BRACE!

And now we can begin the real rehab! Range of motion is pretty darn good and I am almost too confident walking on flat at a semi brisk walk..that's right granny, I'm not that far behind you!
After getting my final fitting at the Dr.'s office on Wednesday I came home to show off my brand new shiny CTI OTI Ossur brace that cost far too much...$1400 to be exact (post discount). So of course I had to go and test it out by pulling some weeds and then hitting the gym.

I was quite happy to see my trainer at the gym and very proudly showed off my knee, it's minimal swelling, and my range of motion. Unfortunately, when I am on the stationary bike the side of the brace (the little label) hits the inner portion of the bike making a nice clunk sound every time my leg moved past it. So I decided to hop back on the spin bike after 1 month of being off it and it went great! Not only was the resistance very low, but the motion was a lot smoother than the stationary bike, so I think we will stick with spinning from now on.

Ready for action!

One thing I don't like about it (and this is purely a girls point of view) is that it bunches up my leg too much, making it look like you have a podgy leg, when really I don't think I do (see above, thigh bulges). Apart from that, I like the fact I feel more relaxed with movement, even walking. Before I was constantly on guard, my thigh and butt muscles where always tense, in protection mode. And due to that, I have some nasty knots in those regions that will require some heavy duty kneading out.

Now, just to add some contreversy, I went indoor climbing with Kevin yesterday (Friday)...and before you all stand up and yell, scream, and throw your best, "why I aught too" or, "you're throwing away all your hard work for nothing!", here is what I did:

* 20 minute warm up period
* 6 routes on the short wall (20 feet) within a 4 hour play period
* Approx 15 minutes rest in between with leg elevated, and stretching that includes calves, hamstring, and heel bends
* Routes were 5.8 and 5.9 with juggy holds that also made for great break spots
* Top rope climbing ONLY 
* A belay (Kevin) who knows your injury well, keeps the rope firm on your way up and lowers you to the ground very, very slowly and smoothly
* Brace worn at all times climbing. Taken off only when stretching 
* No bouldering!! And not for at least 6 months...
* 20 minute warm down period

And guess what? I felt safe, I trusted my body, I felt that I was not pushing any boundaries, and I knew what I could and could not do. There was no pain, nor increase in pain or swelling, and if there was, I would have stopped. Common sense prevailed and although Kevin said that I was strong enough to take the bigger wall I said no. This was my first day back and I am going to be sensible and boring. 
You can get a good work out completing 5.9's (not a cardio workout by the way), just work on your footwork and body positions. I played the game of when you touch a hold then that is your hold until you move up. You can not touch another hold unless you are moving up. But you can not move your hands around the holds, but work with what you have. This I find slows me down a little bit more, as before I chose my hold I think of the following 5 moves and if I grab that hold, how is it going to impact the rest of the movement. Kind of like playing climbing chess. It makes you think well in advance: where is my next rest position? how can I grab that hold that will be best for my body dynamics and position?

Of course I know that I am not going to be able to do any knee bends, heel hooks, or match hands to feet on holds. Nor can I do any dynamic leg thrusts up to the next hold. Instead, this was more of a "find the right angle and hold for a perfect feet placement" exercise.This was also more of a upper body and core exercise. And because my core was strong, my balance was perfect, and not much energy or power pulls was required from my lower or upper body (if that makes sense). Plus, if you have ever seen my climb, then you will know that I moved up those routes pretty slowly humming along the way!

But the best part was that for 4 hours, my mind was at peace. It was quiet, I was at rest and calm. I tuned out all the stress for 4 hours and my body was very grateful for that. My back muscles relaxed, my hip flexors got an excellent stretch and opened up, which reduced pain in the right hip. My scapular muscles lengthened and tension reduced from my upper back and neck. But mostly, for the first time in 4 months, I was perfectly happy. I can not put into words just how happy I was and that I was so proud of my body for staying strong and being able to come together to look after me and allow me to gently climb again. I had the best nights sleep too! I was exhausted by 8.30pm and had such a solid sleep. I woke up this morning and I didn't feel sore or like I had pushed it too much.


So for the next 6 months I will only top rope climb. I will stick to 5.9 routes for the next couple of months to (a), get the feeling of climbing again and re-condition those climbing muscles, and (b) to just have fun! Oh, another great part of that day? I got to hang out with my best friend again. We hadn't properly hung out and had fun with something that we both love for 4 months and I was so grateful to be able to do this again with him. While I rested, I watched Kevin boulder as well as chatting to other boulders. The great part of climbing, especially bouldering, is the social aspect. Climbers are chatty and fun to hang out with. So it was great socialising with people again, which, I dearly, dearly miss. 
What a great long weekend; life is good!