Post-op Day 36 – Physio Again

The post-op patella re-alignment recovery continues apace with another session with the physio…..

It’s post-op Day 36, and my journey to the physio’s was better than last week. I am finding it a bit easier to drive after the knee surgery now. My pain level whilst in the car is slowly, but definitely, improving. So I managed to arrive for my session feeling reasonably upbeat… However, today’s physiotherapy was very, very painful!

The scar has healed well enough now for the physio to work more with the scar and the immediate area around it. Whilst it was still very ‘raw’ he had to work a distance away from it, but today he was able to start manipulating the scar tissue to try to prevent it from ‘tying down’ and becoming tethered. Needless to say it was agony!!

I think any scar manipulation would be very painful at the best of times, but what made this even worse was that my scar is still over-sensitive/hyper-sensitive. The slightest, lightest touch is agony! So purposeful manipulation was pure torture! But it’s necessary, so I just had to be brave…. (ish!) I know it’s very important, at an early stage in the rehabilitation, to prevent the scar from tethering.

The physio then introduced more exercises, for me to try to activate what few quadriceps muscles I do have, and to rebuild the vmo muscle in particular. I managed a teeny-tiny bit – but it was enough for the physio to be pleased.

Strangely, whilst the physio was really pleased with me, I myself felt no sense of achievement at all… It was silly of me to feel that way, but I did. What I had been able to do was so little – compared to what I could do pre-op – that I didn’t feel I’d done well. Of course for a knee that has only recently had the trauma of a patella re-alignment operation (patella stabilisation/vmo advancement) and a lateral release revision, it had done a huge amount! It’s all relative isn’t it. Also, from my perspective, it was so painful just doing that tiny bit, and knowing that it will only get worse before it gets better, it was all rather sobering!

My knee remained very hot and swollen all day – I could feel the heat coming off it, even through the tubigrip. On my way home from physio I stopped at the shops to buy lettuce and tomatoes, then once home I settled down on the sofa to watch tv. I was so tired and sore that my appetite disappeared completely – I didn’t even fancy any chocolate! I needed to rest my knee, so I didn’t do any more exercise and didn’t eat any dinner either.

I felt a bit deflated… when you start on an exercise programme you realise how far you have to go! When you can’t do any, you don’t think about it, but once you make a start and realise how hard it is to do even the smallest thing, you see the huge challenge that lies ahead!

But I know that, I’ve been in this situation so many times before, the starting-again-post-op-phase… yet it doesn’t make that initial realisation any easier! It’s tough and this time I face my longest recovery period. So, let’s dig deep into that resilience!

I’ve just remembered that this is my “Patella Re-alignment Adventure” – christened so by myself – so, that’s lightened the mood already! I shall remember that this is an adventure! I chose to do it, it was my desicion! All adventures have their ‘ups and downs’ but over all they are worthwhile…

• Posted in: Post-Op ♦ Rehab
• Tagged: challenge, driving after knee surgery, knee surgery, lateral release, muscle strength, pain, patella re-alignment, patella stabilisation, physio, recovery, rehab, scar, vmo advancement