Six weeks ago I had knee surgery. I mentioned it prior to the surgery, but have not wanted to talk about it since. The knee surgery was "life changing". It's not drastic in the way that I am now missing a knee, but it's big enough that I have to make some significant changes in my life.
This wasn't my first knee surgery. I had surgery on the same knee six years ago. During the six years in between there were a few times when I thought I might need surgery again. My knee, however, calmed down and I didn't think about it again until this past May. I still have no idea how I injured it in May. I went running in the morning, played outside with the kids while wearing flip flops and by evening I was in an excruciating amount of pain and couldn't bend my knee to 90 degrees.
During surgery my surgeon discovered that I have terrible cartilage (or as Ryan likes to say, "I have the knee of a 400lb man"). My cartilage is softer than it is supposed to be and it shreds and flakes off. My knee pain and other problems happen when the cartilage is too rough and chewed up from wear and pieces fall off and get in the way of my knee functioning. The bad thing about cartilage is that they can't fix it. It can be cleaned off and smoothed out, but they can't ever replace what I am losing.
What does that mean for me? Well, the biggest change of all is that I am not supposed to run anymore. I can jog for short distances, but I am not allowed to run long distances. Running has always been my choice for cardio and not being able to run is heartbreaking and leaves me out of sorts. I hate the elliptical machine with a passion and I'm not a fan of the recumbent bike. That doesn't leave many options. Since surgery I have used my treadmill to walk and I bought a stationary bike stand for my mountain bike. There's something different about riding on the mountain bike that makes me feel like I'm actually accomplishing something.
I have to wear sensible shoes with high arches that will help take the stress off of my knee. Thankfully "sensible shoes" do not mean ugly shoes anymore. However, "sensible shoes" still mean "expensive shoes". Too bad the doctor couldn't write a prescription for shoes. I had to clean out my closet of shoes that weren't going to be supportive for me. There was no point in hanging onto shoes that will only damage my knee further.
Other changes I have to make are to work hard to keep my quad muscles in good shape. That is difficult since I was also given limitations in what I can do. I can't do leg extensions, lunges or any other exercise that will put my knee in a 90 degree angle or greater. I worked with a physical therapist who gave me some good exercises to start with. Over time as I get stronger I'll have to figure out some different things to do to keep my leg strong and change things up for me so I won't be bored. I am also taking large doses of glucosamine and chondroitin. It may not be proven to be effective, but people swear by it and there is no harm in trying it for my knee.
On my six week follow-up appointment the doctor told me he would see me later. Hopefully with the changes I make that won't happen for a long time.
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