Recent content by rustic

  1. rustic

    TKR Getting back to hiking and climbing.

    I haven't posted for quite some time. Nothing dramatic has happened. I skipped my 2 year followup, due to COVID risk, and I'm late for the three year one as well. The TKR seems fine, getting less painful each year. I'm having some trouble with my natural knee, so I guess that I'll try to...
  2. rustic

    TKR Getting back to hiking and climbing.

    I remember that feeling well! Getting my foot up there onto a hold, but not being able to put full weight on it. I just pulled a bit extra with my arms (not good climbing form, I know, lol) as an "assist." Over time, I pulled less and less with my arms. At home, in the kitchen, I'd do deep...
  3. rustic

    TKR Getting back to hiking and climbing.

    Hi @Bode1025, I'm curious as to what strengthening exercises you are doing? I think my favorites are lunge variations, and I do step ups on a high deck outdoors. But, it seems really hard to actually improve. I'd like to gain more muscle on my quads, but have always had trouble in that area...
  4. rustic

    TKR ski_bum's Recovery Thread

    It took me more than a year before I could ski again. I got a LTKR in Sept of 2018, and skipped the following season, but did some snowshoeing. I had trouble with sideways forces causing pain, so skiing took longer to get back to than my other recreations (rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking).
  5. rustic

    TKR Scared to go past 120, want to swim

    The first times I tried breaststroke (frog kick), it hurt where the MCL is, which makes sense. My MCL stayed sore for a long time. My surgeon said that the prosthesis itself goes to 150º, but once it is in the body 125º to 135º was a good goal to reach (I got to 138º or a little more). He didn't...
  6. rustic

    TKR Three years post TKR

    How would you describe the "looseness?" I'm also curious about how much it swells, like would someone else notice it if you were wearing shorts? Mine gets puffy, especially on the lateral side, level with the top edge of my kneecap (one of the common places they give steroid shots). We got our...
  7. rustic

    TKR Will I ever be the same?

    Yes, you won't be able to match steps with your husband, for "a while," but stay optimistic. Previous to my TKR, my wife and I were doing ultra distance hikes and races. It took me two years after the surgery to be back to her level, but I'm pretty much there now. We've been doing rough/steep...
  8. rustic

    TKR Getting back to hiking and climbing.

    Two year (almost) update. I'm still hiking a lot, and working hard on my "homestead chores." Pics are from a recent Grand Canyon dayhike (16 miles round trip between the Rim and River) and cutting firewood yesterday. As always, in spite of some pains, I have good function which continues to...
  9. rustic

    TKR Increase of stiffness and back of knee pain<

    Hey Robo! We started all this together. My two years is coming up in a week or so. I've done several updates on my thread, but I'm overdue to post something more recent. So glad to hear that you are doing well!
  10. rustic

    TKR Getting back to hiking and climbing.

    The descents were harder. The big steps down from rock ledges taxed both my legs towards the end of the day. We took an unconventional route that circumnavigated the mountain as well as summiting, so our day was very long (13 hours). Our 14 mile long route started from the north, and had some...
  11. rustic

    TKR Getting back to hiking and climbing.

    Hey guys, Another couple of months have gone by (I'm 22 months post op), and I'm still increasing the range of activities that I can do. There are definitely still some quirks about certain movements causing pain, but they are getting less each month. Definitely not waking me up at night. I'm...
  12. rustic

    Bilateral PKR A hiker's new knees

    I've had quite a few big pops/snaps. Usually the pain subsided quickly, but the biggest one caused swelling and layed me up for two days. In every case, after the pain stopped, I felt like I had gained more mobility. Not just flex, but more easy to twist my lower leg back and forth. I'm not...
  13. rustic

    Bilateral PKR Swelling

    Yes, I had exactly that situation. To straighten my leg (sideways), they did "release" work on my MCL and that spot was one of the more painful places during recovery. I called it the "gopher hole" problem. Imagine shoving some loose dirt back into a gopher hole, using the inside edge of your...
  14. rustic

    TKR Getting back to hiking and climbing.

    Hey guys, It has been another two months since I last posted. I'm lucky that I can hike and mountain bike from home, without being around people, or even going to the highway. So, my plan for getting back into shape and undoing the atrophy in my leg is still on track. My last big challenge was...
  15. rustic

    TKR Walking, skiing, bicycling

    @DIYSteve Hey Steve, I'm still checking in once in a while. I don't have any ideas on your ankle bruising. Personally, I think that I'm still getting what might be little tears of scar tissue once in a while. I don't show bruising, but I get swelling that lasts a few days after each incident...
Back
Top Bottom