I drove myself to my therapy this morning. Therefore, I did not take drugs to blur the pain, because driving is not compatible with pain killers. Yet it went all right. I was quite stiff when I got there, and in pain. What I did:
The bike: 12 minutes. I felt pain in both my knee and my ankle, but it eased some by the end.
The recumbent stepper: 15 minutes. Warmed up more, and the stepping helps stretch my legs a bit.
The lying-down leg press: four sets of 12 with both feet, then four sets of 12 with just the right leg (lower weight)
Leg extension: three sets of ten
Leg curl: three - or was it four? - sets of ten
Leg stretch: 7 minutes - BOTH legs. Cool. Light weight so I won't resist it.
Then, as usual, time on the table, when the therapist pushed the leg back several times, to increase flex, then pressed it down several times, with me helping at the end. This is the painful part, the most painful part, but he didn't make it last too long.
I feel hopeful. I love these machines. They really seem to work just what I need. The therapist is sensitive to pain and goes slowly. Here's a cool thing: I am scheduled to go there Friday but I can go at any time! If I feel up for it I can get there at seven, or I can sleep in and come in later, or even up to seven at night. I think this is possible because there are duplicates of all machines, enough to accommodate many clients.
After therapy I went to Panera Bread and had a bagel and latte, feeling the freedom even as I still was dealing with some pain while driving. I felt that the pain was reducing, though. I'm hopeful, hopeful, and considering going to an Aqua class tomorrow morning.
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