New Knee Day 20

Yesterday was the first outpatient PT day I had a nice hour session getting the leg stretched, bent, massaged, ultrasounded and electrostimulated! After the session my knee was loose enough for me to walk normally down the 2 flights of steps out of the PT office! (Of course shortly after that it tightened up again.)

For anyone who has not spent quality time with a physical therapist I'll try to give some details....

Typically your session starts with some procedure designed to break up scar tissue and adhesions like massage as well as something to help blood flow like ultrasound. 

You may spend some time on one of the exercise machines. And at some point you can expect some stretching and bending of the leg. This tends to be the most teeth grinding part of the visit. Your job is to try to get your muscles to release and not work against your PT. You should also give helpful feedback so the PT knows when you are at your current maximum stretch or bend. This is where being a wuss only hurts yourself! Erik will typically gradually bend my leg and ask if that is a stretch. Once I start to feel it I will tell him and he will hold that position for a bit. Generally he will get a bit more stretch in between asking and my response. Erik and I have worked together for a while now and so he is used to my feedback. Be sure that you let whoever you are working with know what you are feeling and where you are feeling it. It helps to understand what they are trying to accomplish also so feel free to ask questions. Asking things like: "Is it supposed to feel like there is a hot poker in the side of my knee?" can often be enlightening.
Again when stretching and bending hurts you need to work within your pain tolerances. If you have a low pain tolerance you will likely want to take some pain meds before physical therapy. Your goal is to work the leg enough to get it moving correctly.

Today is my follow up appointment with my surgeon.