Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

[ElanorG]

I got a recumbent trike (see my profile picture) after my last knee. I found it to be a lot easier to do the revolutions and can extend my leg farther if swelling is an issue. I also didn't have to worry about balancing when stopped. I love this trike and am so looking forward to getting on it again!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@ElanorG I have thought about a recumbent bike if all else fails. But, I have a very nice bike hanging in my garage that I hardly got to use after I bought it and really want to be able to ride it again. I've seen people on the river bike trail by our house riding the recumbents, and have considered one, but I'm just not ready to give up the quest to ride mine yet. Thanks for the good info and post!

 

[Benay]

I want to get my bike going again. I had read that on flat roads it's fine, the ride to the market is flat where I live but hoping I won't be a safety hazard for myself or others.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

It's the same if you're on the road; using a static bike is just one less variable.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I was going to go try it until I realized I still have to make a full rotation where my knee will need to bend enough at the top to go all the way around. My knee won't do that. That's why I want to find out about the kind of pedals and/or adjustments where the cranks are shorter or are specialized. And adjusting the seat doesn't work-if I lower it I need to bend my knee even more and if I raise it so I would need to bend my knee less, I can't reach the pedals.

 

[Pumpkin]

Kim,
Here is some information about short arm cranks.
https://www.bikesmithdesign.com/Short_Cranks/

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Thanks, Chris!

 

[ElanorG]

@lovetocookandsew I can understand your wanting to ride a regular bike. But you still might consider a recumbent as an interim solution. Personally, I fell in love with the recumbent for a couple of reasons. One, I get none of the butt pain nor shoulder pain that happens on a regular bike, especially finding saddles that are comfortable for one of my size is almost impossible. Two, I can see the scenery, which is really important to me when I am outside, much more important than getting somewhere fast. Now, there are downsides to a recumbent, particularly a trike. I can't keep up with regular bikes, hills are REALLY challenging, and I don't have a garage so I needed a car that I could keep the trike in. But it has been worth it to me because it got me back outdoors which I love more than anything else. I can't stand riding a bike in a health club for any length of time I get so bored. I can now ride an upright bike fine (I mean I was able to before this knee just got done) but it still hurts my butt alot so once this knee is rehabbed I will go back to my recumbent. Just a thought to get you going again.

 

[Mollymax]

Hiya. I bought crank shortners for my bike and can ride perfectly now. I did have to raise the seat a bit to accommodate them but it's worth it. I worried after having both knees done I wouldn't be able to cycle again and was so glad to have found out about these. Def worth investing in.

 

[tabbykit]

@lovetocookandsew sorry to hear you are still having pain, and hope you will find a way to get out on your bike with the crank shorteners.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@Mollymax Good to hear you're able to ride again. I am working on finding some short cranks for my bike and am planning to take it to a local bike shop soon to let them work on it.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@tabbykit Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[newlybionic]

Hi Kim, I’d be interested to see how the shorter crank works for you. My bike is basically brand new but I can’t bend my right knee enough to do a full rotation no matter how I adjust the seat. I hope it works out well for you.

 

[Mollymax]

I bought Circe Crank Shortners from a cycle shop here in UK - Avon Valley Cycles. I phoned them first and they advised me what to buy. Hubby fitted them very easily and I was riding that same day. Previously my knees wouldn't go round enough without being in terrible pain. I do have them at maximum setting but hope to be able to move them down a setting once knees improve a bit more. I really recommend getting them if you want to get back out in your bike. I can now go out again for long cycles.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I am having a new problem with my knee. I've been getting really sharp zingers in my actual knee area, on the right side, for a while now and they not only hurt a lot, they cause my knee to give somewhat. Has anyone had this happen at well over a year out, or heard about it? I still have issues that are either related to the long rods put in after the revision, or all the swelling I still have; my knee itself has been mostly great until recently. It's been doing this for some time, and tonight it's firing zingers (similar to electrical shocks) at me like crazy, I wish I knew what was causing it.

 

[Celle]

If it doesn't settle soon, Kim, a visit to your OS might be a good idea.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I agree, Celle. I see him tomorrow, an appointment which was made after my last visit, to check and see if the bone has started to fill in around the posts, and to see if the swelling has gone down at all-it hasn't. Last visit, the bone around the lower post had a very tiny, thin line where the bone had started to remodel after a full year, and the upper had basically no remodeling. Since I'm still having the same problems there, I suspect little or no further remodeling has occurred. I am, of course, going to mention this new issue, but wanted to see if anyone here had experienced the same type of problem. I'm guessing not since no one has mentioned they have so far, but thought it was worth a shot to see.

On a more positive note, I have lost 32 pounds since April, all by diet changes, as I still can't ride my bike, swim or walk long distances. I have around 15 or 20 more to lose from the weight I gained after my TKR.

 

[Jockette]

I know you have said you’re getting ready to move. I know what all that involves. Do you think maybe doing more activity in this area has upset your knee causing these new pains?

On a more positive note, I have lost 32 pounds since April, all by diet changes, as I still can't ride my bike, swim or walk long distances. I have around 15 or 20 more to lose from the weight I gained after my TKR.

This is awesome, Congratulations!!
My weight is increasing and I am limited as to what exercise I can do. I wish I had your determination to change what I eat. I don’t think I overly eat, I’m pretty sure it’s the what I eat, not so much the amount. I also don’t like to cook these days so the easy stuff is not working in my best interest.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I didn't have a volume problem at all either; looking into what I was eating I realized I'd gotten lazy and was eating a lot of processed carbs and not-too-healthy other foods. I've now cut out basically all processed carbs such as sugar, white flour, potatoes, pasta, and so on. I will eat the rare dessert-such as in May I had a piece of my birthday cake, and I did make a company dinner Friday, including potato salad from some of our garden potatoes we had planted before we decided to change what we ate. But, I had a very small piece of cake in May and a very small serving of the potato salad Friday, plus I sent all the leftovers from dinner home with our daughter and family so we didn't eat them.

I also changed my homemade bread recipe a bit-instead of a quarter cup of honey, I now make it with only two teaspoons of pure maple syrup, and I don't make it as often as I used to. It still has 100% whole wheat flour I grind myself, so when I do have some I am not getting any white flour. The only treat in our house now is no-sugar-added Dreyer's ice cream, and we eat that only occasionally and in moderation-a half cup is what I serve. It's a slow process since I can't help it along by bike riding, swimming or walking much, but it is working.

I know you have said you’re getting ready to move. I know what all that involves. Do you think maybe doing more activity in this area has upset your knee causing these new pains?

I have wondered if I'm contributing to the new pain by doing more lately-but after 15 months I should be able to spend a day cooking, cleaning, etc, without stopping every half-hour or hour to get my leg up and rested! Friday I was on my feet most of the day making dinner, then helping my daughter after dinner to make an appetizer of mine for a party she was attending the next day. She hadn't made it before and wanted me to help her to get it right as this was her first invitation to a neighborhood function in their new home and she wanted to make a good first impression with the food she brought. I didn't spend as much time resting in between tasks as I usually do and paid for that the rest of the night and into the weekend. But the new pain started before that, so that wasn't the cause, although I have been busier lately. But, as I said, I'm 15 months out and this shouldn't be an issue at this point, but certainly is.

 

[Calgirl]

I had my revision 7/17/18 so very close to yours. According to my OS, my knee is completely healed, no swelling, bone remodeled around prosthesis, however, I have never been without pain/stiffness on the medial side of knee extending midway to calf and thigh. Pain is worse at night and it has been diagnosed as nerve pain. My extension is 120+ so that's why OS feels stiffness is from Nerve damage. I'm treating with Gabapentin and recently THC. Your firing zingers, especially at night sounds like a Nerve issue. Interesting it is just starting recently.