Surface Tension, Part 2, and Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Elliptical Time: 15 minutes

Bike Time: 30 minutes

When I was in Ohio visiting my parents two weeks ago, my friend Betty asked hope I was coping with all of the stuff in my life right now. Last night when I was at dinner with a friend, I figured it out.

1. Forty-five minutes of cardio everyday, seven days a week.
2. My dog, Fox.

Today, I was on my way out the door to workout when a friend called. I haven't talked to her in a while, so I picked up the call. We chatted, but by the end of the call, I was getting anxious: I needed to workout. I was surprised by the feeling. In my pre-injury life, I would have been happy to have a phone call from a friend to distract me from working out. I thought I was working out just because I had to to get my knee fully functioning. Nope. I now need it for my sanity.

Last week, I added the elliptical into my daily physical therapy work. The surgeon told me to add five minutes at a time. I took him quite literally, and added five minutes a day. The elliptical is supposed to be a more advanced workout for my knee because I am bearing weight, not just spinning my legs around like I do on the stationary bike. The stationary bike is good for recovery for exactly that purpose: it gets the leg moving without the stress of having to carry the load of my body. I forgot the advice Jane from my physical therapy team gave me earlier in the year: when adding a new exercise, don't increase the amount you do by more than 50% a week. There must be a sweet spot between what Dr. Tex recommended and Jane's advice, but I passed it.

This Monday, I did twenty-five minutes on the elliptical. I felt fine while I was working out, and I did the remaining part of my forty-five minute cardio routine on the bike. I thought my leg was fine with adding the elliptical. I am now able to walk downhill while bending my leg, and Jack says my gait has noticeably improved since last week. Monday afternoon, my left leg was exhausted. It refused to do the weight lifting exercises and isometric exercises at home. Enough! is screamed at me. Give me a break! 

I told Evan about how tired I was and my elliptical experiences. I feel like I took two steps forward and one step back. I am usually cautious and take a conservative approach to healing: I am not comfortable pushing myself to the point of pain. Evan was sympathetic. "It is okay to push yourself hard, but your leg will get tired," he said. I am back to icing my leg three times a day, and I've pull back my elliptical riding to fifteen minutes a day for the next week. 

There is another upside to riding the elliptical in addition to the fact that I walk better: the time between the elliptical and the stationary bike is a great time to lift weights.