A week goes by
13 days since surgery
As promised, I took it very easy for this first couple of weeks after surgery.
I pushed on with my physio exercises every day and focused on building that habit for consistency going forward.
On Thursday, nine days after surgery, I finally completed an unassisted Straight Leg Raise. It is important to do these properly (i.e. no quad lag) so that no stress is placed on the ACL graft.
I have been building up my cardio on an Assault Bike, using my arms only. I am not getting my heart rate up for a good cardio session yet, as my arms are tiring quickly. They are not used to doing this kind of exercise unassisted.
I have tried lowering my painkillers, with mixed results. It’s still painful and I will try to get off them during this coming week.
Ten days after surgery, I had the wounds checked and bandages removed. Everything looks good and we will leave them uncovered now.
I wasn’t able to shower and was missing getting under that hot running water… so I picked up a LimbO waterproof knee cover.
It works brilliantly and I wish I had got it sooner. It fits perfectly over the bulky knee brace and keeps all water out.
It’s Monday, and this morning I went to my second post-op physio session. I have a session every week at the same time.
It is fairly slow and methodical progress at the moment. Matthew checked the range of my knee, taking notes and asking questions about pain.
This week we introduced some hamstring stretching to keep improving the extension range. I am still at 0 or -1 degrees, and the brace is still locked to a 30-degree bend.
We used the EMS machine during the quad exercises this week. This stimulates the muscles with electricity and encourages them to engage at the right times.
There are no new exercises this week, so I am still following my physio plan from week 1:
https://bit.ly/backtofitness-physio-week-001
My brace will change to 60 degrees tomorrow and, if the range allows, I can use the Assault Bike with legs.
The brace is starting to feel unnecessary and limiting. There are mixed opinions on them, and I do feel ready to do a lot more, but I respect my surgeons’ advice here.
It is another week down, and I am starting to look forward to what is coming next.
Christmas will be here soon. I stopped drinking alcohol shortly after the injury and will enjoy a drink or two with my family on or around the 25th.
After that, I will fly to Spain with Sandra for a couple of months. We are looking to move over there and are spending some time in areas where we might like to live.
One of my tasks this week is to find a good physio in Spain so I can continue the progress while I am away.
I will also be getting back to full work this week and keeping myself busy.
You can’t play Playstation forever.
