Biking on my new bike is a dream! I took a couple of nice rides on it and I really enjoyed the light and speed of this great machine.
I had therapy on Friday and my PT measured my knee for the first time in two weeks. My extension wasn't as good as it was on Wednesday. Don't ask me why some days are better than others. I was still lacking 5 degrees but I'm sure it is usually much less so I don't want to worry about it. The flexion is 140 instead of 145, without pushing it.
So from now on, I must force both extension and flexion so I get rid of the last adhesions. This is tough job but I come a long way and I know I can do it.
I only have two weeks of therapy left. Four sessions.
Where will I be in just two weeks? It freaks me out that I won't be myself yet. However, I am less and less uncomfortable and perhaps this is what I should focus on instead of targeting 145 and 0, that after all are only numbers.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
October 29, 2011
My new bike is awesome, but I still have to use it. Between a trip to and from Berkeley on Friday and family plans this weekend, I will have to wait until Tuesday to really ride it.
When I picked it up on Thursday afternoon, before one my physical therapy sessions, I was a little nervous. My knee had been acting up the day before, and I didn't feel as good as I had recently.
But I had to try the bike around the block and it was perfect. The Treck 7.5 FX WSD 17, model 2012 is so light that I wonder how I could bike on my old one. A little like using my MacBook Air the first time when I had been using a good old Acer for years.
You grow wings on such light machines and since my husband already has a pretty decent bike, we are planning to bike together at least three times a week.
I'm pretty disciplined by nature so I can stick to this program. I will have to make sure I don't end up solo.
Besides biking and doing my therapeutic exercises, I have started to work out, focusing on abs and arms. It feels so good to be me again.
My left knee is looking good and the extension has returned to normal or very close to normal. Since I have focused on it for a few weeks now, I must return to flexion exercises to make sure I'm not stuck with a 120 degrees flexion.
So more work is still needed although I see the end of the tunnel getting closer day after day.
Cannot wait to be at the top of a mountain.
Or at the end of a twenty-mile path even if it is with a bike.
When I picked it up on Thursday afternoon, before one my physical therapy sessions, I was a little nervous. My knee had been acting up the day before, and I didn't feel as good as I had recently.
But I had to try the bike around the block and it was perfect. The Treck 7.5 FX WSD 17, model 2012 is so light that I wonder how I could bike on my old one. A little like using my MacBook Air the first time when I had been using a good old Acer for years.
You grow wings on such light machines and since my husband already has a pretty decent bike, we are planning to bike together at least three times a week.
I'm pretty disciplined by nature so I can stick to this program. I will have to make sure I don't end up solo.
Besides biking and doing my therapeutic exercises, I have started to work out, focusing on abs and arms. It feels so good to be me again.
My left knee is looking good and the extension has returned to normal or very close to normal. Since I have focused on it for a few weeks now, I must return to flexion exercises to make sure I'm not stuck with a 120 degrees flexion.
So more work is still needed although I see the end of the tunnel getting closer day after day.
Cannot wait to be at the top of a mountain.
Or at the end of a twenty-mile path even if it is with a bike.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
October 18, 2011
Yeah! I got my new bike today.
My husband took me to this great shop owned by one of our neighbors.
The bike is a brand new model from the Treck 2012 collection. It wasn't in store yet so we ordered it on the spot and I will pick it up tomorrow.
Beautiful bike! .
I cannot wait to use on it on the fifteen-mile trail that starts in Old Town Clovis, only minutes away from the High-School my kids attend.
My knee feels great today and the weather can't be better.
Snow graced the Sierra peaks days ago but has melted as we got more summer like weather.
It is supposed to cool off soon.
Bike time sounds good.
Although... I am plotting a Yosemite manageable hike before winter buries my favored playground under blankets of snow.
My husband took me to this great shop owned by one of our neighbors.
The bike is a brand new model from the Treck 2012 collection. It wasn't in store yet so we ordered it on the spot and I will pick it up tomorrow.
Beautiful bike! .
I cannot wait to use on it on the fifteen-mile trail that starts in Old Town Clovis, only minutes away from the High-School my kids attend.
My knee feels great today and the weather can't be better.
Snow graced the Sierra peaks days ago but has melted as we got more summer like weather.
It is supposed to cool off soon.
Bike time sounds good.
Although... I am plotting a Yosemite manageable hike before winter buries my favored playground under blankets of snow.
Monday, October 17, 2011
October 17, 2011
I got one of the best workout on Friday at...physical therapy. Yes, I know it doesn't sound so exciting and yet, I felt so good that I was able to do planks, abs and all kind of exercises that focused on my entire body and not only on my poor knee.
Saturday was great and I didn't do much besides walking to get my coffee in town.
I woke up sore on Sunday morning. I had promised a walk to my hiking buddy. Hiking is only a word that once belonged to my vocabulary. Anyway, I couldn't cancel and walked the three miles loop in relative discomfort. It was disappointing since I felt so good the day before.
I dragged my leg the whole day on Sunday and was a little worried on Monday. But when I spoke with my physical therapist, he told me that I would probably feel better after my work-out. And, guess what? I did!
So, the lesson once more is balance. My knee needs to move in order to function. That I knew but I never thought that being a little lazy one day could be that bad.
I hope that later, I will be able to skip exercising the way I did before my injury.
Tonight I feel great which is of course nice.
I'm back to two miles a day. The weather is gorgeous and I want to take advantage of it before it gets cold and rainy. So tomorrow I am getting my new bike and plan to ride it every day either in a local bike path or in Yosemite where I haven't been for months.
Life is good1
Saturday was great and I didn't do much besides walking to get my coffee in town.
I woke up sore on Sunday morning. I had promised a walk to my hiking buddy. Hiking is only a word that once belonged to my vocabulary. Anyway, I couldn't cancel and walked the three miles loop in relative discomfort. It was disappointing since I felt so good the day before.
I dragged my leg the whole day on Sunday and was a little worried on Monday. But when I spoke with my physical therapist, he told me that I would probably feel better after my work-out. And, guess what? I did!
So, the lesson once more is balance. My knee needs to move in order to function. That I knew but I never thought that being a little lazy one day could be that bad.
I hope that later, I will be able to skip exercising the way I did before my injury.
Tonight I feel great which is of course nice.
I'm back to two miles a day. The weather is gorgeous and I want to take advantage of it before it gets cold and rainy. So tomorrow I am getting my new bike and plan to ride it every day either in a local bike path or in Yosemite where I haven't been for months.
Life is good1
Thursday, October 13, 2011
October 13, 2011
Progress is on its way but I still have a way to go. Some days are better than others and I have come to accept that I will be living with a weaker knee for a while. Yet every day something good usually happens. Either more agility to climb over the railing of my porch as I water my plants, more strength when I use the elliptical or less pain when I do my exercises.
My physical therapist is happy with my progress and is positive that I will be using my knee as I did before. Some day. Eventually.
I agree with him but it's hard to understand why some mornings my knee feels almost like normal and others it is still a little crooked and stiff. I still have scar tissues to get rid of and I balance stretching and strengthening, flexions and extensions to make sure I keep my knee mobile.
I'm telling you, it is time consuming and patience testing.
I still miss my knee but when I look down and see how shapely it became, I know I came a long way.
My physical therapist is happy with my progress and is positive that I will be using my knee as I did before. Some day. Eventually.
I agree with him but it's hard to understand why some mornings my knee feels almost like normal and others it is still a little crooked and stiff. I still have scar tissues to get rid of and I balance stretching and strengthening, flexions and extensions to make sure I keep my knee mobile.
I'm telling you, it is time consuming and patience testing.
I still miss my knee but when I look down and see how shapely it became, I know I came a long way.
Monday, October 3, 2011
October 3, 2011
I am doing so well since Friday that I have to be careful to go on with my physical therapy.
I still feel stiffness when I wake up and if I've been seated for a long time but discomfort and heaviness vanish faster than they did until recently.
The top of my knee is still a little rigid and I have to focus on the muscles of my calf and thigh in order to avoid loading the knee with my weight.
Massages of the knee with any kind of lotion is good and I like a soothing one with lavender at night. It helps the muscles to relax and I sleep better. Also the fragrance of lavender is good for a peaceful night.
I find difficult to isolate my knee from too much weight and I have to concentrate when I exercise but I am better at it with some practice.
I walked the mile and a half loop around the lake last night and felt great so I will try to do it more especially since the weather is turning cooler. I used to walk an average of five miles a day before my injury and six more on weekends plus of course lengthy hikes in Yosemite.
Rain is expected in a couple of days and although I love rain as most Californians do because it is so precious to us, I'm not so impatient this year, preferring a longer cool fall that would allow me to walk more.
I still want a bike for my birthday and I can't wait to be back in Yosemite!
I still feel stiffness when I wake up and if I've been seated for a long time but discomfort and heaviness vanish faster than they did until recently.
The top of my knee is still a little rigid and I have to focus on the muscles of my calf and thigh in order to avoid loading the knee with my weight.
Massages of the knee with any kind of lotion is good and I like a soothing one with lavender at night. It helps the muscles to relax and I sleep better. Also the fragrance of lavender is good for a peaceful night.
I find difficult to isolate my knee from too much weight and I have to concentrate when I exercise but I am better at it with some practice.
I walked the mile and a half loop around the lake last night and felt great so I will try to do it more especially since the weather is turning cooler. I used to walk an average of five miles a day before my injury and six more on weekends plus of course lengthy hikes in Yosemite.
Rain is expected in a couple of days and although I love rain as most Californians do because it is so precious to us, I'm not so impatient this year, preferring a longer cool fall that would allow me to walk more.
I still want a bike for my birthday and I can't wait to be back in Yosemite!
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