Yes I Cane

Today I have a few landmarks to announce. As of this week I am walking with a cane. I am putting significant weight on the cane but it is the final step to walking without assistance. Here is a video of the cane in action.



Second, I achieved my rehab goal of swimming in the ocean while visiting family last week. My wife escorted me into the water, serving as a human crutch, but after that I was on my own, riding waves, swimming, having a good time. We also took a ride on my father-in-law’s boat. All-in-all it was a nice vacation, our first significant amount of time away from home since the accident. Here is a shot of me on the boat.


Third, I had an x-ray yesterday and it shows significant healing in the bone so I have the green light to push it as hard as I can on the weight machines, etc. Compare this image to the one at the top of the page to see how much healing has taken place.


Fourth and finally, I start work next week teaching two classes. It will be good to get back to work but challenging to maintain my rehab schedule at the same time. Obviously rehab is most critical so I will have to make that a priority. At least I can now ride my trike to school!

Little by little

I have no major news to report, just the slow grind of trying to build a little bit of muscle. I do not notice much change in a few weeks but I find that I can look back a month and say, “hey, I am a bit stronger than I was at this time a month ago.” Lately my knee has been feeling very good, so much so that I am able to ride a stationary bike at a reasonable speed (1.15 miles in 10 minutes, with some resistance). Flexibility still needs work but at least my muscles and ligaments are all now fully awake and working their way back to normal functionality. I am still using one crutch because when I try to take steps without it I have intense pain in my shin after just a few steps. That tells me I need to get stronger before I drop the crutch. Hopefully another month of intensive rehab will do the trick but I would not be surprised if I am not using a crutch for two more months. Due to the still-healing state of my broken leg, I cannot simply pile on the weights and go for it as I would if I were trying to bulk up a healthy limb. The injury forces me to be very deliberate and increase resistance/weights at small, manageable increments. If a higher weight limit causes lots of pain, as opposed to just muscle soreness, then I have to back off to a slightly lower weight. Chipping away in this fashion is a slow road but it is working…slowly. Here is Cairo helping me with my morning extension stretch. I put ankle weights on my bad leg and lie on my stomach to stretch it as straight as possible. Cairo sometimes lies beside me but today she decided to stand on my back!