Day 4 Post-Op: First Physio Visit

Woke up grumpy – tried to sleep without painkillers but woke up at 2 am, then 4 am where I conceded and took 2 paracetamol and managed to sleep for another 3 hours after. My morning then focused on getting to the physiotherapist.

Two days ago, I wondered how I would make it to the physio and back – it’s about a 30 min journey one-way and given my state I wasn’t sure I could endure it.

I didn’t take painkillers, but I did prep myself by icing and compressing my leg with my Game Ready unit.

Unbelievably, I did it with relative ease (but still needed a wheelchair to navigate the bumps of my condo, and R’s help to get in and out of a cab). I used my crutches to get me from the cab to the physio.

The key goals in ACL Rehab Phase 1 are as follows:

• Achieve full extension (knee straightness) – CRITICAL
• Minimize pain
• Reduce swelling
• Quadriceps control
• Return of Range of Motion (ROM)

Full extension is even more important than ROM at Phase 1. I had been freaking out about not propping my ankle up on a pillow constantly at night. The pain makes this unbearable after about ~30-45min, and I was convinced my knee was crooked.

However, on measuring it he declared that it was at full extension – 0 degrees baby!

While I struggle to keep my leg fully elevated with only a pillow propped under my heel all night, the physio said it was ok to prop a pillow under my knee even (for elevation and to reduce swelling) and it wouldn’t be that bad for my knee extension.

I have been doing a lot of knee locking exercises to push my knee down through the day, which I think helps. The physio also showed me how to do prone leg hangs – another way to get your knee to straighten.

Of course, the hardest thing I need to remind myself of is that the work doesn’t stop here… this is only the very beginning.