Today I recieved an outsider’s perspective on my recovery process. This P.O.V. came from a physical therapist. I got my range of motion (ROM) measured in terms of how far I could bend and straighten my knee. At best, I can comfortably bend my knee at 77 degrees. Since I can reach 110 degrees in my passive motion machine, I thought I’d do a little better than 77, but it just means there is room for improvement. On the bright side, the therapist said my straightening is great, but my bending could use work. She then added that people who had better straightening than bending early on experiecned greater success in rehab.
A quick recap of some new excercises I did today, 10 days post-op:
-Half-circles on the bike (I actually got on the stationary today and pedaled a half circle forward and backward until I couldn’t stand it.)
-Leg Straightening on the excercise ball (Lie on your back, dig your heels into in the top of the ball and lift your buttocks off the ground to straighten the leg.)
-Hamstring Curls on the excercise ball (Same deal as the previous one, but don’t lift the buttocks, just pull the ball closer to you.)
What excercises did you find most helpful two weeks post-op?
Hey Kate,
First time commenter, long time reader, I love the blog.
It’s great to hear that your first PT appointment wasn’t pure torture. I found the Straightening exercises to be really helpful.
The other exercise that I worked really well for me was the Wall Slide, where you stand straight against the wall then put your feet out and slide down as far as you can, hold it then slowly come back up. It isn’t fun, but it did help.
Keep healing, Al
Thanks, Al! Will definitely have to build up to the wall sits. I’m afraid the old (I mean new) knee might buckle on that one. I know it won’t, but it’s the whole idea of retraining your knee to build back confidence for even the simplest of motions.
Great advice
Congrats on full extension! That’s definitely the most important.
I found the bike the best exercise once I was able to do a full revolution. I think it was around 3 weeks post op for me. Ever since then I’ve been doing 30 minutes of it every day. It definitely helps if there’s a tv on the bike =)
Andrew that’s so great to hear! I am also a fan of the bike. I’ll never forget the first time I was able to get back on the bike in PT right after my tear. It was such a confidence boost and I look forward to getting back.
I agree that wall slides were very helpful for bending in the beginning. At two weeks, the bike was also very good. Later on, I’d say swimming is the best!
Thanks for commenting, Mireille! I hear that swimming was key. I can’t wait to jump back in the waters. Good to know about the bike, as well. I am approaching two weeks, so will try my best on the bike.