Question: I had a serious knee injury, had surgery, went through rehabilitation and have been cleared to do about any activity. But I have done very little out of fear of reinjuring myself. How should I get back to exercising?

        Answer: It is normal to be a little apprehensive about resuming normal activities, but you must remain active in order to keep the muscles of your body, especially those surrounding your knee, strong so as to prevent any more damage.

        As your muscles get stronger, you increase the strength and workload capacity of the connective tissue around your knee (i.e., tendons, ligaments and cartilage). Doing nothing will cause your muscles to weaken, thus weakening the connective tissues. Then, reinjury is likely to follow.

        To avoid this, work on slowly but surely building on what you gained during rehabilitation. Start off slowly by riding a stationary bike (three to five days a week for 15-60 minutes) along with moderate strength training (two-three days with at least one day's rest in between) to keep your body strong and resistant to injury.

        Add healthy eating to keep vitamin and minerals and other nutrients in your system to support the healing process.

        There are many people — weekend warriors to professional athletes — who have had serious knee injuries and with hard work have come back stronger than ever. Take it slowly and work your way up to normal activities, but don't be afraid to “push it” once in a while or you will never progress.

        Periodically check with your doctor to make sure you are doing the right things.

        Contact certified personal trainer Dave Patania at davpatania@aol.com.

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