Fellow knee enthusiasts. For those that are interested, I have a short success story that I hope inspries and motivates all of you.
The Bad:
I'm 34, male and healthy. During early January 2008, I slipped on the ice while taking the trash to the curb. I sustained a horizontal fracture on my left patella. It broke into two pieces. After an overtly dramatic 911 call and trip to the ER, I was sent home in an immboizer and told that I would need surgery to repair the fracture.
Shades of Hope
Surgery was successful and I went home with two vertical pins and a figure eight wire assembly. I returned home and didn't bend my knee for 6 weeks. After confirming that my patella had healed, I tried to bend my knee in the doctors office and it moved less than 5 degrees. My leg was also a toothpick relative to my other leg. While this was disapointing, tranisitioing to a brace that allowed knee movement and starting PT was a major victory on the emotional front.
Physical Therapy
I began physical therapy immediately after confirming that my patella had healed. This was the most painful part of the journey. PT lasted 12 weeks and I regained 100% mobility in my knee 3 weeks after PT began.
Hardware Removal
I had the hardware removed today, 15 weeks after the original operation. Surgery lasted one hour and I walked out of the hospital without crutches. I can already feel the difference. I was blown away by how big the pins were. It's great to have them out.
Best wishes. It's a long journey. And thank god for modern medicine and health insurance!
