Today marks the 6th week since my microfracture knee surgery. The 6th week of my microfracture recovery. This is the day that I begin to walk again. The knee feels pretty good and I am ready for this next part of my recovery.
The First Steps
“Getting rid of the crutches” is more of a phrase than a reality. I think that if I just tried to walk today, I would have fallen over in pain. I don’t have much muscle in my leg at all. As much as I’ve heard that I have a “good” VMO, the reality is that I have a good VMO considering I haven’t walked in 6 weeks. It is still much smaller than it should be. And it is smaller than it needs to be. That means I am not ready to fully walk.
The good news is that the process of starting to walk again will help build up the strength much faster then through leg lifts alone. The good news is that I can begin to do some closed-chain exercise to help rebuild my leg. The part of my recovery will be hard for all new reasons. It will have some pains for new reasons too. But this time they will be in the name of recovery and not just internal healing.
What will the next month or so look like? I am not sure. I do know that for now I am using the crutches to help the process of walking under my own power again. Right now, I am putting my foot down with some weight on it. I’m sure I will get this for a few days or more. I am still using the crutches, but this is much better then needing them 100%.
My Progress
I can now stand without them. I can use my microfractured leg for balance (this helped me empty the dishwasher this morning). I can feel the muscles working a bit. And I am a lot happier.
The only thing that comes close to a negative is the fact I am wearing shoe for the first time in six weeks. It feels sort of weird, but it is a good thing. My foot tingles a little, but it is getting better.
The best thing is that I don’t feel any major pain in the knee itself. I am pretty excited for my recovery prospects.