The Two Week Itch

Technically, the 16 day itch. Close enough. I'm sure you know the feeling when you start something new and it's super fun- the new routine, enjoying some time off, catching up on TV and movies and basically being a useless member of society- until that feeling wears off. Day 16 and that's me. I'm beginning to feel rather antsy and bored with any and all of my entertainment options. Luckily, I had my torture appointment today- that's what I've renamed PT, and no, it's not quite that bad- so my day bed looked extra comfy this afternoon. Some good news and bad news came out of my fun trip to the physical terrorist, so let's start with the not so happy.

Bad news:

• My therapist learned how much I sound like a sailor when I'm in a ton of pain. My knee has been extended completely straight since surgery, hence the stiffness and pain that ensues when I try to bend it. I felt pleased after I progressed to bending it about 20 degrees (that's how doctors & therapists measure progress after surgery); however, my therapist quickly decided that he was going to force it to bend about double that, which led to the swearing. 

Good news:

• However, despite the torture, I was able to find a positive in that bending my knee on my own now is a lot easier and I can bend it more, albeit not to 50 degrees, but I'm also not a masochist.  I also feel a lot stronger and I can see my quads firing a lot better now. 
• I'm also close to being weight-bearing, which is great news. My doctor is being very conservative and wanting me to wait up to 6 weeks before putting weight on my knee, but my physical therapist is fighting that and I may get some great news when I see my doctor in 2 weeks. I'm also going to start a few weight shifting exercises in PT next week, so that's a plus. My therapist told me I'm about average when it comes to being 2 weeks out of MPFL reconstruction- average strength, average flexion/extension and average swelling. However, I want to be better than that, and I'm really trying to step up my PT routine (which I'll do another post about soon).