Clean Run - July 2012 - 21

they needed the pain meds. Regardless of how you feel about the pain meds, I would definitely advise taking something prior to physical therapy. The medication will help you deal with the pain and allow you to get more accomplished. In the first month of PT the emphasis was on getting the “bend” back in your knee. Zero degrees range of motion is a straight leg. 90° degrees is your basic sitting position. Most people can bend their knee 130-135°. While still in the hospital, the physical therapist starts helping you bend your knee. At first I could bend it about 70° and that was with the therapist pushing against it. I was sent home with a “constant motion machine” which forces your leg to bend and straighten. I was to lie in this six to eight hours per day. My goal was to be able to bend my knee 120-125°. That allows you to do most things. By the end of the first month I was at 110°. In addition to regaining my range of motion, I also worked on a lot of strengthening exercises. Around the second week I was strong enough to go from a walker to a cane. My husband drove me to agility class and while I couldn’t run my dogs, I could walk the course. Doing this sort of helped me keep my head in the game. I also worked my dogs on simple things that did not require a lot of movement on my part, such as sending to the table and having them go immediately into a down. We practiced diﬃcult weave entrances and some tunnel/ contact discriminations. It was my left knee that I had replaced and I was told I could start driving as long as I wasn’t fuzzy headed. I waited until I no longer needed the Oxycontin and was no longer exhausted following PT.

along, but before the emphasis had been all about getting the bend back. Now I needed to build enough strength so I could eventually run my dogs. I was very lucky and had a great physical therapist, Cindy Steele. During my second month of therapy I showed her a video of myself running a course so she could see the skills I needed. We did a lot of balance work, often times balancing on my new knee so I knew I could trust it. I walked backward on the treadmill. I did football drills and fancy footwork drills. Our emphasis was on balance, stability, and confidence.

Month Three: My First Agility Trial
I entered my first agility trial 10 ½ weeks after surgery. It was a local USDAA trial so I could enter at the last minute. The footing in the horse arena was rocky and rough, and a smarter person would have put their dog in the car and gone home... but I am not that smart. I had only run my dog on a full course four days before the trial. This would be a good opportunity to see where I was in the recovery process. The footing was bad and I was very cautious. I did run, but slowly. My brain worked even slower and my commands were very late, but it felt amazing to be running again. Funny thing though, even though I had little pain in my knee I still limped when I ran. I had limped for so long my body didn’t know how to run any differently. While I did not Q much, this trial gave me some valuable information. I needed to be a lot stronger. I hit the gym almost every day, riding the bike and the elliptical trainer. I did resistance training to build up the muscles in my legs but I still limped when I ran. At the suggestion of someone on the Agility Knees discussion group I had a friend film me running down a line of jumps so I could see how I looked. I was definitely short strided. When I ran I was leading with my “good” leg and sort of dragging the “bad” leg along. Once I could see what I was doing I could fix it. I kept running and videoing until I looked like a normal person running. The only way to convince my brain that I could run without hurting was just to do it. At first I ran on the treadmill. I’d run 10 steps and then spread my feet on each side of the belt and rest. Then I’d run 20 steps and rest. Once that was no longer scary I took it outside where the concussion was greater. Walk 10 steps, then run 10 steps. Eventually I was run-

During this month I started back walking my dogs every day, slowly increasing the distance. By the end of the month we were walking two miles. When I had my hip replaced I had a huge fear of falling, and that fear can really slow your progress. This time I started walking with my husband or a friend for security. We walked through the woods and over uneven ground, up hills and down. The more I did this, the more confident I became and less worried about injuring myself. By the end of the second month I was working short agility sequences at home and in class. I did a lot of threejump work with my dogs. We practiced wraps and pull-throughs—things where running was not necessary. At my eight-week doctor visit I was cleared to do whatever I wanted “but jump out of a plane.”

Month Two
I think back on this as more of a strengthening month. I’d been working on strengthening my quads and the muscles that support the knee all

if i can have this success with artificial Joints anyone can. i am not a JocK. i am liKe a lot of agility competitors; i’m a middle-aged woman carrying a few eXtra pounds who loves her dogs.
July 12 | Clean Run 21

Clean Run - July 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - July 2012