First PT, Walking W/O Crutches, Firing the Quad [2-3 Days Post-Op]

I spent the first day after surgery at home resting, icing/compressing using the thermocomp machine while trying to keep my leg elevated. I was mostly on the couch and attempted to fire my quad muscles a handful of times, or when sitting on the floor I would try to lift my heel off the ground.  The good thing about this being the second time around is I knew what I could expect going into physical therapy, and I wanted to be capable of doing the first "easy" things without much pain.

Between surgery and 2-day post-op PT, I kept a steady diet of pain pills, assuming if I didn't the pain would be close to unbearable. I popped one before PT and my brother drove me in.  I had the immobilizer on and utilized the crutches going in, but once we were in, Drew had me doing a handful of exercises I expected:  straight leg raises, heel slides (knee bends), balancing on my surgical leg, walking across the PT area and back, straightening my surgical leg while laying on my belly...  Luckily I was able to do all these things without too much pain or needing any outside assistance.

That being said, Drew told me I didn't need the crutches anymore, and would only need to wear the immobilizer when in public so people around me would be cautious of my leg! This was huge (and, perhaps a little over-confident) but it made me glad that I was already on the right track.  At home I keep the crutches nearby, but can tell I'm not leaning on them heavily anymore (literally!)!

We even cancelled the 3-day post-op PT, as Drew knew I would take the at-home PT seriously, and he handed me a sheet of suggested exercises.  Today I've been doing them (rather) religiously, and each set of reps builds my confidence a little more.  I even ventured across the street to do my exercises in the park while my bro and hubby played some tennis at the courts there. All in all this is not a bad way to start recovery!

On top of that, after a pep talk from Drew, I was encouraged to scale back the pain meds and only take them when I'm in need of them, instead of as a preventative measure. The 4-6 hour schedule turned to "as needed" and I was surprised to find myself successfully doing at-home exercises well after the meds were no longer in my system.  I still have one now and then, but am grateful that it's more for achey pain than for anything more serious.

I'll be back at PT bright and early Monday morning (day 6 post-op) and my only concern is getting my knee bending back. In the meantime I'll work on it at home and try to go beyond 90 degrees so that the forced bending doesn't reduce me to the puddle of moans and tears I was when it was done to my other knee!

Bruising, Driving, Pain and Ditching the Crutches [6 Days Post Surgery]

I have heard of people getting bruising all the way down their shin and around their knee (seems normal since there was a saw, a drill and 2 screws in the mix of the procedure) but I hadn't seen too much of that on myself until recently.

Since pictures are worth 1000 words, here are some shots which show a little of the bruising, as well as my improvement in getting my knee to bend at home. [Remember, the Day 6 goal was 90 degrees per my Physical Therapist, Drew...] The swelling and tightness within the knee was what was keeping me from bending any further:

4 Days Post-Op:

5 Days Post Op:

6 Days Post-Op:

Now, granted, the pic above of 90 degrees was taken after PT, but to my credit, I did try at home that morning, and got to ~85 degrees and was delighted! As you can see here, on my way to PT I was able to get myself into the car and also crack a smile. Clearly I did not know what was waiting for me behind PT #3...

I arrived in my immobilizer and on crutches, and made my way so I could unwrap everything as I sat on one of the padded PT tables.


First, sitting upright with legs extended in front of me, I did 45 reps of using a belt around my surgical foot to pull the heel towards my butt, causing my leg to bend, then using my leg to push back out to straight. This is an easy way to 'warm up' the joint, as shown here during my at-home PT:Next, it was extend and bend time. I was lying on my back with legs extended as Drew massaged the lower thigh and knee-cap area. It was a cross between being painful and a relief. This manipulation lasted about 30 seconds, before he stood up (I was laying around his waist level) and he then leaned into my knee, forcing my leg to straighten as much as possible. In my opinion, I thought he was trying to bend my knee backwards, and this surprise pain caused me to flop around a bit. But it was nothing compared to PT#2's forced bend. I was then asked to flip over on my stomach, and got further massage on the back of my knee. In my few visits I knew this to be the prelude to a very painful forced bend, so already I was getting anxious. He did distract me though, by massaging the bruised area on the back of my knee (pictured below) which hurt a bit, but not terribly. Then, the moment I'd been dreading.

I am not sure where he places his hands, as I get into a foggy mentality at that point. But needless to say, he pushes my knee to bend beyond comfortable (or even uncomfortable) limits, into the screaming, gasping, never-felt-pain-like-this-before range. This is not meant to scare anyone, but I would not have wanted to watch this being done to myself or anyone else. Even though I was in an open PT area with other recovering people around me, I had no ability to limit the noises and cries coming out of my mouth. I actually cried/yelled, "STOP-STOP-STOP-STOP-STOP!!!" as he continued to bend my knee. Eventually, he did stop (this forced motion probably took all of 15-20 seconds, but felt like an eternity). My only saving grace was that instead of doing this 3 times, as he had done on Friday, he only did it once.

Drew told me he bent it to 95-100 degrees. I'm all for working towards a successful recovery, but be HONEST with me, man! If you're expecting more than 90, don't tell me 90! 5-10 degrees may not SEEM like a big difference, but trust me, I could feel every little degree (and the people around me could HEAR it!). There was an older man on the next table over who tried to make me feel better saying he's been through the same thing, but unless I heard his cries of pain, words didn't offer much consolation at that point. What I needed were Kleenex and more Vicodin....

PT carried on in challenging fashion, as I was forced to walk the ~80ft to a bike in the corner w/out brace or crutches, and it was all about being able to put full weight on the surgical leg, which I didn't think I could do w/out it giving out from under me. I had to trust Drew. I had to trust the guy who just put me in the most pain of this whole experience. Talk about a wild inner monologue.

I made it to the bike, where I used the force of my right leg to work on range of motion (ROM) for my surgical leg. Slowly I worked my leg forward and backward around the 'U' made by the lower portion of the pedal revolution, until I could finally make a full revolution with just a little pain.

After that it was more walking, some balancing, some marching in place and finally, icing my knee at the end. I was exhausted and in pain, but at least it was all over.

I went to leave, immobilizer on my leg and crutches under my armpits. As I said goodbye to Drew he looked at me with wild eyes and said, "What are you doing?!" and he motioned to an assistant, "Take those crutches away from her! No more crutches!" I became protective of my supportive crutches and responded, "OK, OK! I won't use them! But I'll carry them myself!" and hobbled my way to my car, where my crutches still sit.... So it's official, I've ditched the crutches!

There are no 'goals' for Wednesday PT, and Drew did say he promised not to beat up on me too badly every time, but perhaps every other time. I don't know what that means, but I did admit to him that if it is necessary for recovery, he can do whatever he wants (what was I THINKING?!). Maybe next time I'll bring a flask.... !

For further comparison to previous days, here are some shots from Day 6 Post-Op: