Week 1 Post Dislocated Knee Injury – Update!

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It’s been 11 days since my knee was dislocated during a Zumba class. Did you miss my first post about what happened? Check that out here

This week has been full of emotions, pain, tears and so much frustration. I spent the first 7 days not putting any weight on my left leg, under doctor’s orders, and my leg has been splinted in an immobilizer. I’ve experienced a lot of swelling, though much of it has gone down, bruising that is extremely tender to the touch and pain pills have been by my side, around the clock.

Walking (hopping) on crutches has been my mode of transportation and my arms, body, hip and every part of my being has been squeezed with exhaustion.

Week 1 Post Dislocated Knee Injury - Update!

I’ve spent most of the week Googling experiences with a dislocated knee and tried to compare my situation to everyone else. Google is the devil when it comes to medical problems… I should know this by now. But it’s hard to not reach out to the internet to find any glimpse of hope and information about recovery, specially when you experience an injury like this. 

Thursday, (8 days post injury) I had a follow up examination with my orthopedic doctor and received wonderful news. We did more X-rays of my foot, as we suspected a break, and was told that the break in my foot was from an older injury that happened 10 years ago. With this news I was given permission to walk with my crutches, putting weight on both legs. 

My injured leg has not been walked on in a week and it now feels like a “wet noodle”. I can feel my knee shaking and there isn’t a lot of stability at this point. 

For now, I’m still in the immobilizer and have physical therapy starting tomorrow. The therapist will work with me to help strengthen my muscles with the goal of removing the immobilizer when my knee is strong enough. We are anticipating 6 weeks of physical therapy, but we will know more tomorrow after my evaluation.

I have no clue how long my leg will be stuck in a straight position, but I’m longing for the moment when my legs can curl up on the couch, when I can snuggle into bed, climb into the car with knees bent, and can take a warm shower without having an audience next to me. 

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