Oof. (progress)
Just walked for 20 minutes on the elliptical. Feeling simultaneously accomplished and weak. (And pooped.)
Doctor told me not to use the elliptical until I could use it with a regular, even gait. Just being able to get a full revolution wasn't enough, I needed to not be limping or favoring my knee at all. The danger of encouraging bad habits and lopsided muscle development being, in her opinion, greater than the benefits of trying. I've been checking every couple of days to see if I could manage it, and it's finally there, the motion is smooth and symmetrical. I'm not twitching from the stretch or leaning to avoid it. Yesterday I did three minutes, today 20.
It feels good. Well, it feels good to be doing it, to be able to do it. It stretches the tendons in my knee a nice amount: uncomfortable but not painful. It's also hard: all the muscles in my left leg are weak, and after twenty minutes of walking slowly, and with no resistance I'm tired. Hiking is still a long, long way off. I'm not supposed to do more than walk until my next check up, mid-December. Hopefully I can build up enough endurance walking to do more by the time the doc gives me the OK to run.
Doctor told me not to use the elliptical until I could use it with a regular, even gait. Just being able to get a full revolution wasn't enough, I needed to not be limping or favoring my knee at all. The danger of encouraging bad habits and lopsided muscle development being, in her opinion, greater than the benefits of trying. I've been checking every couple of days to see if I could manage it, and it's finally there, the motion is smooth and symmetrical. I'm not twitching from the stretch or leaning to avoid it. Yesterday I did three minutes, today 20.
It feels good. Well, it feels good to be doing it, to be able to do it. It stretches the tendons in my knee a nice amount: uncomfortable but not painful. It's also hard: all the muscles in my left leg are weak, and after twenty minutes of walking slowly, and with no resistance I'm tired. Hiking is still a long, long way off. I'm not supposed to do more than walk until my next check up, mid-December. Hopefully I can build up enough endurance walking to do more by the time the doc gives me the OK to run.