TKR The Long and Winding Road...To Recovery

[Debbie_joints]

Ruth, it is so funny that we had surgery at the same hospital a month apart. When I first started reading your posts and saw you were from WI and you said you live across from a river and there is a nice walking path, I wondered if it was the same town I grew up in. I am now out in the country a few miles. Now I am wondering if you grew up here. If you did and with you being 69, my oldest brother would have been in your class. Will have to PM me if you want to give me details. Are you doing PT at the old hospital? I didn't like it there four years ago when I had my left knee replaced, so now I go to Sport and Spine down by Kwik Trip. Really like the therapist there. I only have two session left though because of my insurance. That is why I started going to the pool at the hotel. Keep me posted.

 

[birdinger]

@Celle I tried to send a personal message today and that function is unavailable. When do you expect the PM system to be available? Thanks much!

 

[Celle]

Sorry. I don't know.

 

[Jamie]

@Celle I tried to send a personal message today and that function is unavailable. When do you expect the PM system to be available? Thanks much!

I cannot tell you when this function will be restored. Sorry.

 

[birdinger]

I have been "stuck" at 110 flexion for about two weeks. Is it normal during recovery to plateau and then pick up again? My hamstrings are apparently tight and IT band still giving me fits.

 

[Celle]

It's perfectly normal to plateau for a while. Instead of stalling, I look on it as a time when your knee is consolidating the progress it has made.

You're already at 110, which is good. Since you have a full year, or even longer, in which ROM can increase, don't worry about a temporary pause. From now on, progress will be slower, but it will continue.

Don't worry about the ROM. Concentrate on helping the IT band to settle down.
ITB (ilio-tibial band) issues and treatments

 

[birdinger]

Thanks!

 

[little red canoe]

Just a note. I wanted my PT to measure today 117 five weeks post op. She did but with these words" ROM is just numbers. Don't focus on them. What matters is functionality for what you want to do". I was at 110 three weeks ago so its slower.

And this was after I unwisely shopped in three stores.. and did all the perimeters in two and half of Home Depot
Time for tylenol PM and bed and ice.

 

[Majella]

I''m only a week ahead of you with a Lt.LTKR and I was stuck at 105 for 2 weeks, so please be patient! this is my second TKR and I learned a lot from my first one...your knee is in charge and has it's own agenda! You are actually doing quite well for your post op date. Hang in there and allow your knee to guide you on this journey

 

[KarriB]

I agree, you're just over a month post-op and 110 is good. There's plenty of time for ROM.

 

[zzevi]

@birdinger a while back you asked what kind of Cpap I use, It's the Res Med 10 @mamazipp mentioned she also uses. I love my CPAP I am a dedicated user.

 

[birdinger]

I am now experiencing ankle pain and tenderness (just above and behind ankle bone) on the outside of my ankle on TKR leg. I had done leg press and another machine with minimal weight in PT the day before this started. The next morning my ankle hurt a little but I chalked that up to new activities in PT. I proceeded to take my usual walk and by evening I was really hurting.

I cancelled PT and called OS. They think it may be tendinitis and, per their instructions, I have been icing, resting, taking ibuprofen and my husband wraps it with an ace bandage. It's been a week and it is still tender to the touch and hurts with certain ankle movements. If it is not any better by Monday I will call and make an appointment to see my OS. I was wondering if anyone else has ever experienced a similar issue. My knee seems fine and I can do knee exercises. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[KarriB]

I did not experience any ankle pain at all. This is very early in recovery to be using weights or leg presses. I think the additional weight can cause tendinitis. I'm not sure what the treatment for tendinitis is, maybe @Josephine can help.

 

[newlybionic]

I did have some similar pain in my ankle. I went to a runner's store where they fit my with new sneakers so that my foot firmly lands on the ground and I wasn't hitting on the side of my foot. My leg wasn't straight before surgery and I was still walking the old way in the same old sneakers. It cost and a little more but it really helped me a lot.

 

[birdinger]

@KarriB I agree that it was a little early for the leg press but since he was doing it for flexion and without much weight I thought it would be OK. I should have known better and not gone along with it. But...hindsight. I guess it will take time to heal.

@newlybionic Thanks for the tip re: shoes. That's on my to do list.

 

[Josephine]

I had done leg press and another machine with minimal weight in PT the day before this started.

"the day before this started" - that's a great big clue!

a) stop using weights and leg press! You're only 8 weeks out. Much too soon to be using such things. Wait until you are at least 12-16 weeks out.
b) resting and all that for one week is too little to be of any use whatsoever. You need to wait at least 4 weeks before you see any resolution of the pain.

 

[birdinger]

@Josephine I learned my lesson the hard way and I should have known better anyway. There is no way I will go near a leg press or any other weight related contraption for a long time. Thanks for the input re: pain.
Ruth

 

[KarriB]

Hopefully icing and resting the leg will help. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Ruth!

 

[birdinger]

When I last posted on November 23 I was experiencing ankle pain in my TKR leg which was believed to be tendinitis. I saw a foot & ankle specialist yesterday as the pain was not subsiding much after several weeks. An x-ray revealed a stress fracture in the lower fibula just above my ankle bone. I now need to wear an air cast walking boot for six weeks to let the fracture heal. I can take it off to sleep and when I am sitting for long periods of time. Since I am almost 10 weeks post TKR I am very bummed and hope that this does not set my knee recovery back too much. I still do some heel slides and gentle stretches several times a day and walk a bit. Walking with the boot is pretty cumbersome. @Josephine @Celle @KarriB any advice or suggestions?

 

[Josephine]

Oh dear oh dear! That was not on my list of 'expected diagnoses'!

I still do some heel slides and gentle stretches several times a day

Well you don't need to! You're 10 weeks out so exercises are very much NOT on your menu right now. You need to first take care of that fracture and see that it heals properly.