Out of My Leg Brace

[SansDoute]

Yay!

It's been a month since my unfortunate fall which resulted in a badly dislocated knee, and I am FINALLY out of my full-leg brace. I'm now in a knee brace that is padded in order to push my knee inwards full-time.
Turns out that my ligaments are pretty much useless right now. I'm trying to build the muscles around my knee to help support myself. I'm going to eventually have to have a knee reconstruction, but I'm trying to put that off by at least a year.

I was quite proud of myself because I was able to walk to work today. I was completely out of breathe when I arrived and I'd nearly fallen over about 3 times, but I made it! Turns out that I've lost almost all the strength in that leg. It's like dragging dead weight behind you. And I'm restricted as to how I can walk. Down hill is allowed, as long as it isn't too steep, but uphill is currently forbidden. I'm now kicking myself for having moved to one of the hilliest parts of Lower Mainland B.C.

What I hate is how much my opposite leg is in pain all the time. Poor little thing has been taking all the weight for quite a while now. I'm going to a chiropractor tomorrow, then the physio on Tuesday, so maybe that'll help.

But either way, I'm just happy I can walk again. But I do have to constantly remind myself that I'm still injured. Forgetting, then trying to run or crouch down is horribly painful.

[r2cagle]

I know you're supposed to exercise your leg, but can't you rent or borrow a scooter/motorized wheelchair or something? At least for those hills...

Yay for starting to heal! Best wishes for a speedier recovery.

[SansDoute]

I have the option of getting a walking cane, but I'm trying to avoid that. I think I'd start to rely on it too much. Luckily, my job is mainly a seated job.
As for going uphill, I take a bus home (all the way uphill). The embarrassing thing is that I only have to go 3 bus stops between work and home. Seems like such a waste of money and I get a lot of looks from people on the bus who obviously just think I'm too lazy to walk. Though the bus driver took pity on me today. As I was hopping off at my stop, she promised me a free ride next week.
My favourite part of the day is when I get home at the end of the day. I get to take off my brace and veg out on the couch.

[Green_Fairy]

My favourite part of the day is when I get home at the end of the day. I get to take off my brace and veg out on the couch.

do you put a pillow or rolled towel under your knee so it doesn't hyper-extend? mine did that a lot after i dislocated it. hell, it still does. and make sure you keep up on physio! that stuff does more than people give it credit for. also...keep us posted on that reconstruction surgery. my mum's going in for her 3rd replacement this fall. knees fascinate me.
but i really hope you don't need to get it reconstructed...i've known people to blow out their knees and through therapy, they have an almost total recovery.
so...good luck and be careful!

[Magpie]

Advantages of getting a cane:
-people on the bus understand why you're taking it for such a short distance
-you can stop limping, so you don't kill your other side as badly

Disadvantages of using a cane:
-everyone seems to think it means I can't walk. I can walk WITH the cane, without it you'd never know I had issues, but I can't walk as well. And this includes people who have listened to me complaining about this same issue.