That Pesky Elbow

I'm trying to be PT tough with my elbow. I have a few things I have to do. Bending up towards the shoulder (not supposed to try straightening it yet), rotating the wrist inward - pronation, and rotating the wrist outward - supination. The last is the most painful. When you rotate your wrist so your palm faces up that is 90 degrees supination. My doctor anticipates I'll get 45 degrees back! Totally lame. But she wants us to try for 60 degrees. Not sure what I'm getting right now, but I'll ask my therapist on Thursday. Ultimately, though, anything beyond 45 degrees will be a great result. I'm having a hard time thinking of the kinds of tasks that will be affected by this. Brushing teeth, passing a dish of food to someone,holding stuff? All three of these exercises are passive, meaning my left arm provides the energy. The only thing I'm doing actively is hand exercises; making a fist, wiggling my fingers, and moving the hand up and down.

On a positive note, in between reps while doing my exercises I'm rubbing my arm (to help reduce swelling) and saying, "This is my arm. It will heal and be strong again." Power of positive thinking combined with hard work!

Some kudos for Kaiser. I can get a decent amount of PT - starting next week 3xs a week. I also like my therapist.