The Referral--Sallie

My job has a medical center it offers to its employees. That center includes a group of PTs. Sallie, whom Sandy recommended, works there. I got the official referral from my local surgeon, and now I'm off and running!

1/26/06 Routine 3
Stationary Bike--3 minutes, no resistance up to tolerated time limit

Stretches:

• Quadriceps--lie face down, bring R heel to bottom, hold 10+ secs (1x3); repeat with left
• Quad/Back/Hip--on hands and knees, sit on heels and bring shoulders toward knees, hold 10+ secs (1x3)
• Abs--After the Quad/Back/Hip stretch, stretch out on stomach and push up on lower part of arms (1x3)
• Groin/Adductor--lie on back with knees and feet together. Let knees fall apart as soles of feet come together. Use gravity only to stretch groin area. (1x3)
  

Exercises/Strengthening:

• Shift Weight, side-to-side, front-to-back (1x10)
• Hip Lift--lie face up, bend R knee more than L, push with both feet to lift hips (3x6)
• Leg lift--lie face up, bend R knee, lift thigh to vertical, straighten knee to 45 degrees, fix knee at that angle and lower foot to bed (3x6); repeat with left to greatest angle comfortable

Results: After 1 week, these became progressively easier, so I bumped up the reps for hip lift and leg lift to 3x10 for each. I had a lot of lower back pain after doing these, so will consult Sallie on this. I've added this routine to Routines 1 & 2 from Sandy. It's taking me about 3 hours total (including transportation, shower, dressing) to complete the entire routine. I'm up to 10 minutes on the stationary bike: 5 min (rest 30 sec); 3 min (rest 30); 2 min (stretch).

2/2/06 Routine 4
Continue Routine 3 and add the following.

Stretches (use a folded towel at top of sacrum for both):

• Hamstring--hold R thigh at vertical, straighten knee, pull toes down, hold for 10+ secs (1x3); repeat with L leg
• Hip--pull R knee toward L shoulder to stretch hip; stop if it hurts in front, hold for 10+ secs (1x3); repeat with L leg

Exercises:

• Add a plumb line to the weight shifting from routine 3; side-to-side, line should go from middle of body to the right, don't let it go to the left when standing straight; front-to-back, keep line in the middle as much as possible
• Knee Lift--lie on left side, knees bent. Lift R knee, but NOT foot (3x6) repeat with left
• 4 Point Crossed Extension--on hands and knees, lift and extend right leg to horizontal. Legs ONLY, don't use arms; hold pelvis still, imagine a water glass tray balanced on my back; repeat with left
• Stability Ball--sit on ball with legs hip width apart. Move legs/feet closer together and maintain balance. Lean forward and back, side-to-side with feet together, all the while attempting to maintain balance and keep even weight on both feet.

Results: As of 2/4/06, I've been doing these as prescribed. I haven't done the Exercise Ball yet. I need to get that out! I got up to 15 minutes continous on the stationary bike. Pain at 12 minutes. Lots of soreness/stiffness the next day, I may have pushed it too hard, so will back off a little on the bike.