I originally injured my knee playing basketball during college in late February 2003: after getting fouled and hitting the floor and rolling over the outside part of my left leg, I tore my lateral meniscus. It wasn't good. However, after a few weeks, I was able to walk again and even be jogging, I believe, within a month. However, whilst trying to jog down the court while playing basketball, I re-hurt it and knew that I needed to attend more seriously to my knee problem by the end of March. On 4 April 2003, I had arthroscopic meniscal repair surgery on it.
I was then under orders to not do any strenous physical activity for six months, even though I wasn't even walking for weeks after the surgery. Finally, after the six months were over, I then began to gradually try to get back into jogging. Things were fine.
The first time that I experienced anything problematic was getting out of my bed one time in September 2005, just by moving my leg in an otherwise okay move. There was a brief moment there where I sensed some pain and was scared to move my leg, though I was able to move it just fine after handling it carefully. However, that seemed like an anomaly and I thought things were fine again.
Then came along 1 January 2006 when I was no longer eligible to remain on my parents' insurance due to my age. Unfortunately, not even three weeks later, while sitting in class (not even moving my legs or doing anything peculiar), my leg somehow went bad and became rather immobile due to 'my knee'. This was unfortunate, but doubly so since I was uninsured and didn't want to see a doctor in such a state. So, I applied as soon as I could for insurance and became insured by 1 March 2006. By that time, I was able to get back to jogging and didn't have any problems.
During summer 2006, I was concerned about my knee and started to use elliptical machines and jog less. By the winter, I was no longer jogging. Actually, at the beginning of 2007, I thought to see a doctor as I was somewhat concerned about my knee, but not so seriously. Although in early February, I had had one incident where I tried to get out of my bed and my leg became "locked up", it only lasted that way for 30-60 minutes and I was fine again.
Then came along 13 March 2007 when, as I was trying to get out of my bed, I moved my leg in a manner that was injurious to my knee (touching nothing). For three and a half hours, I was unable to walk, though by mid-day I was able to once again walk, albeit with some difficulty with stairs. I thought I would then go see a doctor about it, but, upon calling my insurance company (Aetna), they had said that I hadn't renewed my insurance policy (the cover letter I had received two months before had warned me about ending my insurance were I not to renew on 1 March 2008, so I figured I was fine for the time being - little did I know it was merely a typo) and that, as of not even two weeks before, I was uninsured.
In the mean time, while I was waiting to get insurance again, the following Saturday night, I got up from a couch and once again my leg did not want to move much. I hardly moved from then until the following Sunday night. Then, a classmate of mine picked me up some crutches and I was able to get around the following week, with increasing mobility in my leg. Over the course of the next month or so, I was gradually able to get back to walking.
Finally, on 24 October 2007, I had my second surgery on my knee - this time, an arthroscopic meniscectomy surgery (to remove the torn cartilage). This was followed up with a week or two on crutches before walking once again.
Three weeks after my surgery, I began going to physical therapy twice a week to rehabilitate my knee.
After four months of physical therapy [when I hit the limit of visits my insurance carrier would allow (although I was lucky, since I went in November and December, the year reset my visit count, so I was able to continue going in January and February)], I was told I would have some limitations [by both my physical therapist and orthopedist]. These limitations were no jogging [on concrete] (although, if my knee got better, I could be able to jog on the treadmill), no squatting, no kneeling, limited basketball playing, and for me to continue strengthening my quadriceps muscle, in order to help my patella tracking.
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