3 month update
I am getting a tiny bit better each week. Doing home PT each day, one complete session and then a few stop and stretches through the day. After going through my stretching and strength exercises, I can get between 125 and 130. But lose ROM shortly after stretching. In the mornings as soon as I get out of bed knee has very little swelling but is very stiff and maybe 90 ROM.
I can go up stairs normally but feel some soreness in knee as I push up each stair, but I feel this is building back some strength. After my home PT session, I can go down stairs but need to hang on to the rails, I feel my knee does not have the strength to safely lower me to the next stair.
I feel I am now at the point I thought I would be at 3 weeks out, not 3 months out. I make a tiny bit of progress each week. My son was just here for two weeks. He said he noticed my improvement from when he arrived to when he left. The gains are so small, it is hard for me to notice.
I am doing iso exercises each day to strengthen leg but hard to add real strength this way. My quad seems to be back working at 100%. 3 weeks ago, I was doing elliptical 5 minutes and treadmill at good walking speed for a quarter mile. After three days of this my knee became irritated so I stopped. Today, I will do 3 minutes on the elliptical as a test and if ok I will up time 30 seconds a day.
I feel I need to begin trying to build strength in both legs because after 3 months of minimum walking and activities they are turning into noodles.
6 weeks ago I bought MSU football tickets. I figured my leg would be able to handle the walking, standing, and sitting involved. My wife and I discussed the other day and we decided it would be best she went with a friend while I stay home convalescing
. We are Alum and my daughter just started at MSU and I was looking forward to seeing her at a tailgate. Another big game at the end of October, maybe I can go then but not buying tickets until much closer.
I gave up so many activities this summer. We planned on taking a Jamaica vacation in November but that is off the table. Maybe next November. At 60 years, it sucks to give up a year of living normally.
I will see actual doctor next week. Last 2 visits I only saw his PA. This time I will make sure he will be there and will wait hours if he is behind. He is chatty so it seems he is always at least and hour behind. The main reason behind this visit is to determine if I need an MUA. Last 2 month visit a month ago I was at 110. Now I am at ~125 after loosened up so I am hoping I dodged that bullet.
Still, I would like to get to at least 135 so I have enough functionality to play tennis (assuming the pain and stiffness goes away one day).
I will give the doctor a piece of my mind about him playing down the recovery time. I am sure he will give me the everyone heals differently spiel. True, but hardly anyone is almost back to normal at 3 weeks as he told me when talking me into this. I watched a PKR video and it is no surprise healing takes this long.