week 4, day 5

so, i've been on my own here at grad school for about a week now. i'm wearing a neoprene brace on my knee and using one crutch (though i'm not bearing any weight on the crutch - i'm using it more for stability). so far, i've managed pretty well. walking on flat ground is pretty simple - my only concern is other pedestrians jostling into me, but the crutch seems to scare people away and give me some more space. stairs are still really difficult - i need to go up and down them like a baby does and it takes a long time - which is tough since i'm in a third floor walkup apartment. additionally, normally i need to carry my crutch in one hand and hold onto the rail with the other. this can be problematic, because i can't really carry anything up and down the stairs (such as groceries or my laundry) . i've been finding that a backpack is a time-saver because i can just stuff a bunch of things into it and still navigate the stairs.

i had my first physical therapy session since coming back to school yesterday. it was good - my new physical therapist seems great and she really knows her stuff. she said my extension is pretty good (about 1 or 2 degrees hyperextension), my flexion is good (about 120 degrees) and my leg strength is on track. she also tested my balance, by making me close my eyes and balance on my bad leg - i was so wobbly, it was kinda crazy. she said that it's normal and we'll work on it. she gave me a whole bunch of new exercises to work on at home in addition to the stuff i was already doing. the whole set of exercises will probably take me about 45 mins to an hour to do every day - a big time commitment, but necessary.

hamstring isometric exercises - sitting in a chair, raising my toes up and flexing so that my hamstring gets worked out. (there are a few variations based on positions for this).

quadriceps isometric exercises - sitting in a chair, with my foot flat on the ground and flexing so that my quads get worked out (again, there are variations based on slightly different positions).

balancing exercises - i tie this elastic band between a table leg and and my good leg, then i stand balancing on my bad leg and try to pull the elastic band with my good leg. at first glance, it looks like i'm working out my good leg, but it actually is helping with the balance issues on my bad leg.