The Little Things

It's hard to believe that my clinical internship at Medsport is almost over. I have only 2 weeks left there and a lot has changed in the past 4 months. Now I'll have a formal evaluation done by my clinical instructor about my progress through the internship. But there is more growth going on than just what I have learned about treating patients. I've learned a lot about myself. I've learned that the body is remarkable about healing itself when the proper stress is applied. I've learned to be very, very, very patient with . I also learned to push myself beyond my former personal limits of discomfort.

When I started there I was barely walking (and when I did, I limped). My quad was a shriveled mess. I couldn't bend my knee to 90 degrees. I couldn't straighten it completely either.

Today, after work, as I did my usual knee rehab I pondered the following little things:
1) No one has been picking on the way I walk.
2) Just a couple days ago, Ernie (one of the PTs) told me that it was hard to tell which leg was the weaker one because my strength has improved so much.
3) I can leg press 130 lbs on my weak leg.
4) My heel can touch my butt (and I can almost get it there on my own)

One weak area that I currently have is my balance. I started incorporating balance and proprioceptive work into my routine today. It was really hard. I can tell that when I stand, I still must be favoring the left leg. I was doing some single leg squats with a kettlebell and my whole lower leg was on fire. I have gotten very strong from the weights but now I need to carry over that strength to more functional activities. I have to be ready to be able to run out of the water and up a beach and into the transition area barefoot by this summer.