Therapy

I believe that human beings are programmed to avoid pain. (Probably other animals are, too, but how would I know?)  We all would prefer not to hurt, but to recover the use of a knee that has been taken apart and put back together with titanium and plastic one must suffer pain. That’s where physical therapy comes in. Exercises to strengthen the leg muscles and get the knee to bend and straighten hurt like hell.

Everyone I know who has had knee joint replacement tells me that if I don’t do the painful work, my knee will never function properly. Getting into the habit and summoning the grit to withstand the pain is the hardest part. The child in me says, “Do I have to?” The adult, when I can find her voice, says, “You will be sorry if you don’t.”

So, almost four weeks of exercising have brought me a reward today. I drove my car to town! I went grocery shopping and loaded the bags into my car! Driving was easy, thanks to physical therapy and a bendable knee.

It’s a lucky thing, too, because I was beginning to feel awfully sorry for myself. I missed my relative independence. I was afraid I would need mental therapy in addition to exercising my body. I feared I would fall into an invalid state of mind. But today made all the difference.

Let’s eat some chicken potpie to celebrate!

Copyright 2014 by Shirley Domer