TKR Still feeling occasional "tweaks" after 15 months recovery.

Annelie

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Hi, I had my left TKR 13 months ago. I have good movement now but occasionally still get a few twinges but I think that this is normal. My question is about kneeling on the TKR knee. It is not exactly painful but it feels strange definitely very uncomfortable. At this point I always put most of my weight on my own knee and this is ok. This coming Sept. I'm scheduled to have my right knee replaced. I'm concerned that I might not be able to kneel at all after that.
Does anybody have any problem while kneeling? Maybe I'm just a wimp? My LTKR was not too bad but my Surgeon told me that the second TKR is usually more painful than the first. What is your experience?
Thanks in advance for any input and thanks for this informative forum.
 
I just found the previous posts about kneeling. I'm sorry to ask the same question again. Still, if someone would reply to my question it would be great. Thanks
 
Hello @Annelie - and :welome:

Some people can kneel on their replaced knee and some people just can't. In addition, some surgeons prefer that their patients don't kneel, so check with your surgeon when you have your second TKR.

By the way, unless your right knee is in worse condition than your left one was, I don't think there's any reason why your recovery should be any worse than the first one was. Mine wasn't.

I've had both knees replaced and I can kneel on them, although I don't like the feeling.

I started trying to kneel on a pillow on my bed. When I could do that, I knelt on just the bed, then on a cushion on the floor, and finally on the carpet. I was gradually learning to kneel with less and less padding under my knee.

In an emergency, I can kneel on a hard floor, but I truly hate to do it. It's good to know that I can, but I shan't be doing it very often.
 
I had my ltkr 3 years ago and still find it uncomfortable to kneel. I had my rtkr June 6. Don't know if I will kneel again.
My last surgery was different, they didn't get the pain meds right for 24 hours, After that in some ways it has been easier as I know what to expect. Today though I think my left knee is stiff from the extra stuff it has to do
I know I will get there but some days it seems slower than others.
Good luck with your up coming surgery
 
I’ve heard every knee is different. Why would the second one necessarily be worse, I wonder?


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Ah....kneeling...something I really miss doing especially since half our lives are stored under the beds (only have 3 closets in the house). I can occasionally kneel very briefly on my right knee but it feels so odd that I avoid it if possible. Could probably put a pillow under my shins and slowly work up to it but it's just not something that's been necessary yet.

Every person, every knee and every recovery is different but overall, the recovery from my second replacement was easier than the first. Perhaps it was because I knew what to expect or because I let the first one go longer than I should before having it replaced or because that leg is basically numb from the knee down (neuropathy which set in before the replacement). Good luck on your second recovery.
 
I somehow just can't face kneeling.
I don't know why your Dr should have said a second TKR is worse than the first. I found it to be infinitely easier all round. Knowing what to expect helped and I was better prepared. I had the confidence to stand up to PTs and Drs if necessary.
Good luck.
 
It gets better the more you do it. but is very uncomfortable at first. Use a pad or kneel on a rug.
 
Hi @AnnieLee ,
I am at 6 1/2 months for my first TKR (Left). I also was very worried about whether or not I would be able to kneel, mostly because I very often have to pull my stubborn dog out from under the bed, and because under my workbench is where I need to go to collect (or search for) those tools I haven’t used in recent memory. I was pleasantly surprised to find at about 5 months, I could kneel down to get my stubborn dog, and it did not hurt at all, but it did feel pretty weird. Just prior to my second surgery, I was kneeling on it quite a bit, and getting used to the weird, kind of un-describable feeling. I’m only 17 days from my RTKR, so I haven’t tried that one yet. My surgeon and therapists all told me not to worry about doing it if I could; I would not do any harm to the knee.

But, as Celle said, in the long run, some people can, and some just can’t. I have 3 friends with replaced knees, and they all assured me that eventually, I should be able to kneel without even thinking about it. Mostly, like everything else connected in any with TKR recovery, time and patience are prime. Good luck to you. I hope it all goes well.
 
No one can say what the second recovery will be like any more than they can predict the first one, as each knee is different.
 
What's the old saying - just because you can do it doesn't mean you should do it? Yes you can kneel in time. Personally I can't stand it, it just hurts. Others kneel with no issues.
 
I had bilateral knee replacements 4 months ago. I was really worried about not being able to kneel again for my yoga practice and gardening etc: My surgeon assured me there was no reason I couldn't, but that most people either dislike the feeling or find it too uncomfortable.
I really wanted to get back to yoga, so my physio had me massaging the scars and surrounding muscles from week 2. Don't know if it helped (his theory is that massage helps desensitise the area). Still massaging daily. Well, I started Yoga 2 weeks ago, and yes I can kneel with some modifications. I pop a thin memory foam cushion under the knees, and this works well. I can't sit back on my knees, but I wouldn't even try that at 4 months. Knees are not painful, but have a weird feeling. It is definitely improving day by day. I am thrilled to be able to do this at this stage, it boosts my confidence! My approach was to try to kneel around 3-4 months, I didn't want to leave it for a year and then hate the sensation enough to put me off. So far I am happy with kneeling! Doesn't feel like kneeling on natural knees, but I haven't been able to do for a looong time with bad knees anyway. No knee pain, happy camper
 
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A month or so prior to my March 8 RTKR, I asked my surgeon this question. The reason I wanted to know was that I do core exercises on the rug in the living room and I was getting up by rolling to the right, stopping briefly on my right knee, extending my left leg and arms and standing up. So, I wondered how I would get off the floor after my right knee was a new baby knee. I figured I would probably have to reverse that and roll left stopping briefly on my left (TKR in 2010) knee.

His answer was "No problem kneeling on a TKR knee, although most people don't like the feeling." So, prior to my operation I practiced it a number of times, and just like the surgeon and others here have said, it feels weird, but the procedure worked OK rolling left instead of right to get up. I should say though, I was on a fairly thick Persian rug and not the hardwood floor.

After my surgery, about 3 weeks PO, I mentioned it to my PT. He said, let's see it. So we went to the thick rubber mat and I got on the floor. Instead of doing what I had practiced, I forgot and rolled right quickly, barely pausing on my new right knee and got up the way I had been getting up for 9 years. The PT was impressed, but I couldn't believe I did it that way after all my practice going the other way. It reminded me of a friend who one time trained to jump out of planes with a parachute. He said the minute he jumped he forgot everything he ever learned and how lucky he was that there was an attached ripcord.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the PT said it was no problem kneeling on the new knee on the mat but absolutely would not recommend doing it on a hard surface. My left knee would be ok on a hard surface, but it feels too weird so I don't do it. If I'm doing something in the yard where I have to kneel, I bring a foam pad with me.

But at least my main concern of getting up from the floor is not an issue. I roll left onto a thin throw pillow and get up.
 
I want to be able to too. I practise when I get into bed but so far not enjoying it one but I'll persevere. Thanks
 
Thank you so much to everybody who replied. What a wonderful, informative forum!

I'm feeling a little less concerned about my RTKR in September. Surgeon told me that from his experience that the 2. replacement could be more painful. Like everybody said, that every body and every knee is different. I know that I will get through this alright.

About the kneeling, it's so interesting to see everybody's experience. I did kneel on a hard surface to get something from under the bed and it felt very strange for sure. So now I'm planning to desensitize my knee by starting with Cushion, then move to thinner surfaces, etc. Hopefully it will help by time when I get my LTKR.

I'm feeling better about everything already. Thank you all so much!!
 
I use knee pads or something soft anytime I need to get on my knee
 
I want to be able to too. I practise when I get into bed but so far not enjoying it one but I'll persevere. Thanks

Actually, it's more uncomfortable kneeling on the bed (I don't think I ever did this anyway), than it is kneeling on carpeted floor. Did a yoga session today, kneeling on yoga mat without my flat pillow. It was actually much the same. I probably won't ever kneel directly on a hard floor, but I haven't for many years. Even before my knees started getting sore, I hated the feeling of bone on a hard surface. Or side lying with knees pressing against each other. Yuck.
 
Hiya Annelie. I am a left leg below knee amputee so prior to having my right knee replaced I quizzed my surgeon about kneeling, he said people seem to not want to kneel on a replacement knee but there is no reason why you cannot. The reason I asked was that I squat on my artificial leg and kneel on my good leg and have done for 50 years so for me it was normal and important that I could do this again.

Within two weeks of my surgery I was carefully kneeling on a cushion and as I gained more knee movement i knelt on it more. Yes I admit it feels odd but now at 8 months post op I tend to not even think about it and kneel like I always have. Recently I was fixing the brakes on my trailer on our tarmac drive at home and found myself kneeling on the tarmac without even thinking about it.

Hopefully your recovery will allow you the same. Take care. Bob.
 
Thank you for everybody who took the time to write. Bob, thank you for your comment. I have been kneeling on my TRK knee more often now and it's getting better. I'm so grateful to have found this forum.
 

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