Being that I am rehabing in my own office, I don't always have time for everything I need to be doing. The scenario constantly changes, it can either be that a collegue has an emergency to tend to, so being that I am in the office already, I am the obvious one to cover his or her patients. The more likely scenario is that my schedule becomes booked, then double booked, so I tell patients to come in before my official start time, since I am around anyway. It seems that word has gotten out about my unofficial hours, so now a lot of my patients show up early, thus cutting into my exercise time!!
Yesterday, P, one of my PTs, took measurements for me, we checked strength as well as ROM. My operated leg has bounced back nicely, my strength was up to 4+/5 for the most part (I don't recall specifics) and my ROM was very nice, about 120 degrees of hip flexion, and I believe 38 degress of internal rotation. Those were my biggest concerns in the beginning, external rotation came back right away! What I do have is residual pinching in the joint, groin area, with full flexion (120 degrees for me), and with flexion, adduction and internal rotation. At this point, I don't know if I will ever be pain free in those positions, but really, I only know that they are painful because I am compulsive PT who is constantly checking, they are not functional positions!
My unoperated leg was a different story. The ROM was fine, interestingly (again, I only know this bc I am compulsive), the ROM fluctuates, specifically hip flexion, my guess is it has to do with the amount of swelling in the joint, because on bad days, I have less ROM. The strength on this leg was pathetic!! P gave me a 3+/5, and I think he was being generous and didn't want to make me feel bad!
This morning, I had a near disaster with the operated leg (from here on in, it will be referred to as the right side). I was in the bathroom, getting ready for work, and I twisted/ pivoted on it. It got stuck, my body turned but the leg stayed, then popped/ clunked into place, it really HURT. It scared the crap out of me. It kept hurting me on my drive to work, but later in the day was fine. I am hoping that I broke through some scar tissue, and nothing more. I had a few episodes of breaking scar tissue early on in my recovery. I remember complaining a lot of lacking extension, and it bothered me most when I walked, I felt really tight anteriorly. So I would try to push my leg into extension. Once, at around 3 weeks out, In was watching L in ballet class and thrust my leg back and heard an awful pop, felt pain, but then felt relief. My ROM improved immediately! It happened again at 4 weeks, we were in the airport on our way to Puerto Rico, I turned around and there was a huge pop, even J heard it, I have never seen him so white! But again, pop, pain, relief!! I don't have the same relief this time, so hopefully time will heal! I better heal in the next 3 days though, I am on a tight timeline here!
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