Baby Steps, kinda sorta
According to “The Protocol” I was allowed to toss my brace a few days ago. I did and it turns out all of this physical therapy is doing the trick. As was predicted I can bend past 90 degrees now without any pain. In fact, that ability has proven quite useful in getting on with my life; you wouldn’t believe the doors that are shut via that 90 degree threshold. This morning was the first morning in two weeks that I was able to get my underwear on by myself. Imagine that. Oh, the simple things in life…
Today was also crutch weening day. I rolled into PT, Karen* and I progressed through the normal stack of exercises: leg jiggling, cat and camel, quadruped, etc. I asked about the crutch weening (obviously what anyone would be most excited about). She gave me some pretty simple instructions. I am to keep using both crutches all weekend long. Now instead of the standard 20lbs of pressure i’m putting on my right leg, i’m allowed to pile on the pressure so long as it doesn’t cause me pain. If I feel pain, I better back the heck off. Karen busted out the scale so I even knew what 20lbs found like. Then she pushed me to put 80lbs of pressure on. That felt good. I put more, more, then 120lbs. No pain. I looked up and smiled, “No pain”. “You’ll get pain, when you do - back off”. Got it. I walked out of there with about 80 lbs of pressure on my right leg. Didn’t hurt at all. Then I sped on home and iced for two hours.
I just popped out of bed to use the bathroom. On the way back a classic “What the hell” floated through my head. Without much thinking I decided to do a little experimentation. I lifted those crutches off the ground and took three wobbly steps. No pain. I laughed out loud and smiled to no one in particular. I’ve missed those kinds of moments over the past year. There have been a few, but I can’t remember the last time I felt like I just did. The kind of feeling where you finish a race or beat your PR on some trail known only to you. Like the feeling you get when you totally surprise yourself with capabilities you didn’t know you had. I have a feeling that I might see a few more of those moments in the coming months, I hope.
And of course I’ll keep weening. Three steps certainly doesn’t mean i’m all better, but an accomplishment nonetheless. Who knew I’d ever think a few steps was a good time. Radness.
* Karen Vonderharr is my new rockin physical therapist. She used to work at Howard Head up in Vail and now is proud Boulder resident. She knows “The Protocol” like the back of her hand. Seriously though, who knows the back of their hand?
Filed by ryanroth at April 12th, 2007 under Life, Young & Hip