Therapy

Last year, after lots of pain and frustration, I found out I had a a bum knee and a bad back.  That's not officially what the doctor said, but saying "arthritis" and "slipped disc" make me feel old.  She asked me to choose from a list of therapy centers and without doing any kind of research, I picked Kaimuki Care because of their location.  They're on the top floor of the Kaimuki Shopping Center (you know, above Longs and Times), which is a funny place for a physical therapy center to be.  You can either walk up a fairly large set of stairs OR take the elevator and then walk the entire length of the building to get there.

I was nervous.  I'd never been to therapy before and I didn't know what to expect.  To the end, I didn't know what to wear.  Workout clothes seemed too casual, but regular going out clothes seemed too restrictive.  Because you sweat in therapy.  You stretch and do weight training and do exercises you wouldn't ever think of yourself.  My least favorite of those was scooting myself on a rolling office chair down the length of the hallway using only my heels.  Killer!

Anyway, Kaimuki Care turned out to be such a winner.  I saw two therapists, which I guess is unusual, but they were both great.  It worked out for me, I think, to get two different brains trying to figure out my workouts. Working on my pain management and conditioning.  They were friendly and personable and attentive.  They were firm, but responded immediately if I experienced any pain or discomfort.  They listened.  After climbing up those steep steps one day to get there after a particularly pain-filled day, I had to confess that my knee was killing me.  We skipped the exercises that day, and they focused on not just alleviating my pain through massage, icing, and electro therapy, but also in determining where and what the problem was.

Therapy ended months ago.  On my first day, I couldn't even stand on my left leg, no joke.  It was so weak.  And because I'd try to compensate by relying heavily on my right leg, it resulted in a near slipped disc.  By the end of my sessions, however, I could stand on my leg and my back didn't have me wincing in agony.  My therapists taught me the correct way to use exercise equipment as well as how to properly stretch and exercise my target areas.  And when I went in last week to pay my bill, they all recognized me and said hello.  My therapist asked how I was doing and offered more tips to help with the knee pain.

Do you know what it feels like to be liberated from almost constant pain and discomfort?  Do you know how it feels to finally function like most normal, able-bodied people?  Though I continued to go to the gym a few times a week, I'd slacked off on my stretches since we moved to our new place.  Knee got sore again.  Started the right stretches with that damn karate belt (we have a love/hate relationship) a few days ago, and I'm right as rain.  Still wear the brace at the gym, but it's good.

It's possible I might have gotten the same high-quality care somewhere else, but I know for sure that Kaimuki Care does good work.  I'd recommend anyone who needs it to go there.