Day 14 - 21

Recovery two to three weeks after surgery had greater mobility but a maddening persistence of the swelling below my knee.  The big victory during this time was getting dressed; I no longer had the urge to brace my hand against a wall or tub as I put on a pair of jeans or shorts.

On Day 15, you can see that I am unable completely straighten my leg.  At the time, I credited this to the swelling around the incisions below the knee.

When seated at a desk for more than 20 minutes, I had difficulty getting up quickly, and there was a stiffness to the right knee that was uncomfortable.  After a few steps away, this stiff sensation would dissipate.

On Day 16, you can see that swelling above the knee is still there, and there is visible atrophy in the quadriceps muscle (compared to the left leg, not shown):

On Day 17,  I noticed only after processing the picture that there is bruising from drainage:

(I used a gray card to make sure the color balance was accurate).

For exercise, I used a stationary bike pursuant to doctor's recommendation to increase range of motion at minimal resistance. At home afterward, I elevated my leg above some pillow with ice packs to reduce swelling.  It was shocking at first how tiring it was do do even 15 minutes of continuous pedaling.

On what would be leg days in my exercise program, I started doing one-legged leg presses on a horizontal machine at very low weight, approximately half my weight.  A few sessions later I added about ten pounds.  It was a far cry from the pre-operative workouts, which normally included barbell squats.

On Day 19, you can see the atrophy in close comparison:

By Day 21, the swelling above the knee has almost fully dissipated: