I first learned what chondromalacia was on January 9, 2017; ten days after the surgery I had to treat it. Today I celebrate my 8 week anniversary.
There isn’t any polite way to say it; physical therapy can be a real bitch. I have good days and bad days, and really, really bad days. There are days when I want to give up, days when I regret ever having surgery, and days when I’m in pain and my knee is swollen and I feel like something is horribly wrong. Then I have a good day. A day where I realize the swelling is minimal, the scars don’t look so bad, and I can walk mostly normal. This past Tuesday I had a breakthrough and finally learned how to walk without looking like I was walking on black ice. (Yes, a woman did comment on my gait and compare it to that of someone walking on black ice.) It took almost 8 weeks, but I did it.
My current regimen consists of monster walks, crab walks, leg extensions, lots and lots of stretching, almost maybe going partially down a stair, Bio-Oil, and an infinite amount of clicking and grinding. Today I’m felling optimistic. I know that one day my leg will again be strong and powerful and return to it’s former glory.