*Left: 38 week surgery anniversary*
PT Session #27
My therapist is back. We picked up right where we left off.
5 mins elliptical, cone touch, backwards step ups with the bungee cord, baps board (level 3 ball with no weight), leg lifts all four directions with weight strapped to my ankle to focus on hip control, SINGLE LEG SQUATS ON THE BOSU (my therapist has had very few patients that have been able to do this!)
I talked to my therapist about the baps board exercises ruining my gait for days after, so we did it with no weight today.
When I got done with my appointment, I had to schedule more therapy sessions because I was almost out. When I went to do that, the schedulers told me that my therapist was pretty much booked solid for weeks. They had put all of these new patients during my times, without regard that I am returning and staying on my therapist's case load. The way they schedule here is without regard for current patients, it is literally first come first serve for everyone. My previous clinic had a system of reserving ongoing sessions for return patients, and booking the new patients around the return patients' sessions. Needless to say, I am extremely frustrated because my entire schedule is messed up, for weeks!
After work, I went to the gym.
Gym
20 mins running machine (elliptical with a running motion)
2 x 10 step-ups on Rebok stability platform w/foam pad on top
2 x 10 single leg bosu squats
2 x 10: shoulder press, seated rows, lat pulldowns, leg extension, hamstring curl
30 seated calf raises, no weight
Ab/pushup circuit- 4 x 10 pushups/20 abs
Stretch
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Reflection
Still feeling like an athlete! I am so proud of myself for being able to do the single leg bosu squats. By design, those are really difficult. It requires extreme stabilization and coordination of your lower body. All these stability exercises for months and months and months and months of therapy are paying off.
What I am not happy about is the schedule. For therapy to work properly, you have to be consistent. Now that my days are all jumbled and there are some long stretches that I don't have sessions, I am going to have to work even harder to keep my recovery on track.
Your blog is interesting and informative and helped me form my expectations (I'm sorry you had to get the other foot done).
ReplyDeleteI saw you were a bit put of at scheduling of your professional PT a few posts back, so my advice is just do your own PT on your own by yourself as seems like you have the will power and drive to keep the work up.
I'm at 127 days post PTTD surgery and I really avoided the expensive therapy sessions last week I cut down to once every two weeks so much cheaper to buy my own equipment (ice, foam, marbles, bands) and do my own PT on my own time first at home and then at the gym. Just three PT therapist sessions skipped paid for 2 years at the Gym, so I just use my occasional therapist session to gauge my progress and step up my work for the following two weeks.
I have only been out of the cast for 14 weeks think I have had a grand total of 12 sessions and will probably only do 6 more. I'm 50 years old and do 40 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes on the elliptical every day. I haven't tried a Bosu Ball single leg squat yet (only use it for balance when I toss a dumbbell back-n-forth) but I'm happy I have started single leg squats on the gym floor again just last week. Then again the BAP board is now the easiest thing I do in PT - perhaps because I religiously do a 20 minute massage on my foot every morning targeting ROM - guess everyone is different.
Wish you well with your recover, but I am of the belief no matter what you do you won';t hit the 90% mark until 18 months out - don't get me wrong you can stay in shape, loss weight, and build your cardio capacity during this time. I think the goal is to forget your feet/ankles hurt and enjoy what you can do (or the amount of time you can do it).
Jon Strabala