I wanted to give you an update on what exercises I’m being asked to do for rehabilitating my right knee. (But I have to give special thanks to Kelly H., a physical therapist at Grace Church, who forced me…er…gave me a series of exercises after my injury. She was a huge help!)
My surgeon, Dr. Dan Gurley, gave me four exercises to start doing right after surgery, to repeat 3 times per day.
1. Quad Tightening – Lying down, tighten right knee & try to push back of knee into ground. Repeat 25 times.
2. Straight Leg Raises – Lying down, tighten right thigh muscle and lift leg 6-8 inches off ground then hold. Repeat 10 times. (The toughest exercise out of my Doctor’s set…ouch.)
3. Heel Slides – Lying down, slide right heel along ground toward my back (my post-op brace doesn’t let me go beyond 90 degrees now). Repeat 15 times.
4. Knee Extension – Prop my right ankle on a blanket, and push down on my knee for 5 seconds, to get my knee to 0 degrees. Repeat 10 times.
I also received some exercises from Sara Bandy, my physical therapist from Blue Valley Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, to repeat 2 times per day.
1. Leg Press – 5-10 minutes per day of 10-15 pound weights per day.
2. Toe Raises/Heel Raises – Using 10-15 pounds on a leg press, repeat 15 times.
3. Right Toe Windshield Wipers – Seated in a chair, with right foot on slick surface (e.g. sock on hardwood floor), keep knee stable and heel in one place. Then "windshield wiper" the toe back & forth as tolerated, throughout day.
4. Standing Knee Extensions – Standing up, with 5-10 pounds on a pulley, strap it behind the knee, then repeatedly lift the heel and press the heel back down. For 5 minutes per day.
How is my body doing? It’s interesting. I go through periods of feeling well and then not so well. I also experience waves of being chilled and overheated, sometimes fairly close together. It’s like my internal thermostat is trying to recover after surgery as well.
Regardless, I am very, very thankful for how God is healing me and the support I’m receiving from all of you.
That sounds great Tim! How’s your pain level…are you taking anything? Those pictures looks weird with MC on your knee…wonder what that is? Was there an tape or bandages that could have caused irritation? One more question..are you allowed to bear weight on the leg since there was cartilage repaired? So many ??? Have a super day!
The doctor has me on two things: an anti-inflammatory and a pain-killer as necessary.
The “MC” looks to be inflammation from either the bandages or a chemical they put down under the bandages.
I don’t have any more info on the cartilage tear and it’s impact on weight-bearing until I meet the Doc next week. I’ll let you know what I find out though.
Tim,
I just looked @ your “MC” It looks like you had a skin reaction to the adhesive that we placed on your skin to make the steri-strips stick better. I actually get the same reaction. It is a rare adverse reaction to the adhesive “Mastisol”. It is not dangerous and does not indicate an infection. I would use benedryl as needed for itching and just let it get dry and scab over. Let me know if you have other trouble or questions.
Dan
I’m so glad to hear the recovery is progressing nicely. You are in my prayers daily during this time.
Dr. Dan — I know we have hit the 21st century when one of my wonderful doctors gives me medical advice right on my blog. Very cool! (FYI, I told his assistant that doing so would be great.)
Brad — Thanks so much for the prayers. I need them!