@jaymo - Aye, aye, aye.....
I think what you experienced is one of the difficulties of PT. How many times have we read on BoneSmart that there is no "this is where you should be by now!"?!?!?! I experienced a few instances of confusion in PT, as well. By and large, my 6-week program was great, but there were a few times when I was getting different answers to the same questions by various members of the PT team which left me puzzled. I found my favorite machines - the NuStep, the upright bike, the quad stretcher, etc. (oh, doesn't it feel FABULOUS to be able to move like that again?!?) But some I avoided like the plague because they were murder on my glutes! I just didn't do them, remembering the things we've heard so many times on this forum - "If it hurts, don't do it... If it hurts you after you've done it, don't do it again!" (Of course, we know there's going to be some discomfort involved in the recovery process, but there's a difference between pain brought on by overdoing it, vs. the expected surgical pain.) For me, walking has been the best!! (Even if for a while it means 12 laps around the backyard to get my mile in!)
I, too, had to get rid of a treadmill due to moving to a smaller house, but because I have nowhere flat to walk right now except the backyard, I joined an inexpensive gym in town just so I could use the treadmill (even though I'd much rather be outside). I sat down with the personal trainer earlier this week to explain my surgery and limitations, so it will be interesting to see what sort of "program" he's cooked up for me when I meet with him on Monday. I have a feeling I'll be having to tell him that he's wanting me to do too much, too soon. The hardest part in balancing the right amount of activity vs. too much is that I often can't tell I've overdone it until the next day or so! (Except for the times, like yourself, I've overdone it to the point that the pain comes immediately! Yikes! Stair-steppers! Oh, my aching glutes!!!

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I guess the bottom line (hehe) is simply this; as difficult as it is now to figure out how much we can manage or how much is too much, no matter how frustrated we get when the bad day hits and we have a set-back and end up spending a day or 2 resting and icing, this too, shall pass! The number of good days increase, the pain lessens, and life gets more and more comfortable and normal! Hurray!!!!! Onward and upward we go!!!!
