Weeks 2 and 3

I combined weeks 2 and 3 because they generally felt the same as I was working from home.  And, frankly I fell behind :)

Returning to Work:  In terms of time off, I took off one full week of work and then worked from home for two weeks.  Starting to work was pretty difficult in terms of balance.  At first, I found myself realizing it was 5:00 p.m. and I had not even gotten into the CPM yet.  I was also just tired and not ready for the stress that comes along with being an attorney; i.e. I did not have the energy to argue with people.  Luckily, I had one work project that involved a lot of document review so I could essentially just balance my computer on my left leg (non surgical) and put my right leg in the CPM.  While it is not ideal, it worked.  Returning to work, even at home, made it crystal clear that recovery was certainly going to be a challenge.  It really gave new light to the saying, “there aren’t enough hours in the day.”  Between how much I was sleeping, in addition to trying to work at least 8 hours a day, sitting in the CPM for at least 4 hours and finding 1 hour to do exercises, it was a lot.  

CPM/Range of Motion:  This was probably the best aspect of my recovery.  I had no problem getting to 120 degrees in approximately 10 days.  While it was definitely tight at the top, I could get there relatively easy.  For each session, I would start lower and work my way up.  As it got easier, my general routine was to set it at 80 to start and then make my way up to 120. 

Icing:  I haven't been as diligent as I should be about icing.  I usually place an ice pack on my knee when I'm in the CPM.  I have not been using the ice machine as much.  

Pain:  The pain has been manageable.  It's frustrating that even the smallest movements can cause pain.  In particular, when I tried to move my leg to the floor, the area on top of my patella was very, very sore.  In fact, even engaging the quad in that area was very uncomfortable.  It feels like each time you need to do something, whether it be getting off the couch, going to the bathroom, etc., you feel like you have to mentally prepare for it.  Pre-surgery you do so many things in a mindless way which really changes after surgery.  

Sleeping:  The phrase "it is what it is" has never rung truer.  Sleeping with a leg brace on sucks, plain and simple.  If you sleep exclusively one way, having the brace on may pose a real problem.  I sleep on my back so I can generally get somewhat comfortable.  However, I do sleep on my side periodically throughout the night and that is generally unavailable.  If you are a stomach sleeper, the brace may pose a real issue.  

Exercises: I started an “exercise routine.”  Those quotes are necessary and if I was verbally explaining this to you, I would use air quotes.  For the most part I used resistance bands as my equipment.  I would have liked to have some weights but I did not want to spend the money on them since it was a limited amount of time that I would need them.  Generally, the entire "workout" would take an hour.  Aside from the physical aspects of doing this, it mentally felt good to feel like I was making forward progress.  

Legs

Loop band 

side life - 3x10 

back lift - 3x10

around the foot/side to side - 3x30

SLDL single 3x10 - resistance band

Quad lifts from the floor - 3x10

Quad lift and hold: 8x15 seconds 

**Heel slides:  I initially tried a few times to do some heel slides while sitting on the floor but I got paranoid about damaging the graft.  I tried 2x10 and got to 15 degrees.  It was a joke. 

Arms

Resistance band - Series x2, each exercise for 60 seconds

Bicep curls 

Overhead shoulder press, single sides

Triceps overhead 

Pull up shoulders 

Lat pull singles 

Front and side raise shoulders, single side

Core

I varied how long I did ab work.  At a minimum I always did 5 minutes.  

Each exercise for one minute 

Resistance Band:  Wood Chopper/cross body pull

Resistance Band:  Obliques standing/lower side to side 

Straight leg sit ups 

Legs up - climb the rope

Russian Twist (sometimes legs down)

Single leg lifts

Double leg lifts

Other Thoughts:  Overall, I would say that things went OK.  Candidly, this procedure makes everything in your life more difficult.  I had to give myself "pep talks" for ordinary life tasks.  For example, showering is really difficult and to some extent scary given the potential for slipping.  I'm not proud of how long I would go in between showers.  You have to sometimes really gear up mentally for really basic tasks.