Thursday, January 14, 2010

I'm walking in May....

Penny has designed a 5k/10k walk/run on Mother's Day in May called "Inspiring Hope" to support the 2010 Kindred Spirits 3 Day Walk team. I plan for ASA to be a corporate supporter of the event, and to do the walk myself, based on current progress with my physical therapy.

For those who doubt the restorative powers of physical therapy on a bad knee like mine, you have only to watch me walk a week after my first PT session. I have six exercises now to perform at home every day, and a range more that I do with the therapist. This morning, for example, I had both massage of and under the kneecap as well as ultrasound. I rode a stationery bike for 6 minutes without tape on the knee; then used only the right leg to push away and come back to a stationery vertical piece (can't remember the name of the machine in the gym that does same thing) with a light load on. Because I was curious about stairs, we had me step up at both 2" and 4". I did just fine. Kate retaped the knee for me today. It gives me confidence that the kneecap won't dislocate out again, even as it makes me more prone to get the circulation going in the knee through walking. Together, Kate and I have juiced up the circulation and therefore the healing in that knee.

I see Dr. Daly on Monday, and it will be a full month after the first five dislocations on the 20th of December. I'm hoping he'll prescribe more PT, and am also interested in accupuncture once I have taken this as far as I can.

One thing is clear: though I am still being extremely careful and managing my personal risk, I will be able to walk 5k in May.

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