I will try to answer these in relation to the two primary issues:
Issue A - the tightness of the muscle or tendon behind the knee
Issue B- the push presser and moderate pain behind the knee cap and below.
About issue A - this issue has subsided since my last post, icing the back and using heat seems to have done the trick. I am also stretching that area more often. Only thing I can figure is my increased activity on the stairs to try to help issue "B" may have over strained things. The tight binding muscle or tendon was on the back of the knee at D-E/RB1. It kept me from getting full extension and flexion when it flared up. it was very tight and hurt to bend it.
About issue B - it still persist. I am trying to keep doing stairs in hopes of pushing though it. I have noticed a few things, I can cause the same push pain behind the knee when sitting and I straighten lifting the foot off the ground. There is a lump area above the knee on the thigh muscle, if I press it, the push is less and the pain also. Like putting compression on something. The area I push is in B/RF2 area on the thigh above knee. The pressure push under the knee cap is in the area of D/RF2. I mentioned this below, but above the knee is a rise area of muscle or scare tissue, not sure which. if I push and hold that area down when I lift the leg the pressure is a lot less behind the knee cap. That the area of B/RF2 I push on. If I stand and bend the leg and press down like I am taking a step, I get the same push behind the knee cap, but if I hold that spot, I can feel it shift and tighten If I hold it tight enough the press behind the knee cap is lessened. This last part I recently discovered and had not had a chance to tell the doctor about. I generally thought I had a piece of scar tissue of soft lump or nogel under the knee cap that was moving and causing the pressure, know I am not sure.
1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't compare this with the bone-on-bone pain you had before surgery!
) Also don't forget to include other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness
Answer: ISSUE A - level 4-5 when it is tight on the back of the knee, but I have good news, it subsided after sever days of icing and heat treatments. I am thinking I may have strain them trying to get more stair work in. ISSUE B - when the press happens it is a pushing pain in one spot, then increases based on the amount of pressure the activity requires, Stairs have the strongest push, straitening the leg sitting the lightest.
2. are you using any pain medications for this - if so, much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?
Answer: Both A and B - Sometimes a tramadol at night. During the day not much, aspirin if it get irritating,
3.are you icing your knee - if so, how often and for how long?
Answer: Both A and B - call me the ice man, twice a day at lest 40-60 min each, when tightness behind knee started I went to 40 on front and forty on back where tight muscles was.
4. are you elevating your leg, how often and for how long?
Answer: no, has been a while since I elevated
5. What is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)
Answer: Bend is 130, extension is 0 once issue A subsided again,
6. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and
Answer: General hours work, yard work, mow, haul logs, walk, climb latter. I have also done three conferences with walking. Non of these seemed to result in issue A flaring up. I also walk a few times a day and try to do several flights of stairs a day up and down.
7. Are you still going to PT - or doing exercises at home? If so, what kind exercises at home are you doing? How much and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
Exercises done at home: 3
sessions a day
Heel slides x10 (
reps)
Straight leg raises x10
Steps x10
Answer: Yes,
Heel slides x15 reps at least 3 times a day
Straight leg raise x30 reps at least 4 times a day
Steps x10reps on each flight at least 3 times a day
I planned to start back at the gym because I have been off the bike for a while.