Will It Help?

That's the question I keep asking myself when I endure the torture of physical therapy and the active release massage. I come away from both with a pronounced limp and a bad attitude. I'm currently at 110 for flexion. That means I can bend my knee 110 degrees. For some, that's good enough. I'm not "some". I want more. There are knee replacement patients who, upon realizing that their knees won't bend past a certain unsatisfactory point, go back under anesthesia to get a manipulation. It sounds like a nice, civilized procedure, does it not? You want to know what they do during a manipulation? They wrench the knee in god knows what directions in order to break the scar tissue that is preventing the joint from obtaining a satisfactory bend. I'm not a candidate for manipulation. My knee bends enough for normal activities (sitting, stair climbing and descending, walking). I don't want a manipulation anyway. I want 10 more degrees of flexion. I was at 120 at the time of surgery. 120. I never thought I'd be thankful for that little bit of bend. It bugged me for the last 29 years. Well, I'll admit I'd be more than happy with that much flexion.

What if I get stuck at 110? I'll make the best of it. My pop-up will probably slow down quite a bit. However, 110 is fine for riding the mat. Now that I think about it, I'll be thrilled to wear fins and not be in agony. Here I was thinking the new knee would change my surfing. I never considered what it would do to my mat riding. I will be out in the water with a knee that is strong, a knee that is part of a leg that will be stronger than it's been in decades. This, now that I think of it, changes everything!

As I sit here, my knee is throbbing. My massage therapist doesn't take "stop" for an answer. Today, I politely asked him to stop what he was doing. His response: selective hearing. He totally ignored me. Good. That's what I want him to do. I wasn't dying. I was just in pain. I guess he knew I could take it. Yeah, I took it. Then I limped out to my car. I've limped for the rest of the day. Will it help? I think it might. If nothing else, it couldn't hurt.