I got cleared on my 8 week from surgery checkup to start walking without the boot. I am using an aircast ankle brace to prevent an ankle sprain since the ankle is so weak. The surgeons assistant was really happy with my progress and strength. I didn't mention that I had been walking around indoors for the week prior to her visit. When I mentioned that I had been biking for more than 2 weeks, she was surprised. I tried to clarify that I had been commuting not mountain biking, but got the feeling that this was not recommended. I re-read my original protocol and noticed that this is something for weeks 10-12 and I started in week 7 - oops. But I would have gone crazy without getting out on my bike when I did.
Despite not being able to play much with them this summer, I felt a strong bond with my summer league team. Maybe it was more imagined than real but I will not forget this summer. They were gracious in having me around the couple of times I made it out, especially given that many of the players were older than me and seeing me reminded them of the risks of playing at their ages. And most have young kids, so being incapacitated would be even more challenging for them than for me. Buster (our dog) wonders why I haven't gone out with him for a walk all summer, but Teresa has had great fun with him this summer so he has barely noticed my absence.
I am loving this new phase of PT. I am getting to stretch my calf (oh how I missed my morning calf stretches) and do standing calf raises while standing on a step.This is the first time I am moving from being uncomfortable to real muscle soreness. Getting to push my muscles again is great. Biking without the boot has been great fun even though I can feel my weakness on every push with my left leg. My gait is still uneven but is improving daily
It is interesting how the body compensates for injuries. When I first was doing standing calf raises my therapist told me that I should keep my knee straight. I thought I was until I looked down and saw my knee at an angle. That cheating was allowing me to use the range of motion where I had strength and avoid the range where I was weak. And it all happened without my conscious knowledge.
I have managed to keep my weight in check during this period of reduced activity, only putting on a couple of pounds, coming close to 160 when I was closer to 150 before the injury. Even though my weight didn't change much, its locations have changed a little and I get to start working on that as the fall moves along. I had made some progress in this direction in the spring and feel like I am starting over at my winter weight just as winter is approaching. I guess I need a couple more pairs of "fat pants" for the fall if I don't start seeing some changes.
I did do something this week I am not proud of. I missed an acupuncture appointment. I forgot to put it on my google calendar the day I scheduled it, then left for a conference, and never remembered it. I pride myself on being organized and early for all my meetings (and especially showing up at them). I should have been more attentive to this as I moved from co-scheduling everything with Teresa to managing my own appointments.
No comments:
Post a Comment