Physical Therapy For The Knee

Since I have routine knee surgeries I am on a roller coaster of getting worse, to getting better, to back to worse.  The worst being the surgery.  Then after I'm on my way back to being mobile.  Then my condition slowly cripples me again.  Making it difficult to walk or bend my knee without pain or discomfort in some way. 

Because of the medical system I depend on I simply can't afford to see a professional physical therapist.  And it wouldn't matter much anyways because by the time I get back to optimum health I'm deteriorating again.  So I do it my way each time.  Mostly because I know what I'm doing.  I trust what my body is and is not willing to do.  I have just naturally learned over the years and multiple surgeries, what works and what does not.

1.  Yoga - In the mornings, most mornings, I have created a routine that I can do daily.  It actually starts with meditation and then I start in on the moves.  I try to press myself the most at childs pose.  That is the most difficult one for me currently.  I end with planking for a count of 10.  I am working on increasing that count.  Then I lay on my back and pull my knees close to my chest and then stretch them out and pull my ankles toward my chest.  Then I lay for the final savasana.

2.  Bicycle - After my yoga I get to the gym and get on a bicycle with a moderate setting that changes resistance so I'm constantly shifting between pedaling slow to pedaling fast so that my heart rate doesn't go too fast.  I usually ride for 25 minutes.  I usually cover at least 6 miles in that time.

3. Swim - If I didn't get my bicycle time in I will get into the pool and get in a position where I'm bending both legs and kicking at the knee.  I'm not doing laps like everyone else as I'm trying to kick my legs at the knee as much as possible.  Usually I'm in an upright position with my legs bent like I'm sitting in a chair and kicking my legs at the knee back and forth while using my arms to keep me upright.

That is the extent of what I'm willing to do.  Every now and then I might add some weights but I don't typically do any kind of lunges because I have long legs and it's very difficult to get into a lunge without hurting my knee so I just don't.