Patella dislocation treatment without brace?

I dislocated my kneecap completely about a week ago. It was stuck out for around a minute and a friend (not a doctor ) put it back in place. I went to see an orthopaedic surgeon and had X-rays. There was nothing of significance on the X-rays. The OS told me not wear a brace or splint of any kind and told me to start walking straight away so the muscles “wouldn’t get stiff”. He never touched my knee or did any kind of physical examination. Since then I found it far too painful to walk and the knee swelled up badly. I also found walking tough because I felt unstable as the kneecap still feels like it’s moving when I walk. I also have trouble when the knee is bent past 90 degrees as it gets stiff and won’t re extend. I cannot completely extend my leg either. The swelling has gone away but I can feel that my knees are still uneven. I bought a knee brace on my own because I thought it would help me walk with a little stability. I am still experiencing pain and can barely walk. The doctor assumed I would be able to go back to work by now and I don’t have any more sick leave I can take. He says it should go back to normal in a week or two and to go see a physio when I can. How late by can I expect to feel like this and how long until I can walk again? Also has anyone else been treated without a brace or splint and with no rest -he didn’t even tell me to ice it.