Chickenminnie’s Weblog

One month ago today I was sporting a giant band-aid, using a walker and navigating the labyrinth of pain medications I was given to get me through the post-surgical insanity of a total knee replacement.  Fast forward a month later and it’s a pretty stark contrast to accomplishing my first walking-intensive outing to a car show downtown with an accommodating friend on nothing but Tylenol and walking without a cane. Dealing with a busted elevator and doing a bunch of steps down into the arena ended up being no big deal and I was stunned by how good I felt. My life had been consumed by worries about how long I would have to walk to pretty much anywhere so having that consideration become a non-issue is life changing.

I’m returning to work half days next week to give me ice and elevation time and to keep up an aggressive physical therapy schedule. PT is tough and my therapist and I are both aware of the finite window of scar tissue vs flexibility so we are in the home stretch when it comes to how much I will get back. I’m pleased to report that I have nailed the straightening part of the program which assures that I will use the correct working parts of the implant and I won’t look dumb in tights. Now comes the flexion which will dictate how deep I can squat, whether or not I can do a Sukhasana in yoga or straddle my partner. I don’t get along well with limitations so while flexion involves pain and requires more repetition than extension because I’m working against swelling and quads that have pretty much lost their minds as a result of being cut into, I am picking away at it and torturing myself on days when I don’t have formal physical therapy.  A new gym I am using has six rowing machines, a couple leg press machines and TRX straps galore so I’ve been working on my own little rehab routine.

It’s hard to believe that a little over a month ago I was in absolute agony and waiting for this to be behind me and I am amazed that the stuff that’s left is entirely mental. There are no more drugs to keep track of and I don’t need to use anything to assist my walking so it’s all about working through the pain of getting my mobility to match the other leg and learning how to break down the old muscle memory that favored my painful knee and made me walk badly. Gait is everything now and requires tremendous concentration but it’s a worthy exercise and I’m grateful as hell for the chance to stride all over the place again. New knee, new me.