Gearing up for Winter Olympics on Stauffer Avenue
It’s time for the next test of endurance here on Stauffer Avenue. Go Stauffer Avenue Olympics! Shoulder surgery does not have a successful ending if the patient does not follow up on the excellence of the surgeon. I have been working with the elastic band that is hooked to a doorknob here in the house. The band is pulled high, the band is pulled low, the band is pulled wide, and as the days pass I grasp the band closer to the doorknob for a bit of extra resistance. Whatever movement of the arm and shoulder I expect to have in the future, I mimic those movements with the band. Oh, how much is taken for granted. I do forget that at five weeks all is going according to the plan of recovery. I’m a true blue German and I get impatient.
Dennis and I have talked about going out for a Valentine supper this Friday. We agreed to postpone the holiday supper as eating with my left hand is getting me by, but not very gracefully and when using the right hand I may end up with more food on the floor than in my mouth. Just not socially acceptable.
Generally, an exercise bike may not seem as if it would play into the next step for physical therapy of a reverse shoulder surgery. The exercise bike we have has the back and forth motions of the handlebars as the bike is peddled. What a great way to extend the arm and rotate the shoulder as it requires firing up some muscle power, giving the legs a free ride for the motion.
This exercise bike is a 23-year-old jewel that has been used to no end. Dennis checked the bike over this morning and disappeared for a bit as one of the pedals needed a bit of attention to detail in the shop. Nothing would be worse than a pedal coming off the shaft and finding myself in a recovery of another body part. I don’t think Dennis would be up for that as well. So, in days to come, I hope to give the shoulder a new challenge for movement. Tuning into the Winter Olympics on NBC while I give it a whirl should be great incentive. It’s either this or better.