On August 4, 2004, I returned to see my orthopedist. When I last saw him two weeks ago, he said that my range of motion was behind where it should be, and he prescribed more aggressive action by my physical therapists. He also mentioned possibly more surgery to remove scar tissue. Not what I wanted to hear.
The prognosis this visit made me feel much more optimistic. There was no mention of additional surgery! My range of motion was much improved and at the level it should be at this point of my rehabilitation. However, there are problems with my knee extension. I still cannot straighten my leg. At it's best, after stretching and manipulation, I can get it to -9°... quite a ways still from being straight.
The doctor prescribed a device to help me work on straightening my leg, called the 3 x 10 Full Extension Knee Device.	The 3x10 Full Extension Knee Device
The name of the device comes from the prescribed usage: "3 times a day for 10 minutes a session equals 0 degrees extension." With my leg in the device, the straps are tightened gradually to move my knee to full extension.
The Dynasplint	I will also be using another device to encourage full knee extension: the Dynasplint. This brace is a spring-loaded, adjustable-tension controlled device, which is designed to "provide continuous dynamic stress while patients are asleep or at rest."
The Dynasplint works along the same principle of braces for the teeth: gradual adjustment of the brace works the knee into the desired position. So far, I have been rigidly sticking to my exercise and stretch regiment for rehabilitation of my knee. I have been going to physical therapy three times a week. Hopefully, adding these two devices to my exercise plan will help lead me more steadily down the road to recovery. I see my orthopedist again in one month on September 1st.
Posted: 8/5/2004

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