Q: I am a 24 year old girl. I met with a road accident on a two wheeler last year. I fractured my right tibial spine with an ACL avulsion. I underwent an arthroscopic fixation of the knee. My orthopedic surgeon also opened my knee at the time of the surgery and put a wire inside my leg which he suggested should be removed after 1.5 to 2 years. I had a plaster on my leg for one and a half months after removal of stitches. Its been eight months now that I have been regularly doing physiotherapy after removal of plaster. I have attained complete knee flexion, but I still can not extend my leg completely. My doctor says that the bone has healed completely from inside. I am trying a lot to straighten my leg, but somehow I feel it doesn't extend beyond a point. He assured me that physiotherapy would help me attain the complete knee extension. I am also doing gym for strengthening my quadriceps. The limp has almost disappeared, but you know the complete knee extension is so essential even for normal gait. I am worried as the time is passing by. I know it might be difficult for you to comment without actually looking at the range of movements, but I would be really glad if you could answer my query.

A:Yes, your doctor is right. Physiotherapy will help you to get your knee back to normal. You will have to continue your exercises for extending your knee. You can try electrical stimulation at a physiotherapy clinic to help you train your quadriceps and wear an internal wedge in your shoe for a few days so that the strain on your knee is less when you walk. In all such cases, it takes anything upto 1 year to get back to running on your knees. So, continue all your exercises with all the zeal you have and you should be fine.