Update: Great
news! My Doctor says that I am exceeding
expectations, and has lifted all restrictions (to “as tolerated”) and has given
me the go ahead to ditch my crutches. I
am back to using my cane. Hopefully in
another month or so I can ditch the cane as well. I have been given a whole new set of rehab
exercises to strengthen the lateral movement and muscles of my left leg. They are extremely difficult but I am moving
around much better. This week I am going
back to traveling on the bus on my own for the first time in months. I now have a semblance of normalcy returning
to my life. Yes!
****************************************************************************
Rehab: The House of Pain/Gain
If you've ever gone through major limb or internal surgery,
or are planning on going through a surgery, there is one thing that will always
remain a constant:
Rehab sucks!
Now I'm not saying this to discourage you from having
surgery. We all must do what is best for
our bodies, and for our lives. However, there
is a truth here. Every time the human
body is cut open, it becomes weakened.
Even after the external scars heal, there are situations happening
inside the body that still need to be dealt with. Your body will be contending with inflammation, pain and discomfort, infection prevention, overall weakness, muscle atrophy. While inflammation, pain and discomfort, and infection
can be combated by ice and medication, and overall weakness eases over time, there
is only one way to fight against muscle atrophy. Exercise!
I have gone through Physical Rehabilitation (Rehab) enough times
during my life to wince every time a hospital Escort pushes my wheelchair to
the room that is boldly marked: Physical Therapy. I have always referred to PT as “The House of
Pain,” because I knew that inside this room, well meaning and overly cheery men
and women were going to strap me into strange machines that manipulated my body, or make me do funny
looking exercises that would make the previously operated body part HURT...A LOT!
I knew that they were just
itching to watch me sweat, strain, and cry out as I repeatedly moved the
affected body part the way they wanted me to, over and over again. I earnestly hoped within the fabric of my very being that I was able to do what they asked, and in the proper form enough times, so I wouldn't have
to do, “just one more.” Drenched in
sweat, and throbbing in pain at the end of each session, I dreaded hearing the
Tech say, “Great job! Now let’s get you scheduled
for your next appointment!” Each day I screamed inside my head, “Oh, HELL NO!!”
But out loud I would say, “ok.”

I've also seen the results of those who refused to deal with
Rehab on any level. It’s painful to watch people who
are limping around for years after surgery chained to a walker, crutch or cane. Or observing
the troubles of those who can't move or lift their arm, or bend over to tie
their own shoes, or who are generally and fundamentally “not right.”
I get it. Pain hurts,
and the body does its best to avoid it at all costs or at least as much as
possible. The paradox is, in the case of rehab exercises, the pain is there,
not to tell you, “Oh my God I’m gonna die if you make me do this again,” but to
tell you that this body part has a problem and needs your help to solve it.
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Oh, the pain! The Pain of it all! |
Let’s face it: after surgery, you body part is
spazzed out. There are ligaments and
muscles that have shrunken and need to be stretched, or have been cut and need
to be worked back into proper shape, or strengthened so that they can hold the
load of the body again. It is tough to
do, but it is a necessary evil. And as
much as it hurts to work them, it is so much better to go through short term
pain, than the alternative: long term disability.
I am currently doing
side leg lift exercises (among others) for my new hip replacement, and brother,
it is very difficult to do them correctly (which makes the hip hurt), when my
brains screams PAIN, and my body’s immediate reaction is to “cheat” and move to
do the exercise improperly (less pain).
It’s amazing how my mind can justify this by trying to convince me that,
“at least you did them. That’s something,
right?” Wrong. In this case, if it’s not hurting, it's not
helping. Doing the exercises in the
proper form is extremely important as well; otherwise for the most part you are
wasting your time. This is a case where
the more sweat equity (or pain equity) you invest, the more you get back. Believe me, you will be surprised by your
results, and how quickly you are able to achieve them.
Keep in mind I am not a doctor, nor do I purport to be
one. However in the spirit of offering
the benefit of my own experiences, here are some tips that have helped me, and may
help you with your own rehab:
Pre-Surgery:
1) If
you are planning to schedule surgery, or have just scheduled, contact your
healthcare professional and find out what pre-surgery exercises you can do to
strengthen your body before hand. It is
far better to approach surgery with a stronger body. This will help make your rehab far more
productive and speed up your results.
2) Get
a sheet with a diagram of the exercises that your healthcare professional wants
you to perform, including the number of repetitions and duration of each one. Set this where you can see it so that you can
perform the exercises correctly. Don't
strain yourself by trying to remember how your exercises are supposed to be done. You’re probably on pain medication anyway
which will affect your memory.
3) Take
your pain medication 15 minutes before doing your exercises. This will take the edge off the pain you will
feel later. Trust me, this helps!
4) Music! Play your favorite up-tempo tunes as a
background for exercising. You can use it
as distraction to help as you are counting out each exercise rep. Not a music person? You can also use TV as a background. Turn on the big game, or a favorite program and
use that as a distraction. Don't forget
to keep count if you do.
5) Find
a motivation! Do whatever you can do to
motivate yourself through your exercises.
Place a photo of yourself when you were well in front of you to look at
while you are exercising. Or think about
how good life will be as you gain more strength or mobility. Personally, I have watched the Gatorade "One More" commercial before doing my exercises, to give my competitive juices an added push.
6) Keep
a journal and/or make note of your progress and achievements every few
days. Can you do something now that you
couldn't do last week? Did you reach that shelf, or walk without that walker? Note it, honor
it, and celebrate it.
7) Do
your best! Even if at first you cannot
do all the exercises the first time, eventually you will. Don't give up. Keep pressing. Yes it’s hard, but you can do it.
8) Do not skip a session! Do not allow yourself any excuses. The mind can and will play tricks on you and come up with a myriad of reasons why you cannot rehab today. If you skip out of rehab today, believe me it will be doubly harder to do those exercises tomorrow. The harder they become, the easier it is to say “forget it.” You do not want to do this to yourself. Bite the bullet and do your rehab exercises everyday. Whether you are traveling to a rehab facility, or doing exercises at home, try to do them around the same time each day as well. This way you can plan the “myriad of other things” around your rehab schedule.
9) Push,
but not too hard. If you are doing well
and want to increase the number of reps you do for each exercise, that’s
fine. But be reasonable. Increase your reps incrementally and build
yourself up to do more. Remember: One
more! Don't worry about being a workout
wonder. You are only competing against
yourself.
10) Be
positive. Your amount of success will
depend on your commitment. This task is
not insurmountable though. Picture the
healthy new you, and fix it in your mind. You are undertaking a tough job, but YOU
CAN do this.
Remember, rehab is supposed to be
a pain, but if you focus and fight through it with the right mindset, it will
be a gain. Now say it with me…
Blessings,
Frank