Post op week 7
I had physio yesterday and apparently I need to strengthen my hamstrings and improve my balance. Psh. I'm getting tired of going to physio. Can I stop now?
I didn't have a chance to go to the gym yesterday or today, though. :( Did I go Monday? Hmm. I can't recall.
Today I met with my surgeon and all was great. I thanked him for his good work, and he thanked me for being a great patient. He said everything is going according to plan. Apparently I'll be feeling perfect by three months but still can't do real sports for six months. Six months! That means I can play ultimate again in the Spring season. Yay Yay!!! :) I'm excited to play play play.
And I'm thinking of takng up running. What do you think about that?
Anything else new with the knee? Well, no, not really. I can dance a jig, more or less. Probably just as well as I ever could before, in fact. I feel almost normal! I still can only kneel on a thick mat or a pillow and even that feels weird. And my leg feels sore if I have to stand for an hour, say, at the Of Montreal concert. Otherwise I'm very happy!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Updates!
Six weeks and six days post op
Yesterday I hurried up the subway stairs in a jog-like manner! It wasn't quite as fast as a normal jog up the stairs, but it was a jog up the stairs nevertheless.
Three days ago I began working out once more on the elliptical trainer, in addition to the stationary bike.
Tomorrow I've got physio and Wednesday is my first follow up appointment with the surgeon. Alright!
Yesterday I hurried up the subway stairs in a jog-like manner! It wasn't quite as fast as a normal jog up the stairs, but it was a jog up the stairs nevertheless.
Three days ago I began working out once more on the elliptical trainer, in addition to the stationary bike.
Tomorrow I've got physio and Wednesday is my first follow up appointment with the surgeon. Alright!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Range of Motion continues
Six weeks and two days post op
And now we're onto week six of this ever-exciting adventure in knee surgery land! Welcome, boys and girls!
Let me think, what happened in the last week. Well, for one, I went hiking in the Canadian Shield. Yes, that's right. I traipsed up and down through the rocks on a two hour hike. I can't say it was easy - I had to go very slowly, particularly when descending, and my left leg felt it the next day because I depended quite a lot on it to climb up things, but hey, I did it! I twisted my right knee oddly once and feared for my graft but all seems fine.
Yesterday at physiotherapy I had good news and bad news. I'll start with the good. I have 135 degrees of bend!!! That's a mere five off from normal! Wow! And we weren't even really pushingit to its max when it was measured. How sweet it is to be almost normal. The other good news is that my physio had me walk across the room for him. I did that no problem. Then he had me JOG across the room for him. And I did it too! It was the first time I'd tried jogging and it was no big deal. I've since jogged a couple of times here or there, like through the halls of my condo on my way to the garbage shute, for example. It feels good.
My bad news is that my extension, which is supposed to be zero degrees and which was zero the first time I went to physio so I figured it must still be, is off by two degrees. I now feel like I must straighten that bad boy out. Extension is very important, so they say. My physiotherapist was less concerned about it that I was.
The other day I decided enough is enough. I'm sick of limping down the stairs. So I've been taking the stairs down whenever possible and working hard on using the muscles required to do so normally. I believe it's the quads that really deal with descending. I think in the two days that I've been making this conscious effort I've started to feel an improvement, though it's still quite slow going.
I went to body pump today and actually put a bit of weight on for the squatting section. I forget now how much weight it was. I think 5 pounds in total. I also went swimming this week as well as biking at the gym. On the bike I've been doing 3o minutes of actual cardio biking and then five or ten minutes with the seat as low as possible, working on my bend. It seems to loosen things up.
That's all the week six knee news for you. Oh, except I've now spent about $500 on knee-surgery related expenses (most physio). I very much look forward to NOT having a $55 a week physio expense. Though happily I've been managing to pay for it out of my normal monthly budget instead of going into savings like I feared I'd have to.
Next week I have my first follow-up appointment with my surgeon!
And now we're onto week six of this ever-exciting adventure in knee surgery land! Welcome, boys and girls!
Let me think, what happened in the last week. Well, for one, I went hiking in the Canadian Shield. Yes, that's right. I traipsed up and down through the rocks on a two hour hike. I can't say it was easy - I had to go very slowly, particularly when descending, and my left leg felt it the next day because I depended quite a lot on it to climb up things, but hey, I did it! I twisted my right knee oddly once and feared for my graft but all seems fine.
Yesterday at physiotherapy I had good news and bad news. I'll start with the good. I have 135 degrees of bend!!! That's a mere five off from normal! Wow! And we weren't even really pushingit to its max when it was measured. How sweet it is to be almost normal. The other good news is that my physio had me walk across the room for him. I did that no problem. Then he had me JOG across the room for him. And I did it too! It was the first time I'd tried jogging and it was no big deal. I've since jogged a couple of times here or there, like through the halls of my condo on my way to the garbage shute, for example. It feels good.
My bad news is that my extension, which is supposed to be zero degrees and which was zero the first time I went to physio so I figured it must still be, is off by two degrees. I now feel like I must straighten that bad boy out. Extension is very important, so they say. My physiotherapist was less concerned about it that I was.
The other day I decided enough is enough. I'm sick of limping down the stairs. So I've been taking the stairs down whenever possible and working hard on using the muscles required to do so normally. I believe it's the quads that really deal with descending. I think in the two days that I've been making this conscious effort I've started to feel an improvement, though it's still quite slow going.
I went to body pump today and actually put a bit of weight on for the squatting section. I forget now how much weight it was. I think 5 pounds in total. I also went swimming this week as well as biking at the gym. On the bike I've been doing 3o minutes of actual cardio biking and then five or ten minutes with the seat as low as possible, working on my bend. It seems to loosen things up.
That's all the week six knee news for you. Oh, except I've now spent about $500 on knee-surgery related expenses (most physio). I very much look forward to NOT having a $55 a week physio expense. Though happily I've been managing to pay for it out of my normal monthly budget instead of going into savings like I feared I'd have to.
Next week I have my first follow-up appointment with my surgeon!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
I got new shoes!
5 weeks
It's been five weeks since surgery and here's where I'm at.
I think about my leg 65% of the time.
I've done two bodypumps and two bodyflow classes with no trouble. Except I can't kneel so that can get ackward.
When I walked around a lot on Queen street my leg got heavy and tired and uncomfortable.
Going up stairs is painless though I can feel my muscle is not strong, meaning it takes a bit more effort to do.
Going down stairs is still difficult for me. There's a strange interior pain that's almost like a block somewhere deep inside that kicks in sometimes when I go downstairs. My muscle is not strong enough to lower my bodyweight smoothly from one step to another. I can do it very slowly, quicker with a handrail or two, and even quicker if the handrails are close together and I can "crutch" down. But that doesn't count.
I haven't been elevating or icing, except the other day when I walked too much.
I started up with a new physio today. My old physio recommended that I alternate between the two for a variety of physio styles. This one had me do a much more physical session as opposed to the relaxed massage-esque sessions of the last five weeks.
I did:
- about ten minutes of the muscle stimulation machine(is this a crock or what?)
- 3 sets of ten leg lifts lying on each side (so adductor and abductor muscles, I think.)
- 4 sets of seven hamstring curls, which had me standing with the front of my thighs against the edge of the bench and a five pound weight on my calf, lifting the weight up behind me by pulling my heel up.
- 3 sets of ten things where a strap attached to a weight machine went around my knee, and I had to bend and straighten as if I had a ball between my knees, sort of. I felt the same "going down the stairs" pain during this one.
- some supported squats
- a few step ups onto that squishy half ball thing
- a bit of balancing on a balance board.
Everything was easy.
This physiotherapist had a helper girl who kind of did all the work. The guy himself wasn't particularly friendly and I didn't feel motivated or cared for or encouraged like I do usually when I see my other guy. :( They haven't measured my flexion in two weeks!!! Booo. Next week I will insist.
I'm thinking about biking to my friend's house this evening without any approval to do so. Hope that's okay...
It's been five weeks since surgery and here's where I'm at.
I think about my leg 65% of the time.
I've done two bodypumps and two bodyflow classes with no trouble. Except I can't kneel so that can get ackward.
When I walked around a lot on Queen street my leg got heavy and tired and uncomfortable.
Going up stairs is painless though I can feel my muscle is not strong, meaning it takes a bit more effort to do.
Going down stairs is still difficult for me. There's a strange interior pain that's almost like a block somewhere deep inside that kicks in sometimes when I go downstairs. My muscle is not strong enough to lower my bodyweight smoothly from one step to another. I can do it very slowly, quicker with a handrail or two, and even quicker if the handrails are close together and I can "crutch" down. But that doesn't count.
I haven't been elevating or icing, except the other day when I walked too much.
I started up with a new physio today. My old physio recommended that I alternate between the two for a variety of physio styles. This one had me do a much more physical session as opposed to the relaxed massage-esque sessions of the last five weeks.
I did:
- about ten minutes of the muscle stimulation machine(is this a crock or what?)
- 3 sets of ten leg lifts lying on each side (so adductor and abductor muscles, I think.)
- 4 sets of seven hamstring curls, which had me standing with the front of my thighs against the edge of the bench and a five pound weight on my calf, lifting the weight up behind me by pulling my heel up.
- 3 sets of ten things where a strap attached to a weight machine went around my knee, and I had to bend and straighten as if I had a ball between my knees, sort of. I felt the same "going down the stairs" pain during this one.
- some supported squats
- a few step ups onto that squishy half ball thing
- a bit of balancing on a balance board.
Everything was easy.
This physiotherapist had a helper girl who kind of did all the work. The guy himself wasn't particularly friendly and I didn't feel motivated or cared for or encouraged like I do usually when I see my other guy. :( They haven't measured my flexion in two weeks!!! Booo. Next week I will insist.
I'm thinking about biking to my friend's house this evening without any approval to do so. Hope that's okay...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Back in the pool! Back in group exercise classes! Back in the game!
Post Op Week 4
Don't even ask me how it's possible that four weeks are behind me. Please. Don't ask.
Things with the leg are really great.
Yesterday I went to the pool which I've only just recently discovered. It's two short blocks away from me and it's free! What the?!?!
I went to a lane swim and I started off doing arms only. I did 20 lengths to just get some cardio action on the go. That felt fine and the leg didn't complain at all. Next I took a flutterboard and did some light kicking for ten lengths, picking up the pace as I went on and realized there was no pain or discomfort really. Finally I realized that I was good to go, and I did 20 more lengths of full crawl. It was great! It's so nice to be able to feel like I'm really burning calories while stengthening.
Today was yet another milestone. I went back for the first time to the group exercise classes that I really love at the gym. In fact, I did them both, back to back, after doing a quick ten minutes on the bike. Maybe it sounds like I'm overdoing it. I hope I'm not overdoing it but I don't feel pain or any reason to stop. So I did a Bodypump class, modifying the heavy weighted squats and lunges sections so that I was just lightly squatting with no added weight. The rest of my major muscle groups were happy for the attention. We'll see how they feel tomorrow. Following that, I did a nice, relaxing Bodyflow class, a class that combines yoga, tai chi, and pilates. There were a few kneeling things that I couldn't do (I can't bend fully yet and I can't put full weight on my knee) but other than that I did some great stretches, strethening exercises, and balance work. My balance on the operative knee is pretty much as good as it was before.
So that's where I'm at four weeks post. I am extremely pleased by this speedier than anticipated recovery.
Overall, I should add, my knee is feeling funny most of the time, but not painful. It feels heavier and kind of achy when I keep it in one position, so I end up moving it around quite a bit, from straight to bent and back again. My walk is almost perfect. The stairs are still tricky on the way down.
Here are some week four photos for ya! Look at that bend!
Don't even ask me how it's possible that four weeks are behind me. Please. Don't ask.
Things with the leg are really great.
Yesterday I went to the pool which I've only just recently discovered. It's two short blocks away from me and it's free! What the?!?!
I went to a lane swim and I started off doing arms only. I did 20 lengths to just get some cardio action on the go. That felt fine and the leg didn't complain at all. Next I took a flutterboard and did some light kicking for ten lengths, picking up the pace as I went on and realized there was no pain or discomfort really. Finally I realized that I was good to go, and I did 20 more lengths of full crawl. It was great! It's so nice to be able to feel like I'm really burning calories while stengthening.
Today was yet another milestone. I went back for the first time to the group exercise classes that I really love at the gym. In fact, I did them both, back to back, after doing a quick ten minutes on the bike. Maybe it sounds like I'm overdoing it. I hope I'm not overdoing it but I don't feel pain or any reason to stop. So I did a Bodypump class, modifying the heavy weighted squats and lunges sections so that I was just lightly squatting with no added weight. The rest of my major muscle groups were happy for the attention. We'll see how they feel tomorrow. Following that, I did a nice, relaxing Bodyflow class, a class that combines yoga, tai chi, and pilates. There were a few kneeling things that I couldn't do (I can't bend fully yet and I can't put full weight on my knee) but other than that I did some great stretches, strethening exercises, and balance work. My balance on the operative knee is pretty much as good as it was before.
So that's where I'm at four weeks post. I am extremely pleased by this speedier than anticipated recovery.
Overall, I should add, my knee is feeling funny most of the time, but not painful. It feels heavier and kind of achy when I keep it in one position, so I end up moving it around quite a bit, from straight to bent and back again. My walk is almost perfect. The stairs are still tricky on the way down.
Here are some week four photos for ya! Look at that bend!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Physio session #4
post op: 3 weeks and 3 days
I had another successful physio visit today. He says I should be used in his advertising, but he says it in the same tone of voice that he says his encouraging, "hold just here" that makes me think he tells that to all this patients. Whatever works, right?
Today it was another relaxing session with him doing some soft and relaxing leg massaging and a few of the same old exercises that are all basically just very light muscle work for each of the muscles in my leg. The hardest thing for me that he asks me to do is he puts a rolled up weight under my knee and then has me tighten my quad and lift my foot up off the table, holding it slightly elevated for a few seconds. The rest of the exercises are easy as pie and not at all painful or anything as I've heard many people describe their physio sessions.
So either I'm a superstar or my physiotherapist is doing it wrong.
In any case, I've officially graduated from his little shoe-box office at this clinic and I now have to see him at his other office at the Atrium on Bay (a further walk from my house, but still walkable). I think he has more real equipment there. He wants me to alternate between seeing him one week and seeing his colleague another as they apparently have differing techniques that will compliment each other well.
In other news, I reached and just surpassed this week's goal for flexion with a whopping 122 degree bend. Yahoo! I'm only 18 degrees away from normal! The physio said that the biggest hurdle is getting to 90 degrees and after that it's just a matter of time and not so much working at it before it gets back to normal. I'm not sure if I agree.
I asked him why he thinks one person might heal faster than another, besides age as a factor. He said that I have very supple joints, or lots of flexibility, which helps a lot. Other people get very stiff and have a more difficult time healing.
After physio I used my motivation to go to the gym where I biked for 20 solid minutes on the "cardio" setting and actually worked up a sweat. It no longer feels like a stretch when I pedal around the bendiest part of the rotation so I'm good to go on that. I can finally get some cardio in. I also did a bunch of ab work and some calf raises, leg lifts, and ham work with the ball. I didn't bother with any upper body stuff... because I'm lazy.
Didn't make it to the pool after all but I did get the seal of approval from my PT to sit in a hot tub which I plan to do all weekend while surrounded by the beauty that is autumn. Yay!
I had another successful physio visit today. He says I should be used in his advertising, but he says it in the same tone of voice that he says his encouraging, "hold just here" that makes me think he tells that to all this patients. Whatever works, right?
Today it was another relaxing session with him doing some soft and relaxing leg massaging and a few of the same old exercises that are all basically just very light muscle work for each of the muscles in my leg. The hardest thing for me that he asks me to do is he puts a rolled up weight under my knee and then has me tighten my quad and lift my foot up off the table, holding it slightly elevated for a few seconds. The rest of the exercises are easy as pie and not at all painful or anything as I've heard many people describe their physio sessions.
So either I'm a superstar or my physiotherapist is doing it wrong.
In any case, I've officially graduated from his little shoe-box office at this clinic and I now have to see him at his other office at the Atrium on Bay (a further walk from my house, but still walkable). I think he has more real equipment there. He wants me to alternate between seeing him one week and seeing his colleague another as they apparently have differing techniques that will compliment each other well.
In other news, I reached and just surpassed this week's goal for flexion with a whopping 122 degree bend. Yahoo! I'm only 18 degrees away from normal! The physio said that the biggest hurdle is getting to 90 degrees and after that it's just a matter of time and not so much working at it before it gets back to normal. I'm not sure if I agree.
I asked him why he thinks one person might heal faster than another, besides age as a factor. He said that I have very supple joints, or lots of flexibility, which helps a lot. Other people get very stiff and have a more difficult time healing.
After physio I used my motivation to go to the gym where I biked for 20 solid minutes on the "cardio" setting and actually worked up a sweat. It no longer feels like a stretch when I pedal around the bendiest part of the rotation so I'm good to go on that. I can finally get some cardio in. I also did a bunch of ab work and some calf raises, leg lifts, and ham work with the ball. I didn't bother with any upper body stuff... because I'm lazy.
Didn't make it to the pool after all but I did get the seal of approval from my PT to sit in a hot tub which I plan to do all weekend while surrounded by the beauty that is autumn. Yay!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
must. keep. blogging.
Post op: three weeks and one day
It's been three weeks! And here I am, still alive.
I haven't been diligently blogging, but here's what's up on the knee scene.
For one, I've totally ditched the crutches. I am now crutch free and loving it! I've seen THREE different people using crutches since Monday, if you can believe it, and felt a marked affinity towards them, though they couldn't tell that I too am one of them.
My current focus has been trying to walk without a limp, and it's more or less working I think. The effort is kind of funny. I have to be conscious of swinging my arms because in my attempt to walk without a limp I end up holding my arms very still. This looks bizarre, in case you've never noticed it.
I have two newish difficulties now, too. The first is stairs. Going up I'm not too bad. I can use both feet and walk slowly but normally, though when my operative leg is the one stepping up, my muscle has to really work hard to lift the weight of my body. I guess that must be due to the weakness of my quads and hamstrings. Going down the stairs is much worse than that because my operative knee simply hurts when I do it. Sometimes I do it anyway, sometimes I step down with only my left and look like a bit of a weirdo, and sometimes I use railings to lower myself down. It depends on my mood.
The other difficulty is that after any prolonged walking my whole leg hurts. Actually I'm kind of in a state of constant "uncomfortable-leg". My calf muscle and the muscles in my thigh are all tense and angry, maybe because they're getting used to being used again, but it hurts in a nagging kind of a way and I don't enjoy it.
Despite this I've returned to my normal work and play schedule, ish. I think about my knee probably 90% of my waking hours. This week I have been biking at the gym twice as well as doing a few other things (leg press, ab work, leg lifts, whatever I can think of, stretching, sometimes arms) and I've managed to activate the audio on the televisions! I noticed a big improvement on my range of motion while biking on Monday, after a few days off over the weekend.
The incision is so close to being completely closed and scab-free. I hope to go swimming this week still. Maybe Friday after physio. I stopped by the pool on my way to the gym today (it's really so close!) and found out the lane swimming hours. It appears that swimming there is free. Is that even possible?
Oh, and before I go, I promised to talk about weight gain and knee surgery. Well. I was sure that I'd been packing on the pounds as I lazed around the house eating too much of very unhealthy things. But when I stepped on the scale the other day I was three pounds lighter than I think I was before surgery. I think the explanation is that I've lost some amount of muscle mass and along with that I've lost tone. I'm basically becoming one flabby girl.. but I don't care because it's just the numbers on the scale that count!!!! wink. wink.
Sleeping time.
It's been three weeks! And here I am, still alive.
I haven't been diligently blogging, but here's what's up on the knee scene.
For one, I've totally ditched the crutches. I am now crutch free and loving it! I've seen THREE different people using crutches since Monday, if you can believe it, and felt a marked affinity towards them, though they couldn't tell that I too am one of them.
My current focus has been trying to walk without a limp, and it's more or less working I think. The effort is kind of funny. I have to be conscious of swinging my arms because in my attempt to walk without a limp I end up holding my arms very still. This looks bizarre, in case you've never noticed it.
I have two newish difficulties now, too. The first is stairs. Going up I'm not too bad. I can use both feet and walk slowly but normally, though when my operative leg is the one stepping up, my muscle has to really work hard to lift the weight of my body. I guess that must be due to the weakness of my quads and hamstrings. Going down the stairs is much worse than that because my operative knee simply hurts when I do it. Sometimes I do it anyway, sometimes I step down with only my left and look like a bit of a weirdo, and sometimes I use railings to lower myself down. It depends on my mood.
The other difficulty is that after any prolonged walking my whole leg hurts. Actually I'm kind of in a state of constant "uncomfortable-leg". My calf muscle and the muscles in my thigh are all tense and angry, maybe because they're getting used to being used again, but it hurts in a nagging kind of a way and I don't enjoy it.
Despite this I've returned to my normal work and play schedule, ish. I think about my knee probably 90% of my waking hours. This week I have been biking at the gym twice as well as doing a few other things (leg press, ab work, leg lifts, whatever I can think of, stretching, sometimes arms) and I've managed to activate the audio on the televisions! I noticed a big improvement on my range of motion while biking on Monday, after a few days off over the weekend.
The incision is so close to being completely closed and scab-free. I hope to go swimming this week still. Maybe Friday after physio. I stopped by the pool on my way to the gym today (it's really so close!) and found out the lane swimming hours. It appears that swimming there is free. Is that even possible?
Oh, and before I go, I promised to talk about weight gain and knee surgery. Well. I was sure that I'd been packing on the pounds as I lazed around the house eating too much of very unhealthy things. But when I stepped on the scale the other day I was three pounds lighter than I think I was before surgery. I think the explanation is that I've lost some amount of muscle mass and along with that I've lost tone. I'm basically becoming one flabby girl.. but I don't care because it's just the numbers on the scale that count!!!! wink. wink.
Sleeping time.
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