I've gotten behind on this blog...again. So let's back track a little bit.
April 9th: I reached 90 degrees on my last PT appointment, just before three weeks post surgery. Right now since I can't put any weight on my leg, we are mainly focusing on bending (with a few strength training activities thrown in). Because I've reached my approved degree range of 90 (I am not allowed by my doctor to go past 90 degrees until my next appointment as apparently any higher causes too much friction/force on the new knee), my physical therapist and I decided I no longer need to go to PT twice a week at this time.
April 22: Today marks five weeks post surgery. At five weeks I can add the stationary bike to my workout. Today at PT I did just that. Plus, I added the leg press. The bike felt amazing! My joint has been feeling so stiff lately it felt great to be able to move it around. It was a different feeling than just using my CPM machine. The leg press was painful but it also felt good to use my muscles again. I only lifted 32 pounds, which is why I can do the leg press and still be non-weight bearing. I asked my therapist why they were different and she told me that 120 pounds is too much right now, but thirty pounds on my joint was OK. Next week I have a regular PT appointment on Tuesday, and I also decided to add one more day on Thursday to accommodate my first pool PT appointment. I meet with my doctor that same morning for my 6 week check. I am hoping he will let me off these crutches!
