After the op the arthritic pain vanished but the dinosaur muscle hardened and shrank. The swelling was too bad to move for a good 10 days. My PT is currently only 95% sure i will get to full extension. It is extraordinarily uncomfortable to have the foot on a stool with a horizontal leg for more than 11 mins. I can manage 20 mins but only on 60 mg of codeine phosphates!
If your PT is really expecting you to do that for up to 20 minutes, that is part of your problem. You are only supposed to do it until it becomes painful. At that point,
stop.
If you continue after that, you will be making the tissues at the back of your knee upset and swollen, which is definitely counter-productive. It will be making that problem muscle more inflamed and tighter.
Any PT that causes actual pain (rather than discomfort) is bad PT. And no PT at all is better than bad PT.
Remember, we advised you this:
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
I think you need a break from the pressure that's being put on you (and your knee) to meet an unrealistic schedule. Everyone seems to be rushing you when, in reality, you have all the time in the world.
This is your life and your knee. You are the only one with the right to say what happens to it. While others may advise, you also have the right to choose whether or not to accept that advice.
What others are asking you to do hasn't been working, has it? So you have nothing to lose by trying something different.
Try taking 2 weeks off PT - no sessions at all. Instead of doing lots of exercises, just let your normal Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) be your exercise.
Give your knee lots of rest, ice and elevation, to try to help it calm down and reduce its swelling.
Just in case you think you can't do that, read this article:
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?