Physical therapy progress

So just a quick update on how PT is going. I had a session yesterday, and when I got there, my knee was all sorts of swollen from the beginning. I think it's because I had 2 interview days in a row and was on my feet all day for those 2 days. Normally, he starts me off with heat just to loosen the muscles, but this time, he did some high frequency stim and ice for about 20 minutes first. After that, I did quad sets with 2 different angles, one set over a folded towel, and one over a ball. I do leg raises with I think a 1 pound weight, and of course, my favorite, the Jane Fonda.

Oh yea, that's the look I go for in PT

After all that table work, I usually get ultrasound to break up some scar tissue. The ultrasound is interesting. I don't doubt that it works, but you don't feel anything, so it's hard to believe that it helps. All the other exercises, they hurt, but it's almost reassuring because it feels like something is going on. With the ultrasound, you don't feel anything. Still, I like it, and since I'm a social person, I use that time to blab with the therapists and try to provide some relief from the rather geriatric population at the center.

And then I get to do my favorite exercise... the bike! He straps me in, and then I first warm up with just going back and first, and then start going all the way around. The therapist waits until I am able to go all the way around before leaving me on my own, making sure I don't fire the hamstrings when trying to make my leg go around. It hurts in the beginning, but once I get over the hump, then it feels much easier. I do that for a short time, he sets the timer for 3 minutes, but I always try to go for longer. After that, it's time for stretching and more knee bends, then more ice and stim and I'm good to go.

I do feel like I'm making progress, I do feel like I'm able to get my knee to bend more and more each time, and the point where it starts hurting gets higher each time. The first session, it would start to hurt at around 60 degrees, and it became unbearable at around 90. Now, it starts getting uncomfortable at around 80 or 90, and unbearable at about 110 or 120. My PT doesn't use the ruler thing each time, only at certain intervals, so I don't have the exact numbers, but I can feel it. The first time I got on the bike, it took me quite a while before I broke through to the point where I could get all the way around. Last time, I only had to pedal back and forth about 3 times before I was able to go all the way around. 

The most frustrating thing is that I'm still not able to walk or drive. I physically feel great. Sure I have quad atrophy, but my knee doesn't hurt too bad, only when I'm pushing the flexion. So I feel really good, but logically, I know the graft still isn't healed. My PT is supposed to call my doctor this week to find out if I can start weaning off the crutches. Hopefully I will have something interesting to post soon.