My one-hour sessions with people holding physical therapy jobs end with 10 minutes of ice applied to the left knee, which typically feels as if it is ablaze following the regimen of exercises.
Since the late December surgical repairs for the torn meniscus, exercises with the physical therapists include methods of expanding range of motion and flexibility, both of which have progressively increased. Yet the dull throb of pain from the surgery remains, no thanks also to frigid deliveries from Old Man Winter. But that pain is slowly dissipating.
Squats, leg raises, balancing on one foot and especially pulling in the shin as much as possible while holding it tight for 30 seconds all serve strong purposes: strengthening the leg's muscles that were impacted by the surgery and widening the range of motion.
Plus the pain is manageable and much less sharp than that of pre-surgery levels. In the days leading up to the partial medial meniscectomy, a nurse conducted a pre-surgery interview. One notable question: Gauge the level of pain caused by the torn meniscus.
The answer: 2, 3 or 4 depending on the day.
Pain caused by the surgery and exercises is tapering and ultimately will completely disappear, orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists say.
-Henry Brier