After making noticeable progress on a daily basis for the first couple of weeks, my improvement seemed to slow down a bit this week. I had more pain in my leg, continued fatigue, and was still dependent on the crutches. By Wednesday I was a bit discouraged and let my physical therapist know how I was feeling. She assured me that my pain, fatigue, and continued use of crutches were normal, and that it was also normal at this stage that the improvements would not be so noticeable.
I’d hit the proverbial plateau. This reminded me of the years that I was director of a language school for Americans learning Chinese and the pep talks that I constantly gave to keep them going when they felt like they were stuck and weren’t learning anything new.
I passed along what my language learning mentor had told me; namely that plateaus are inevitable, but the key is not to get stuck on them for too long. “Pitch a tent,” he would say. “Don’t build a house.”
So yes, I may have plateaued in my rehab a bit this week, but I’m just pitching a tent because I don’t intend to be here long!
And if you’re learning Chinese (or any other language for that matter), the advice is still great!