Friday, June 13, 2014

Physical Therapy - Week 6

I'm six weeks in. At this point, I need to head back to the ortho to see what he thinks of my progress, so I'll be scheduling that appointment before the end of the day.
I think in a previous post I mentioned that Stephanie wants me to be at 80%. Basically, that means I can still be sore after doing my exercises, but I should go through my day fairly pain-free.
Right now, she's giving me a 65%. Mayyyyyyybe 70%, but really, I'm achy a LOT of the time.
Like all this week.
For now, she's not adding any new exercises again until my soreness abates somewhat. In the last few weeks we've added quite a few, so she's letting me "get used" to the quantity of exercise I'm charged doing on a daily basis.
I'm still amazed at the humbling effect of PT. Some of the "exercises" seem little more than minor movements, and they can be OMGSOHARD. One of my newer exercises, the T-bend (at least that's what I think it's called), isn't much more than me leaning forward while standing on only one foot, but doing it properly required effort and concentration. Thankfully, Casey, one of the trainers, gave me this advice: "think of it like you have two lasers pointing out from your hips; you want to point those lasers toward the ground."
Aside from the fact that I spent the rest of that exercise going "PEW! PEW!" and quite possibly concerning other patients, it was great advice. It gave me a visual to apply when I'm at home, and it even made the exercise a wee bit more fun.
I just wish there was a way to make V-sits more fun.
At this rate, I'm hoping to hit 75% by the end of June, but I really need to be more dedicated to doing my exercises every day, regardless of the soreness. I'm officially on vacation as of 5PM tonight, so I won't have work as an excuse for the next several weeks.
In that time, I'm going to look at how I can convert my desk to a standing one, as sitting all day is not helping any of my body, especially my hip. I don't plan to buy a standing desk (unless we win Powerball, but then I can quit and won't need a desk anyway), but I have some ideas on how I can Macgyver what I currently have in order to be able to stand and sit throughout the day.

Do you have a standing desk? What are your tips for not sitting so much through the day?

2 comments:

  1. Love my standing desk...and it was totally homemade. Went to Ikea and got the Capita 8 1/4'' cabinet legs and my husband went to Home Depot, got a scrap piece of wood, and stained it. Other co workers used the same legs but used actual shelves from Ikea (some use smaller shelves while others purchased the large/wider shelves or desk top pieces). Mine works perfectly and we spent less than $30. I went to Costco and got a $20 anti-fatigue mat (went one day without and knew I had to get one). So glad I made the transition. Hope this helps!

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    1. That's awesome! My desk is from Ikea - it's the bookshelf and desk (can't remember the name). My thought was using an old craft table top with some PVC pipes or something. Not the loveliest, but if it helps. I'll definitely need to check out the anti-fatigue mat. Thanks for the tip!

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