Linda,
I would definitely think about horseback riding then for getting back to
pre-surgery stuff. I have increased a lot in ROM and flexibility since I
started riding almost 5 years ago. I couldn't get on the horse the normal
way. I had to sit sideways and then get my leg over. Six months later, I was
able to do it. I am no longer walking in a "crouched position." I am still
getting "taller" all the time as my knees straighten out more and more. My
balance has improved as well. There's lots more that riding has done for me
but won't get into all here.
One chiro that I used to go to thinks the reason riding works so well is that
it seems to affect the Cerebral Spinal Fluid and rebalances the body. The
horse's pelvis is very similar to a human's pelvis and his walking gait is
very similar to that of a human's as well. So it does some sort of
"patterning" as we ride and changes our body's patterns to make it more
"correct" over time. So look up a therapeutic riding center near you and try
it.
Dina