11 Weeks post-op

Saw my OS yesterday, who was very happy with my progress and with the solidity of the knee. He's mentioned a couple of times that the ultimate test of the knee's stability post-op would be to do the Lachman test on both knees eyes closed and, say, forgetting which knee was "involved" not be able to tell the difference between the two. He said yesterday on examination that I was very very close to that point. I think one key element of this would be getting the tension right during surgery, once the graft is installed. My understanding is the OS uses some kind of tensionometer to do this, but I have to think that experience, and the unique feel that an excellent OS can give this process are what make the difference between a mushy feel and a nice solid joint.

My OS is a nice guy, and you can tell he's very precise in how he does probably everything, from making coffee to tying the knot in his necktie. That's exactly what you want in a surgeon doing this kind of procedure.

However, as good as the knee feels, he wanted to caution me that I need to remain vigilant about as my PT would put it, "doing something stupid" that would cause the graft to fail. At this point, as good as it feels, I will only walk out onto a tennis court to sweep it; I won't even go out there with a racquet -- too tempting.