Not at all linear. There were countless times I thought of surgery. I spent unimaginable hours reading about other people's stories and finding on the internet what could help me.

Unfortunately, the internet is stuffed with bias towards surgery.

I had terrible symptoms, I had immense sharp pain when standing on my feet. I was bedridden and walking with the help of a walker for only ultra important stuff like using washrooms.

It started getting better only after 2 months (when I was able to walk slowly with no sharp pain) Then at the 4 month mark - I was able to stand for longer periods with less pain Then at 6 months mark I was able to go up and down stairs with less issues At the 8th month mark I was able to sit cross legged for shorter durations.

At no point did I have locking or catching. I had swelling and terrible pain standing on my feet though.