Surviving Physical therapy: Knee replacement was easy

After my first leg-realignment surgery in June, I underwent a predictable level of rehabilitation and I was blessed to be led in my recovery by Carly Wolstein, PT, DPT, of Riverbend Physical Therapy.

Their office is located in the Montana Athletic Club and Riverbend patients get to use the MAC equipment and facilities during their recovery.

My visits to that partnership of health professionals was nothing less than inspiring. For me, physical therapy meant a chance to grow from 16 years of crippled legs, to my first brush with normal ability.

I truly hope I wasn’t too embarrassing while I was there. I admit that part of my therapy is a bit of a blur. The worst thing I can remember doing was telling a pregnant physical therapist that having children was like an injury that never went away. But, in my defense, I was on drugs at the time.

Then there was the day I lamented that my oral surgery left a hole where my tooth once grew and when Carly tried to console me I told her, “It’s okay. Now I have a convenient gum holder.” Drugs again.

And, there was the unfortunate early habit of talking very fast, very loudly and throughout my exercise sessions.

But that’s normal. (I’ve been a loud talker ever since I married my husband. He is 10th of 11 children and in order to be heard during childhood, the kids had to out yell their fellow siblings.)

Survival of the Loudest, Lovato style.

Twenty-six years of marriage and I’m a screaming lunatic. Besides, Carly dealt with that one pretty well. She raised the number and difficulty of exercises until I was just too tired to flap my gums.

In fact, at one point Carly had me laying on a table a few feet off the ground, balanced at an inclined position with my neck on the table and my legs atop a yoga ball, bending and extending my legs like some kind of 50-plus circus acrobat.

My husband said she was probably trying not to laugh.

The truth is, reader, I had a great time with Carly, made a large new group of friends and decided there is little more I want to do more than join the club.

Let’s face it. It’s either join the MAC and visit Carly, or sustain another injury.

Oh, yeah. I’m having surgery on the other leg in October.