Geek Habitat

My 11^th PT session today was a whirlwind of “firsts”: my first time on the elliptical trainer (2 minutes forwards and 2 minutes backwards!); first use of the “slider” board (2 sets of 15 for knee flexion/hamstrings/glutes); first time on incline level 10 on the Total Gym for my 8 minute leg press; and first time on the “black” (highest resistance) Theraband for my hamstring curls. In addition to the new exercises, I did 5 minutes on the stationary bike (at level 2.5 to 2.7, sustained), wall squats, steps (now at the highest level — the height of normal stairs), hip flexion, and the ball toss into the trampoline (4lb. ball, but this week I balance on a foam semi-circle while throwing,) and 2 sets of 20 leg raises/knee bends with my PT (“Gentle Bob”) pulling on a blue Theraband to offer resistance. That last one gets my quads and hips burning about halfway through each set of 20; thankfully, there’s a suggested 1 minute rest period between each set!

Needless to say, I am feeling all my muscles today after this morning’s PT session. I didn’t have it in me to do any walking afterwards!

I left a message with the clinician at my OS office, specifically asking her to clarify what type of graft I received. To protect my therapists from undeserved backlash, I simply explained that due to my progress in PT and my complete lack of pain over my patella, I’ve come to question whether I actually received a patellar tendon graft as my OS had stated prior to surgery. I also asked about the procedure to request copies of one’s medical records, including copies of all x-rays, MRIs, and arthroscopy photos. Since I see my OS on Friday, I indicated I hoped to hear from them prior to Friday so I could be better prepared to talk to my OS. We’ll see where this gets me.

The knee continues to feel stronger, to the point where I’ll soon be ready to inquire as to when it might be safe/advisable for me to exercise walk without wearing the brace. I suspect it’s still too early yet, although I do all of my PT exercises without the brace on. For now, I rather enjoy the additional support the brace provides (peace of mind), but the leg and knee are definitely improving. I did, however, have three brief, stabbing pains today after PT that forced me to lay down and ice the knee for 15 minutes. I think I had my brace on incorrectly and that caused the pains. After icing the knee and putting the brace back on, the pains didn’t return. The fact that I vacuumed the entire downstairs portion of our house might have also had something to do with it, though. See what I said about life returning to normal?