Physiotherapy is hard work.  I spent an hour on Wednesday trying to get my body to do things it’s not built to do.  It’s easy to get embarrassed when I can’t even work out how to sit down correctly, but my therapist is kind and has a sense of humour.  I think I’m finding it easier because I learnt to ice skate as an adult.  I took lessons with tiny children who glided over the ice while I was a unsteady mass of fear attempting to cling to the ice by clenching my toes inside my boots.  I overcame my fear and awkwardness and I learnt how to skate.  I also learnt that it’s OK to look stupid and to fall on your ass.

I don’t like to look stupid, but I’m getting better at it as I get older.  Just as well really as so many of my new exercises involve attempting to stick my bottom out.  It really does not want to do that.  I find it hard to even understand that.  Instead my waist bends, or my shoulders bend forward, but my bottom refuses to obey.  And when it does obey it hurts!  I have all these underdeveloped muscles that don’t want to be used.  Thankfully my body can do some things.  I am able to stand on one foot with my eyes closed for more than 15 seconds. I did not know that this was a thing that people should do but now I am working on improving my balance.

The thing that I really like about physiotherapy is that you can measure progress.  I think that I am feeling less pain in my legs than less week, but I know that I can bend my knees a whole extra centimeter.