I continue to have gradual improvement. Swelling around the knee is still significant, but the swelling has gone down another 1/4 inch since last week. Knee circumferance is now 18 inches. In this past week, I have walked about the house without the cane for the most part--only using the cane after PT when the knee is swollen and tender. With two flights of stairways in my house--one going into the basement, and one going to the upper floor to the master bedroom--I have also started (trying) to walk the stairways with one foot per step. I am cheating a bit by leaning on the railing and twisting my hip a little to accommodate my surgical leg as I walk the stairway. Each day, I am noticing a little more improvement doing this. Walking up the stairway is easier than walking down the stairway. I can almost walk up the stairway normally while using the railing for balance. Going down the stairway is more difficult as I cannot bend my knee sufficiently when my good leg moves to the next step.
I had my one month follow-up with Dr. Denzin this past Monday. He seemed satisfied with my progress, and he approved my request to return to work on a part-time basis for the next two weeks. Provided this two week trial works out, I hope to return to full time work as of January 24. Restrictions for the near term will be limitations on prolonged standing/walking, and only light duties. I asked Dr. Denzin serveral other questions:
1. How long do I have to take the daily aspirin? He said to take it until the full motion has returned to the knee.
2. When can I resume swimming? He said immediately.
3. Do I have to take antibiotics for other things besides seeing the dentist? He said that I only had to take antibiotics for medical procedures that were not sterile. In effect, only the dentist visits will require antibiotics since other procedures will likely be conducted with sterile methods.
4. Can I damage my knee if I really work aggressively to improve flexion of the knee. He said that provided I am bending the knee in the normal direction and trying to obtain a 90 to 110 degree bend, that I will not damage anything other than possibly stretching/tearing scar tissue. And stretching/tearing scar tissue is good as scar tissue build-up can sometimes restrict knee movement.
5. Should I be concerned that my knee is not bending a full 90 degrees at 5 weeks post surgery? Dr. Denzin said that he sees good progress witht my knee flexion and that it is improving, possibly at 80 degrees now since surgery. He believes with agressive PT that I will regain full motion as I had pre-surgery and possibly more if I continue to work hard in PT.
With the green light from Dr. Denzin, I am now working aggressively on knee flexion at physical therapy (PT). I have PT at the St. Joe's clinic Mon, Weds, and Friday for two hours each day. I am also doing my own PT on the other days at my home gym. While the clinic PT is focused almost exclusively on my knee, my home PT is more of a complete body workout for both upper and lower body. I am finding that PT is helping with improving knee flexion, but it is best done late in the day as my leg aches and becomes swollen afterwards. Trying to work after PT is difficult as my knee is less flexible.
I crossed another milestone this week. I successfully rotated the pedals on the stationary bike without too much difficulty. While it is awkward for my leg to move fluidly, I can now rotate the pedals slowly around on the stationary bike for 5 to 10 minutes.
The other milestone this week is my return to work part-time. I am working 4 or more hours a day, trying to spend some of that time in my office at the LSA building of the University of Michigan. As the Director for Information Technology, my job is not physically demanding. Much of my work day entails responding to
e-mail, attending meetings, and reading detailed reports and white papers. Hence, I am able to do this work without taxing the knee too greatly. Only lenghty walks or prolonged standing will be activities that I will have trouble accomplishing for the forseable future.
I was able to work at the office on Monday and Tuesday this week. I found a handicap parking place about 40 yards from my office located in the small parking structure behind the Michigan Daily offices. I was able to walk the 40 yards to my office without too much difficulty. I was also able to attend the one-hour manager's meeting on Tuesday without too much discomfort. I did bring an ice bag to the office, and I have arranaged my extra chairs in my office to elevate my leg as needed. My only concern as I drive to work each day is the available handicap parking places nearest the LSA building. If I do not find available parking in the parking lot behind the Michigan Daily for the 40 yard walk, then my only other option is to use the Fleming parking structure which is 100 yards away from my office. Walking 100 yards will be a real challenge for my knee. Even if I am able to walk the full 100 yards using my cane, I suspect the knee will be very swollen once I arrive to my office. Lengthy walks will be the real challenge for me as I return to work. Hoping to minimize lengthy walks for the next 30 to 45 days by finding shortcuts, getting a ride with a colleague, or asking someone to substitute for me at a meeting.
One final milestone to mention. I retired the urinal (that the hospital gave me) next to my bed this week. I have not used it for a few weeks, but I did find it useful during the initial weeks at home. Instead of having to walk with pain to the bathroom at night, I was able to use the urinal next to my bed instead. Yes, another sign of recuperation!
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