I have several things I would like to talk about, but I'm going to try to make this rant a little more focused. However, just as way of warning, expect a cynical little love rant somewhere around Jon G. Day (Valentine's for you who aren't in on the 7th Floor Lingo).
I decided to focus this specific rant on physical rehabilitation (physical therapy isn't really accurate because I did my first two weeks of rehab with physical therapists, but since then I've been with athletic trainers).
I realized that I knew very little about the process before I became involved. Here are some of the misconceptions that I have been relieved of: 1) Rehabilitation involves elaborate techniques you couldn't think of on your own. 2) Rehabilitation is a process that progresses at an accelerated pace. 3) Rehabilitation's only purpose is to make you well again.
1) Rehab is mostly simple techniques that we've all done before. The fact is that they suddenly become difficult and painful. The first time I rode a stationary bike in rehab I thought my leg was going to simply snap apart at the knee. I now spend time walking backwards on an ordinary treadmill because walking backward makes the knee straighten more than walking forward. Probably the weirdest (but still not elaborate) thing I've done in therapy was pull myself around on a stool. During my first two weeks I was made to sit on a stool with wheels and pull myself with only my right leg. This was by far the most painful thing that I have done in therapy. The fact is that people who do rehab are like specially trained coaches. They are there to have you do relatively normal things, but they choose those things for you and make sure you do them correctly (it's difficult to do things exactly right or to know if turning something a couple of degrees will cause this helpful exercise to reinjure the knee).
2) Rehab can sometimes seem insanely slow. My recovery is going more quickly than expected, but it is still a snail's pace. I'm a martial artist and a former place kicker. My legs have always been fairly strong. Seven weeks after the surgery (yesterday as I'm writing this) I was able to lift a whole 15 pounds while doing hip excercises, and I finally graduated to 10 pounds on the leg curl machine (one leg). I was able to curl 10 pounds 35 times, and then I had to drop down to 5 to finish the last 15 reps. Nine months ago (before the initial injury) I probably could've curled 10 pounds all day long. The process can be very frustrating and humbling.
3) Surprisingly, another purpose of rehab (at least for me) has been to remind me that I am still injured. (The leg curls mentioned above do this well). I have been off of crutches for over a month now. Sometimes it becomes tempting to think that I'm all better. Then, I go into rehab and am reminded that I'm not. This is good, because it keeps me from testing my knee in a less forgiving environment. If it weren't for rehab I might find out my knee was still weak another jumpshot put me back in the hospital (a jumpshot was what started this whole ordeal).
To end on a happy note, I have been slowly returning to active life. A friend and I are sparring once a week. I'm just not allowed to throw kicks with my right leg (once I can do that I'm going to go back to martial arts full force and start advancing again). I went bowling this past Saturday night (my scores were poor to mediocre, but it was fun). This gradual return to active life is helping me to remember that the surgery and everything that has come after it have been worth it.
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