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What should I expect?

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beachbum

beachbum

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Starting out patient PT on Monday. I know my PT has the reputation for being tough (can't complain, tho, I requested her! ). So.... what should I expect? Tell me your PT routine ... what did you actually DO during PT? How long did it last each day? I WILL be taking meds before I go! Thanks!
 
Beach, my PT appointments are scheduled for Mon-Wed-Fri at 9AM. I take my pain meds when I wake up at apx 7:30-8AM. This way, they are working at their peak when I get there. I start off with some standing exercises, side leg lifts, knee lfts, some mini lunges, calf stretches on a slant board, I can't remember any more right now, Everything is 3 sets of 10, on both legs. Next I lay down and my PT massages my leg, working on freeing up the kneecap and scar, then he massages my sore IT band area, ouch. Then it's on to heel slides, leg lifts and bending, bending, bending. Oh, I forgot my favorite thin, I sit on a big exercise ball, with my feet planted far apart, and I just roll the ball back and forth, toward my bad knee, bending and pushing the ROM on my operative knee. Then it's stim and ice for 10 minutes to finish off. It takes about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 min. It is really pretty gentle, but I do sweat a little, LOL. And I go home and ice and nap.
Let me know what your is like.
 
Just make sure you don't take anythong STRONG narcotic woise when you drive to PT! You should NEVER drive while impaired! Go easy on yourself and good luck! ((:0)
 
KIm"s been iving me typing lessons!!!! LOL!!! ((:0)
 
Not driving.... oldest daughter is living at home right now (their lease was up and her hubby just got his PhD, job hunting now... no local jobs so they'll be moving away too soon). Lucky for me, I have my very own driver.
 
My PT was an hour a day, twice a week. I began by ride a recumbent bicycle to warm up the muscles. I would then do leg presses, leg curls, and leg extensions. Then I would use another leg machine that would further develop my hamstrings and my quads. Early on I would use exercise bands to develop strength and balance. I would also use a BOSU ball and develop balance---I would stand on it and throw a ball to a toss-back net...and I would have to catch it. I would do that for a variety of positions to develop balance and leg strength.

Later on, I would do "mini-hurdles"; I would walk over small hurdles to improve my gait. Then I would be attached to a very long elastic band and work against that---both walking forward, backwards, and sideways. There were also lunges, and a great deal of stretching. I would then ice there , crawl to my truck and try to find the energy to get home. that was twice a week; I supplemented that with visits to a gym and dong other exercises and I rode a bike for at least 1/2 hour a day.

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Now you know why PT really means...PHYSICAL TORTURE!!!!! Yikes!! ((:0)
 
Plan on being exhausted. If you are not, you are not working hard enough. However, if you are exhausted, you have a great feeling when you leave the PT that you are taking steps (pardon the pun) in putting your life back together again. When I was going through PT, I became rather angry at some of the people there who were whining..."That is too hard, that hurts too much..." the surgeon did his part; now it is up to you. YOU ARE GOING TO PUT YOUR LIFE BACK TOGETHER.

I relished the thought that I was going to work my rear end off in order to get my life back again.

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referee54 said:
Plan on being exhausted. If you are not, you are not working hard enough. However, if you are exhausted, you have a great feeling when you leave the PT that you are taking steps (pardon the pun) in putting your life back together again. When I was going through PT, I became rather angry at some of the people there who were whining..."That is too hard, that hurts too much..." the surgeon did his part; now it is up to you. YOU ARE GOING TO PUT YOUR LIFE BACK TOGETHER.

I relished the thought that I was going to work my rear end off in order to get my life back again.

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Oh, I KNOW I'm going to be working, and HARD. The PT I will be seeing is well known for working your butt off! That (and the fact that I teach with her mom, go to church with her, and live across the street from her cousin) is why I picked her! Don't ya love small towns? :hehe:
I'm ready for the challenge (said with pill bottle at the ready!)
 
Mine started out at three times a week. I took pain meds about an hour before I went. The first several visits, I had ten minutes on that machine- the zappy thingy (I can't recall the name of it, I want to say TENS, but I'm not sure!), then we measured my ROM. Then on to the elastic band work, some bending exercises and then she'd walk me through the printed exercises I had to do at home. Then right before I left, we'd check the ROM again.

As it became clear I'd need to have the MUA, we worked more on strengthening stuff instead of ROM. After the MUA, we went back to the whole thing again, adding the stationary bike and some stretching stuff before (to help warm up). Then it was a pretty easy mix of ROM stuff and strengthening stuff.

While you will be tired afterward, you shouldn't be in serious pain. If you're in real pain, then you're doing too much. Don't be afraid to let them know it hurts. If I said something hurt, my PT would have me continue the exercise but she'd make it easier for a few reps. Then, she'd go back to the level that "hurt".

Shortly before the end of my PT, we started working on balance and strengthening more than ROM. After we'd gotten my leg to easily bend past 90, the ROM stopped being so important during our sessions.
 
Take extra pain meds 30 minutes prior to PT
Heat pads to loosen up for 15 minutes
1. sitting leg lifts 2 sets of 20 (5# weights after week 3)
2. laying on side leg lifts 2 sets of 20 each leg (5# weights after week 3)
3. stationary bike 20 minutes
4. stretch bands walking 15 feet backward, forward, left side, right side 20 each
5. calf stretches 2 sets 20
6. step up on balance ball (like a ball cut in half) 2 sets of 20
7. mini squats lean against a ball up against the wall and squat until uncomfortable
8. leg presses 2 sets of 20
9. bending and stretching.
10. bending to measure ROM
11. ICE wonderful ICE!

This was my routine 3 day a week for 6 weeks at the end of it I returned to work at 7 weeks and have never looked back.
 
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