Feb 20th PT Session

I woke up this morning and felt pretty good. I was bright and cheery as I arrived for physical therapy. Paul took full advantage of my feeling better. I started on the Stairmaster for 10 min. He corrected my posture, as I have a tendency to lean forward, and he had me focus on putting pressure on my heels as I take each step. This was particularly helpful for my right foot, because yesterday, I had strained the muscle that goes down the front of the leg and connects to the foot. With Jack's assistance, I had taken a single step down from a curb and felt pain at the top of the foot where it connects to the leg. I stretched the tight muscle beyond what I am used to. Regaining a normal range of motion for all my muscles is an ongoing challenge.

Paul's direction to put more weight on my heels was very helpful and minimized the pain. We

then moved onto the parallel bars where he set up a step bench in the center. He put a gait belt on me, so he could hold on to prevent my falling and had me step up and down, holding on to the parallel bar with only one hand. This was a lot more difficult than it sounds. I kept hitting the step bench and kicking it forward with my foot as I tried to step up. Paul instructed me to look down and lift my foot slightly out, then up. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally stepped up. Stepping down was even more difficult. It took some sweet talkin' from Paul ("I won't let you fall") to give me the confidence to take the step down. I repeated this a few more times. Next, I sidestepped up to the bench on both sides. He explained that I can practice the sidestep at home on the bottom of the stairs. 

I then did a set of squats without holding onto the bars as Paul held my balance with the gait belt. It was a bit scary and of course I again heard the reassuring words, "I won't let you fall." I never get tired of hearing it :)

We ended with Paul reminding me to stretch, Stretch, STRETCH! He showed me a few standing stretches I can do while leaning against the kitchen counter. He accompanied me as I walked w/my walker to leave the workout room and meet Jack. He noticed that I was still hunching over a bit and suggested raising up my walker. I said, "Let's do it now so you can see if it helps." So, he raised it two notches and found that I did stand up straighter while walking. I found it a bit awkward but figured I would get used to it.