There have been a lot of distractions recently, so I haven’t written much about my microfracture recovery.
I am still recovering, but I’ve got some pain that is setting me back.
The million dollar question for me is “why does it hurt?” The pain is in the inside of my knee running down the groove between the knee cap and bone (femur?). My meniscus that was repaired happens to be right there. It is also where the muscles that I’ve been working with my physical therapy come together and attach to the bones.
So, there is a chance I am just getting tendinitis. I thing there is also a chance that the meniscus repair has failed. Dr. Behr said that the stitch in the meniscus has a about a 50% success rate. He put the stitch in to help the microfracture form a good shape. So, it would not be a huge surprise that it does fail.
The pain started out much higher (~1″) than the meniscus and got better when I stretched and relaxed. Now, the pain has become more of a sharp pain that is a little lower.
Stretching does seem to make it feel better, but it does not go away anymore. I have had a few moments where it didn’t hurt at all, but most of the time it hurts when I walk. Sometimes it hurts more, sometimes it hurts less.
I’ve got an appointment with Dr. Behr next Monday. In the mean time, I am just doing some basic stretching and trying to see of relaxing help it feel better. I’ve got a lot of mixed thoughts on what I hope it is. It hurts and is keeping me from doing my recovery exercises. Partly, I hope that it is just a relax and let my muscles catch up thing. Partly I hope that there is n easily fixable problem. If it is just because I’ve stressed it too much, then I will always be worried about doing too much. I’m also not sure what another surgery to repair the meniscus would be like.
Again, what is the hardest part of all of this? The mental part. I’ve over thought this way too much.
Aside from all of that, I am doing a lot more (maybe that is why it hurts?). I am walking more, caring the kids some and generally getting around much more. So my life is getting better and my body seems to want to do more (a sign of getting better). It is a hard, long path to recovery.
Good luck at your appointment, buddy. I remember the ups and downs of visiting the doctor when my elbow was buggered up–I’d let myself get hopeful, and then leave discouraged, sometimes at the point of tears. It is a long, hard road. But one day it’ll all be a faint memory…