I've come to find out most recently that there are major differences between PT and PT. The first PT stands for Physical Training which is, "A system of doing physical exercise to make the body fit and is a state of being well, healthy and fit enough to perform workouts, vigorous tasks and sports." Many companies have their own measures of performance when it comes to PT training such as the military, law enforcement, sports team training and of course individual training programs. They do PT to keep in top physical shape.

However, the other PT is Physical Therapy which is "A healthcare profession that aims to restore, maintain, or improve physical function and movement. It can help patients recover from injuries or surgery, manage symptoms of health conditions, and prevent injuries. PT's use a combination of techniques, including exercise, stretches, massage and electrotherapy, to help patients regain strength, flexibility and mobility."

In other words, PT (Physical training) is used to strengthen your legs while a Marine Corps Drill instructor is running beside you encouraging you to strengthen your legs at a quicker pace while the PT (Physical therapist) is there to assist you in restrengthening that same leg after tearing a hamstring muscle while running.

Having learned that my knee would require surgery in order to return to normal activity, I started asking around to family, friends and acquaintances about their experiences with the same kinds of surgeries. I found out that just like cancer, it seems everyone knows someone or has had a personal experience when it comes to dealing with the various surgeries and recovery times and methods. I mean, I think I read somewhere that nearly 50 million adults are involved in physical therapy each year, which doesn't really surprise me after looking up you-tube videos of adults trying hoverboards and Onewheel boards for the first time.

I started asking folks who had gone through the same surgery as mine as to what to look for in PT (Physical therapy) options after surgery. Interestingly enough,most of them said the same thing, "Don't miss any of your PT appointments and do exactly as they tell you." This reminded me of some of the memes and quotes about physical therapists that I'd come across in my research like" If at first you don't succeed, try doing what your physical therapist told you to do the first time" or "I have ways of making you walk" and " Physical therapists make America Gait again" and my favorite, " This IS going to hurt you more than it is me."

Having looked around a bit, I found a PT establishment that is owned and operated by a guy and his wife who used to be a teammate of mine on a local softball team in a previous life and as I recall was huge benefit to the team as he had all kinds of medical and therapy knowledge and advice that helped us out during our games, like popping dislocated fingers and shoulders back into place as well as a pre-diagnosis at the end of a play like "well, so much for your achilles tendon, might want to have that looked at, we'll see you next year" kinds of advice. Plus he was ( is) an all-round nice guy. Perfect for what I was looking for!

I met with "John" before my surgery and after reminiscing of the old days on the ball field, discussed my treatment and actually took me through some of the exercises I'd be doing on my road to recovery. The facility is nice and has a gym area complete with machines, yoga balls, straps, harnesses, mats, ice machines and other paraphernalia that could be found in any Spanish Inquisition assembly hall. I'm sure John and all the staff have heard every joke or reference to pain associated with healing that's out there, swear words included. Nothing like being in the middle of an exercise and hearing someone say "Hells Bells Mabel, that hurts!' we're always encouraged to "Let it out."

As mentioned in the definition of Physical Therapy, electrotherapy is used in the healing process which initially brought back scenes from the movie "One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest" but is actually carefully placed electrodes on a particular muscle which is stimulated with an electric current to the particular muscle. The settings on the control remote go from feeling almost nothing to having the soles on your tennis shoes start to melt. I prefer something in the middle range, although one day it was quite pleasant until the staff noticed during my treatment the batteries were dead in the remote, "looks like we need to start over," dang it!

I must say, the staff at the facility have been amazing and help with the little things which makes the therapy more pleasant like taking the time to check and change dressings or bandages, help in tying shoes, assisting in getting on and off machines and adjusting pillows and checking batteries in the remote. I do believe the process of putting on compression stockings is a therapy exercise in itself. Humor and personality are a big part of recovery, the staff are good at recognizing and expressing encouragement like "You're doing such a great job on the exercise bike, won't be long before you'll be using the pedals".

I've found my PT home and will soon be pedaling.