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2 Week Appointment
Settle the Knee
What Is Happening Inside Your Knee?
- The initial surgical trauma is settling as the body begins the healing inflammatory response.
- The graft is getting stronger, but the fixation sites are still consolidating.
- Post-operative joint effusion (swelling) is decreasing, allowing for improved muscular control.
The initial phase post-surgery is critical for managing inflammation and protecting the graft. Focus on quiet progress and consistency.
What You May Notice
Your Job Right Now
- Prioritize swelling reduction using compression and elevation.
- Execute knee extension hangs to achieve full passive straightening.
- Perform daily quad sets to re-establish neural connection to the thigh.
- Maintain strict compliance with weight-bearing restrictions as advised.
- Increased localized warmth around the incision sites.
- Intermittent sharp pains during early range of motion exercises.
- A feeling of 'tightness' in the back of the knee as swelling migrates.
- Difficulty activating the quadriceps muscle fully (muscle inhibition).
You’re Progressing When
Common Trap
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Ignoring full extension: Favoring a slightly bent knee for comfort can lead to permanent stiffness.
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Over-activity: Doing too much too soon can spike inflammation and stall graft integration.
- You can achieve 0 degrees of knee extension (parallel to the floor).
- You can hold a straight leg raise without the knee bending (the criteria to unlock the brace for walking).
- You are flexing (bending) the knee to 90 degrees.
- Resting pain levels drop significantly during non-active periods.
- Wounds are clean, dry, and showing signs of healthy closure.
What Comes Next
- Brace and crutch progression comes from quadriceps control, full extension, and improving flexion not from reaching two weeks.
Once those are in place, the work changes: the next 4 weeks move from inflammation control to rebuilding, with normal walking, full bending, and real loaded strength work replacing basic activation exercises.
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