Weeks 10/12 - Rehab Begins.

Now I was back in Manchester I could properly catch up with all my friends here. I went out for a numerous lunches, dinners and coffees, and really appreciated being able to get around and socialise again - everyone who knows me knows I like a good chat!

On the 21st March I got a call from the hospital with lots of good news. As it was 8 weeks since my final back operation I could fully weight bare through my right side again. Mr Sian was also happy for me to remove my collar around the house, and when I was out as long as I was careful. Furthermore, my rehab could now officially begin!!

My hydrotherapy sessions are based at Stepping Hill hospital with Rob, a great Irish guy, who's fantastic at his job and a good laugh too. The first one was just a gentle introduction to check if I had any reactions in the following days. The second session I was able to really get stuck into and push myself - I've definitely missed exercising a lot!

2nd Hydrotherapy Session - pushing myself for the first time in 3 months!

Easter Monday, 28th March, was my first physio appointment with Paul at Bridge Physiotherapy. As expected it was my glutes that needed to be worked on first. This was needed in order to help me walk straight again and re-fire the chain from my back to my legs. The tiniest little exercises which I would normally find very easy, were now incredibly hard.They were painful to begin with but once I got into a daily routine they became a lot easier.

Simple side glute exercises were really hard!

This week I also met with Arabella, the GB Teams Lifestyle Advisor, to begin some studies outside of my recovery. Being injured has given me a lot of free time, so I decided to use it wisely, and start qualifications for personal training with Premier Global Training.

On Sat 2nd April it had been 12 weeks since I crashed. I still can't believe how far I've come in such a short period of time. Thanks to everyone close to me for keeping me so positive! Im really looking forward to cracking on with all the recovery and hopefully I will be back on the saddle very, very soon!

V x