Physical Therapy is AWESOME!

I can't believe I said that, but there ya go!

I've been through PT for various reasons many times and never thought much of it. It was always for a specific injury, so that may be why. Or perhaps the therapist didn't really understand how strong and flexible I normally am. I don't know.

I now have a host of injuries that make daily routine quite difficult... and forget exercise! If I want to work this area, that area prohibits the exercise and so on. As a result, I've become soft and weak and it pisses me off!

To give you an idea... I danced for a large portion of my life. Jazz, ballet, lyrical or simply out boogying on the dance floor. I LOVE to dance, but now I'm doing good to last through one song. We live in the country, so throughout my kids' childhood we had a ton of animals... horses, goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, etc... I used to haul 50 lb. sacks of feed and bales of hay. I used to build things. Not little things, but plank-built pieces of furniture. Along with some friends with the know-how, we literally built the house we now live in. My hands have been on every piece of wood in this home in some capacity, either by hauling it, cutting, nailing, staining, whatever. You get the gist.

Now I have a host of injuries. I won't go into the specifics, but from bottom up: Morton's neuromas in both feet, plates and screws in the right leg, FUBAR'd knees and back, both wrists, elbows and the left shoulder are a mess. Kind of makes things difficult. Pain has become my constant companion, although some days are better than others.

You might have read some of my other posts and gotten the idea that I'm not big on pharmaceutical relief. You'd be right. I try my doctor's patience beyond belief. LOL Bless her heart!

Recently, she sent me to this physical therapist... That was the biggest blessing I've had in a long time. This woman is INCREDIBLE! She spent more than an hour simply doing an evaluation. She took it all into consideration and I began my rehabilitation that day. It's only been three weeks and the improvement is unbelievable.

I realize that this is a long-term commitment and things won't occur overnight. But the past Monday and Tuesday nights, I actually SLEPT ALL NIGHT LONG! It's probably been 15 - 20 years since that happened. And when I awoke each morning, I only had a few minutes of mild pain versus the excruciating pain I usually deal with for the first half hour or so of each day. Amazing! I don't know if this is the new world of PT or if I've just been lucky enough to find someone special, but I feel I'm truly blessed.

By habit, I observe people and have watched other clients while I do my therapy three days a week. This woman works with such a wide variety of patients and injuries. She's definitely hands on and knowledgeable. She pays attention and makes certain that minute adjustments are made and explained, but she also explains WHY. You have no clue how important that is to me.

Right now, she's working on endurance, so perhaps it's psychosomatic, but I swear that I already feel stronger. I know I feel more positive about my future. I don't mind the numbers in my age, but my body failing me is something I'm not ready to accept. I hate the word "limitations" and have lived with them for far too long. I don't expect miracles, but improvement is right around the corner. I can't wait!