Thankful....for Physical Therapy

I have recently started physical therapy for my left foot that had the bunionectomy. The main target of the surgery was my big toe or medically speaking the Great Toe. The bone was cut in two places. The toe doesn't bend. I was not able to wiggle my toes for two months.

In the past week I have been able to move the Great Toe a little bit. I hate having people touching my feet so that presented a challenge to my physical therapist. He encouraged me to touch the toe and showed me how to manipulate it at home. By doing some simple moves to the toe at home, I am able to relax enough for him to do what he needs to do during my therapy sessions.

Something that has been made very clear to me is how connected every single piece of the human body is. In the foot there are tendons and there is one main tendon that controls all five toes. Because my foot was wrapped and in a boot for eight weeks the tendon became tight and unable to move the toes. I also noticed that my ankle was extremely tight and my calf muscles were so tight my left leg felt like a wooden leg first thing in the morning. So part of my therapy is ham string exercises to relax the muscles.

I am thankful that we have excellent health insurance and that physical therapy is available to me. It can be uncomfortable and painful and at times, but I appreciate everything I am learning and thrilled to see my Great Toe wiggle a little bit.

What are you thankful for these days?