate supplemental training helps the musculoskeletal system adapt to hiking’s demands after recuperation.
Fuel and Hydrate Appropriately
Staying hydrated and eating the proper hiking snacks keeps your body energized to power activity and healing. Drink electrolyte beverages before, during, and after hiking to maintain fluid levels and minerals needed for muscle function. Refuel with a high-protein snack every 45-60 minutes hiking. Combine carbs, protein, and fat for sustained energy and satiety.
Good trail snacks include trail mix, jerky, nut butter, granola, and fruits like bananas. Avoid highly processed, sugary options. Gauge your personal calorie needs based on hike duration, weather conditions, and pack weight. Having enough water and calories prevents fatigue, cramps, or lightheadedness that could lead to slips or falls while recovering from surgery. Proper hiking nutrition is always important, especially when rebuilding strength.
Protect Incisions
If you’ve undergone invasive abdominal or orthopedic surgery, protecting incision sites is crucial when returning to hiking. Wear sun-protective clothing over scars and use zinc oxide sunscreen for additional UV coverage. Cover wounds with gauze and tape designed for exercise. Prevent backpack straps and clothing from directly rubbing surgical sites. Carefully wash incisions and watch for signs of infection like discharge or increasing pain, redness, and swelling.
Avoid soaking healing wounds in bodies of water that could contain harmful bacteria. Pack wound care and first aid supplies. Change damp, dirty bandages promptly after hiking. Letting incisions get contaminated with germs or excessively irritated from sun, sweat, and chafing can impede proper healing after surgery. Being vigilant about incision care reduces complications when rebuilding activity levels.
Watch for Warning Signs
Reestablishing an active lifestyle after surgery should be done carefully and incrementally. While light activity is likely cleared early on, extreme fatigue, pain, and other warning signs signal when you may be pushing too hard too soon. Dizziness, nausea, and shaking during or after hiking can indicate issues. Difficulty catching your breath or chest pain needs evaluation.
See your doctor if pain levels spike or radiate down limbs since nerve compression risks accompany some procedures. Sharp joint pain, swelling, and tenderness may signify damaging strain. Let your surgical team know if you develop drainage, redness, or warmth at incision sites. Monitoring troublesome symptoms allows problems to be addressed before small concerns become major setbacks.
Choose the Right Gear
Having properly fitting hiking gear that supports your body and protects vulnerable joints can aid the transition back to activity after surgery. Choose a pack with ample cushioning around shoulder straps, chest, and hip belts. Hip belts should carry weight on your pelvis, not your shoulders. Lashing hiking poles to packs keeps hands free on rough terrain. Your gear helps prevent discomfort or strain when rebuilding muscle tone.
See a podiatrist for custom orthotic shoe insoles if you need additional arch support. Lightweight hiking boots with stiff midsoles prevent ankle twisting while shock-absorbing shoes reduce repetitive stress injuries. Moisture-wicking socks keep feet blister-free. Layer clothing to shed or add warmth as your activity level changes. The right gear bolsters weakened areas as you regain vigorous hiking fitness after surgery.
Develop Precautions Against Falls
Since recovering from surgery can affect coordination, strength, and balance, planning for potential falls becomes essential to avoid painful mishaps. Use trekking poles or a hiking staff for added stability on uneven terrain. Wear sturdy hiking boots with treaded soles to prevent slipping. Step carefully over obstacles like rocks or roots instead of jumping across them. Maintain focus on foot placement, scanning paths constantly. Practice controlled breathing which aids equilibrium.
Ask companions to hike ahead or behind you for assistance on narrow, technical sections. Descend cautiously if vertigo or lightheadedness occurs. Build skills gradually before tackling high-exposure trails. While falls happen on occasion to all hikers, consciously minimizing risks through precision and prudence makes reverting back to hiking after surgery much safer as you rebuild agility and control. Recovery time is prolonged if injuries from falls occur before you’ve fully healed.
Regain Confidence Over Time
After an injury or surgery, some anxiety inevitably arises heading back into an activity that caused issues in the first place. If hiking contributed to your need for a procedure, extra unease is understandable. Move slowly, focusing on each step without letting your mind race ahead on the trail. Celebrate small achievements like finishing a short hike that recently seemed daunting. Gradually work up to more challenging terrain as comfort levels allow.
Start with clear trails without steep drop-offs or loose rocks that could rekindle fear. Hike with supportive companions and consider using poles or hiking staff for additional stability that reduces anxiety until skills are rebuilt. Look back on past successful hikes to cultivate confidence again. Your mindset will evolve from “I can’t do this anymore” to “I can do this safely again soon.” Patience, self-compassion, and exposure therapy help reestablish assurance in your hiking abilities over time.
Communicate with Hiking Partners
Before attempting longer or more difficult hikes with others, clearly communicate your post-surgery limitations, needs, and hike expectations. Express any concerns you have or desire to start very conservatively until you know how your body responds. Make sure to tell them your target distance, elevation gain, and speed so they are aware you’ll be hiking slower with more breaks than they may expect. Designate someone to bring up the rear to keep an eye on you.
Agree before the hike on how to handle any issues if they arise far from the trailhead. Make sure at least one person in your party has strong navigation skills, first aid knowledge, and the ability to assist an injured person back to the trailhead if needed. While you likely don’t anticipate problems, being prepared with hiking partners facilitates a successful return to group hiking after surgery.
Consider Physical Therapy
Some surgical procedures necessitate a round of post-operative physical therapy to ensure you regain optimal function and strength during recovery. Even if not required, seeing a physical therapist can be extremely helpful either before or after you return to hiking. They can assess your baseline fitness, identify any muscular weaknesses or imbalances, and correct these with targeted exercises. A customized therapy plan improves hiking readiness and prevents re-injury.
A physical therapist may use massage, stretching, foam rolling, therapeutic ultrasound, or other modalities to get your body primed to handle hiking stresses again. They can design a pretreatment conditioning program focused on your core, glutes, hips, knees, and ankles to train hiking musculature. Guidance on building mileage or ascending elevation post-surgery may also be provided. Physical therapists give you professional insight into how to progress activity appropriately after an operation.
Consider Backpacking Again Gradually
If you enjoy multi-day backpacking trips but need surgery, be especially careful when considering lugging a fully loaded pack any distance. Probably best to wait at least 6-9 months post-surgery, if not longer. When working up to an overnight trip again, first get comfortable with day hiking longer distances wearing just a hydration pack without much weight.
Slowly add light gear to your day pack on hikes, 5 pounds at a time, to get used to bearing weight again without heavy loading vulnerable joints. Only attempt lighter 1-2 night backpacking trips at first when finally ready for an overnight excursion. Listen closely to your body and don’t exceed reasonable weight limits too soon. Rushing this conditioning process risks strained muscles, tendons, and joints adapting after surgery. Patience is prudent to prevent re-injury.
Consider Alternative Fitness Routine Initially
If your surgeon recommends waiting longer to resume strenuous activities like hiking, consider switching to lower-impact exercises at first. Walking, swimming, water aerobics, elliptical training, and stationary cycling are all easier on joints and healing tissues while still improving your cardiovascular health. However, you may need to receive clearance before doing certain activities in water like swimming if you have incisions.
Once your doctor gives the go-ahead for hiking again, you can transition back from these substitute activities, which maintain baseline conditioning that aids the return to more intense trail pursuits. Alternative workouts strengthen your whole body, especially your core and legs, important for hiking recovery. Prioritizing safety early on facilitates getting back on trails later. Discuss options with your medical team based on the specifics of your surgical case.
Join a Hiking Group
Finding a local hiking or outdoor recreation meetup group can provide wonderful camaraderie and support when navigating the return to activity after surgery. Outdoor clubs typically offer emails detailing upcoming hikes with mileage, elevation, and difficulty noted so you can select appropriate adventures as your abilities progress. Group treks also split mileage into sections, allowing you to hike shorter portions if desired before working up to full distances.
Group members provide inherent safety being with others if issues occur in the backcountry. Frequent hikers mentor newer participants. More experienced companions model prudent training progression and safe practices. Sharing the journey back to the trails with others who’ve also faced setbacks provides motivation, advice, and encouragement. The right hiking group gives you a built-in support network when reestablishing your hiking legs after surgery.
Appreciate the Journey Back
While following doctors’ orders and taking a gradual, progressive approach to full hiking return is crucial after surgery, remember to celebrate small milestones along the way. Focus on the joy of moving through nature again, even if at a slower pace than your past self. Don’t let overcaution strip the restorative benefits that draw you to trails in the first place. Savor the birdsongs, refreshing scents, and serene beauty while steadily putting one foot in front of the other.
Trust that with patience and persistence, your strength, endurance, and abilities will be renewed in time. But for now, appreciate each step as part of the journey back. Every hike completed marks meaningful progress forward. Before long, bigger adventures will unfold under your feet and you’ll be back to peak condition. Having gratitude for gradual gains helps make hiking’s return after surgery uplifting rather than frustrating. The path to your former vitality lies right in front of you.
Related Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiking
