Ok back from appt..he asked how I was doing I said, "mentally not good. I expect more from me, my knee. my ROM is terrible, according to me, and doesn't seem to be improving." he asked what I had been doing for exercise. I said nothing except a heel slide here and there. i mostly ice and elevate. i think i angered it early on. im concerned ab MUA. do i have adhesions/ scar tissue? he said oh yes, everyone does but you are still early on and i think w/ gentle pt and passive ROM you can break the tissue. some of what you have is internal swelling too. he put his hands on my knee and felt the heat, swelling, etc. he said "as i said, its still very early and too soon to tell but ill keep it (mua) in the back of my head. even if it were 12 wks and we did mua, you still have to deal with swelling and an angry knee. he said every knee is different and heals differently and your ROM may come later rather than sooner. it seems as if you may have more of an inflammatory response than other pts. if we were at 12 weeks i would say yes, maybe MUA, but now i think you still have time to get rom. right now, im not so concerned w/ bending as straightening. there is always time for bending. but now we need to get you to zero.
most patients we do not send to pt but you are a prime candidate for pt (ph therapy) and i think youre ready and it may help. they can do passive ROM, myofascial release, deep tissue, etc and gently try to work out the stiffness and swelling. take meds before and ice after. my first pt apt is set for tom at 3pm.
as i was sitting in a chair he asked me to bend as much as i could, he said "that's pretty good. can i try? he tested ligaments first then pushed my leg/knee back. the knee physically went to 90 pretty easily (not too much resistance) but it was VERY uncomfortable. he asked me to get on the table and then lying flat wanted me to bend and then straighten as much as i could. i didn't get very far. he said only exercises i am to do at home are prone hangs and ice with a pillow under my ankle only. no more pillows under my thigh or leg. he thinks i have a contracture preventing the straightening which can also affect bending indirectly. he said it will be uncomfortable but i have to deal w/a little discomfort to progress. he said don't let pt hurt me though.
forgot to mention, i sat up w/my feet dangling off the table..for about 10 minutes maybe and he said, "look... your at 90..pull back more if you can.." i got a few more degrees with incredible stiffness and tightness i might add. i guess him messing with my knee the first 15 minutes allowed it to bend more as i was dangling. he said, "in 6 more weeks you can get to 100 i feel certain. that's only a little bit from where you are now. if you're not there at 6 wks we'll talk but for now just get to zero and 90. ice, elevate, tramadol and Naprosyn."
he said, "don't panic yet..im not. see you in 6."
sooo... that was better than i had thought. im excited ab my first pt session. ill report back after that. see you all tom evening.
United States
Mine feels the same way about extension... I finished PT at 5, not sure where I am now, but I keep working on it!
