I now know what real pain is. Last Wednesday, my physio decided it was time to work on the graft site, where the hamstring tendon was taken. Luckily for me she did not tell me she was going to do this other wise I think it would have turned out worse.

More anti-inflammatory work on the muscles around my knee started on my hamstrings. Then gradually moved to the graft site. I have been told by many people I have a high pain tolerance and this was put to the test when the graft site was worked on.

The hamstring that the tendon was taken from re-attaches itself to the other hamstrings (their are four in total). As you can imagine, the trauma caused by the removal of the tendon makes the affected hamstring very tight and a lot of scar tissue forms to make the re-attachment successful.

Deep muscle massage is needed to gain flexibility in the hamstrings so that I do not suffer from a hamstring tear which could hamper my recover. However, this is not for the faint hearted.

My physio eased her way into the massage and went into a virtual trance while kneading out the knots and loosing up the muscle. This was because she could feel the muscle loosening up as she ran her thumbs over it. Eventhough this felt good for her and doing my hamstring the world of good in the long run, I could not wait for it to stop. I was grimacing for the first time in a physio session… ever!

Twenty odd minutes later and the deep muscle therapy had finished – much to my relief. The residual pain after the treatment has only just dissipated in the past couple of days.

I have another physio session this Thursday, so I hope she decides to give that area a rest!

Recovery is still going well. I have a hinged neo-prene brace for ‘public’ outings (public transport, shopping etc). I am on the stationary bike for 15 minutes twice a day, slowly moving up to the 20 minute mark. And I regaining strength with some VMO exercises which concentrate on the muscles closes to the knee joint.

I do have a small piece of stitching on the quadricep scar which is proving to be a bit persistent. The scar is not fully healing and thus cannot go swimming just yet. It has started becoming a little concerning with some pus from the wound, so I am now on some anti-biotics (Keflex) to help clear it up.

I have my seven week post-op review next week so will update you after that.