PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AT WORK circa 1500
After three weeks of range of motion and stretching exercises, I started today doing strengthening exercises--rowing motion, arm exercise bike, resistance bands, small weights, and other exercises to begin to build my weak shoulder back up. Most of the exercises felt good. But the last one was a simple elbow lift lying on my back with a four-pound weight. Joe the Therapist (no relation to Joe the Plumber) said to do 15. By 12 I was in serious pain. And my shoulder was stationary. At that moment I remembered why PT is so important. The therapists know every muscle and can isolate and strengthen specific muscles. Every time I have had therapy, that has meant there are some exercises with little or no weight that seem like nothing and hurt like blazes. The therapists know exactly where the problem is and how to fix it--which means they can turn a 4-pound weight into a torture device. The best part, though, was that outside of that one motion, nothing hurts very much.
PTs are too often underrated healthcare practitioners. I will be forever grateful to the one I went to after back surgery. She seemed to know more than than surgeon!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the graphic you've chosen. Looks like someone on at a Pilates workout.
Blessings to you, bro.
Yep.... My physical therapists had a lovely sort of gallows humor... the door to their workout area had a sign that said, "Enter the Pain & Torture ("PT") Room!"
ReplyDeleteyeah.
It was doing great for my knee, and by now I SHOULD be done with it all...'cept I lost my job on 10/31, had to stop PT (no insurance) and boy oh boy, i can tell a difference, negatively, now that I'm not.
Anyhoo, keep at it and know you are in our prayers!
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 12/18/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
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