# The physio made me cry!



## annedonnelly (10 Mar 2022)

I've been for my second session with the physio today. It's just over 5 weeks since the hospital said I could start walking again. I think I've made pretty good progress in terms of how far I can walk and the flexibility of my knee. I've been doing the exercises as prescribed.

So the physio measured my knee movement and asked about how I've managed and outlined a new set of exercises for me to do. And then he said "I think you should be able to get back on a bike. Come and try this exercise bike." So I did and I could pedal and it didn't even hurt. And then I burst into tears 

I didn't think the bike would be an option so soon. Maybe I need to dust off the Brompton. Or borrow an exercise bike.

It's been an emotional day.


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## fossyant (10 Mar 2022)

Oh so they didn't make you cry through pain.

You need a better physioterrorist.


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## tyred (10 Mar 2022)

Well done and great progress. It is a great feeling. 

I bought a cheap turbo to use but struggled to motivate myself to cycle without actually going somewhere. I've now been given the go ahead to o ride on the road so have been slowly doing little rides on my Brompton.


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## Alex321 (10 Mar 2022)

Very well done!

I think their initial predictions are often pessimistic, partly because a lot of their "customers" won't religiously do the prescribed exercises, and partly because it is better to give you the worst case scenario, then do better tan give you a best case scenario which you then fail to meet.


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## numbnuts (10 Mar 2022)

Nice one....don't over do it now and good luck


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## Pat "5mph" (10 Mar 2022)

Well done @annedonnelly!
It's a great feeling!
I hurt my knee badly in May 2020, middle of lockdown2 for us.
It was a couple of months before I could see a physio, did the NHS video exercises till the physio opened again.
Then did the ones prescribed by the physio, borrowed a turbo from the local bike hub, it helped loads.


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## I like Skol (10 Mar 2022)

Great news Anne 

For some strange reason cycling with knee problems seems to be comfortable in some cases.

I broke my kneecap after trying to cycle down some unequal old stone mill steps (don't ask..... ). The doctor said cracking a knee cap was near impossible to do, but I did it 

It was almost two weeks before I sought medical attention and while I was finding walking troublesome and driving agony, cycling was unaffected.
When my x-ray was studied the specialist said I was incredibly lucky not to have been crippled by the injury and I had better not do anything strenuous while things healed like walking far or cycling..... I didn't have the heart to tell him my bike was locked up outside the x-ray department and I had been cycling *10* miles each way to work for the last two weeks 

EDIT: 10 miles each way, 20 in total. NOT 20 each way


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## raleighnut (11 Mar 2022)

Great news, I was given the option of using an exercise bike/trainer by my physio, I bought a trike instead.


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## annedonnelly (11 Mar 2022)

I have realised that my helmet was damaged so I need to go shopping before I can ride outdoors...


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## vickster (11 Mar 2022)

annedonnelly said:


> I have realised that my helmet was damaged so I need to go shopping before I can ride outdoors...


Assuming it wasn’t 10 years old, keep the old one and take photos in case you do pursue a claim against the other cyclist (what’s the latest, any luck tracking him down?). Keep the receipt for the new one too of course.

Good to hear the rehab is progressing bikewards


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## Sterlo (11 Mar 2022)

^^^^^
I was wondering that myself, any updates? Great to hear you're back on a bike again so soon, hoping to give mine another go shortly.


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## Dogtrousers (11 Mar 2022)

I'm shocked that you have a dusty Brompton. Get polishing!


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## annedonnelly (11 Mar 2022)

Dogtrousers said:


> I'm shocked that you have a dusty Brompton. Get polishing!


Actually it lives under it's own special cover so is probably cleaner than the rest of the house


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## cyberknight (11 Mar 2022)

Great news,work mate just had a knee operation and about 2 months after and he can barely bend his knee ,part of his physio is on an excersise bike which he can't do


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## annedonnelly (11 Mar 2022)

vickster said:


> Assuming it wasn’t 10 years old, keep the old one and take photos in case you do pursue a claim against the other cyclist (what’s the latest, any luck tracking him down?). Keep the receipt for the new one too of course.
> 
> Good to hear the rehab is progressing bikewards





Sterlo said:


> ^^^^^
> I was wondering that myself, any updates? Great to hear you're back on a bike again so soon, hoping to give mine another go shortly.


Yes I still have the damaged helmet and cut off clothing in case l can make a claim.

Last I heard from Leigh Day is that neither of the witnesses actually saw the collision and they haven't yet traced the other cyclist. I'm not very hopeful of being able to claim.


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## vickster (11 Mar 2022)

cyberknight said:


> Great news,work mate just had a knee operation and about 2 months after and he can barely bend his knee ,part of his physio is on an excersise bike which he can't do


Has he seen his surgeon again? What was done? He might have developed excessive scar tissue post op


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## cyberknight (11 Mar 2022)

vickster said:


> Has he seen his surgeon again? What was done? He might have developed excessive scar tissue post op


indeed thats what he said , may need another op to sort it out


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Mar 2022)

Sometimes we don’t realise how much we worry about certain outcomes, till we find out it’s better than we thought. Then the tears and emotions can really roll, tears of relief mixed in with joy. They say tears from different emotions taste different, but I’ve never checked that out.


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Mar 2022)

cyberknight said:


> Great news,work mate just had a knee operation and about 2 months after and he can barely bend his knee ,part of his physio is on an excersise bike which he can't do



When I had a mountaineering accident years ago. After emergency surgery I had to do weeks of physio exercises before they’d let me on my bike. I had a leg brace on, which could be adjusted to restrict the maximum bend in the leg. (Brace sitting in loft now) You adjusted it with an Allen key. The general advice Physio gave me was to increase the max angle it allowed by 5 degrees every week. I had 2 or 3 physio exercises to do every day to get the range of motion and then strength back. It wasn’t till I could bend my leg 95 degrees that they let me back on a bike and even then cautiously. Has your friends been doing his physio exercises to get to the point where he can get on a bike?


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## byegad (11 Mar 2022)

I had a nasty lung infection in 2017, I couldn't cycle, or walk more than a few yards. It was so bad my GP suspected cancer and off I went (13 days later) for an appointment with the specialist. He ordered a bunch of tests which eventually decided it was merely an infection (6 weeks of sample culture on my sputum identified the bug and which antibiotic would kill it.) On my first real ride on my trike 10 months after the first indication of illness, I stopped at my halfway point, got off the trike, looked around and sobbed, uncontrollably! Relief does that to you.


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## annedonnelly (11 Mar 2022)

I've got 120 degrees of movement in my knee now. Measuring it was the first thing the physio did when I saw him yesterday.

I'm also allowed to drive now, though I haven't felt particularly emotional about that


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## Ming the Merciless (11 Mar 2022)

annedonnelly said:


> I've got 120 degrees of movement in my knee now. Measuring it was the first thing the physio did when I saw him yesterday.
> 
> I'm also allowed to drive now, though I haven't felt particularly emotional about that



Think I was signed off when I reached 145 degrees of movement in my knee. The physio said at that point that my range of motion was as good as or greater than the normal range expected of an uninjured person.

Good luck as you travel towards the full range of motion.


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## cyberknight (11 Mar 2022)

Ming the Merciless said:


> When I had a mountaineering accident years ago. After emergency surgery I had to do weeks of physio exercises before they’d let me on my bike. I had a leg brace on, which could be adjusted to restrict the maximum bend in the leg. (Brace sitting in loft now) You adjusted it with an Allen key. The general advice Physio gave me was to increase the max angle it allowed by 5 degrees every week. I had 2 or 3 physio exercises to do every day to get the range of motion and then strength back. It wasn’t till I could bend my leg 95 degrees that they let me back on a bike and even then cautiously. Has your friends been doing his physio exercises to get to the point where he can get on a bike?


afaik hes been going to see same physio , he cant bend it much at all maybe 20 degrees


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## Tenkaykev (11 Mar 2022)

A friend had two total knee replacements shortly before the pandemic, both within a very short time of each other. He was on his exercise bike every day after the first one and made such good progress that they did the second operation a lot sooner than they’d expected. He’s now doing parkrun most weeks ( with the blessing of his surgeon )


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## kayakerles (11 Mar 2022)

So glad you've been making a great recovery. Back on wheels before long. Just go easy. Enjoy the ride, but go easy at first. 🤗


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## annedonnelly (12 Mar 2022)

More tears this morning - had a short ride on my Brompton! Took it to a fenced tarmac area round the corner where there's no chance of cars, bikes or even dog walkers. Seat a little lower than usual and managed a few laps. No plans to overdo things so just a few minutes and then came home for another good cry


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## Ming the Merciless (12 Mar 2022)

annedonnelly said:


> More tears this morning - had a short ride on my Brompton! Took it to a fenced tarmac area round the corner where there's no chance of cars, bikes or even dog walkers. Seat a little lower than usual and managed a few laps. No plans to overdo things so just a few minutes and then came home for another good cry



Riding a Brompton does that to you…


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## Andy_R (12 Mar 2022)

My physio made me cry when I broke my wrist. She was about 5 feet tall and about 10 years old ( from my prospective) and utterly evil. After 3 sessions with her, I had almost full mobility, but that's probably because I was so scared of her I didn't want to have to go back.


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