Something W.W. Jacobs once said...

I've been wanting, waiting, wishing for the time when I could start training again... and for my sins that time arrived this past Monday.

My first Physical Therapy session started with assessments and a heat treatment. Fairly benign despite the weight of the heat blanket on my sore shoulder causing some pain. "No so bad." Thought I, "When does it get as rough as I've heard?"

The answer came swiftly...

The Therapist entered after an assistant was kind enough to remove the heat blanket and went over what we would be doing. Again I thought, "No so bad.When does it get as rough as I've heard?" Then came the first exercises...

"Remember", says the Therapist, "Passive! You must not use your shoulder to rotate your arm, just inertia."

So we start;
30 clockwise, 30 counter clockwise.

30 side to side... repeat

Hhhhmmm... I'm a bit fatigued and in some discomfort...

Lie down, use your good arm to raise you injured arm, but do not use the injured arm. Relax it completely.

10 reps, hold the stretch for 5 seconds... Okay.

Holy crap! This is PAINFUL!

"Doing great, " Says he. "Remember p-a-s-s-i-v-e"

Last exercise; Grab the bar in your good arm while holding the end with your right and push the injured arm at a right angle, hold for 5 seconds. 20 times.

Arrrrggghhh.... What the hell??? I'm exhausted already!

Then I'm done. Time for some ice and electro-stimulus. Had this before with my knee, no biggie...

After a few minutes my shoulder started feeling like a milkshake, in mid shake! The muscles, so long unused, now felt as if in a blender.

Breathe.... Breathe.... Breathe...

Finally an assistant came in saying I was almost done. Just over a minute left.

A MINUTE IS A LONG TIME!

Finally I was done, freed from that infernal draconian contraption!

I was glistening with a fresh coat of sweat, sodden from the workout... exhausted... but satisfied.

I now have a training schedule; At the Therapist 3 times a week and must perform the exercises 3 times a day. On three of the off days from the Therapist I walk run until I am allowed back on a trainer. To say its getting tough is an understatement.

So... As W.W. Jacobs once said in his wonderful, "Tale of the Monkey's Paw" from 1902;

"Be careful what you wish for..."

Eric J