Return to normal walking?

[Catrin]

Thankfully there is next to no pain. The problem is my gait and the very consistent feeling of restriction in the knee. It really feels like there is an internal brace.

My Uggs are AWESOME on ice and snow, but if the winter turns out to be bad this year I will certainly try out the stabilizers, thank you! I noticed that individual replacement cleats are also available.

I also found a pair of $40 snow boots at Costco that will really help for those times when there is a lot of snow between parking garage and office (about 3 blocks). Did I mention the Uggs are awesome? I've also a pair from an earlier generation of this model with the same footbed that I purchased 6 years ago that still look almost new! They aren't inexpensive, but they last and there is something in the footbed material/how they are made that seems to almost grip the ice.

As far as the cane is concerned, I'm trying not to use it at all as my quad needs strengthening. I'm not aware that I actually put any weight on it, but I've noticed my gait lasts longer when I use it. I appreciate your input on hiking poles, I am going to hold off on those until I can determine if this is permanent or not. They aren't inexpensive, but more importantly, I want to unload that quad as little as possible. All bets are off when I hike though, I've a cool hiking stick for that, regardless how short the hike might be.