Rehab has gotten so much more fun since my last blog!I thought that walking over hurdles, doing glute bridges, and not being in horrible pain during passive flexion was fun, but I've come so far in three weeks! I got to start swimming at four weeks. I'm not on crutches at all anymore (I need to get that one out of my car so I don't have to see it every day). I get to walk backwards on the treadmill now (try that; it's really weird).
Week six post-op starts on Wednesday, and apparently that means even more new exercises, so I'm really excited. For the first few weeks after surgery, I was thinking I wouldn't lose too much mass from my left leg, but I was wrong. I now have "Little Leg," "Big Leg," "Little Butt," and, "Big Butt." I've never experienced muscle atrophy like this before, as I only had a splint when I broke my arm in 2004, not a cast! It's really, really strange. Maggie and I dubbed my left leg, "Model Leg," because celebrities usually have knobby knees, and only since seeing my quad diminish like crazy have I realized that their knees always look knobby because they have minimal muscle above them. Now, I can relate! (Just ignore the fact that my leg is still 15 pounds heavier than any actual model leg.) I know it could be much, much worse, and I've been told often that I will spring right back once I get to do more resistance stuff. Yay!
My Mom came to visit for a weekend two weeks ago, and Russ just left yesterday after a 10-day stay, so I've had lots of company and lots to do! I wanted to share my typical daily schedule, just so you get an idea of what I'm up to. Between rehab, swimming, seated training, and recovery stuff, the weeks are flying by!
Monday/Wednesday/Friday:-Hand bike for 20 minutes.
-Throw medballs; seated on the ground with my back against a swiss ball.
-Upper body lift (bench press, pullovers, back pulls) with a core circuit.
-Bike for 10 minutes.
-Rehab: soft tissue work and stretching followed by an hour-hour and a half of various strength exercises.
-Recovery: NormaTec, followed by Game Ready/stim.
Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday:-Swim: step-ups, four-way hips, bicycles, walking, deep water jogging, actual swimming (without kicking).
-AlterG for 20-30 minutes at 50% body weight.
-Bike for 10 minutes.
-Rehab: soft tissue and a few exercises (these are my rest days).
-Recover: NormaTec, followed by Game Ready/stim.
Gotta go get on the hand bike! That thing is way more difficult that you would think.
I tore my ACL and lateral meniscus throwing jav this summer too. It was during a crossover. I'm two months post op. Kneehab is going okay, you're keeping me motivated! I'm red shirting this year and am so excited to be getting better! Good Luck with training!
ReplyDeleteTwo months is a tough place to be. You want to just get going already, huh? Be patient; it gets so much better when you get to add new exercises, but paying attention to the early ones is so important, too. I know it can get boring, so hang in there! Make a game out of it! Also, I really enjoy super-setting my rehab. Try that if you're struggling; it'll give both your muscles and your mind more to do.
DeleteI'm glad we can keep each other motivated! Your red shirt year will be an amazing opportunity for you to become a better athlete overall. That's exactly what happened when I red shirted! Thank you for the luck and good luck to you too! Keep me updated. :)