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My visit to the orthopedic doctor today had better results than I was expecting. The x-rays show no sign of the fracture, so the bone has healed! That means I no longer need to wear the leg brace or use a cane or anything. The doctor said that I don't even need to have any physical therapy unless I really wanted some, as my leg hadn't been out of use that long, and the knee was still easily flexible (thanks no doubt to making sure I spent at least five minutes daily flexing it, as the first doctor had advised); she said whatever physical activity I normally pursued would be good enough to rehabilitate it.
Despite the fact that I did flex the knee daily, however, I quickly discovered that my knee does need some readjusting to normal activity. It feels more sore now when I try to do something like walk down stairs than it ever did from the fracture or from swinging it around awkwardly while braced. The leg felt odd, not quite wobbly but not quite sure of itself, when I first started trying to walk normally after the check-up. Just the effort to use the leg normally in stress situations, such as walking down stairs or kneeling down (I had to clean the litter box and bathroom today), definitely made it hurt immediately, though it was tolerable and manageable. And I keep catching myself using the movement habits of having my leg braced, such as taking stairs one step at a time and keeping the right leg straight. The soreness may take more than a couple days to ease, but I think I'll get over the restricted walking habits pretty quickly.
I'm particularly pleased that it's off now, as I'll be flying to Boston on Saturday and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of wearing the leg brace. I hadn't even called the airlines yet to tell them I was going to need special seating consideration, which I really should've done weeks ago; fortunately, now I don't need to. It's also nice that I no longer have to take up 2+ seats on the bus, or otherwise have my leg sticking out in people's way. And I've got my right hand available again to carry things if needed, as I won't have to be holding a cane. Really, walking on two functional legs is a pretty cool thing. Appreciate it.
Despite the fact that I did flex the knee daily, however, I quickly discovered that my knee does need some readjusting to normal activity. It feels more sore now when I try to do something like walk down stairs than it ever did from the fracture or from swinging it around awkwardly while braced. The leg felt odd, not quite wobbly but not quite sure of itself, when I first started trying to walk normally after the check-up. Just the effort to use the leg normally in stress situations, such as walking down stairs or kneeling down (I had to clean the litter box and bathroom today), definitely made it hurt immediately, though it was tolerable and manageable. And I keep catching myself using the movement habits of having my leg braced, such as taking stairs one step at a time and keeping the right leg straight. The soreness may take more than a couple days to ease, but I think I'll get over the restricted walking habits pretty quickly.
I'm particularly pleased that it's off now, as I'll be flying to Boston on Saturday and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of wearing the leg brace. I hadn't even called the airlines yet to tell them I was going to need special seating consideration, which I really should've done weeks ago; fortunately, now I don't need to. It's also nice that I no longer have to take up 2+ seats on the bus, or otherwise have my leg sticking out in people's way. And I've got my right hand available again to carry things if needed, as I won't have to be holding a cane. Really, walking on two functional legs is a pretty cool thing. Appreciate it.
