Let's Get Physical

I finally got back to physical therapy today after a one-week hiatus. I was out of town and then had an insane work schedule that kept me from making it in last week. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't do the stretches or exercises on my own either. I know, it's disgraceful, especially for someone who claims to be focused on getting better and moving on. But I've admitted all along that I'm lazy and sometimes that side of me takes over. Luckily Jason, my therapist, didn't ask so I didn't have to tell.

I did my usual routine of a warm up, stretches and a series of strength moves that always hurt far more than I expect. Today I got a new exercise that involved rolling a small weighted ball against the wall with all my body weight. It actually made my shoulder burn. This was a step up from rolling a big ball on a trampoline thing last week. I must have graduated to a more complicated move.

While I was getting the electro stim and ice on my shoulder, Jason put ice on my right knee since it hurt from yesterday's run. He also checked it out to be sure my knee cap was ok and it turned out to be just basic swelling. While I sit there getting the stim I like to check out what other people have to do. There is this guy that has to do all sorts of odd things like a hopscotch-type skip and this awkward, sideways crab-type walk back and forth across the room with a resistence band around his knees. Apparently he broke his femur so his therapy is a little more intense than mine. Another woman sat there the entire time rolling a ball around in her hand and rotating her wrist with this tiny little weight that looked like it couldn't be more than .5 pounds. At least my routine is relatively painless and embarrassment-free. I chatted with a guy recovering from a broken collar bone and we commiserated a bit about the experience.

Jason still wants to take it slow and try to build my activity without causing me too much additional pain. He's a good therapist so I'll continue to be patient and take his advice. He's done a couple marathons and understands my goals so at least he isn't telling me to sit at home on the couch and rest. I'm hoping I'll get several bags of ice on my legs when I go in post-marathon.