13 Aug 07, Mon – 21 Aug, Tue. D76 – D84. The 12th week.
Time flies - today is already the 12th week since I underwent the ACI operation. I’ve also started to partially wean off the knee brace, which I’ve been wearing almost 24 hr a day. I now wear it only when I’m sleeping and when I need strenuous effort to move around, such as, climbing stair and going to hospital for appointment. This is to prevent the knee from buckling. The wound is also healing well, although with some pain from time to time, probably caused by the various daily exercises and partial load bearing. The “pins and needles” feeling (paraesthesia) on my foot has also gradually faded away. There is still some swelling on the knee, but you can make out the profile of the kneecap now.
At the 9th Physiotherapy session, I tried walking with one crutch. I initially thought I needed the right crutch to support the right knee, but I was wrong. Using the left crutch to move in synchronization with the right leg actually helped to support 50% of the walking load. I also tested how much partial load my right leg can bear currently, by setting up 2 weighing scales and gradually shifting the load to the right leg – it had improved from 59% two weeks ago to 70% currently. To be able to walk with some limping, the right leg must bear at least 90% of the body weight - so I still have to work on it. My unassisted knee flexion had also improved from last week’s 105° to 117° now. When forced, the knee can now bend about 130°. The physio said I’ve made good progress.
Time flies - today is already the 12th week since I underwent the ACI operation. I’ve also started to partially wean off the knee brace, which I’ve been wearing almost 24 hr a day. I now wear it only when I’m sleeping and when I need strenuous effort to move around, such as, climbing stair and going to hospital for appointment. This is to prevent the knee from buckling. The wound is also healing well, although with some pain from time to time, probably caused by the various daily exercises and partial load bearing. The “pins and needles” feeling (paraesthesia) on my foot has also gradually faded away. There is still some swelling on the knee, but you can make out the profile of the kneecap now.
At the 9th Physiotherapy session, I tried walking with one crutch. I initially thought I needed the right crutch to support the right knee, but I was wrong. Using the left crutch to move in synchronization with the right leg actually helped to support 50% of the walking load. I also tested how much partial load my right leg can bear currently, by setting up 2 weighing scales and gradually shifting the load to the right leg – it had improved from 59% two weeks ago to 70% currently. To be able to walk with some limping, the right leg must bear at least 90% of the body weight - so I still have to work on it. My unassisted knee flexion had also improved from last week’s 105° to 117° now. When forced, the knee can now bend about 130°. The physio said I’ve made good progress.
Right leg can now bear 70% partial load
I have stepped up my cycling workout to reach 15 km (340 calories) daily and also raised the resistance to Level 5. However, my physio advised against over stressing the knee on any one particular exercise. Too much cycling can actually put localized stress on the knee. It would be preferable to work on a wide variety of muscle exercises progressively, so that the strengthened muscles can together support the knee. Another exercise introduced was to lean against a large inflated ball at the back against a vertical wall, while I rolled up and down, bending the knee slightly, a variation of the back wall-slide introduced in the previous week. To date, I’m now doing some 22 different types of exercises.
My car battery went totally dead, even though my brother has helped to start the engine once a week to charge the battery. Anyway, it was time for a replacement as my present battery lasted about 3 years. AA Singapore responded within 1 hr, even though I told them I’m not in any hurry to fix it. A new “Zero Maintenance Battery” was fitted, costing $94.
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