Return of the physical therapy geek

I have so much good news to report!

I saw Dr. P. for the first time since my ACL reconstruction surgery last week, and was cleared to swim, bike, row, lift and limp around on my new ACL without a brace. More importantly, he told me the surgery was a huge success, and that my menisci—which he previously thought may have been torn—were “baby’s bottom pristine” upon closer inspection.

I was also cleared to start physical therapy, which longtime readers will know is a hugely exciting proposition for me, as I’m a total physical therapy geek.

Sadly, Beefcake Brad, who helped me work through some nagging hip and ankle injuries a year ago, is no longer practicing in the area, so I had to seek help elsewhere. I asked Dr. P., asked around among runner-friends, scoured the “Best of” lists in places like the Washingtonian and Bethesda Magazine, Googled the heck out of the results I found, figured out which therapists would work with TRICARE … and found the perfect match.

Edward P. Lee of the Physical Therapy and Sports Assessment Center is a former Detroit Lions wide receiver who got into PT after tearing his own ACL. He just happens to practice two blocks away from my apartment.

There’s always a brief period of awkwardness when you and the therapist are feeling each other out to gauge each other’s commitment and motivation. They’re looking to see how serious you are about your treatment. You’re looking to see if they understand just how important it is that you are able to resume playing your recreational sport of choice as soon as humanly possible. Hopefully, these guys will realize quickly that, once they earn my trust, I will be their most dedicated (if most annoying) patient, more likely to overdo my at-home exercises than to skip them.

Stay tuned for my new PT lineup, which I promise to share here.