7 weeks post op

I had two instances of my knee buckling/jamming during my trip to Seattle, but was reassured that it was likely just due to some muscle fatigue from all the extra walking I was doing. I did definitely give my knee a workout with all the walking. Seattle is a beautiful city.

Things are going well in PT. I am starting to feel some more strength in my planks, though they are still hard as heck. Today's new exercise was hamstring curls with the exercise ball. I remember watching a patient do those during my second PT session and saying that I was so impressed because I couldn't really do them before my surgery. I was told to do 20 today. I broke them down into 4 sets of 5 reps, but I did them. woohoo! I also added hand weights to my step ups/step downs. I asked again when I would be able to go on the elliptical machine. Neal told me it was likely I'd be on it when I get back from DC (two weeks from today). I can't wait for that. Once I know I can do the elliptical machine, I'll be much more inclined to head back to the gym.

Ahead of Schedule

I haven't posted in a while but wanted to update my loyal readers (and myself) on my progress with my knee. Of course I'm not running or anything (remember I was told no running for SIX MONTHS - UGH!!!) I am now 6 weeks post op and starting to see some noticeable improvements. I was in PT last Tuesday and asked when I should expect to stop limping... when I was told that technically I shouldn't really be limping anymore I started working through my discomfort and trying really hard to correct my gait. I'm not perfect, and still have the most trouble after either a lot of walking... or when just getting up after sitting for a while... but my gait is getting much much better. I continue to be challenged with new tasks during therapy. Today I graduated from wall squats to ski squats and from calf raises on both legs to just on my surgical leg. I have also upped my leg press weight to about 135 lbs for both legs and I can't remember the weight I did for just one (but it was level 4 on the machine - probably around 60 lbs, since 135 was level 7).

I went from no resistance on the bicycle to level 5 today and get 2.5 miles cycled in 10 minutes. Instead of doing single leg balancing, I am now doing single left leg balance while raising my right leg up straight behind me and reaching forward to touch the floor with my right arm. Good thing I have a martial arts background that really helps my balance. I also walked backwards on the treadmill today to work on my leg extension.

The 'torture stretching' as I like to call it has gotten easier to handle, and today I came VERY VERY close to kicking myself in the butt with my foot. My therapist said I was two finger widths away (that's about 1 inch). We didn't measure the degrees of extension, but surely at least 145 (which was my goal).

We also added some step down drills to my step up exercises. This was exciting since I am getting very frustrated about not being able to go down a set of stairs normally yet. Hopefully that will start coming.

My scars are healing nicely for the most part... I'll have to post some newer pics soon. I notice that my knee is still quite swollen, but according to the PT it looks pretty par for the course for where I am at post ACL surgery. In terms of my actual progress he told me that I am "ahead of schedule" - that's exciting to hear. A new sheet with my new home exercises based on some of the updates we did in today's therapy session (like ski squats, step downs, and balancing floor touches) was given to me today - and it says "Advanced L/E exercises" at the top left corner. Ahhhhh.... ADVANCED! I *must* be making progress! woohoo!