Adjusting eyewear is the final move before taking a step off the edge, plunging under and going unbothered for the next 20-plus minutes.
Thus began the perfect follow-up exercise to a month's-worth of physical therapy after arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Nine-plus weeks after the surgical procedure, pain in my knee is virtually non-existent. Many thanks are due to people holding physical therapy jobs who helped work on my knee during the month after surgery.
The second month consisted of daily swims with an emphasis on kicking hard with both legs. Running forward and backward against the resistance water offers also was helpful. Another exercise that proved to be enormously beneficial was standing on the leg holding the repaired knee and hopping laps under zero-gravity circumstances.
A follow-up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon toward the end of the month-long swimming regimen prompted strong acccolades about the recovery. He said that exercise proved to be helpful to the knee's recuperation after surgery. The surgeon did not request additional appointments.
So in addition to guiding the recovery of a surgically repaired knee and providing a haven from the various vicissitudes of life, the pool also provided one demanding cardio-vascular workout.
-Henry Brier