I started classes on Saturday for my Master's program, so I had to force myself to walk about 15 minutes in the morning from the bus stop to the SOM campus, and 20 minutes to the bus stop to get home in the afternoon. That's a lot of walking, while carrying a relatively heavy bag. I gave myself a lot of time in case I had to stop and rest for a bit, but I was able to get to and from each location without too much trouble. Monday through Wednesday were easier days to walk, as my leg got used to the extension and touching heel-toe. I'm losing some of the limp, which my physical therapist noticed when I went in for a session today.
I'm finding that my schedule is only allowing me to have one session a week now. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it saves me $15 in copay.
So today's session consisted of the following:
Knee warmup with stim: 15 min
Stationary bike with resistance: 10 min
Leg press: 3 x 10 x 3rd weight setting (I need to find out what that is)
Step-ups: 3 x 20 with 2nd setting
Leg lifts: 3 x 15 x 1 lb
Side lying hip abduction: 3 x 15 x 3lb
Side lying hip adduction: 3 x 15 x 3lb
Passive knee/hip flexion: 3 x 15
Heel raises: 3 x 15
Wall squats with exercise ball: 3 x 15
Stretching
Icing with stim: 15 min with 5 lb weight on knee
I ended up walking 15 minutes to lunch, 20 minutes to the bus stop, and another 20 minutes uphill back to my apartment after physical therapy. All that physical activity exhausted me (despite my high threshold for pushing myself), and I crashed at home for about 5-6 hours. It's a lot to do just a month and a bit after surgery, and while I knew I was pushing my limits, I just wanted to be "normal" again.
It is getting easier day by day to get up and walk - I'm able to go up stairs again (albeit with a bit of difficulty). I still can't go down stairs without throwing out part of my hip, since my knee doesn't like to cooperate. The mornings are hard, too - I wake up really stiff, and I have to take 5-10 minutes to stretch before I can shuffle to the bathroom.
Some days I just want to sit and do nothing, but looking at my knee reminds me that I can't just stop.
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I do not offer medical advice in my blog. My entries are only a recollection of my experience and reflections on my ACL injury, surgery, and recovery.
I tore my ACL on June 4, 2008 and had reconstructive surgery on July 22, 2008. Now, I reflect on how that surgery has affected my life and how I can move forward in Taekwondo and other athletic/well-being activities.
1 comment:
My insurance stopped paying for PT at six weeks. As long as you continue working on ROM and doing your exercises on your own...you should be fine. You do have a lot of walking and I am sure the bag you carry doesn't help. You may want to ice your knee after your walks. Keep up the good work!
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