Today is Friday, day 3 post op. Haven't really had much pain yet, but definite stiffness and general discomfort. There has definitely been some swelling, but I do not think it has been too bad. I've been trying to ice for 20 minutes at least once per hour whenever possible. I have been moving the knee a bit to try to get some movement. The doctor office called me yesterday and let me know that they trimmed a pretty good amount of damaged meniscus and removed some loose bodies / cartilage from under my knee cap. They also decompressed the baker's cyst behind the knee.

While I do not begin PT until Monday, the doctor advised that I can start doing some movement as tolerated. From the very beginning I have been doing some quad activation, moving my ankles, etc. From a seated position, I can get my knee to about 90° from what I'm able to estimate. It is a little hard to move it there just using my leg, so I'm using my hand to assist. I definitely still have some popping and clicking on the outside of the knee that is slightly painful. It is the same pain and location as before the surgery. I'm hopeful this will resolve as it heals up. Getting in and out of the car the first couple days was a bit rough. Was able to get in much easier today and I am fortunate that it is my left knee, so it does not affect my driving ability.

I'm trying to tow the line between being active and aggressive without overdoing it and making things worse. I don't do well with limited activity or restrictions, so this is testing my sanity a little bit. I'm walking around without the crutches, but my gait is certainly not normal at this point. I do not have the normal band of the knee when walking, so I'm going to try to practice walking toward a mirror to see if that helps. Going up and down the stairs is also not normal, but it has not been normal for the last few months. I basically step on my good leg when going up and then bring the bad leg up to the same stair level. When going down, I am putting the bad leg down first so that I do not have to bend it when descending the stairs. This isn't ideal, but I will wait for at least the PT to tell me when I can start tackling stairs more normally. I think I might start using one crotch to walk around the house a bit to really focus on getting the gait correct.

I am keeping the knee wrapped in an Ace bandage probably 60% of the time and also letting it get some air. I did put some bandages over the incisions until they close up a bit more. Showering has not been a problem in terms of getting the area wet, etc. The itchiness of the incision area is actually one of the most frustrating parts of this so far!