Conflicting advice from surgeon and physio

[MrsAvocet]

I know nobody can tell me what to do really. I am just frustrated and need to vent.
To cut a very, very long story short, I had an operation on my leg at the beginning of the year that went wrong and left me considerably worse than beforehand. I've not been able to walk without crutches since then. I've recently been able to start physio though its all been phone advice so far. Yesterday I had a phone consultation with the surgeon and he has given me quite a lot of advice that is very different to that which the physio is giving me. In particular he says that I should do without the crutches as much as possible as this will strengthen my leg muscles faster. Whereas she says that I am better to continue to use the crutches as my walking technique is better with them, and that I need to be walking with as close to normal gait as possible before I start worrying about strength.
Arrgh! My inclination is to follow the physio's advice as it seems to make sense to me. Without crutches I walk like Lurch from the Addams family so I can't see how that is doing me any good. My good leg is doing all the work and I am just kind of dragging the bad one behind me. With the crutches I am able to walk like something resembling a normal human being, and it isn't excruciating which is a bonus. Oh, that's the other thing. He says that I should avoid taking painkillers and just push through it whereas she says don't try to be a hero, take the drugs and take things steady. Its all very confusing. Of course it doesn't help that neither of them can actually see me. The physio says she is hoping to have video appointments set up soon which would be an improvement but right now I feel a bit lost. I was really fit and active before all this happened and its turned into a bit of a nightmare.
As I say, I know nobody can tell me who is right, I am going to have to make that call for myself (not much chance of getting a third opinion at the moment) but if anyone has been in a similar situation I would be grateful to hear of your experiences.

Sorry about your leg. You could try using a pair of walking sticks (if you can get hold of some) instead of crutches as they will increase the amount of weight-bearing through your leg but still allow you some support when walking to maintain a decent gait pattern - you definitely don’t want to practise limping as it will become a habit! Don’t make the mistake of using 1 crutch either - crutches are meant to be used in pairs: if you don’t need 2 then sticks will provide sufficient support. Once you can walk easily & comfortably with 2 sticks you can reduce to 1.

I think out-patient physio will begin to open up in the coming weeks - try private if NHS overwhelmed (quite likely) - so hope you can access some face to face treatment soon.

Thanks Hiraeth
Sounds like my instincts are probably right. I think the surgeon thinks I am being soft and need to pull myself together but the fact of the matter is that him telling me what I "should" be able to do doesn't actually mean that I can do it. Its not even the pain, my leg simply won't physically do some of the exercises he told me to do, no matter how hard I try. I am trying to put less weight through the crutches as time goes on (they are the elbow type not the ones that go under your armpits if that makes any difference) but I definitely need them for balance as well as physical support. I can walk short distances inside the house without crutches but I soon get tired and then start limping or over balancing so I wouldn't go outside without them. The last thing I need is a fall! Nobody has mentioned walking sticks yet but I will ask the physio next time I speak to her. Hopefully I will get to see someone face to face soon. I know they are trying their best in very difficult circumstances but its hard trying to describe things over the phone and I've always got this niggling doubt that I have misunderstood something.