Post-Op Day 34: 1 month check up - The knee nipple

 

My buddy Sean Parry asked me how my knee nipple was doing. He was referring to the "nipple" like bump on the right side of my knee in the photo. The nipple ("nip") was commonly referred to as the alien in previous posts. Since my infection has left, the alien has shrunk to a persistent nipple sized bump. I think Sean should trademark the name, knee nipple. It'll catch on in the ACL community.

Photo on the left. I know ladies, control yourselves. This is quite the handsome leg. This is what my doctor saw today during my 1-month check up. Actually it's almost 5 weeks but close enough. Granted my knee is bent and the angle is weird but it's a little swollen still. As the knee heals and sheds scar tissue, the knee swells and is painful again. This is normal apparently. Whatever. It still hurts.

Obviously being a doctor isn't all that glamorous if you're looking at these types of things all day. Here's the skinny Alice: 7-14 days I'll be totally healed... at least on the inside. From there on out the only thing holding me back is range of motion and strength. In theory I could surf in 2 weeks if I had the strength and range of motion, which sadly I have neither. The enemy at this point is the swelling. Swelling is good and evil at the same time. Swelling means the body is healing itself. Swelling is bad because it prevents range of motion and you can't build up muscle. Swelling also adds pain as the joint is used. Activity is good for the knee except when it causes too much swelling. The knee nipple and the scar tissue in the front will go away in time as it heals. It's still a waiting game.