Started Ice Skating again for Hockey after back surgery and ankle reconstruction....

[Benoitthegr8 0]

I had back surgery in Jan 2015, long rehab and I think I'm finally feeling good enough to start to skate again. Also a few years back I had a fib/tib Pyle fracture on my right ankle/leg, it was a nasty break, they had to do surgery and pin my ankle back together (after years and a long rehab it's still not fully functional). Anyway I used to play hockey, as in growing up doing ice hockey in the winter and street hockey during the warm months. I then had a 10 year hyatus when I first joined the military, but I picked the game back up in 2002/03 timeframe and had played up until 2008, my game and wheels came back and It was great. 

After the ankle break I started skating again in 2012 while I was in Japan, the skating came back easy as in doing open skates but not for hockey... The problem was my right leg/ankle was so weak and my crossovers and stopping on my right side was noticibly weaker than the left. In Japan during open skating the only skate one direction counter clockwise, which didn't allow me to properly work on my weak side.

When I came back to the US in 2014 I started to play hockey again for a few months and just adjusted my game to work around being a weak right sided skater figuring it would just eventually come back. So then I needed to have back surgery, then here I am a year later and I cannot believe how bad my skating is overall, anyone who is a skilled skater knows how perishable the skill is. I'm just doing open skates in full lower and elbow pads, just trying to rehab the back and legs to do what my mind wants them to do, the muscle memory is there just not the reflexes. I've been doing allot of drills, starting stopping, skating circles, one skate pushes, ect, it's been slow going and it's frustrating, has anyone else out there had to rehab through injuries and had to really work at getting the skating legs back?

Add to the problem that I'm 43 years old and the body just doesn't heal as fast as it used too.

 

[zubby 4]

Are you able do any dry land training? I have been doing side lunges and slide board to try and get my leg strength back after hip and leg injury. Started with out weight resistance and have been working my way up gradually. Strengthening the support muscles helps your balance which in turn helps your skating. 

[Vet88 674]

I had to go back to the basics after bilateral hip replacement surgery. Skated everyday for 2 years, working on edge control along with 30 minutes of stretching everyday and dry land workouts. I found it doesn't just come back, you have to relearn how to skate again because things have changed in the way the muscles work and therefore the muscle memory isn't quite there anymore.  And some things may never quite work the same again, not quite as fast, can't turn as quick, can't open the hips the same, don't have the same flexibility through the spine etc etc and these limitations you just have to work around.