1-My pain level in my knee really never exceeds a three. The achiness I get is more of a nuisance feeling than a pain and I can deal with it pretty well during the day.
hmmm, okay ...
The worst pain, oddly, is in my hip. It can get to be a 7 at times when at rest.
Can you tell me the exact site of this pain using this chart?
Please note the instructions in the smaller image
Also, the soft tissue pain around my knee can be about a 6-7 when massaged by PT
Then don't let her do it! e have a mantra which includes the advice
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
Swelling is bad by noon on work days or days I walk a lot.
Then don't walk a lot and reread the previous answer!
2-My prescriptions are (were) oxycontin 20 mg, 2 X Day for first four weeks. I stopped taking that after three weeks and have one weeks worth left. I was prescribed Percoset 10 mg, every four hours as needed for breakthrough pain. I have a lot of those left still and only take ½ tablet (5 mg) at night when achiness and hip bother me most. I take 500 mg of Tylenol in morning around 7am and again around 3am.
Considering you are only 8 weeks out, you have to remember that this is
very early in your healing process. Therefore you still need to be taking your meds as prescribed and not cutting back. 5mg is an inadequate amount for good pain management as is 500mg Tylenol. The basic
effective dose of Tylenol is 1,000mg up to 4 times a day. In effect you are taking medications at a level that is inadequate and yet still exposing you to the side effects. Not a good idea in any way, shape or form.
3- I ice daily in the evening during the week for about ½hour and an extra ten minutes on PT days while I am at the PT facility. On weekends I ice 2 times a day for about ½hour each time. 4-I elevate above my heart about same frequency as Icing. I elevate at work throughout the day but only on my garbage can while sitting at my desk chair. At home I putter around the house and elevate in recliner (not above heart).
You accomplish little or nothing in 20 minutes. Ice for at least 40-60mins and more than 4 times a day, same with elevating. And foot on a stool (or garbage can!) is also inadequate. Your foot has to be higher than your hip (some say "toes above nose") for full effect to reduce swelling.
6-Activity at work consists of walking perhaps a total ½ mile per day interspersed with desk work. At home is mainly puttering around interspersed with average errands, light chores and rest. I do some cooking, some laundry etc. I stop when its bothersome. I do about three sets of one story stairs per day.
That's quite a lot for 8 weeks out.
How long have you been back at work? How many hours do you do weekly?
7-Honestly I do very little PT at home since the tear and partial detachment. Mainly leg lifts with quad tightened 3 sets of ten reps.
I can imagine. I would have been happier if you were doing NO exercises! Leg lifts are very demanding on the patellar tendon/quads.
Your exercises - my comments in
bold
leg lifts with 2.5 lb weights 3 sets of 10 -
too much and never with weights!
bridges with 2.5 lb weights 3 sets of 10 -
too much and never with weights!
butterflies with 2.5 lb weights 3 sets of 10 -
too much and never with weights!
flexion bends with 2.5 lb weights 3 sets of 10 -
too much and never with weights!
8" stair steps with 2.5 lb weights 3 sets of 10 -
too much and never with weights!
leg presses on what I call a sled with 2.5 bands of tension 3 sets of 10 -
too much and never with bands!
Terminal Knee Extensions with 17½ lbs of weight 25 times held for five seconds each -
horrendous!
Other activities like calf stretches, quad sets and etc are interspersed -
well those aren't too bad provided you weren't doing huge amounts like those above. I'd say 5 reps of anything once a day is plenty.
All in all, I'd say you should never have been given such a gruelling programme before at least 12-14 weeks and then in amounts far less than you have stated. The bridges and butterflies are probably responsible for your hip pain which I will comment on further when you have given me the site of the pain. But I think I already know what it is.
I do think this was overdoing it and led to the partial tear and partial patella detachment.
No kidding!
United Kingdom
Anyone been through something like this? Even after my re-injury, my knee and leg felt better than they do now.
