Finally got my appointment to see Philippe today after a 2-week wait. He was referred to me by KM, and I deferred going as his consultation fees were sky-high. It was S$120 for the first session, typically about an hour long. But having delayed for so long and my knee was not getting any better, I was thankful that I had made an appointment earlier on.
Philippe was a charming French old guy, friendly, experienced and totally competent. He smiled constantly and joked while he "manipulated" (to use his word) my body. I was pulled, stretched, twisted, cracked, clicked and rotated in all possible joints on my spine, hips, legs and even neck. I could literally feel my vertebrae go click-click-click one by one. And to re-align the hip joint that was causing tension on my knee, he yanked and jerked my leg - I almost flew off the therapy bench - and then a loud click on the hip. After many countless yanks etc (I lost count...), I left the clinic a much loosened, joint-lightened and happier person.
I went for lunch at a nearby food court. But after sitting for some time and crossing my leg, I felt the familiar tension-pull in my knee as I stood up. Hmmm, that could not be right. So I went back to the clinic for a quick check with Philippe. He was nice enough to fit me in between patients for a quick adjustment of the tibia (I need to read up more on parts of the leg....). He sent me off, asking me to try running this evening and see the effects. I had a follow-up session on Sat. And that was despite him travelling on Friday and voluntarily squeezing me in after closing hours on Sat. I guess in my state of desperation, I was most grateful. :)
In the evening, I went for a relaxed run at NUS to test my knee. Bumped into Ros jogging at the track, how nice. I ran slowly on the field surrounding the track for about 38min. There was still a very slight pain in the patella, but not over the previously injured spot. I decided to head out for a small loop around Clementi Rd and back to NUS. I managed a total of 56min non-stop, even up the long NUS slope near Central Library. Compared that to Monday where my knee tightened after 20min and needed a massage every 10min, tonight was heavens. After my cool-down stretches, my knee felt totally loosened. I could even execute a couple of gungfu front kicks, when previously I could barely hobble after a run. Knee felt a little weakened though, but I suppose that could be easily toned up. But my stamina probably fell a little, after weeks of low mileage. :(
Now as I am sitting at my dining table, typing this entry, I am swinging my knee, revelling in the newfound non-restrictive sensation of having regained full range of motion. :))
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