Since today is my 1-year anniversary, I figured I'd share a short update. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! There's really not much that's new, my knee is still being very stubborn and not wanting to bend past about 105 degrees. I'm still struggling to go down stairs (the only thing left that I care about!). It is stronger (I walk 4-5 miles almost every day and have started using the elliptical regularly), but still pretty stiff. I'm also still struggling with the nerve pain and sensitivity, which is annoying, but not horrible. I saw my OS yesterday and he said the implant looks great and he's not concerned. He said I should continue to improve ROM (even though nothing has improved for months) and suggested I continue to try desensitizing the scar area. I don't have to go back to him for 5 years (unless I have questions or need something).
I asked him why I still "feel" the implant and if that was normal (I don't feel my hip hardware at all and doing think about them at all). He told me that the hip is "the forgotten joint" and knees are different. With the hip, about 90% never think about it after it's been replaced, but with the knee, that number is only 30%. So, I guess I'll always have a reminder of this surgery. However, with all of the issues I've had over the past year, I'm still glad I had the knee replaced. The constant pain is gone, the nerves should heal with enough time, and maybe someday it will decide to start bending!