PT Hell

Yesterday I had my first physical therapy session and let me tell you I thought I knew all the different ways they can inflict pain there. I have been going to PT from Aug to Nov for my last surgery and they put me through the ringer trying to get me back to par. This time, I had to just do a simple knee stretch and I thought I was going to die.

For fifteen minutes I laid on my back with my foot propped up in the air, about a foot high on a tube-like mat. Even though my foot was only a foot off the table it felt like it was about 5 feet off the ground. Gravity was pulling down on my knee and the stress of it was to straighten out my knee. My therapist told me there is a small window to get my leg to straighten out before it will “forget” to go back that way. So as I lay there in about the most pain I have been in, in a few hours, I kept thinking it was for the greater good. But my God, wasn’t there a better way then pulling my knee out from the back of my leg.

Finally, the time expired and I was able to move on to the next torturing position. I had to do some leg lifting and the funniest thing was even though I was thinking of lifting my leg, and my leg was shaking cause my brain was telling it to move up, my leg was just laying there dead to the world. My therapist had to lift my leg for me for all my reps. I have NO control over my leg to lift it up (lying on my back, my foot pointing up and raising my leg up). I was able to do the other lifts, but for some reason, that one I could not do.

Guessing it was my first day back and my therapist had a nice kick running through him, we skipped the usually treatments and he was going to let me play the Gameboy for the rest of my session. I sat on the table and he told me to strengthen my leg. Then he starts to put electrodes on my knee. I was thinking this was odd, but whatever. Then he hands me the Gameboy. But it wasn’t a Gameboy…it was a new age torture devise. I had to flex my leg and if I relaxed at the wrong time I got shocked, well a stream of electricity went into my knee to cause me to flex. I had 40 sessions of flex time with each about 30 seconds long. I was able to relax between each flex session, but not long enough. After that experience, I never want to play with a Gameboy again.

Once the Gameboy was finished it was time for the ice down, but even that was painful. They stuck my leg into a Velcro like cast and then frigid water circulated throughout as well as air compression to help straighten my leg. It was like a blood pressure device on steroids. I thought my eyes were going to pop out the pressure was so strong. I had to sit in that device for 20 minutes. Finally, 20 minutes passed and I was free to go. Free until tomorrow. I have to go twice a week for the next 8 weeks. I better be able to walk by the time this shit is done!!!!

Peace,
DeMo